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TGV to Aix - en - Provence from Paris

Posted by on

I'm a bit confused by options and could use your suggestions:

Flying into CDG airport to get to Aix en Provence. Flt lands in afternoon. I'm reading there is a TGV at CDG airport. Also reading that TGV's depart from Gare du Lyon and Gare du Nord? (mostly I read to depart from Gare du lyon)

I'm wondering: should I spend the night in Paris and take TGV from Paris train station next day OR
is there an easy link from the airport to hop on a TGV and arrive in Aix later that day, most likely in the early evening. Price wise, I'm finding a wide range of ticket prices. This is for Sept. '23 travel. A hotel in Paris for the night won't be costly; I have a voucher from a travel app to offset that cost. It seems that there are govt sponsored TGV's and private company TGV's? Any help is appreciated. Thank you!

Posted by
6889 posts

Hello,

There are basically three ways to reach Aix-en-Provence from CDG:

  • Fly to Marseille: only if you have not bought your ticket yet so that you can fly on the same reservation/ticket. Probably the least hassle, because your connection will be protected in case of delays. Also, Marseille airport is close to Aix - not much further than the train station! However, the carbon footprint is much higher.

  • TGV from CDG airport to Aix-en-Provence TGV. The schedule is not out for Sep 2023 - you have to wait until May or so. There are two kinds of TGV trains: low-cost Ouigo and regular Inoui. The earlier you book (on SNCF Connect ideally, or Trainline or Rail Europe if you struggle), the cheaper. Inoui is the much better choice IMO (more comfortable, on-board catering, no luggage restrictions). However, you need to allow three hours between scheduled flight landing and train departure, to allow for slight delays, immigration, luggage collection, walking to the station. So, if you land less than three hours before the final train of the day, you need to go to option three below...

  • TGV from Paris Gare de Lyon to Aix-TGV. Make your way from the airport to a hotel in Gare de Lyon area (a cab costs 53€ flat-rate, likely to increase at some point this year in my opinion, or you can go by public transport), and book a train the next morning as above.

For all things "train", feel free to peruse the excellent "Man in Seat 61" website.

Posted by
32742 posts

There are indeed TGV (translates as high speed train, and indeed they are fast) trains from many stations. In Paris, the Gare du Nord sends trains north and northeast. Gare de l'Est sends trains east and towards Switzerland via Strasbourg. Gare de Lyon sends trains south and east to Lyon, Dijon, all of Provence and the Côte d'Azur (the Riviera) including Aix-en-Provence.

So it is either, as balso says, a train from the airport or into central Paris and a train from Gare de Lyon.

If you try from Gare du Nord you will go the wrong way.

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