Paris-Bayeux-Arles

Are you planning to spend any time in Paris? If not, a stop there would break up what would otherwise be a long travel day Bayeux-Arles.

If you are already planning some time in Paris, and you can stand to shift it to after Normandy, traveling to Bayeux from the airport might be a trade-off that you might want to consider. (Enabling you to travel Bayeux-Paris-Arles, I mean.)

Trains to Bayeux leave from Gare St-Lazare. Take the RER B from CDG to Gare du Nord. Take the connecting walkway to the Magenta RER station and transfer to the RER E which goes directly to Haussmann St-Lazare. A single ticket which is good all the way costs €8.20. Go to www.ratp.fr to download and print a Metro/RER map for central Paris and a RER map that shows service to outlying zones, including CDG.

Thanks so much for the suggestions. We are planning time in Paris but that will be one week later after we spend time in the south. We are returning to the US from Paris so will spend a few days there at the end of the trip before flying out. I did go to the German train web site, very easy to use, and get the times and transfers for these cities. I'm just worried that with using some Metro service, some TVG, some buses that I will miss a connection somewhere! Its probably not as complicated as it seems once you are there and doing it. Once again, thanks for your help.

Nancy

Nancy, I suppose you have already bought your air tickets? If you haven't, Kent's suggestion to fly open jaws (into Paris, out from Marseilles) is really worth considering. This would let you tour Bayeux - Paris - Arles with minimal backtracking.

If you have tickets already, it might be worth asking the carrier what the cost of changing the return to Marseilles might be.

In any case, you seem daunted by all the connections you will need to make from the airport to Bayeux. This is not the fun part of your trip, obviously, but you can do it! To ease any anxiety, have a plan for what you will do if you miss the first train out of St. Lazare. (You might put your bags in a locker and go for a walk or have a meal.) Know when the next train is.

Or, you might consider catching the TGV directly from the airport to Provence, bypassing Paris. Then reverse your itinerary. There would only be one change, I think, to get to Arles that way.

All good suggestions, thank you. We have already booked the flights. Northwest added a new direct route from Minneapolis to Paris with an introductory rate so I think thats a done deal. Getting from Paris to Bayeux and back again seems fairly straight forward. The Paris to Arles part was messing me up but at someones suggestion I looked at taking the TGV from Paris to Marsielles, its non stop, and then the regional train over to Arles. Any one have thoughts on this plan? Its a work in progress! Thanks for all your help

Nancy

Hi, Nancy- you have received great advice already. Arles is not far from Avignon's TGV station. I think that would be better than Marseilles. You can take the TGV from Paris directly to Avignon and then, right outside the front of the Avignon station, is a bus that goes to Arles. It was very easy. (The TGV station is outside the city, the "regular" train station is just outside the city walls...and that train also goes between Avignon and Arles frequently.) It seems like that will elimate a lot of stops: Bayeux-Paris (TGV)-Avignon-Arles? I always got help in the stations if I needed it- there were uniformed "helpers" in Paris and people were very kind. Don't let that part worry you- it's part of the adventure!

Paris to Avignon and then bus to Arles does seem like the easiest option. Thanks everyone for all the help!

If you are willing to leave Bayeux at an early hour (06:46), you can arrive in Paris at 09:00 and connect with a TGV that leaves at 09:46 and goes directly to Arles. Take Metro line 14 directly from St-Lazare to Gare de Lyon (seven minutes).

If you book well in advance (up to three months allowed) at www.voyages-sncf.com, you can get PREM'S (discount) fares of €15 for Bayeux-Paris and €22 for Paris-Arles. Regular 2nd class fares are €32 and €75 respectively.

Thanks for the info, direct would be great. I looked at the site for booking, I could not find a button for english though. Do they have an english page? I appreciate your giving the metro line between the stations, I was worried about how we were going to get over to Paris Lyon. Thanks!

Nancy

For the English version, click on the British flag in the lower left-hand corner of the SNCF site.

When booking, leave France as the default country and do NOT choose cancellation insurance. If your entire route qualifies for a PREM'S fare, you can print the ticket yourself. If a leg of the route doesn't qualify, you have two choices: (1) book each leg separately and print the ticket for the PREM'S leg, or (2) choose to have the ticket mailed to an address in France (like your hotel). If no leg of the route qualifies for a PREM'S fare, you can choose the option of picking up the tickets at any station or SNCF boutique.

Example: For trains that go directly from Paris to Bayeux, you can print a PREM'S ticket. If you have to change trains in Caen, only the Paris-Caen leg would qualify for a PREM'S. You'd have to buy a regular ticket for a regional train between Caen and Bayeux.

Thanks for the info on the English version. Let me see if I understand correctly. I can book all the legs of my journey (for example: Paris to Caen, Caen to Bayeux, Bayeux back to Caen, Caen back to Paris Paris to Avignon, Avignon to Arles) at the site you mentioned. I will only be able to print out certain legs of the journey though? If I book with a reservation but cannot print the tickets can I pick them up at the station? or do I have to have them delivered somewhere in France. My son goes to school in Aix and I could have them delivered to him there. He'll be joining my husband and I for the trip. Is it advisable (other than a discounted price) to book in advance or is it enough to go to the station the day before you want to leave a city and buy a ticket for departure the next day. A friend advised a 'purchase tickets as you go' approach but I'm not sure you can do that with the TGV, I thought you had to have reserved seats for that. Sorry about so many questions and thanks!

PREM'S cannot be picked up at a station. They must either be self-printed or received by mail. For a route which includes both a leg that qualifies for a PREM'S fare (e.g., Paris-Caen) and a leg that doesn't (e.g., Caen-Bayeux), you can book the whole route in one shot, but you would have to have the ticket mailed to an address in France. Your other choice for that route would be to do separate bookings: (1) Paris-Caen, printing the PREM'S ticket and (2) Caen-Bayeux, choosing to pick up the ticket at any station or SNCF boutique.

TGVs require reservations, but the reservation is included in the price of the ticket. If seats are available, you can buy a TGV ticket up until just before departure.

Thanks Tim for all the help and suggestions!

We are going to Paris in May and also want to take a train to Bayeux on the day of arrival. How far is the St. Lazare train station from CDG. What is the most direct way of getting there.

Jill,

The information I gave above is very old (2007) and is out of date. See my post on your Paris to Bayeux thread.