Landing in Paris, but spending majority of time in Provence

The Avignon TGV station is the perfect gateway to Provence. The TGV service from Paris stops there, and there is a huge parking lot with many car rental agencies represented and a large ion of cars. Many people use Avignon itself as a base for Provence, and the town center is only a few minutes drive from the suburban TGV station. Other possible bases such as Isle sur la Sorgue and St. Remy are a short drive as well. TGV service Paris-Avignon leaves from the Gare de Lyon.

You have two good suggestions, connecting to a Marseille flight or taking the TGV to Avignon where you can pick up a car. Switching to a Lyon flight to subsequently take a train is extra effort for no gain.

If you are taking a trans-ocean flight to reach Paris, you might consider a connecting flight to a southern airport such as Marseille. Especially on Air France international flights, a domestic connection sometimes will add only a little more to your total fare.

I would recommend Avignon as well - less than three hours from Paris via TGV. And you can catch a train at the TGV station at the airport in Paris.

I second the Avignon TGV station. Several years ago we spent 3 days in Paris and then took the TGV to Avignon, picked up the car and toured Provence & Cote d'Azur. Flew home out of Nice. The TGV is an experience in itself. Enjoy!

I seccond the idea of flying onward from Paris. Lyon is a good option and the TGV station is at the airport. That way you avoid the hassle of going into Paris with your luggage to catch the train.

Thanks very much for the responses. The train sounds like the way to go for us. Next question: Is it a hassle to get from CDG Airport to the Gare de Lyon train station? We arrive at 8:30AM at CDG.

Sorry I am not an expert at this but I think you can catch the TGV to Avignon directly from CDG instead of heading into Paris. Check it out through RailEurope. We did catch it to Marseilles last year and I know it stopped in Avignon. Jennifer

You won't need to go into Paris. Direct TGVs from CDG to Avignon depart at 09:58 and 11:40. The best site for detailed timetables for virtually all of Europe is the German Rail site. Rail Europe's timetables are incomplete.

Also don't forget to look at open-jaw flights too. Try flying into CDG and out of MRS. Also try it the other way around for the same dates - there's often a difference in price (even for the same dates!). That way you don't need to backtrack. You can easily also open-jaw your car at no extra cost: pick-up or drop-off is just as easy at the Avignon TGV station as it is at MRS.

I'd also suggest flying to Marseilles instead and getting the car there (even though you seem to have decided on a train). Although Marseilles is a large city, the airport is away from the city and is a very manageable size; you can get your car quickly and easily get out of the airport and on your way.