Transiting through Roissy and looking for where to pray at CDG airport? Here is what we know, where it comes from, what we do not know, and above all how to plan so you do not spend your connection searching.
The essentials in 30 seconds
Paris-Charles de Gaulle has several multi-faith spaces — one in Terminal 1, others in Terminals 2E and 2F. Each brings together a Muslim area, a chapel and a synagogue. Access is free. The real question is not "is there a room", it is which side of security you are on: that is what decides whether it is reachable at all.
What we know, and where it comes from
The locations below come from the airport's public information and from traveller reports. We have not verified them ourselves on site. An airport this size is permanently under works: a room moves, an access closes, signage changes. We would rather tell you than let you believe in a map that is accurate to the metre.
What is established and does not move: these spaces exist, they are free, they are multi-faith, and airport staff know the request — there is nothing unusual about it.
Trap number one: before or after security
This is the mistake that costs the most at Roissy. A space after security is useless if you have just landed and are collecting your bags; a landside space is useless once you are in the departure zone, because you do not go back through security to pray — or you queue all over again.
So before crossing the terminal, ask yourself one question: where am I, and can I still get there without passing a checkpoint? If the answer is no, skip straight to "if you cannot find it".
Terminal 1 — the newest space
Opened in 2023. Level 2, in the international departure zone, so after security, near McDonald's and Paul. It brings together a mosque space, a synagogue and a chapel, with a wudu area and restrooms nearby. It is the best equipped of the three.
Terminal 2E — in the transit zone
A prayer space is accessible in the transit zone, generally on the L-gates side, level 2. This is the long-haul terminal: if you are connecting between two long flights, this is probably where your prayer will fall.
Terminal 2F — at arrivals level
A quiet room at arrivals level. Useful for praying before collecting your bags, or while waiting for someone.
What about Terminals 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D and 3?
We do not know. We are not aware of any identified prayer space in those terminals, and we are not going to invent one. If your flight leaves from one of them, plan for the fallback below from the start — or, if you have time and you are still landside, take the CDGVAL to Terminal 2E/2F before going through security.
If you cannot find it, or you have no time
The most common case, and it can be prepared for. Four options, from the simplest down:
1. Ask at an information desk. The words that get an answer in a French airport are "lieu de culte" or "salle de recueillement", not "prayer room": that is the wording used on the signage, and the agent will know immediately what you mean.
2. Follow the signage. Places of worship are signposted like toilets or lifts, often with a small pictogram. Look up at the overhead panels rather than hunting for a door.
3. A quiet corner near your gate. Pier ends, gates for later departures and connecting corridors empty out between flights. A pocket mat and two minutes are enough.
4. Praying seated in the gate area. When only a few minutes of the window are left, this is what many travellers do.
On what is permitted in those situations — shortening, combining, making up — we do not rule: that is a religious question. Put it to HalalGPT, which is built for it.
Wudu
This is the real obstacle, more than the prayer itself. Only Terminal 1 has a dedicated area as far as we know: everywhere else it is the toilets — busy, with high basins and sensor taps that cut the water. Two habits change everything: filling a small squeezable bottle at the basin before going into the cubicle, and keeping a microfibre towel in your cabin bag. The accessible cubicle, when free, has a basin inside — leave it immediately if someone needs it. The full method is in our guide: making wudu while travelling.
The prayer that causes trouble
At CDG it depends on your flight time. Fajr for early departures: the window ends at sunrise, often while you are checking in or queueing at security. Maghrib in winter: it falls in the late afternoon, at the peak of departures, and its window is short.
The habit that fixes it: check the day's times before leaving home, not in the queue. Our prayer times give them for Roissy as well as Paris, and the page still works without a signal once opened. Remember too that boarding closes around 20 minutes before departure: that is the time that decides whether you pray now or at the gate — not the departure time on the board.
With children, a pushchair, a cabin bag
A pocket prayer mat is no problem at security: it is an ordinary item and nobody blinks. Pack it along the side of the bag rather than at the bottom — you will get it out faster. With a pushchair and luggage, the quiet corner near your gate is often the sensible choice: crossing two terminals for a room you are not sure to find costs more than it returns.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a Muslim prayer room at CDG? Yes, several multi-faith spaces with a Muslim area (Terminals 1, 2E, 2F).
Are they before or after security? The Terminal 1 one is in the departure zone, so after; the 2F one is at arrivals level. Check which side you are on before crossing.
Can you do wudu? There is a dedicated area in Terminal 1; elsewhere, the restrooms.
Is access free? Yes.
What about Orly? See where to pray at Paris Orly.
And other airports? See our complete airport prayer room guide.
Help the community
Have you prayed at Roissy recently? Tell us which terminal, which side of security, and what the information desk told you. That is exactly the information this page is missing, and it will serve hundreds of connecting travellers. → Add the place · → Join the community