I'm trying to plan 2 days in the countryside after visiting Paris: a Monday and Tuesday. My friend has to be at CDG airport by noon on Wednesday. I am trying to decide between placing us in: 1) Dijon (take the TGV from Paris, go down to Beaune and walk around the vineyards, then return to Dijon) or 2) Tours (take the TGV from Paris, walk around Chenonceau and Montrichard, then return to Tours) Is there any aspect of the train travel I am missing that would make one destination better than the other, in terms of ensuring getting to the airport on time? Is there a benefit to one over the other in terms of not trying to cram too much into 2 days without a car? Much thanks for any guidance anyone can provide.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
1. You can leave Beaune as late as 08:28 and connect in Dijon to a TGV going to Gare de Lyon in Paris, arriving at 10:37. If you take the RER D from Gare de Lyon to Gare du Nord and the RER B from there to CDG, you'll arrive at CDG around 11:30. Or if you want to play it safer, leave Beaune at 07:58, connect in Dijon, and arrive at Gare de Lyon at 10:11. 2. Take a regional train from Tours to St-Pierre-des-Corps, then connect to a TGV going directly to CDG, arriving at 10:45. Or if you want to play it tighter, leave Tours at 09:27, connect to a TGV at St-Pierre-des-Corps, and arrive at Gare Montparnasse in Paris at 10:42. Take Metro line 4 from Montparnasse-Bienvenue to St-Michel, walk through the connecting tunnels to the St-Michel Notre-Dame RER station, and take the RER B to CDG. I would recommend the first route. It's simpler and it gives you a safer margin. If you take the RER B, be aware that the line divides northeast of Paris. Be sure to get on a train that is going to CDG.
Posted by
OP
San Diego, CA, United States
3 posts
Thanks very much, Tim. If I choose Beaune as a base of operations, would I be able to stay in Aloxe-Corton? Would it be easy enough to get a taxi to get back and forth, or are taxis sparse?
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
I assume it would be easy to get a taxi from the train station in Beaune to Aloxe-Corton. I also assume that you would need to pre-book a taxi to get from Aloxe-Corton back to Beaune.
Posted by
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
4051 posts
Sounds too tight to me, assuming you are goint to CdG to catch a plane. The absolute minimum arrival time at that airport is two hours in advance of any international flight time, and another half hour would be better. So arriving at Gare de Lyon any time after 9 a.m. to connect to the airport with enough time to spare would really be straining fate.
Posted by
OP
San Diego, CA, United States
3 posts
The flight itself isn't at noon. That's the time my friend wants to arrive to allot 2+ hours of buffer for the actual flight time, which is late afternoon. But thank you for helping to set realistic expectations about the train travel.