I’m wondering how much time we need to get through customs in CDG and catch the train to Tours, Saint Pierre des Corps. We have not purchased flights yet. We will have only carry-on luggage. It looks like there is a 7:19 train and an 11:19 train. How difficult is it to get to the train from the airport terminal? We will be arriving on a Wednesday. Im assuming the 11:19 train is our safest option.
Posted by
Green Bay
21715 posts
Which Terminal are you arriving at? Expected arrival time?
Posted by
Florida (previously California)
4106 posts
The usual advice is to plan to take a train that departs CDG three hours after your flight's ETA. Will you have to go through passport control at CDG? The fastest that I have ever gotten out of CDG out of CDG on trip in which I went through passport control there is 42 minutes. It has taken over two hours on two occasions and both were obviously flukes, including one time when a person collapsed in the line and the staff shut down the area and all lines while they took care of the sick person. If you are traveling in front of the airplane or in business or first class without checked luggage, that will impact the amount of time that it will take to get out into the non-secured area of the airport and find the train station.
Posted by
OP
Franklin, TN
233 posts
Sam - we have not purchased flights yet. We will be flying Delta from JFK. I’m not sure if there’s more than 1 terminal they fly into. I’m wanting to make sure we get a flight that will arrive at CDG in time to catch the 11:19 train.
Posted by
OP
Franklin, TN
233 posts
JHK - So it sounds like as long as we arrive by 8:00 am we should be ok. How hard is it to find the train connection? We are seasoned travelers, but new transportation situations always confound me!
Posted by
Chicago
8815 posts
the airport is well signed - finding the station will not be difficult.
Posted by
Green Bay
21715 posts
Delta arrives at Terminal 2, so that will make easier.
Posted by
New England
91 posts
There are several videos online that show you in detail how to get to the train. I like Les Frenchies -- http://lesfrenchiestravel.com under "Transportation." If you end up going into Paris, for any reason, the trains run more frequently from Gare Montparnasse.
Posted by
Florida (previously California)
4106 posts
I don’t think that Les Frenchies transportation information is really keyed to finding the long distance trains at CDG. It is more focused on getting to Paris and using mass transit in Paris. With an 8 AMish flight ETA, the 11:19 train seems ideal to me. Here is a link that shows how to get to the train station after exiting the secured area: https://easycdg.com/travelling-terminal-2-tgv-rer-station-cdg-airport/. Delta uses Terminal 2E and it is a very easy transfer to the train station.
Posted by
OP
Franklin, TN
233 posts
Thank you all for your help. I had an alert when I woke up today from SNCF that tickets for May 21 were available. I jumped on and bought 2 tickets for the 11:19 train - there were only 3 left at that price. So now I just have to make sure that we have a flight that lands in CDG by 8:00.
And also thank you for the suggestions to view videos on how to get to the train from the terminal. Before our trip to Venice, I watched a video on how to get from the Grand Canal to our hotel. If I hadn’t, I feel certain that we would still be wandering the canals of Venice!
Merci beaucoup!
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
8159 posts
I have no problem with your plans and purchases. I just want to note that one time we were doing something similar (but to Strasbourg), an "abandoned bag" on the TGV platform resulted in the closing of the station for 35 minutes or so. It was reopened in time for our train, and I suppose they might have allowed free rebooking, but I don't know how long that would have taken!
Just wanted to observe that smart planning is not ... invulnerable.