Bonjour, We are travelling from Nice to Aix-en-Provence, Aix to Avignon, Avignon to Toulouse and then Toulouse to Paris - with 3-7 day stops in between. Is it best to get a 4 day France rail pass or just use a mix of local and TGV trains? Any idea of cost if not using a pass? Would it be cheaper to fly from Toulouse to Paris - w ecan get flights for approx AUD$100. Merci!
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Here are the standard 2nd class fares shown on www.tgv-europe.com:
Nice-Aix = €36.80.
Aix-Avignon = €22.40 with two legs on regional trains or €32.50 with one leg on a regional train and the other on a TGV.
Avignon-Toulouse = €42.00 with two legs on regional trains or €45.90 with one leg on a regional train and the other on a TGV.
Toulouse-Paris = €91.50 on a TGV.
Advance booking can get you slightly reduced fares on the first three routes. Where you can really save money is on Toulouse-Paris. If you book far enough in advance (up to three months allowed), you can get a Prem's fare of €22.00. That ticket is non-exchangeable and non-refundable so you have to be able to commit to a specific departure date and time.
Posted by
OP
Sydney, Australia
2 posts
Hi Tim, Thank you.
I understand from RS guide that there is a TGV train direct from Aix to Avignon that just takes 25mins - bu only schedules I can fine show TGV taking over 2 hrs, seems they go back to Marseille from Aix and then up to Avignon.
Anyone been on that trip?
TC :)
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
You're welcome, Toni.
I think Rick Steves must be referring to the 20-minute ride on a TGV from the Aix TGV station to the Avignon TGV station. You would need to take a bus from the central station in Aix to the TGV station and another bus from the Avignon TGV station to the central Avignon station. The total time for that route ranges between 1hr14min and 1hr30min. See the timetables at www.bahn.de. After you get summary timetables for Aix-en-Provence to Avignon Centre, click on the arrow to the left of each departure time to see the connecting points.