Once again, trusting your expertise:
Three of us will be flying in to CDG from Dublin on AerLingus. We are scheduled to arrive at 9:49am with carry-on's only.
We are needing to train from Paris to Bayeaux as soon as possible after we have cleared security.
Question--should we purchase train tickets online prior to our date of travel or would that be unnecessary? Will tickets be more expensive on the actual date, or do rates remain static regardless of purchase date.
Thank you.
Posted by
Chicago
8068 posts
Tickets will be about 15 Euro bought well in advance; those are not exchangeable. They will cost about twice that the day of travel. If you need to go through Immigration (I don't know if Ireland is in Schengen or if Immigration is handled in Dublin as it is for the Eurostar from England) then it will take about an hour (maybe more, maybe less but usually about an hour. ) It will take an hour to get to the train if everything runs smoothly; I'd take a cab from CDG to St. Lazare for 50 Euro.
If you want to gamble, get tickets well in advance for 15 Euro (Prems) and give yourself at least 3 hours maybe 4 to make the train and hope everything goes smoothly. Be prepared to buy walk up tickets for twice that if you miss the train. The savings are enough to make the gamble worth it if you can live with losing the bet.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
This is starting to sound like a stressful day with both the early-morning flight and then a deadline to get to Bayeux. What is the plan that requires that urgency? You may consider €15 per person cheap enough to throw away, if necessary, or you might consider the €40 full fare cheap enough to buy on the spot. I'd do whichever would add less stress to your day.
Posted by
PA
2746 posts
Ireland is not in Schengen, so you will need to go through passport control at CDG.
If I recall correctly, the rail connections from CDG to Paris will take you to either Gare Nord or Gare Nord East. The trains to Bayeux go from Gare St. Lazare, which are not only 1 1/2 miles apart, but the Metro trip will take almost as long as walking due to the fact that about 1/2 mile of walking is needed to get to and from the respective Metro stations for the two railroad stations. Gare Nord East is further away. The good news is the train to Bayuex runs 6 times a day (or so), essentially every 2 1/2 hours.
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
I would NEVER buy timed tickets on a day of flight arrival. It's just not worth the stress...especially when the trip you're talking about is not THAT expensive even at full fare.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10208 posts
You can be over half way to Bayeux before you even get to the Gare St. Lazare if you just rent a car at CDG. You're wasting a lot of time going into Paris. It's an easy drive.