CDG to Bordeaux —best options & buy advance train tickets?

Hi Marie! We travel this route often. Take the TGV from CDG to Bordeaux St. Jean. Most likely you will have to change trains (typically Massey) but it is the easiest and most direct way to travel (though there are a couple of non-stop trains but usually early in am and later in afternoon.) Going in to Montparnasse from CDG to get to Bordeaux is waaaay more cumbersome than it may seem at first glance.

A second option would be to fly, which we've done on occassion, too (though I prefer the train.) Sometimes it's cheaper and more convenient to fly so make sure you check both options. ALSO, book your tickets (train or otherwise) as soon as you know your date(s) and time. They can book up and prices only increase the closer you get to the departure date.

Lastly, there are two types of TGV that service the CDG to Bordeaux St. Jean route: InOui (the standard high speed TGV offering 1st and 2nd class tickets) and the OUIGo (the low-cost TGV that offers economical prices, only 2nd class seating and a slower ride.) We've taken both and both are generally fine to get you from A to B. And, I will say, that IMO I am comfortable traveling in both 1st and 2nd class. The latter typically has more families with kids as does the OUIGo (more economical.) But i've always been happy with both classes of service.

Hope this helps and I hope you enjoy your visit to this fabulous part of the world!

Thank you Kimberly,
Thank you — unfortunately right now I’m only seeing the TGV through Massey early in the morning before we arrive (10 am arrival). Maybe I’m not looking in the right place?

"Maybe I’m not looking in the right place?"

Are you looking at www.sncf-connect.com ? I would also suggest you look at train schedules for 2-3 weeks out from now. All the trains might not be showing yet for September. The schedule a couple of weeks out can give you an idea of what might be available.

BTW on the sncf-connect website, if you scroll all the way to the bottom you can change the language to English.

Editing to add: Plus you might need to play around with what time you put in for the trains on that website. It's fussy and sometimes won't give you what you ask for as far as timing!

Marie, train schedules for September are not out yet. BUT, if you download the SNCF Connect app you can set up an alert to be notified. There will be many options from CDG to Bordeaux but your timing may coincide with the "Autumn" release of tickets.

We just did this on June 9 - landed at CDG at 11am, took a taxi to Gare Montparnasse then took the TGV inOUI to Bordeaux. There were no trains from CDG to Bordeaux on the day we arrived, and we didn’t want to navigate the RER upon arrival. I had tickets for a 2:00pm train, which would have been cutting it close, but it ended up getting cancelled. I also had refundable tickets for the 4:00pm train, which is the one we took. We arrived to the station around 1:45 and spent the extra time exploring Montparnasse while we waited (the train station has luggage storage). I recommend you book your train tickets now, they were sold out the day of and the train was packed. You can buy a changeable ticket for a little more and if you arrive early, see if you can change the ticket (but for us it was sold out).

Hi Kelley,
Thanks so much for your comment — that makes the most sense. We bought tickets yesterday from Montparnasse on a fast train that will get us to Bordeaux in 2 hours! We also decided on taking a taxi from CDG since there are 3 of us and since we’ll have luggage. I appreciate your input. Hope you enjoyed your trip! This will be our first time to Bordeaux. Cheers!

Its been a few years, but there was a 2 hour and a 3 hour TGV from Paris to Bordeaux. However, Paris I think 6 stations, and so you would start from terminal 1 or 2, and take RER B (I believe you buy a ticket in the airport on a lower level) to get you into the city, then navigate to the correct station.

However, checking with ChatGPT now, it says there is a TGV direct from CDG to Bordeaux where you can bypass Paris and that hassle. So thats great news.

In Bordeaux, the wine museum is cool. The shallow fountain in front of the downtown you can walk in. There are some good restaruants. The tour office offers bus trips to some wineries. From the bus you can see the u-boat pens like they have in La Rochelle and elsewhere. If possible go to St Emilion or rent a car and go to the Dordogne region - which Rick Steves has a lot of info about. If you have time, take a train down to Biaritz.

Regarding the advice to take a taxi ... I wouldn't. The RER B express is cheap and fast. Maybe $12. Even the slower one takes about 45 minutes and is crowded. But taking a taxi all the way from the CDG through Paris to Monparness has got to cost an arm and leg. I did a taxi from Rue Cler to CDF 20 years ago and it was $50 even then, and its a long drive. I have also driven in Paris, and there can be major league traffic and traffic jams. And that was BEFORE they made parts of the city car - free. I would bet the taxi takes just as long or longer.

Taxi fares are fixed: 65 euros.
The ride can indeed exceed 1 hour, but in any case, at 11 AM it should be barely longer than the ~1 hour RER.
And it's definitely more comfortable than the 39 euro RER+metro ride.

Hi Balso,
Thank you for the confirmation. You have been very helpful over the years — much appreciated. Cheers!