AIX to Charles De Gaulle airport

Oh my...are you planning to fly out on the day your tour ends? I'd probably amend your ticket so you are flying from Marseilles OR move your flight to the day after if you can.

There are trains from the Aix-en-Provence TGV station that take just over 3 hours to Paris' Gare Montparnasse, then you'd need to get to CDG which is going to be another hour or so. If your flight leaves at 2:45 for the US? then you'd need to be there by 11:45 at the latest as the airlines recommend arriving 3 hours minimum ahead of an international flight.

This would be WAY too close for me to consider.

editing to add: IF you fly from Marseilles you'd want this to be all on one ticket, not 2 separate tickets so if something happens and flights are delayed that the onus is on the airline to get you to your destination.

Agree with Pam.
You do not want to be in Aix the morning of your flight!
I took the TGV from Aix to CDG and stayed at the airport before my flight the next day.

I agree with others who suggest traveling the day before your flight.

But one correction: You can get a TGV directly from the AIX station to CDG station. We did that just last month. You don't have to get the train into Paris.

But even so, it's still a schlep: you have to take a taxi just to get to the TGV station in AIX, and once you get to Paris you need to get to your terminal, which can be confusing.

I doubt you can do it the same day. Good luck!

There are some direct trains that go from the Aix TGV station to the CDG TGV station. The Aix TGV station is on the outskirts of town, so you will either need to take a bus or taxi to the station.

I’d suggest you download the SNCF Connect app. You can check schedules and buy tickets there. If you are traveling next year, the full schedule may not be released yet. If you have the SNCF Connect app on your phone, you get updates if your train is delayed.

You would need to be at CDG by 11:45am. If you were to travel the same day, you’d need to take a very early train and hope there are no strikes or delays. If you plan to do this, I’d suggest that you make sure that you have travel insurance to cover these kind of interruptions in case you miss your flight home.

I agree with the previous posters. If it were me, I’d want to fly out the day after the tour ended and spend the night either in Paris or at the airport. Alternatively, the Marseille airport is close to Aix.

Suggested above, but not made explicit: You can take a very early TGV from AIX directly to CDG and be at the airport by 10 or 10:30. Somewhat risky behavior- are you feeling lucky?

Edited to add: Others replied with the same solution at the same time.

I live in the south. My trains to Paris run on the same tracks as the ones from Aix. We have delays all the time. You need to go north the evening before a high-stakes flight

I'd thought there was a direct TGV from Aix to CDG but a quick search on SNCF website did not turn up that option. I'm glad others have done it.

I apologize for incorrect train information but my recommendation either to go move your flight to the day after or see if you can add a flight from Marseilles on to your current ticket still stands.

Pam, you are very thorough!. Actually doing the search on the train's website is beyond the call of duty. Nice!

There are trains from the Aix-en-Provence TGV station that take just over 3 hours to Paris' Gare Montparnasse,

Trains to Paris from Aix-en-Provence TGV arrive at Gare de Lyon, not Gare Montparnasse.

Well, see?? I made another error! Thank you Sam! I'm not posting another thing today, lol!!

It would probably be helpful to everyone offering you information if you would be a bit more specific. Is your flight out of CDG on the same day the tour ends? If so, the possibility of experiencing travel problems could be quite high.

Four words: air traffic controllers strike. Happened to us. Missed our flight. Never again.

That's vague Lindy. Did you miss a connection? Will you never fly from France because you ran into an air controllers strike? What are you advising?

"That's vague Lindy. Did you miss a connection? Will you never fly from France because you ran into an air controllers strike? What are you advising?"
Yes, we missed our connection because of an air traffic controllers' strike. I will, if possible, never travel by air to another airport in the same day. I would also not take a train, unless it's a short distance to the airport--we've had the experience of a train stopping in the middle of nowhere for over an hour. These things happen and there is no judgment or blame, just reality in play.

We took the Eastern France tour in May which ended in AIX on a Saturday. We left Sunday morning.

Our flight from MRS to CDG was 9:45am - 11:15am.
Our flight from CDG to Boston left at 1:30.

Our flights were on one ticket - return flights were Air France, ticket purchased from Delta. Our MRS flight arrived roughly on time. We made our way without delay to our BOS flight. There was a walk and you had to pay attention to signs. We sat in the boarding area about 15-20 minutes before boarding began.

We were in Aix in September, then Arles. We took the train FROM CDG when we arrived to Aix. If you want to go by TGV, I would definitely plan to go the day before and spend the night at a hotel close to the airport. Taking the train and flying overseas in one day is a lo-o-ong day. Not only that, but there are so many things that could happen that might make you miss your flight. Have fun - I love Aix!

We need to make the trip from AIX to CDG on June 15 at the end of Eastern France Tour. Flying out of CDG on June 16th. Trying to decide if we should take the train or fly. Any opinions? Which would be the most reliable? Thanks

Reliability is similar, but the train is more comfortable and more sustainable. Train travel time is slower but not by much once you consider 15 min extra travel time to the airport, the need to be there 90 min early at least, and the time to deplane.

Bob, my husband always has us take the train to the airport or to Paris before flying to the US, which means a hotel stay the night before the transatlantic.

When I go to the US alone, I fly from my city and change planes at CDG because I can check my bag through and checking-in at our regional airport is a breeze. I just did the reverse trip home today, checked the bag in DC and picked it up at our local airport, but my wait in the lounge was over 4 hours.

I just saw another ad from Air France for some sort of rail air combo. Go to the AF website and put Aix as your starting city and see what kind of rail/air option you are offered with protected connections.

"We need to make the trip from AIX to CDG on June 15 at the end of Eastern France Tour. Flying out of CDG on June 16th. Trying to decide if we should take the train or fly. Any opinions? Which would be the most reliable? Thanks"

@Bob A- Personally I'd choose to take the TGV train (fast train from the station outside Aix) to Paris and spend the night in Paris, then take a taxi out to the airport the next day. What time is your flight departing from CDG?

The problem is there can be strikes but generally not all the trains are affected and they announce the strike days ahead of time.

Too bad the OP didn't come back to tell us what he decided to do.

Thanks all. Sounds like the train is the best option. Bob A

We decided that flying was much easier, leaving MRS at 6:30A and arriving at BOS in the early afternoon. It is all Delta so all we have to do is manage our transfer at Schipol (CDG was also an option). Felt like a lot less risk for us. Since we’ll have a couple of nights in Paris before heading out to Reims we didn’t need another Paris night at the end.

Our experience this year from Seville worked out great - hotel prepared breakfasts to go for us, arranged a car, and it was a short ride to the airport. Fingers crossed that our trip home from Aix will be just as uneventful.

We are on the Eastern France tour a week behind you so we can compare notes in seven months!