Paris CDG: The Air France Lounge at Terminal 2E, Hall L

Earlier this summer I reached Gold status at KLM’s Flying Blue program, which means access to the KLM/Air France Lounges along with priority check-in and boarding. When I was flying out of Paris to New York a couple of months ago, I therefore decided to check out the Air France lounge.

Turned out there are several Air France lounges at CDG, so which one to choose? La Prèmiere Lounge is considered the very best, but you need a first class ticket to enter, so that one was off the table. Instead, I did a little research and found out that among the other Air France lounges, the one at Terminal 2E, Hall L is supposed to be the nicest. It’s also the largest of the lounges, and it was close to the gate where my flight departed from, so it was an obvious choice.

The lounge is modern and spacious, with a sleek, très chic, design, and with plenty of seating available, so I grabbed a window seat in a quiet corner and got ready for some pre-flight lounging.

I had read online that the lounge has a spa area where you can get complimentary Clarins facials. Unfortunately, the treatments weren’t available when I was there, and with plenty of time to kill before my flight, I went for a shower instead at one of the private bathrooms. Turned out the showers have Clarins products so I got a bit of Clarins pampering after all.

If you ask me, it’s the food selection that really makes the Air France Lounge stand out, compared to other lounges I have visited. The food served in the lounge is 100% French, with an emphasis on fresh, local, and seasonal products, think French baguette, French cheese, and Champagne. The food doesn’t look particularly fancy, but it has this non-processed, almost homemade touch that I really liked, and that you only rarely find in airport lounge settings.

Now to be honest, I’m not otherwise a big fan of Paris CDG. It’s hard to navigate, and some of the terminals connect via bus service, which makes it really difficult to plan ahead in terms of how much time you need to catch a connecting flight. In fact, now when I think about it, if it weren’t for the Air France lounge, CDG might be my least favorite airport in Europe. Though the Air France lounge is one of the nicest airport lounges I’ve ever visited, and it has definitely helped put CDG back on the map for me. This very moment, I’m considering booking my next flight out of Paris, just to be able to visit the lounge again, that’s how nice it is!