London to Carcasonne

[philjo]

I am planning a trip to Carcasonne later in the year.
I have found the following itinerary for changing at Lille:

London St. Pancras International dep 08:04
*Lille Europe Eurostar arr 10:26
*
Lille Europe dep 11:02
TGV 9832

Narbonne arr 17:05
*dep 17:32
*RE 76212 Regional-Express
Carcassonne arr 18:02

I take it that the time allowed at Lille is sufficient ? I seem to remember last time I changed at Lille there was a bit of a delay for everyone to get up the lift as we all had luggage)but ithe change basically involves going up the lift and then going back down to an adjacent platfom for the TGV service.

Does anyone know if the connections at Narbonne are the same platform or if you have to change platfroms (as there is an earlier onward connection at 17:12). Also are you tied to specific services from Narbonne or is it like the non-reservable trains in the UK & you can use any onward connection?
Is it best to split the fare at Lille?

I haven't worked out the best trains for coming back yet (partly as I'm not sure what time I would be leaving yet) - there was one itinerary that involved changing in Bordeaux & Paris that looked OK as it gave a view of a different part of France for the return journey.
Many thanks

 

[30907]

Lille should be OK as ES is prepared to issue a through ticket on those timings (to Perpignan anyway!) and if the ES is delayed you are covered by Railteam policy which means you will get put on the next available train.
I notice that www.seat61.com is more cautious though.

Narbonne isnt a particularly large station (5 through platforms) and certainly you don't need to wait for a specific train if its a TER. Check here at the right time of an appropriate day to get an idea which platform
http://www.gares-en-mouvement.com/fr/frxna/horaires-temps-reel/dep/

On the random tests I did (using Perpignan as a proxy - there doesn't seem to be a through fare to Carcassonne, maybe someone who knows their way round SNCF ticketing can advise!) it was cheaper to book through rather than split at Lille, BUT check anyway - you can sometimes get very good deals in first class on TGV. Seat 61 wisely advises to book both tickets at the same time if you do.

 

[Train Pilchard]

I am planning a trip to Carcasonne later in the year.
I have found the following itinerary for changing at Lille:



I take it that the time allowed at Lille is sufficient ? I seem to remember last time I changed at Lille there was a bit of a delay for everyone to get up the lift as we all had luggage)but ithe change basically involves going up the lift and then going back down to an adjacent platfom for the TGV service.

Does anyone know if the connections at Narbonne are the same platform or if you have to change platfroms (as there is an earlier onward connection at 17:12). Also are you tied to specific services from Narbonne or is it like the non-reservable trains in the UK & you can use any onward connection?
Is it best to split the fare at Lille?

I haven't worked out the best trains for coming back yet (partly as I'm not sure what time I would be leaving yet) - there was one itinerary that involved changing in Bordeaux & Paris that looked OK as it gave a view of a different part of France for the return journey.
Many thanks

I changed at Narbone for the train to Carcasonne, was different platforms but the station is small.