train to cluses, france

What time is your plane scheduled to arrive at CDG? Chances are you will need to go into Paris and depart from Gare de Lyon. You will pay full fare if you wait until you get to Paris to buy tickets. You've waited way too long to get the best discount fares, but you may still be able to save some money by booking ahead. 2nd class seats on trains are roomy and comfortable. IMO, 1st class for a relatively short ride isn't worth the extra cost.

We arrive at Charles deGaulle at 9:05am on May 27. Will we be able to get a train to Cluses early afternoon that day?
Thank you.

You could hang around CDG and take the 11:58 TGV to Lyon, a regional train from Lyon to Bellegarde, and another regional train from Bellegarde to Cluses, arriving at 17:35. Or you could go into Paris and take the 12:11 TGV from Gare de Lyon to Bellegarde where you would connect to the same regional train that gets to Cluses at 17:35. However, if your plane is late, you might not get into Paris in time to catch the train at Gare de Lyon. It can take up to an hour to clear immigration/passport control at CDG and another hour to get to Gare de Lyon. It would be a lot safer to leave from CDG at 11:58. That's what I recommend that you do. You'll get to Cluses at the same time either way. Better safe than sorry. If you want to see a bit of Paris, leave Gare de Lyon at 15:53, connect in Lyon and Bellegarde, and arrive in Cluses at 21:37. There are left luggage facilities at Gare de Lyon.

Thank you very much for that information. I agree that it would be more convenient and safer to get the TGV fro de Guelle. Can we get the tickets thru you and how much is a roundtrip ticket, 2nd class.
Thank you

Thank you for the information about our train from Charles de Gaulle to Cluses. Could you tell me how much a 2nd class roundtrip will cost for 4 adults and 1 child(7 yrs) and can we order these tickets from you.

Sorry I haven't worked out the cost for you, but your twice asked question "can we order these tickets from you." makes me think that you think you are in contact with the Rick Steves organization. You're not. This helpline, while sponsored on the RS website and policed by a RS webmaster, is not affiliated in any way. We are a semi anarchic group of fellow travelers who like helping each other out. If you want to get through to the RS gang you need to click on the contact us button.

Allen, I'm a fellow traveler like you, not an agent. There is no discount for return (roundtrip) tickets. You buy single (one-way) tickets each way and get whatever discount fare (if any) is offered in each direction. For the departure time from CDG that you've chosen the standard 2nd class fare for four adults and one child is €516.50. Currently the best discount fare you can get for 27 May is €441.50. You didn't say if you will return to CDG or to Paris or what date you will take that ride. I entered an arbitrary date for Cluses-Paris and found that, depending upon the departure time and route, the standard 2nd class fare ranges from €425.10 to €452.10. I found a discount fare as low as €342.90. I'll post another note later telling how to book advance tickets.

Thank you Tim and Nigel. You have gone out of your way to help. Appreciate it very much.
Allen

You're welcome, Allen. Here's how to book CDG-Cluses. Go to www.tgv-europe.com. To keep the site in English and to avoid being bumped to the Rail Europe site which doesn't offer discount fares, choose Great Britain as your country of residence. Next choose to stay with the tgv-europe site rather than going to the Rail Europe UK site. In the departure point field start typing Paris and then choose Paris Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG 2) - TGV station (FR). Enter Cluses as your arrival point. Enter a departure time of 11:00. Uncheck the box for direct trains. Enter 5 as the number of passengers. Choose France as your ticket retrieval country. Finally click on "More criteria" and you will get a new page. On that page click on "Who will be traveling?" Enter the age of each passenger and then click on "Search." On the new page click on the lowest fare offered for the 11:58 departure from CDG with connections in Lyon and Bellegarde. Then click on "Choose this outward journey." Ignore "Choose my place." Next you'll see a breakdown of all the legs you'll be taking. Click on "Confirm." Next you'll see a list of ticket retrieval options. Click on "Retrieval in a French station." (The ticket machines in French stations only take Chip & PIN cards). Proceed with booking. You'll receive an e-mail voucher with a confirmation number. Present that voucher along with the credit card used to book the tickets to the agent at the TGV station at CDG. The agent will swipe your card and issue you your tickets.