What are the hassels of going to Africa via Paris, France while transporting guns? A ball part estimate on the travel time from the east coast of the U.S.A. would also be appreciated.

Grumulkin:

I can't help you with your firearm question, but....

I've done a lot of international traveling. For all future trips I will try my hardest to stay away from Paris' de Gaulle airport.

The terminals are confusing and people were not very helpful. Additionally, if you fly into one terminal, and connect to a flight in another one, you have to take a bus, similar to JFK.

Then you have to go through security again (and DO NOT get in the screen lines on either end - airport personnel will bring people needing escorts through those lines - thus you wait longer.)

I was coming back from Bucharest and almost missed my connection to IAD, eventhough I had a two hour layover.

When I went through Paris in 04, there was no hassle at all. I claimed my guns (due to a ticketing screw up on my part) and re checked them.

The counter attendant had no idea what to do. Other than a delay for him to get his supervisor, the process was simple.

Things do change, so check current laws.

577NitroExpress is partly right. If you land at Terminal 1 at CDG and have to change terminals to Terminal 2, it is a hassle. If you are travelling all the way with Air France from the US to South Africa for example, then this will be easier as all Air France flights are from Terminal 2. Just arrange to fly with airlines operating from the same terminal. I have flown in and out a number of times with firearms and never had a problem and that included going through customs.

France, surprisingly enough, has no limitations. In fact, last year, when I came from Tanzania, I flew to Amsterdam then Paris and hauled my gun off and took it to the hotel in Paris. No problem checking it in.

If you do decide to take your rifles into town or anywhere in France, just be sure you aren't importing one of the "controlled" military calibers. If you do get asked by customs officials to describe your firearms the only thing they are really looking for is "military" calibers and semi-automatic weapons. So, avoid 30.06, .308, 8X57, 223 Remington, etc. If you say you've got a .470 Nitro Express they might ask you to show them out of curiosity however!

Grumulkin, I forgot to answer your flight time question. East Coast to Paris is around 5 to 6 hours depending on where you start on the East Coast. From Paris to the East Coast add an hour as you are going against the jet stream, not with it. If you are flying Paris to Joburg assume 10 to 11 hours flight time. The Air France flight is non-stop but the SAA flight used to stop in Nairobi. Air France is a better option from Paris. A few days in Paris doing relaxed sightseeing is as good a way as any to get over the time change and jet lag before carrying on to Eastern or Southern Africa where the time zone is the same or one hour difference most of the year.

I'm going to Cameroon via Paris from Atlanta in Jamuary. The itinerary says the flight time is 8 hours 20 minutes. With Air France you do need to fill some detailed gun paperwork ahead of time but according to Shawn with Gracy Travel folks have very few hassles with Air France.

Mark

I travelled with Air France from Oslo to Johannesburg via Paris CDG in May.
Guns and baggage was checked all the way to Johannesburg, and they came rolling in on the baggage belt in Johburg safe and sound.
No problem at all, and as mentioned by others, if one is travelling Air France all the way, one arrive and leave at the same terminal in Paris. Pice of cake actually.
They was a bit nitty on the baggage weight though...

Thanks for all the responses. I'm one of the suckers, if you want to call it that, that is considering a hunt in Burkina Faso and was trying to get an idea of how feasable it would be.

Now, I guess I'll have to start learning a bit of French.

quote:

577NitroExpress: I've done a lot of international traveling. For all future trips I will try my hardest to stay away from Paris' de Gaulle airport.

I'd agree with this in spades. I've missed many a connection out of DeGaulle because of their innovative interpretation of the word "reservation." Unlike most other airports, Air France airline clerks mean "We'll sell you a seat, and we'll even let you sit in it - if there's not someone already in it." They sell more seats than they have, like most other airlines, but they don't assign seats until they determine who's going where. They fill the cabin with the longest travellers, then the next longest, and so forth, to maximize their profit. If you're just going to Rome or Cairo, you're SOL, regardless of how long you've had the reservation or how early you show up. I stopped connecting through DeGaulle about 12 years ago, and my life became much simpler.

