We will be landing at CDG and plan to spend 2 days visiting Beny-Sur-Mer and the Canadian war memorial at Vimy Ridge. The big debate is: travel by train or rented car? Also, is there a town that is somewhat close to these 2 sites that someone could recommend for a two-night stay? We're unable to determine if the Vimy Ridge memorial is close enough to Beny-Sur-Mer to make a one-hotel stop feasible, so suggestions are welcomed. Thanks,
Judy in Kitchener, Ont.
Posted by
Green Bay
20958 posts
The Vimy Ridge memorial is just north of Arras. Looks like a car would be handy to visit, or a taxi. Its about 170 miles from Beny-Sur-Mer. https://maps.google.com/maps?q=50.379444,2.773611&ll=50.379627,2.774048&spn=0.318771,0.977783&t=m&z=10
Posted by
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
4085 posts
Arras is an interesting small city in its own right, with plenty of history in both "great" wars. It is an easy train ride from Paris and you can walk to your hotel. The Vimy memorial is about a 20-minute taxi ride away and the driver will by happy to pick you up after you are finished with the fine guided tour given by Canadian college students. Information about Vimy at http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/memorials/france/vimy The details are plentiful although the site makes the small error of saying the SNCF rail connection is in French only. Use www.tgv-france.com for easy English access.
Posted by
near Ringwood, Hampshire, UK
521 posts
There seems to be a limited number of direct TGVs from Paris CDG to Arras, the earliest being at 18.46. Earlier in the day, and for dates in early May, tgv-europe.com is showing me routes from CDG via Lille Europe, with a really long transfer time and continuing from Lille Flandres, for prices up to €67. The small number of direct TGVs from CDG start from only €19, if an evening departure suits you. Depending on the time of day, it may be quicker and cheaper to go in to Paris Nord, from where there are direct TGVs every 2 hours from €17.
Posted by
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
4085 posts
www.tgv-europe.com shows direct trains Gare du Nord-Arras at about half-hourly intervals beginning at 7:46 am. It's a 55-minute ride. On the sales site, click the Direct Journey box to see this schedule.