My husband and I are planning a trip to the Normandy region in July. When we traveled in Ireland last year we took buses and it worked amazingly. I see a lot of talk about the train system in France but next to nothing on buses as transportation. We will be flying into Charles de Gaulle and would like to avoid the train station switch in Paris to get to Roeun. Has anyone used buses as transport? Thank you!
Posted by
106 posts
Buses are common, especially in smaller towns, where they serve as intercity mass transit and provide connections from towns no longer served by rail to active rail stations. In that sense, some buses are an integral part of the SNCF system and are booked the same way as a train -- either at the train station or online. If small towns are part of your trip, you may find some legs done by buses (usually called "cars" and some by train, either regional express [TER] or high speed trains).
As France is required by the EU to open its system up to competitors, it has rolled out more of a barebones line of trains and buses that operate under the Oui name. I'm not as clear on that but I know Oui has lower prices, more restrictions for luggage, and is intended -- as I understand it -- to bring the bargain-basement low-cost airline experience (think Ryanair) to trains. I think they're trying to work out the kinks on how to run a low-cost service model in anticipation of increased competition.
In addition to buses operated by (or for) SNCF, there are regional trains run by local governments (either régions or départements) that are less linked to the train system and offer more town-to-town lines in addition to town-to-train station lines.
This is a link to the car (bus) lines operated by the Normandie Région. You can click on the "EN SAVOIR PLUS" (learn more) link below each département shown for a list and more details of the lines offered. Fares are also noted.
Hope that helps.
Posted by
Panguitch, Utah
2544 posts
There might be one or two Flixbuses or Ouibuses from CDG to Rouen per day.
It could take up to 3 hours, service is very limited, and the reviews are not outstanding.
I see nothing wrong with the train from St Lazare but you could try the bus if you like.
Posted by
Paris
6888 posts
An effective way to avoid the train station switch in Paris is to take a 50-euro cab (flat rate) from CDG to Gare Saint Lazare. Compared to the 21 euro RER fare for two, it is a great deal.
Buses are worth a shot but they are often late, very late even, and much less comfortable than a train.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you everyone. Looks like it's a cab from CDG to the train station!
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
Urban public transport in France gets justified praise but rural public transport is very variable. Heavily touristed regions (eg the smaller towns around Nice) sometimes have regular services, but in some areas and for less well-known places the only public transport may be one or two journeys per day timed to take schoolkids to the nearest larger town for their education, and/or elderly people to the market town and back. As such the timings will often be inconvenient for tourists who want to travel in the opposite directions.
Bus information can be hard to find if you search in English - the easiest thing to do is to search for "transport en commun" along with the name of the departement that you are travelling in. Rural public transport is often operated at the departement level, so there may be no buses between a particular village and the nearest larger town if it happens to be in a different departement. (The Normandy regional site listed above links to separate pages for each departement in the region). Apart from tourist-heavy areas, local bus information is rarely available in English. Important vocabulary: "carte" or "plan" = "map", "horaire" = "timetable". Also make sure to learn the days of the week in French as times can vary according to the day, even for different weekdays. Buses may also be different in school holidays ("vacances scholaires").