My wife and I are visiting the Normandy area next week for several days, staying in Bayeux.
At the end of our visit we would like to take a full day of travel to get to CDG area for a overnight stay at nearby hotel and visit Giverny on the way. We will be returning to the US the next day.
My understanding is that this is theoretically possible to do...stopping in Vernon for a few hours, leaving our luggage at lockers in the Vernon train station, and taking taxi's to and from Giverny and then catching another train towards CDG. I get less sure about the practicality of this when I try to research SNCF trains to buy tickets in advance.
We have luggage ( 1 big bag and two carry-on bags ).
Anyone know how big the lockers are at the Vernon train station?
Is it better to travel all the way into Paris and return to Vernon or take the slower trains through Caen to Vernon? The price I saw was surprising close either way.
Also it appears we will will have to get off at one train station in Paris and somehow get to a different train station. This causes me some concern regarding the handling of luggage and finding our way to the right train station in a timely fashion to get to the CDG airport area. We are also new to train travel using French trains.
Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
Rick's France book advises leaving luggage at Café-Tabac de la Gare in Vernon. They're going to keep these bags in a room or closet, not a locker.
After getting off the train at Paris' Gare St. Lazare, you can walk about four blocks from St. Lazare to catch the Roissy Airport Bus on Rue Scribe, near the Opera metro stop. (Otherwise, it's a longer walk, city bus, or taxi to Gare du Nord to catch the RER to CDG.)
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
Take the train out of Bayeux to Vernon.
It'll be a new ticket the rest of the way in to Paris.
You'll arrive at Gare Saint -Lazare. At that point by an RER ticket to CDG.
Ride the RER E to Magenta. Walk the short tunnel to Gare du Nord.
Catch the RER B to the airport.
The bad news: No left luggage at Vernon. There is at the major Paris stations, but you'd have to double back using the information above. Alternatively, you could pay the taxi a wait fee - - cost unknown.
Posted by
Chicago
8038 posts
Train stations don't have lockers. Some like Gare du Nord have left luggage that uses lockers after you have been screened for security. I am pretty sure a rinky dink station like Vernon does not have these facilities. (many train stations like this don't even have rest rooms)