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Trains from Bordeaux to CDG

Posted by (Washington DC) on

Hello--
We're trying to sort out our options for getting to CDG from Bordeaux at the end of our trip--flight to the US is at 5 p.m. on June 30; would assume we need to be there ~2 p.m. ("our"= me, my husband and our teenage son)

  1. stay in Bordeaux one more night (June 29, 3 nights total) and take an early train directly to CDG on June 30 to catch our flight
  2. train to CDG late on June 29 and stay in an airport hotel + late checkout before our June 30 flight
  3. train to Paris June 29 and spend the night there, getting to CDG by taxi on June 30 [pain of changing hotels for one night]
  4. stay in Bordeaux June 29, take an early train to Paris June 30 and change trains to CDG or take a taxi

Question for the group regarding the first choice: At the moment there is one direct train a day to CDG, and it's late in the day (arrives CDG ~8:45 p.m.), so choice #2 would be possible. Are there likely to be additional earlier trains as we get closer to the date so that the first option is possible? Or is there typically only one train a day?

Questions that may arise--flying to the US from Bordeaux is significantly more expensive than train back to Paris + hotel (I have a spreadsheet! :-)--and the 5 p.m. flight similarly was cheaper than the midday flight.

Posted by
549 posts

Are there likely to be additional earlier trains as we get closer to the date so that the first option is possible? Or is there typically only one train a day?

The June rail schedule is likely not fully "loaded" yet, i.e. not all scheduled trains have been input into the system. I would look at the same route on the same day of the week 3-4 weeks out (in this case, a Thursday 3-4 weeks out) and see what the schedule looks like. This will be a pretty good indicator of what your options will be, though the exact rail times may shift a little bit (i.e. a 5pm train may become a 5:15pm train or whatever).

Personally I would be against options #1 and #4, and I think many though not all posters here will advise against, because I don't like the idea of taking a long-distance train the same day as a long-distance flight. I'd have a higher risk tolerance for doing so before a short/European flight, i.e. if it was a flight from Paris to Berlin, not Paris to Chicago, where I'd be able to better bear any potential financial losses.

For me, being someone who typically travels solo, I'd definitely opt for #3 -- a 5pm flight is late enough in the day to permit a hearty breakfast and last morning walk around Paris. But I realize with more people it's often a pain to change hotels last minute like that, so I can definitely see the appeal of #2.

Posted by
3699 posts

Option 3 is the best choice IMO. If you had an early flight, the option 2 would be my choice. Options 1 and 4 are nonstarters IMO even with a late flight. Imagine how you will feel if there is a delay with the trains on travel day if you do options 1 or 4. Do things to decrease not increase the possibility of stress when traveling is my philosophy.

Posted by
13946 posts

I vote with JHK and would go for #3. I am always cautious in France regarding trains as there can be strikes that will mess things up. Much better to spend your last night relaxing in Paris and take a cab o the airport the next day.

Posted by
87 posts

Thanks to you all. Now realize that it would be stressful to leave our travel from Bordeaux-CDG to the day of our flight, so option 2 or 3 will depend on whether we want to spend one more day in Bordeaux (late train to either Paris or CDG) or one more day in Paris (earlier train to Paris).

Background: we will have several days in Paris at the beginning of the trip, and though I know that Rick is not a fan of Bordeaux, there are at least two reasons for our plans there--my husband spent his junior year abroad in Bordeaux (his home was around the corner from our hotel!) and I have a work colleague there. We are planning one day at Archachon so really only a very short time in the city itself.

Thanks again for your good advice!

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