Is it possible to get to Amboise from Chartres via train? Our plan is to leave Paris after 5 wonderful days, visit Versailles, take a train to Chartres and spend the night, then to the Loire area - basing out of Amboise. Can we get there from Chartres? We will rent a car eventually, but hoped to take the train. Just a little more than two weeks to go! Thank you!
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
Wild guess: It's going to be back to Paris to make it all by train. Or maybe bus/train if you go through Orleans. It's a two hour drive straight up the N10.
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
126 posts
Hi Stephanie, From Chartres you can continue your train trip westwards to Le Mans – a direct train takes about one hour 15 minutes. Change trains at Le Mans and go to Amboise via Tours – about one hour 45 minutes. You would need to do more research in regard to the trains and their times; there may be an opportunity to walk around Le Mans between trains. The trains between Chartres and Amboise are all regional trains so need to book just show up on the day and grab a seat. There are plenty of direct trains from Amboise to Paris –
NOTE: depending on the train you get from Amboise you could end up at either Paris Montparnasse or Paris Austerlitz – about five kms between the stations or a metro ride.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Ed is a good guesser. Your fastest and cheapest route is a bus from Chartres to Orleans and a regional train from there to Amboise. The trip takes under three hours and the fare is €26.70. No need to book in advance. Morning bus departure times are 06:15 and 09:40. Your other route is a regional train from Chartres to Gare Montparnasse in Paris, a TGV from there to Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, and a regional train fom there to Amboise. Unless you are able to get a discount fare on the TGV by booking ASAP (up to three months allowed), the standard fare will be either €62.20 or €80.00 (off-peak or peak hours). You can see the timetables for both routes and book either of them at tgv-europe.com. On the left-hand side of the page choose America as your residence. Unclick "Direct trains only" and choose France as your ticket collection country. With connection time, going via Le Mans would add more than an hour to the trip.