I'm arriving at CDG (via Delta) and taking a train from CDG to Lourdes (in SW France, in Pyranees). I'm arriving at CDG at 11:10 AM (hopefully), and trying to figure out what train to take, given possibility of late flight or other delays.
Is there much risk of the train being sold out if I don't buy train ticket until I get to CDG? And you have have suggestions of how much time to allow if I either (1) need to buy the ticket at the airport, or (2) buy the ticket before I leave home? Any thoughts are welcome. Thanks!
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
The train probably won't be sold out unless it's something like Friday before a public holiday, but you can get much cheaper fares if you book in advance at tgv-europe.com. However, these cheap fares are strictly limited to a single train, and you will have to pay full fare if your flight is late and you miss it. Given how expensive the full fare is, it might be worth staying a night in a budget hotel in central Paris and seeing a bit of the city. Trains to Lourdes leave from gare d'Austerlitz in central Paris. The easiest ways to reach this from CDG are to take RER Line B to gare du Nord, and then change to metro line 5, or the RER Line B to Saint-Michel-Notre-Dame and the RER Line C to gare d'Austerlitz. There is no direct public transportation from CDG to Austerlitz, unless you want to use taxi or shuttle.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
If you go into Paris, you will depart from Gare Montparnasse, not Gare d'Austerlitz. The fastest way to get from CDG to Gare Montparnasse is to take the RER B from CDG to Denfert-Rochereau and either metro line 4 or metro line 6 from there to Montparnasse-Bienvenue. There is a direct TGV from Gare Montparnasse to Lourdes that departs at 14:26 and arrives at 20:35. However, if your plane is late, you could miss that train. You need to allow up to one hour to clear immigration/passport control and another hour to get from CDG to Gare Montparnasse. The next train departs at 17:25 and arrives at 23:33. Here are some choices: 1. Book a full fare ticket (€116.00) for the 14:26 train. Print it yourself so you won't have to stand in line at a ticket window at the station. If you miss that train, exchange your ticket for one for the 17:25 train. 2. Book a discount fare ticket (as low as €40.00) for the 17:25 train and print it yourself. The ticket will be non-exchangeable and non-refundable, but you'll have lots of time to make your connection even if your plane is super late. 3. Stay in Paris overnight and take the first train to Lourdes in the morning, departing at 06:26 and arriving at 13:13. The cheapest discount fare for that train is €25.00. To book in English at tgv-europe.com without being bumped to the US Rail Europe site which doesn't offer discount fares, first choose Great Britain as your country of residence. Choose to stay with tgv-europe so you aren't redirected to the UK Rail Europe site. Choose France as your ticket retrieval country. Print your ticket.
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
Sorry, my info was out of date.