Those of you who have done the Loire to the South of France RS tour - did you take a train directly from the airport in Paris to Chartres when you landed? OR Did you stay overnight near the airport and then take a train the next day? If so, what hotel?
Trying to figure out if we need to book a night near the airport to avoid the blind jetlag staggers before heading to Chartres (or missing a train because the flight was delayed).
Thoughts?
Simplest thing to do is to take a taxi from CDG to Gare Montparnasse. There are frequent TER departures to Chartres - no reservations necessary. That way you don’t have to have an annoying 1 night stay at the airport.
Last year I did neither of your choices. If your plane tickets are not bought, add a few days before. I spent four days in Paris after visiting London for five. The day before the tour started I took the train to Chartres. If you can spend a few extra days in Paris or ??, you will have time to get over jetlag and relax. The tour members who took the train directly from the airport to Chartres in time for the tour arrived stressed and tired.
Enjoy your trip!
I had a private car service meet me at the airport and drive me to the Montparnasse train station. Worth the splurge to not have to deal with multiple trains and/or buses to get to Chartres bc I was so tired from travel.
Is UBER or Bolt an option from CDG to the Gare Montparnasse? Is the pick up location at CDG easy to find?
What did the car service cost and how far did you have to walk at the airport to get to the car? A cab is only 62 Euro for up to 4 people.
I typically travel solo so it was just me. Was about a 100 Euros and they picked me up right outside of Starbucks, which is right outside baggage claim. Booked it online a few months in advance. As I said, it was a splurge, but it was vacation, so I didn't mind.
Website:
https://jetcab-private.adlap.net/en/reservation/limousine/index.html
Wait....to take a Taxi to Chartres from CDG is only 62 Euro?
No. The taxi costs €62 (fixed fee) to take you to the train station. The car service charged €100 for the same thing
Uber or Bolt are not convenient at the airport because finding your driver is a real hassle. Taxis are plentiful and the priced is fixed - very similar to Uber or Bolt prices. Also, taxis are faster because they can use bus lanes.
We were planning on taking a taxi to Gare Montparnasse, and then taking the train. There ending up being rail work on the train route and the usual train was not running, so our options were very limited. We booked a private car service, and were very glad we did since it was over 100 degrees when we landed. I’m normally all about taking the train but this was the right move for us.
