I have several travel days in May that fall during the strike. The one travel day that is of the most concern is May 8th. I drop off my rental car at the station in St. Pierre-des-Corps (Tours). Then go from St. Pierre-des-Corps on SCNF to Paris, Paris to Lille on SCNF, then Lille to London on Eurostar. I realize that the future is unpredictable, but based on current conditions, I am considering canceling those reservations and instead, dropping off the rental car at Orly, and flying to London. I checked the bus schedules and the arrival time from Tours to Orly is too close to the flight departure time, so driving gives me more flexibility. Thoughts and opinions please? Thank you in advance.
Posted by
California USA
4103 posts
I think that is a good plan based on the uncertainty for strike travel days. I'd drop off the car the night before and stay at an airport hotel. Do not book a Paris to London flight operated by AirFrance because they have strike dates too although none announced, so far, for May.
Posted by
Tunbridge Wells
6113 posts
French air traffic controllers joined in the strikes this weekend, so sorry to say, but flying maybe disrupted too - it never takes much to get them out on strike!
Be prepared for delays whichever option you pick. I would opt for flying, but there could be an escalation or resolution before your travel dates.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thank you both for the replies. I booked a flight on British Air out of Orly to LCY on the 8th, and will return the rental car to Orly. If I am going to be delayed, I’d rather be at an airport than a train station! I’m having difficulty cancelling my train passes through the Trainline EU app, but will continue to work on that. To your knowledge, is Europcar a good company to rent a car from?
Posted by
3 posts
My daughter and I are traveling from Paris to Venice and then back to Paris in June. I’m considering changing our plans from taking the train to flying due to the strike. Any thoughts? Is the strike just the railroad or is air traffic also involved?