Train from Paris to Bayeux

Sharon, It's actually a fairly straightforward trip from Paris / CDG to Bayeux, but it will take some time. There are rail stations right at the airport. The quickest and easiest way to buy tickets is via the automated Kiosks, however that won't be an option unless you have a "Chip & PIN" credit card or Euro coins. There are also staffed tickets offices, however they usually have a LONG queue! You might find it very helpful to have a look at This Excellent website. The easiest method is to travel by RER "B" from CDG to Gare du Nord. From there, travel by Metro or RER to Gare Saint-Lazare, which is where you'll board the train to Bayeux. Have a look at Paris Metro Maps for specifics. If you need further information on the route, post another note. Happy travels!

You will take a SNCF (French National Rail) train from Gare Saint-Lazare to Bayeux. Depending upon your departure time, you'll either be able to take a direct train or you'll have to connect in Caen. Booking well in advance can get you a discount fare, but those tickets are for a specific departure date and time and are non-exchangeable and non-refundable. If your plane is late and you miss your train, your ticket will be worthless. The simplest thing to do is take the RER into Paris as Ken described, go to Gare Saint-Lazare, buy a full fare ticket, and get on the next train.

Thank you Ken and Tim for your help. I can see what you are saying Tim about purchasing a head of time. We have a direct flt on AirFrance out of Detroit into CDG at 11:30am, but if it changes or is late we would be out of luck. If it stays the same, I'm hoping to get a train out to Bayeux by 14:00. Do you think that will give enough time from CDG? Thanks again Sharon

We just returned from that very same trip. Loved it!! We had bought a rail pass through Rick Steves. We had to go to 2 desks before someone knew what to do with it...validate it! After that, it was SOOO easy!! It came with a timetable book so I knew exactly which train time I wanted to take to Bayeux. We took the subway to Sainte-Lazare. (buy tickets in groups at the airport!!!) We did have a hard time finding the area for trains to hop on and had to ask alot of people so GO EARLY enough. Ounce we found the platform, etc. the station is spacious and clean, easy to find ticket room. The train station at Bayeux is very small. They may be just finishing construction when you go. Google the town map before you go...we had to walk to our hotel. I would now have considered calling for a taxi (about 12 euros) as it is a mile to town which is what we did when we left. Bit of advice: not much open for food on Sundays if you go there! The town seemed to shut down.

Absolutely, positively study the ParisByTrain website. The photos that walk you through the terminal, show you the ticket office, and explain the signage on the RER trains are invaluable. PbT Is Your Friend! I can't find a 14:00 train, but you couldn't make that one, anyway :-( Remember, you've got to a) get from CDG (get off the plane, passport control, luggage?, restroom) and hike all the way to the CDG train station downstairs, b) stand in line (probably) to buy your RER ticket into Paris, c) ride into Paris, d) get from one train station to another, e) get on that train...To make the 15:10 train, you've got to be on the RER that leaves CDG by 13:10 (uhhh...). Then, you have only 30m to get from Gare Du Nord to Gare Saint Lazare. A 14:00 train would require you to be on the RER from CDG by 12:00. Not.gonna.happen. As many times as I've flown into CDG (and THAT really hurt! Sorry.), if my plane was due at 11:30...I'd probably/maybe take a chance on being able to leave the CDG train station by 13:10. If my plane is late, ugh. The cheapest advance-purchase tickets will be €15; full-fare/walk-up is €36,60. I might gamble and buy the €15 tickets, knowing there's a good chance we'll miss the train. OR, since we've both been to Bayeux (and know the lay of the land) and we'd be exhausted after our flight, we might just slooow down and take the 17:10 from Gare Saint Lazare. This way, we'd have a cushion - we could leave CDG as late as 13:00. But, we'd probably get to the train station well before that, and park it at a sidewalk cafe and have lunch and something to drink to celebrate our arrival! (cont.)

(cont.) Something else we'd probably do if leaving Paris from Gare Saint Lazare: To Avoid RER/metro transfers and have a more enjoyable (and prettier!) ride into Paris, we'd take the RoissyBus to Opera Garnier, then ride one metro line to Saint Lazare, OR walk - it's a pretty neighborhood, and we could stretch our legs before sitting for 2 more hours :-P (click on the link in the middle of the page to see a photo of the bus so you can spot it at the airport) While the RER connection b/n the 2 main train stations is 'only' 4m, there's a lot of walking and stair-climbing to get to and from each station. We prefer the RoissyBus. NOTE: While tgv-europe.com isn't showing this yet, Deutsche Bahn is definitely showing the construction delays b/n Paris and points north starting on Oct 1. It's ugly...I don't remember how long this construction is supposed to last...seems like 'not long', but I could be waaay off. Hopefully, all is well by April 2013 (fingers crossed).

If your plane is on time, you should have no trouble catching the 15:10 train from Gare Saint-Lazare to Bayeux. Allow up to one hour to clear immigration/passport control and and one more hour to get from CDG to Gare Saint-Lazare.

Tim, would that estimate also include taking the Roissy Bus, taxi or the Rer?

Thank you Eileen! Aiming for a latter departure time out of the train station sounds a lot less stressful to me. Thanks for the advise. And also once again to each of you who have given me excellent suggestions. Sharon

Will be arriving at CDG in the a.m. (with luggage, from Venice) with a group of 4, needing to also connect by train to Bayeaux. Is a taxi or shuttle a better option timewise or costly? Thanks for your input.

Sharon, I'm a big fan of mass transit, especially during rush hour. But four riders definitely make a (crowded) cab ride economical. The problem will be if you have four full-sized suitcases and happen to get a smaller cab. You have to consider the day of the week, and whether rush hour is over when you get into the cab. This cab ride doesn't have to go through the center of Paris, so I would take the cab if it's ten AM or later.

Hi Tim, This answer was for Mary, so I hope she will see it. Now you are making me wonder if after getting off the plane at 11:30am at CDG and being jet lagged if it would be good for us to just take a cab for the 3 of us to Saint Lazare train station. Or maybe like you said to me in your inbox memo the RoissyBus could be the less stressful way to go and more economical I know. I'd like to get to the station as soon as we can to be able to get to Bayeux at a reasonable time. Thanks again for your help. This forum is the best and I appreciate all the time and effort you all put into your responses. Sharon

Thanks, Tim, for taking the time to reply. We're arriving at 8:50 a.m. but have to clear customs so your suggestion (post 10:00 a.m.) should work. Thanks again.