Paris to Provence

Many travelers take the high speed TGV train from Paris to one of the Provence stations. Paris to Avignon TGV is 2 hrs 40 mins where you can sit back and relax while getting there in about a third the time it would take to drive.

I'm with Kent. It's so easy to take the train, then you can rent a car when you get to Avignon.

You need to look at the whole picture. Paris to Avignon is a six hour drive with one quick stop, an easy seven hours with a lunch stop. Also, is Avignon, the destination for the day or are you going elswere - - if so, the car might be better since you'll already have it. From the bucks standpoint, look at the price of a train ticket times the numbers of people versus the price of the car divided by the number of people. Additionally, having the car for an extra day might get you a better daily rate than a shorter-term rental. As far a scenery goes, it's not the most exciting drive in the country, but the view from the train probably ain't that much better either. If there's something along the way that intersts you (Beaune for a couple or three hours ?) the driving option will win hands-down. Both ways will work and both have merit.

Time is money in my opinion. The train is the best option if, as Ed points out you are going somewhere near Avignon. Provence is easy to drive around. If you fly it actually will take longer as you have to arrive at the airport 2 hours before your flight and then the flight is around an hour. Then you have to get to the car rental as there isn't one at the tiny Avignon airport. If you take the TGV there is a car rental right outside the station.

Additional thought: also, use viamichelin to make a wild guess at the freeway tolls; it could well be on the order of fifty euros for that route. I'l be scooting from Dunkrque to Bordeaux in a couple of weeks and vm indicates it will stiff me seventy-five euros in tolls - - I think it's higher than actual, but there's still money involved.

IMO, Kent is absolutely right. The TGV is extremely fast and pleasant, you arrive at the Avignon TGV station which has fantastic car rental choices and which is in the suburbs of Aivgnon, so you don't have to fight urban traffic as you head into the countryside of Provence. I can't imagine flying under any circumstances, and driving when you add in tolls and gas won't be much cheaper than an advance-purchase rail ticket. Given that vacation time is terribly limited, I wouldn't spend the six hours driving on this route. Now if you were going to the Dordogne, or Brittany driving the whole way might be the best choice, but not when you have a super fast and convenient train to take you most of the way.

Jenn, If you can commit to specific departure dates and times well in advance (up to three months), you can get discount fares by booking at www.tgv-europe.com. To keep the site in English and to avoid being bumped to the Rail Europe site which doesn't offer discount fares, select Great Britain as your country of residence. If you're allowed to print your own tickets, do so. Otherwise choose to pick them up at any SNCF station in France.

I'd second all those who advise to hop on the TGV if, I mean IF, you're going to Avignon/Aix en Provence area. But if you going to other areas further east (nearer Nice or Toulon for example) then you may be better off catching a flight. So the question is: what part of Provence do you want to go to?

We just did that trip and took the option to fly. I can't say we saved any time because we ended up with a four hour layover in Paris when we could have been on the train watching scenery. I personally would go with whatever is going to get you to your destination faster. More than 4 hours on a train can get to be a terribly long time but so is 4 hours in CDG...happy and safe travels.

Just to give you an idea of cost, in May 2009 we traveled from Paris to Avignon by TGV for around 22 euros each. CHEAP! Bought our tickets online and printed them out at home. It's a lovely relaxing ride on a nice clean comfy train. Countryside was beautiful. Pick up your car right outside train station in Avignon.