JetSetAuthority

Route · North Atlantic

DTW Detroit ⇄ CDG Paris

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (United States) and Charles de Gaulle International Airport (France): great-circle distance, estimated scheduled flight time each way, time difference and jet lag.

Distance6,359 km3,952 mi3,434 nautical miles
DTW → CDG7 h 45 minestimated block time
CDG → DTW8 h 55 minestimated block time
Clock change+5 hParis vs Detroit, today
Great-circle route from Detroit (DTW) to Paris (CDG)DTWDetroitCDGParis
The shortest path over the Earth’s surface (great circle), drawn on a Natural Earth projection. Real flight paths bend around weather, winds and closed airspace.

Flight time each way

DTW → CDG

7 h 45 min

Estimated gate-to-gate scheduled time. Initial heading 51° (NE).

Leave Detroit Sat 7 Nov, 10:00 local → arrive Paris Sat 7 Nov, 23:45 local.

CDG → DTW

8 h 55 min

Estimated gate-to-gate scheduled time. Initial heading 298° (WNW).

Leave Paris Sat 7 Nov, 10:00 local → arrive Detroit Sat 7 Nov, 12:55 local.

DTW-bound flights are the slower direction by about 70 minutes in our estimate: the route runs mostly east–west through latitudes where the prevailing westerly winds at cruise height are strong, so heading east rides a tailwind and heading west fights a headwind. How we estimate it.

Distance

Great-circle distance6,359 km · 3,952 mi · 3,434 nmi
Initial heading51° (NE) from DTW; 298° (WNW) from CDG
Farthest from the equator54.8°N — the path arcs north of both airports
Crossesneither the equator nor the 180th meridian
Share of the longest possible trip32% of the 20,015 km to the far side of the Earth

Time zones and jet lag

DTWAmerica/Detroit — UTC−4 now; UTC−5 standard time, UTC−4 during daylight saving time
CDGEurope/Paris — UTC+1 now; UTC+1 standard time, UTC+2 during daylight saving time
DifferenceParis is 5 hours ahead of Detroit today.

Jet lag, flying DTW → CDG. Your body clock has to move 5 hours earlier, like an eastward trip. A common rule of thumb is that the body clock adjusts by roughly one time zone a day, so expect up to about 5 days to fully adjust. Shifting earlier (as here) is usually the harder direction; morning daylight at the destination helps. Flying the other way, the shift is reversed.

General information, not medical advice.

The two airports

DTW Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County AirportDetroit, United States · longest runway 12,003 ft3,659 m CDG Charles de Gaulle International AirportParis, France · longest runway 13,829 ft4,215 m

More routes from DTW and CDG

DTWAMS Detroit – Amsterdam 6,324 km3,929 mi · 7 h 45 min LHRCDG London – Paris 348 km216 mi · 1 h 25 min CDGLIS Paris – Lisbon 1,470 km913 mi · 2 h 50 min YULCDG Montreal – Paris 5,524 km3,433 mi · 6 h 50 min ORDCDG Chicago – Paris 6,665 km4,141 mi · 8 h 05 min MEXCDG Mexico City – Paris 9,199 km5,716 mi · 10 h 45 min CDGSIN Paris – Singapore 10,724 km6,664 mi · 12 h 30 min

Routes of a similar length

ORDLHR Chicago – London 6,344 km3,942 mi · 7 h 45 min YYZFRA Toronto – Frankfurt 6,344 km3,942 mi · 7 h 45 min JFKZRH New York – Zurich 6,310 km3,921 mi · 7 h 40 min CLTLHR Charlotte – London 6,409 km3,983 mi · 7 h 45 min

Need a different pair? The flight-time calculator works for any two of 3,245 airports. Not covered: which airlines fly this route, schedules, fares and live status — that data is proprietary and we don’t guess it.

Photos on airport pages are credited there. Estimates are rounded to 5 minutes; typical error about 13 minutes (validation).