We are traveling in mid-May and will be spending 6 nights in Paris, TGV to Avignon and then stay 3 nights in the Provence/Languedoc. We check out of the Avignon area on Thursday and fly from CDG on Friday morning.
We have discussed driving back to the CDG area, instead of taking a TGV, but can't decide what makes the most sense. Both my husband and I enjoy leisurely drives through the countryside, but 7 hours of driving does not leave much time to poke around. The alternative could be to stay south for most of the day, then take the train to CDG and stay in an airport hotel (yuck).
Does anyone have good ideas for how to best enjoy our short stay?
Merci.
Posted by
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
4088 posts
One alternative is to take the train on the older route through Lyon instead of the high-speed train that passes by the outskirts. This could involve changing in Lyon so it won't be as fast, but you get a better view of the river. Not a big difference; whether it's worth it is up to you. To see the itinerary, go to the SNCF website, enter your departure and destination cities and then specify Via Lyon.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
I vote for the train, probably the direct departure from Avignon TGV station around 14:50 that arrives at CDG at 18:00 so you have time for dinner and re-packing your luggage to flight configuration. There are later direct trains and you can bring your dinner onboard, but planning on one of those leaves you with fewer back-up options, in case of emergency/delay.
That minimum 7-hour drive is all on a toll highway and doesn't even include the timing of a lunch break, much less a game of petanque at the highway rest stop.
Posted by
Portland
3643 posts
We actually did option 2 last spring. There are several choices of airport hotels, ranging from the low-cost Ibis to a Sheraton. I can tell you from personal experience that the Ibis is perfectly fine. If you opt for it, be sure you reserve the one that is in the airport, not the one nearby that has a shuttle bus to the terminals. That's o.k., too, but no sense in being nearby when you can be THERE.
Posted by
Ohio
171 posts
I vote for the TGV out of Avignon to CDG. We took it both ways (Paris to Avignon) a few years ago and we had no regrets.