Don't know if other airlines follow this procedure, but I wouldn't trust them with an important trip. I had a friend sent to Belgium when he wanted to go east - they were annoyed he kept asking when they'd get him a flight to the Gulf, as they'd agreed to do when they took his money. No more...

Jaywalker

Charles de Gaulle is miles better than either Heathrow or Schipol (Amsterdam) in terms of travelling with firearms. I have transferred through Paris with firearms and would do so again tomorrow, should the need arise. The issue about having to change terminals does not seem particularly serious to me... Presumably you'll be able to check your luggage through to your final destination anyway...

- mike

P.S. Overbooking is not an issue of the airport, but rather a problem of the airline. These days, you can demand compensation for overbooking in the EU.

Grumulkin,
I did the "LA to Paris to Joberg" flite this August. We had no problems
whatsoever. We had a 8+ hour layover in Paris which gave us time to go
into the city. We saw the Eiffel Tower, the Louve Museum (including
the Mona Lisa,...). Our guns were checked through & there were
no problems with us leaving the airport.

You can't leave any baggage at the airport anymore so we ended up
getting a hotel room in the airport. It was nice to take a shower &
made it easy to leave the carry-on bags there while we toured Paris.

Overall, great connections, much better than the SAA 18 hour flite "Atlanta to
Joberg" we've done in the past. I also thought Air France was extremely
courteous & well run. We flew Business Class & the meals/service were phenomenal!

I also did the "Denver to London Heathrow to Harare" the year before.
Only problem was that you couldn't take any firearms to Zimbabwe direct
from the UK. Plus, our wives flew to London to meet us on our way back
& we stayed in England for 4 - 5 days to sightsee. They didn't really
want to hang out in the jesse & hunt DG for 18 days, they thought this
was a reasonable comprimise!

I think "USA to Africa" is much easier when stopping over somewhere
in Europe, & it gives you some other options.

Jungleboy

I fly through CDG every thirty days and of all of the European Airports I have flown through I prefer it. If you are headed to JoBurg you can time it so you only have a 4 hr lay over. But I recommend coming in early and leaving late so you can spend time downtown. The train ride is about 45 minutes and Paris is a neat place.

I often wondered about the hassle of carrying firearms though, good to hear it is painless.

Saludos...Frank

Gringo, if you are passing through every thirty days then I insist on paying for the first and second rounds if you ever have a few hours to kill in Paris.

Wink,

I do not have a lay over going out this time, but have few hours when I comeback through January 8th. I will send a PM the week before and hopefully we can hook up.

1664 or Vin Rouge, I am not praticual

Saludos...Frank

Well amigo it looks like it will be for a next time. For once I will be in the USA and during the first two weeks in January. In fact, I will be in Dallas on 12, 13 and 14 January if you happen to be up there.

Enjoy Dallas, I was planning on attending the DSC but it is not going to happen.

Saludos...Frank

I can't imagine why anyone would want to go into or through france.

Lot's of people have no imagination but we're here to help.

I went through Paris on my way to Cameroon in 2004. Didn't inpress me much. First off, they had some sort of worker's strike and we had to disembark the aircraft on the tamarac and walk to the terminal. Snowing like hell on that walk. While in the international terminal I had about a 5 hour layover. When I got there, everything was closed and when the coffee shop finally opened, the coffee maker was out of order.

Coming back through, I was told my bags were overweight. Same bags as I had when I arrived, but they some how magically gained 25 kilos. Never did figure that one out. Ended up having to cough up an overweight charge. Nobody wanted to be very helpful and seemed down right unwilling to try to work with me.

I've visited France several times with the Navy too and I for one can honestly say I don't plan on returning unless there is absolutely no alternative.

Mac

I arrived at CDG the day before the terminal collapsed - and I think I walked right through the exact area. A month later, when I landed from Bucharest, I saw the destruction.

Scary.