So, doing the Basque trip later in August. Since I am finalizing plans, flights, etc. was wondering the best way to get the the downtown Paris train station to catch the train to Bayonne. I have heard some comments that trying to arrive in Paris, get downtown in order to catch the train may not be the best option on the same day. Was wondering how others have accomplished this? Thanks
Kerry Deardorff
Your biggest issue is just uncertainty. Will your flight from the US be on time? (Nearly all my flights have, but delays happen) How long will it take you to get through Immigration? (Could be a half hour, could be 3 hours) How long to get to Gare Montparnasse? (Could be an hour, maybe even two). The result is you either need to plan way too much time, or risk not enough, all with a non-refundable train ticket. Spending an evening relaxing and recovering is, in my opinion, prudent and worthwhile. If time is of the essence, look at a single itinerary flight, pay a bit more,
If you do want to risk it, check out TGV tickets directly from the airport (Station Roissy-CDG Terminal 2), but I would leave several hours even then, and have a back-up plan if the worst happens.
I did the Basque tour last month, and took the TGV from CDG to Bayonne. Plan A, EasyJet from CDG to Bayonne, was cancelled 2 days before my trip due to a planned strike at CDG.
My flight arrived in the morning, and I bought TGV tickets for mid afternoon. You need to leave a number of hours to allow for delays of any kind. I've done this before and so far it's always worked out, but no guarantees.
BTW, Paris doesn't have a "downtown", and there isn't one train station, there are a number, and which you use depends on where you are headed.
The website most useful for train schedules doesn't show any trains directly from CDG to Bayonne, so you'll have to get to Gare Montparnasse. As others have noted, you'll want to allow lots of time between your landing and the train departure, to cover possible delayed arrival, immigration, baggage claim if any, and getting from the airport to Gare Montparnasse on the other side of Paris.
The cheapest way to make that transfer is a combination of RER "B" rail into the city and Metro within it. Next is Le Bus Direct line 4, from airport to station with an intermediate stop. Most expensive is a taxi costing 55 euros (maybe a bargain if there are more than two of you). Which of these is fastest depends on time of day and traffic. Convenience varies by price. With rail you're taking your bags on and off trains, maybe up and down stairs underground, plus running some risk of theft. With the bus you put them underneath and retrieve them at the station. With taxi they go in the trunk.
If your flight lands early in the morning, you may have time for all this plus the 5-6 hour train ride to Bayonne that same day.
An easier choice, especially if the flight lands in the middle or late part of the day, is to spend that night in Paris and take a morning train. You'll pay for a hotel either way, probably more in Paris than in Bayonne. I'd suggest a place close enough to Gare Montparnasse that you can get there easily for your prepaid morning train. The overnight plan also eliminates worries about getting from airport to station on arrival day. There are many good hotels in all price ranges near Gare Montparnasse, you might try booking.com to see choices on a map, but book directly on the hotel's website if possible.
There's a TGV train from CDG Terminal 2 train station right to Bayonne (makes a stop in Bordeaux just before) so there's no need to go to Paris city center.
Here's some photos of how to get to CDG Terminal 2 train station / the TGV train ticket office after you land at CDG:
https://parisbytrain.com/paris-airport-terminal-2-train-photo-tour/
If you prefer to buy your tickets prior to arrival the official train ticket seller site for France is en.oui.sncf/en/
There must be some reason the TGV from CDG to Bayonne (via Bordeaux) in about 6 hours doesn't show up until a week or 2 before. I originally decided on EasyJet because I was only seeing 8-9 hour trips. The shorter trip was available when I needed to buy it 2 days before.
With an American CC, Loco2.com is an easier place to buy rail tickets at the same price as the official site.
My review of the D Bahn site showed a TGV train leaving CDG at 9:19 AM for Bordeaux, connecting to Bayonne. That would work for the OP if the flight arrives early enough in the morning and there are no unexpected delays at the airport. Certainly easier than getting to Gare Montparnasse, but risky. If there are other trains from CDG I couldn't find them.
Here's a sample of TGV trains from CDG Terminal 2 to Bayonne on August 22, 2019, (just randomly picked something later in August)
