Hello fellow France travelers,
We will be leaving our base in Bayeux by train for our flight home from CDG. What is the best way to get to CDG from Bayeux?
We will have taken the train from Paris to Bayeux from St Lazare. Is it best to return there and find our way to CDG from St. Lazare, or is there a more direct route recommended?
Traveling in early June on a Friday for a late afternoon departure from CDG, in case that makes any difference.
Thanks for your help!
Gare Saint-Lazare is your only option for a train from Bayeux. From there you can take a bus or taxi to CDG. If it were me, I wouldn't plan on taking a train into Paris from a far off town on the same day as departure. What I usually do is take the train to Gare Saint-Lazare the day before and spend a night in that area. The next day I take the RoissyBus to CDG. But a lot of people recommend spending their last night at a CDG hotel, depending on how early your flight is. Doing everything on the same day is daring everything to go just right on a day before a weekend.
Hi, I agree with Phil that I would come from Bayeux the day of my flight. If anything goes wrong, you are stuck. (Well, hopefully you would have some advance warning and could get away from the stuck train, or never board it, but then you have the headache of where in the heck are you going to find a car to rent at that late moment to drive yourselves to CDG, and with enough time to pick up and drop off the car).
I don't think you have to stay out at the airport the night before, but I would plan on spending that last night in Paris, not Bayeux.
And yes, you will arrive back in Paris at Gare St Lazare; that is the only station at which trains from Bayeux arrive.
You've got 2 choices. Return to Paris by train the way you came, then take the RER E and B, or a taxi to the airport. OR rent a car. If doing that, add the time required to pick up, fill the tank, and drop off to the drive time. You will want to leave a sizable buffer for the times estimated, in case of unforseen problems, and have a plan B. You need to be at the airport 3 hours before departure. Whether driving or using trains you are looking at a travel time of probably 4 + hours. For an expensive transatlantic flight, I would normally want to be in my departure city the night before the flight, as the PPs have recommended. Same day travel , that distance, seems unnecessarily risky.
a late afternoon departure from CDG,
When is that?
in case that makes any difference.
Probably does
Best case scenario looks to be a 3.5 hr trip. ( assumes everything works like the proverbial Swiss watch)
Presumably it's your flight home so 3 hours ahead to allow for passport processing.
If it is to another Schengen destination then 2 hrs should be OK.
That is a schedule that would require more TUMS than I would want to consume.
Thank you so much, this is really helpful information. Plans are now changed to spend the last night in Paris, a couple of blocks from the RoissyBus stop - thank you for that suggestion. Much appreciation to you all!
I think that is a wise adaptation to your plans. Now you can enjoy your time in Bayeux, and your last evening in Paris, with a much-lessened stress level.
It might be too late to book a room but we stayed at Villa Aggarthi in Bayeau and staying there again next week. Highly recommend. We also took a tour with HQCompany tours and doing so again next week with other family members. Another one we highly recommend. Our guide Yannick was great. Enjoy your trip.
@Gail, thank you for the tips! I will check them out. Thanks to all for the encouragement and assistance!
I just realized you will be in Bayeux in early June, and you may not already have reservations. I encourage you to act very quickly. Early June coincides with the anniversary of D-day, and is probably the largest influx of tourists they get all year. And this is an area that simply doesn't have enough rooms for these annual crowds. I would get whatever you can at this point, and be glad it isn't a "0" or "5" anniversary (or you would have had to reserve over a year ago).
@PharmerPhil Thank you! We have indeed found lodging, quite near the cathedral in Bayeux which sounds lovely and the perfect spot to explore from. We found a D Day tour also and will have some additional time with a car (which will pick up in Caen) to explore more of the area. We are very much looking forward to this, our first time in the area, and all the beauty and history of Normandy. Thank you so much for your help!
