Hello,
We arrive at Paris CDG airport on 22nd December at 08.10 am and plan on heading to Strasbourg. I do realize that there are direct trains from CDG to Strasbourg, but ticket prices are a bit expensive. Looked up the ouigo, however there seems to be only one train that leaves early in the morning. Would anybody have suggestions on a cheaper mode to get from any station in Paris to Strasbourg? Thanks much for your responses.
Posted by
Green Bay
20081 posts
Arriving the Friday of Christmas weekend. Lots of trains are fully booked already, so what ever is left is charging full price.
A few options:
Wait until 16:45 and take the Ouigo Bus that gets to Strasbourg at 23:35 for 110 EUR for 2, almost a 7 hour ride.
Get a room at an airport hotel and take the Ouigo Train at 6:53 for 118 EUR for 2 the next morning at 6:53.
Suck it it up and take the 14:58 TGV for 214 EUR for 2, or the 11:21 for 286 EUR for 2, a 2 hour ride.
Trains from Gare de l'Est are all 214 EUR for 2, so you don't save anything by going into Paris.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you for the reply Sam! Yes, these seem to be the only options left. Looking up on rental cars (I don't think we're going to be lucky on that front either), none of the small cars seem to be available. Last minutes plans. Drat!!
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
4845 posts
Even if you could get an economical car rental, I wouldn't recommend it on your arrival day. It's (optimistically) almost a 5 hour drive. Doing that while jet lagged is just a really, really bad idea.
Posted by
Florida (previously California)
3691 posts
It could be all for the best that rental cars are not available. Are you flying in from the US? Because of jet lag, renting a car might not be best idea anyway if that is the case. It is a five hour drive from CDG to Strasbourg. As someone who once woke up in the passenger seat of a car being driven by my "jet lag does not affect me" husband that was drifting off the highway on a drive from CDG to Chalon-sur-Saone following a flight from New Jersey, I tend to discourage long drives after long flights through different time zones.
Posted by
Paris
9565 posts
yes, looking for tickets for Strasbourg from Paris less than a month out from Christmas means that the cheap seats are no longer available. I agree with others who have encouraged you NOT to drive such a long distance upon arriving from the States, due to the fatigue and jet lag you'll be experiencing.
There are still bus tickets available - the journey takes anywhere from 6 hours to 7 hours to 10 or more. There's a comparator of the different bus companies here. Most involve going into Paris either to the big bus station at Gallieni/Porte Bagnolet or Bercy.
I think the site routes you to the various providers if you are actually buying a ticket.
https://www.comparabus.com/fr/
(By the way, I'm by no means advising that the bus is preferable, only that it is, as you asked, a cheaper option available for your date at this point. Myself, I would pay whatever it took to get the TGV for convenience and lack of stress.)