ACL
Member
Greetings. At the end of April, I will be walking the first half of the Camino de Santiago in Spain, beginning from just over the French border at St. Jean Pied de Port.
I will be flying from the US into Paris, arriving on the 30th of April at CDG at 1255. I need advice on getting from there to Bayonne, where I will spend the night. I will proceed the next day to St. Jean Pied de Port (no advice needed for this portion.)
I have looked at a couple of options and would like to have someone with experience in traveling by train in France to let me know what would be the best thing to do (in their opinion). This will be a one-way ride, no return. I will not be flying back home from Paris.
My first option is to stay at at the airport and catch train number 5222 at 1621 which will arrive at Bordeaux at 2037. At Bordeaux I would transfer to train number 8543, which leaves Bordeaux at 2051 and arrives at Bayonne at 2232. The ticket cost is 98.30 Euro for Loisir and 127.00 Euro for TGV Pro 2NDE.
My second option would be to take the RER and the Paris Metro to Gare Montparnasse (I was in Paris last year and was successful in using both systems) and catch train number 8543 (this is the same train that I would transfer to in Bordeaux in the first option), leaving Paris at 1728 and arriving in Bayonne at 2232. The ticket cost is 109.00 Euro Loisir and 117.00 Euro TGV Pro 2NDE.
My questions:
a. Is it worth taking the later train from Gare Montparnasse (second option) to avoid the tight connection in Bordeaux (14 minutes) for the train from CDG (first option)? I know the rail system in France is one of the best in the world, but delays do happen. Either way, I would arrive in Bayonne at the same time. The small differences in ticket cost is not a factor in the decision.
b. When purchasing the ticket on line, should I select "France" as my country and then could I collect the ticket at the station? What other options are there? If I just purchased the ticket at the station on the day I arrived, would the ticket cost be appreciably higher? Is there a danger of the trains being "Sold Out"?
c. If for some reason my flight was badly delayed and I missed whichever option I have chosen, could I get the ticket changed for the night train (Train number 5248 leaving CDG at 1859 arriving Les Aubrais at 2059. Train number 4053 (Intercities Night Train) leaving Les Aubrais at 2253 arriving the next morning at Bayonne at 834.)
d. Is there anything else I need to know?
Thank you for your consideration.
I will be flying from the US into Paris, arriving on the 30th of April at CDG at 1255. I need advice on getting from there to Bayonne, where I will spend the night. I will proceed the next day to St. Jean Pied de Port (no advice needed for this portion.)
I have looked at a couple of options and would like to have someone with experience in traveling by train in France to let me know what would be the best thing to do (in their opinion). This will be a one-way ride, no return. I will not be flying back home from Paris.
My first option is to stay at at the airport and catch train number 5222 at 1621 which will arrive at Bordeaux at 2037. At Bordeaux I would transfer to train number 8543, which leaves Bordeaux at 2051 and arrives at Bayonne at 2232. The ticket cost is 98.30 Euro for Loisir and 127.00 Euro for TGV Pro 2NDE.
My second option would be to take the RER and the Paris Metro to Gare Montparnasse (I was in Paris last year and was successful in using both systems) and catch train number 8543 (this is the same train that I would transfer to in Bordeaux in the first option), leaving Paris at 1728 and arriving in Bayonne at 2232. The ticket cost is 109.00 Euro Loisir and 117.00 Euro TGV Pro 2NDE.
My questions:
a. Is it worth taking the later train from Gare Montparnasse (second option) to avoid the tight connection in Bordeaux (14 minutes) for the train from CDG (first option)? I know the rail system in France is one of the best in the world, but delays do happen. Either way, I would arrive in Bayonne at the same time. The small differences in ticket cost is not a factor in the decision.
b. When purchasing the ticket on line, should I select "France" as my country and then could I collect the ticket at the station? What other options are there? If I just purchased the ticket at the station on the day I arrived, would the ticket cost be appreciably higher? Is there a danger of the trains being "Sold Out"?
c. If for some reason my flight was badly delayed and I missed whichever option I have chosen, could I get the ticket changed for the night train (Train number 5248 leaving CDG at 1859 arriving Les Aubrais at 2059. Train number 4053 (Intercities Night Train) leaving Les Aubrais at 2253 arriving the next morning at Bayonne at 834.)
d. Is there anything else I need to know?
Thank you for your consideration.
