We are arriving CDG on a Friday and going to Rouen on Sat.Sept.12., then on to Bayeux on Sun.Can anyone tell me if there is an early A.M. train to Rouen on Sat.? Will an afternoon and evening be enough..I'd really like to keep it in the itinery..I'm a Joan of Arc fan. The bahn site lists that service isn't always availiable on Sat. so I'm perplexed as to connections. Originally, we had planned to go to Rouen on Fri. but our flight was changed and we will get in to late to train to Rouen and stay in Paris Fri. evening.
Posted by
Northern California
118 posts
Hi J.J.,
Are you leaving from the CDG train station or from central Paris? You should easily be able to find early Saturday trains from one of the central stations.
The bahn site is usually infallible, but it may help to search on the French train site:
Choose Great Britain as your country whenever asked -- for some reason the site can't handle U.S. as a country of origin and has been known to kick users off.
You should be able to search for a September departure and get all the info you need. I believe the Paris-Rouen line runs quite frequently, but it alternates between regional trains (which would require a change somewhere) and direct TGV trains that only take an hour or so.
I only have second-hand knowledge of Rouen, but from what friends have reported, it sounds like an afternoon and evening would be enough for any Joan of Arc fan.
Enjoy France!
Posted by
OP
Sparta, wi, usa
11 posts
Thank you Emma. I have checked several sites. The TGV site indicates a train leaving at 8:50 which would be perfect for us. The german Die Bahn sight lists this also but also lists the following under the selection: runs not every day,5.,12. Sep so I am rather confused as to what to do. I was going to purchase tickets when I landed in France, but maybe I should do it from here. Any thoughts?
Posted by
Northern California
118 posts
Hmm, confusing. My assumption would be that if the TGV site is ready to issue you tickets with that date and time on them, then it's running! That doesn't mean you need to buy in advance, necessarily, but it should confirm that the train is indeed running that day.
There's a helpful chat feature on the French train site; I think there's an icon of a person on the upper toolbar. That should connect you with a live customer service agent, and those folks all speak English.
Hope you make it to Rouen!!!
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
That probably means it does not run on the dates stated.
Posted by
OP
Sparta, wi, usa
11 posts
Philip,
That is how I interpreted the info also. It looks like the trains that do run to Rouen are very early or afternoon which will be problematic for us as we will be jetlagged and I do not want to get up before 5:00A.M. Arriving after 3:00P.M. does not allow much time. Maybe we should go to Caen instead and tour the Memorial on Sat. before going to Bayeux on Sun. We are taking D-Day and a Band of Brothers tour from there.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
For 12 September the tgv-europe site shows direct trains from Gare St-Lazare to Rouen Rive Droite leaving at 07:50, 08:50 and 10:50.
The standard 2nd class fare is 20.50 EUR. You can buy tickets for any of those departure times when you arrive in Paris.
If you can commit now to a specific departure time, you can get a discount fare of 10 EUR. That ticket is non-exchangeable and non-refundable. Book it on the tgv-europe site. To keep the site in English and to avoid being bumped to the Rail Europe site which doesn't offer discount fares, choose Great Britain as both your country of residence and the country in which you will retrieve your tickets. If you book standard fare tickets, you can pick them up at any SNCF station or boutique in France, even though you originally chose Great Britain. If you get a Prem's fare, you print the tickets yourself and take them with you to Paris.
Posted by
OP
Sparta, wi, usa
11 posts
Thanks everyone,
I looked at the 8:50 departure at TGV-Europe and it shows it as running...on the Die Bahn site for that date it states does not run every day...I am still tres confused! Which site is more credible? I still have time to make some itinery changes if I can't get to Rouen on the 8:50 or 10:50.
Posted by
Laguna Woods, Ca
33 posts
Hello J.J., the train runs from Gare St Lazare on the 12th of September at 8:50. When you change the date to Sept 11, it shows you 8:53 and tells you it runs from Aug 31 through Sept ?? Monday-Friday. One has to play around a little with these sites. But in my opinion, and it is only an opinion, it is the best train site for Europe. Good Luck. Karin
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
The reason the timetables differ somewhat is that they often are different for Saturdays and/or Sundays as compared to weekdays.
The tgv-europe site is operated by SNCF, French National Rail. Therefore, the timetables at tgv-europe.com match those at voyages-sncf.com. The German Rail site can only post timetables given to it by SNCF. If there is any discrepancy, go with the voyages-sncf.com or the tgv-europe.com timetables.
Posted by
OP
Sparta, wi, usa
11 posts
Thanks everyone..I think I'll get to Rouen!!