My wife and I are doing a Normandy tour on Tuesday August 8 and returning to Paris afterward. The tour company recommends taking the train that departs at 6:35 pm. When I booked the tour reservation that train was available. However, I recently went to book the train reservation and it is no longer there. That specific train departure is always available and I can't imagine it is fully booked almost three months early. Any suggestions?
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
My best guess is that they plan some construction in the region and haven't opened that train for sale, or closed it temporarily. You're correct that it can't actually sell out. It's still reflected in train schedules published by DB, as is the 20:09 departure. I would check again in a few weeks.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32766 posts
The signs on the SNCF website make me think that that line will be closed for maintenance after the rush hour that day. Although the DB still shows the evening trains it is possible that they haven't posted construction cancellations for foreign railways for August yet.
The last connection shown on SNCF to St Lazare is at 17:27. The last they show is the 17:48 which takes over 4 hours taking the "scenic" route with 2 long connections and arrives into Paris Mont 3 Vaug which is SNCF speak for Paris Montparnasse 3 Vaugirard which is a subsidiary station south of the main Paris Montparnasse station.
That sounds like a diversion to me.
Can I suggest that you speak with your tour company and ask their advice? That route has had plenty of diversions due to maintenance and construction over the last year or so, and I expect that they will both be able to confirm the actual situation and alternate plans for you.
Posted by
Green Bay
20100 posts
I am a little confused. Are you looking for the train going Tuesday morning or Monday night before the tour? Or are you looking at the return train Tuesday evening.
I see a 7:09 direct IC train from Paris St Lazare at 7:09 am getting to Bayeux at 9:17 am on Tuesday August 8
The previous day, Monday, August 7, there is a 6:09 pm direct train. and an 8:44 pm direct train.
Returning on August 8, looks like the last train to Paris St Lazare is at 5:27 pm with a connection at Caen, and the one at 5:44 pm that seems to go south taking an extra hour to get to Paris Montparnasse
I see there is also a Ouibus from Caen at 8 pm that goes to the Jules Verne terminal in Paris which is near La Defense. Now how do you get from Bayeux to Caen? Local bus?