We are arriving at CDG and will need to take a train to Colmar. I understand that if we go into Paris on the train it will come into Gare du Nord and then we would walk to Gare du Est. First is the train the best way to get into Paris for our train? Our plane is due to at 9:15 am. What is a reasonable time to be able to catch one of the TGV's to Colmar? Given the uncertainty of plane schedule, does it make sense to purchase the train tickets before we leave the States (we have a direct flight from MSP to CDG), or wait til we arrive? Won't we need to reserve the TGV seats? Thanks for the assistance.
Posted by
Ojai, CA
591 posts
You can take a TGV train directly from CDG to Strasbourg and then transfer to another train going down to Colmar. One departs the airport at 12:54 which should give you plenty of time to get through the arrival procedures. It's 2hrs & 23 min to Strasbourg, and then 29 min to Colmar (with a 30 min wait between trains).
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Yes, it's easy to take the RER B from either CDG 1 or CDG 2 TGV to Gare du Nord. The trip takes less than 40 minutes and the current fare is €8.40.
Yes, seat reservations are required on TGVs, but they are included in the price of the ticket. If seats are still available, you can buy tickets until shortly before the train departs.
Which is most important to you, getting the cheapest tickets, getting to Colmar as early as possible, or being willing to buy full fare tickets when you get to Paris so you don't have to worry about missing a particular train because of a delayed flight?
If you take the TGV from CDG as Tim suggests, you will arrive in Colmar at 16:22. If your plane is on time, you could get to Gare de l'Est in time to catch the TGV departing at 12:24 and you would arrive in Colmar at 15:22, one hour earlier.
By booking well in advance (up to 90 days allowed) at either www.voyages-sncf.com or www.tgv-europe.com, you can get discount fares. However, those tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable. If you want to play it safe and still get a discount fare, book the 12:54 TGV from CDG in advance. Alternatively, you could forget about booking in advance and go into Paris--if your plane arrives on time--and buy full fare tickets for the 12:24 departure from Gare de l'Est. Be aware that there may be a line at the ticket window. If your plane is delayed, buy full fare tickets at CDG for the 12:54 TGV.
There are some tricks to booking on either of the sites I gave you. If you want more information, just ask.
Posted by
OP
Minnetonka, MN
66 posts
Thanks to you both. Tim from ND said "If you want to play it safe and still get a discount fare, book the 12:54 TGV from CDG in advance. " I kind of like that better since you never really know when the flights will get in. NW has already changed this flight since i booked it and it is now coming in 2 hours later than originally scheduled. But how much do you save by booking in advance? A couple of related questions. How far in advance can you book and if I want to do that, where would you suggest?
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
The standard 2nd class fare is €75.70. The best advance purchase fare is €32.40. As I said in my previous post, book up to 90 days in advance at either www.voyages-sncf.com (if you can handle French) or www.tgv-europe.com. Book ASAP to have the best chance of getting the cheapest fare.
If you book on the tgv-europe site, do NOT choose France as the country in which you will retrieve your tickets. If you do, you will get a booking page in French. Also, do NOT pick the USA as the retrieval country. If you do, you will be bumped to the Rail Europe site which does not offer discount fares. Instead, choose Great Britain as the country for ticket retrieval. Don't worry. You will be able to pick up your tickets at the station at CDG. Choose this option: "Retrieve your ticket in a French station with the bank card that was used to pay for it." You will need to show both the credit card you used when booking and the confirmation number you will receive by e-mail.