Can anyone tell me the best and least expensive way to get to Arles from Paris and then from Arles to Amsterdam? I do not wish to drive. I am traveling with my 20-year-old daughter and I assume that rail is the best way to go. We will be traveling from Paris to Arles on July 11th and then from Arles to Amsterdam on July 15th. Should we try to buy tickets in advance or wait? We will be flying out of Amsterdam and back to US on July 20th.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
For complete timetables go to www.bahn.de and click on the drop-down menu in the upper right-hand corner for English. After you get summary timetables, click on "Details for all" to see the connecting points. You'll see that several changes are required, but it's not as complicated as it looks.
For some times of the day for your routes there still are some Loisirs discount fares available if you book NOW at www.voyages-sncf.com for Paris-Arles. The same is true for Arles-Paris (SNCF). For Paris-Amsterdam (www.thalys.com) there is a youth fare for persons under 26 which is half of the standard fare. You can book in English on the Thalys site by choosing France and English. Again, book NOW to get the best fare.
To get the discount fares on the SNCF site you'll need to book in French. For instructions on how to do that, go here. Or drop me a PM and I'll give you more advice.
I just went from Arles to Paris over a week ago and I took the bus from the Arles train station that took me directly to the Avignon TGV station (keep in mind Avignon has two train stations). It was extremely easy to find my way as the bus literally picks you up and drops you off in front of both train stations. I made the reservations through the SNCF ticket office while I was in France (I just needed to purchase the bus as I had a rail pass) I believe it came to 7 euros.
