Arles/Avignon by train

1 - I've been to both Avignon and Arles and found that Avignon had more spots of interest in itself. They are quite close together.

2 and 3 - it depends what you mean by Provence. There are through trains from CDG to the south of France - the line essentially heads south about as far as Avignon and then splits, with trains heading west to Nimes, Montpellier and beyond or east to Marseilles, Nice and the Cote d'Azur. Both directions count as "Provence". You may have to change if the train most appropriate for you flight arrival goes the wrong way.

The tickets will go on sale for advance purchase about three months before travel on www.capitainetrain.com. If you buy in advance at that time the ticket will be much cheaper, but if you miss the train you chose due to a flight delay you will have to buy a new ticket at full fare. The station is within the airport complex but I've never personally used it so can't give detailed directions.

1. Avignon is a better base. Arles is great and well worth a visit, but Avignon is bigger and has greater access to buses and trains.

2 and 3. There are several trains per day directly from CDG to the Avignon TGV station. It takes just over three hours. If you go to Avignon straight from CDG, I do not believe there are any changes. Nimes is slightly southwest of Avignon, so that wouldn't make sense. Again, Provence is a large region, so it's tough to answer when you talk about a train going to Provence. In any event, should you go straight to Avignon, note that the TGV station is about 6 km outside of the city center (there are buses and cabs). There is also a main station for the regional trains that is right by the city center - this is the one you will use when traveling around the region. Generally, the TGV trains are for longer distance travel, while the regional trains are just that.

4 and 5 - sorry, can't really help there.

Have you already bought your flights? Are you locked into flying into CDG because of miles?

If the answer to these questions is "no," then look instead into either flying into Marseille, or flying Air France to Paris then including a train to Avignon as part of your ticket (details here: http://www.airfrance.us/US/en/common/resainfovol/avion_train/reservation_avion_train_tgvair_airfrance.htm).

If you're flying into CDG and are not on that Air France combined ticket, you can either take a train direct from CDG (the station is right in terminal 2) or get from the airport to Gare de Lyon and take the train from there. One problem is that unless you feel lucky (or stay a night in Paris and leave the next morning), you can't predict which train you'll be able to make on your arrival day. This means that you will be buying a last minute ticket, which gets expensive.

As for a home base, while I liked Arles more, Avignon has better connections to more places. Of course, with 10 days, you can stay in both. I spent three nights in each and took day trips to Nimes and Orange; I also spent two nights each in Marseille and Aix-en-Provence (but you can see both of these as daytrips from Arles or Avignon if you wish).

I think Arles makes a better base for exploring by local trains and buses.
Here is a map for local trains in Provence. http://www.beyond.fr/map/ter_paca.html
Arles is smaller of course than Avignon, but a little more central, and easier to get to Aix-en-Provence and Marseille. This map shows routes of TGV services from CDG ...
http://www.bonjourlafrance.com/france-trains/tgv-ile-de-france-charles-de-gaulle-airport/schedules/tgv_cdg_ile_de_france_schedule_ticket_prices.htm#DESTINATION
Depending on your final destination, you may have to change at Nimes or Avignon TGV, but look for 'through' trains. Fastest time from Paris to Avignon by TGV is approx 2hr40min - so less than 3 hours.
I was there in late March 1990 and the weather was SUPERB !!

Hi Susan,

1. I prefer Avignon over Arles, but that's just my preference. It's a larger city and has easy train and bus connections to nearby destinations. You can always visit Arles as a day trip from Avignon.

2. You are correct. There are direct high-speed TGV trains from CDG airport to Avignon, continuing on to both Aix-en-Provence and Marseilles, which are all in Provence. If you are going to other cities or towns, such as Arles, you will need to change trains in Avignon first. There is a TGV train station right at CDG airport. You can find an airport map on the offical Paris airports website: www.aeroportsdeparis.fr/en/homepage
   You can find French train schedules and routes as well as buy tickets through the French Rail website - www.sncf.com. You can save a lot of money by buying tickets ahead, some tickets available up to 120 days ahead. The cheapest, advance purchase tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable, so you should be ready to commit at the time of purchase. If you are buying tickets ahead for a train the same day you are arriving by plane, I suggest giving yourself some extra time, generally 3 hours to be safe, as you never know if your plane will be on time or how long the lines will be at immigration. Your other option would be to buy a more expensive ticket, which can be exchanged if need be.

3. There are several direct trains daily from CDG airport to Avignon, taking a bit more than 3 hours. You would only change trains in Nimes if you were going to Montpellier, or another city west of Provence. You don't need to change trains to go to Avignon, Aix-en-Provence or Marseilles.

4. I was in Provence in early April a few years ago and the weather was beautiful! It's Spring, so everything will be green. There could be some rainy days, but generally, the weather should be pretty nice.

5. For apartments, I'd check www.airbnb.com or www.vrbo.com

Hope that helps!

Thank you for the great advice. Susan