Paris Day Trip to Compiegne

Yes, Compiègne is on a direct train from Paris which departs from Gare du Nord and takes 40 minutes to just over an hour, depending on the train. There are several trains a day in both directions. You can get all the train schedule info using the website www.tgv-europe.com. Uncheck the box marked "Direct Trains" to see all the options.

The Armistice Clearing is outside of town and I'm not sure if there is bus service there. You can certainly take a taxi or rent a bike and ride there. It's not a long ride, about 5-6km outside of Compiègne on a straight, flat road. Check the tourist office website and you should find more info about getting there:

http://www.compiegne-tourisme.fr/

Unfortunately they don't seem to have an English language version of the website. Here's the part of the website about the Armistice site:

http://www.compiegne-tourisme.fr/Clairiere-de-l-Armistice.html

http://armistice.chez-alice.fr/

You can try e-mailing or phoning the tourist office if you want to learn more about transport between the town and the Armistice site.

I loved the day trip I did to Compiegne. The TI called a taxi for us to take us to the railroad car and he waited while we looked inside it.

In town we visited the Chateau.

Here's a link to a NY Times article on Compiegne.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/travel/02hourfrom.html

FrenchMystique Tours -- Thank you so much for all the helpful information and links! I just sent an email to the tourist office to see if I can get a taxi (or some other transportation)to the Armistice Clearing.

Adrienne -- I am so glad to hear that you were able to make this trip! And thank you for the NY Times article -- makes me more anxious than ever to visit. Do you mind if I ask how much the taxi cost?

Now I am wondering if we do get a taxi, would we also be able to visit Pierrefonds? Not sure what the total cost might be (& maybe I am trying to fit in too much) but Pierrefonds is only 8 miles away.

Check this link from another forum where I discussed how to get from Compiègne to Pierefonds. There is a link to the local bus website and there is a second link to various forms of private transport between the two places. If you decide on the bus check it's schedule carefully since it's not frequent or times/connections aren't convenient. There are some days it also doesn't run.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g1029112-i17837-k5013396-Pierrefonds_by_public_transport_up_to_date_information-Pierrefonds_Oise_Picardy.html#37538543

I think you'll have your hands full trying to get to the Armistice site and Pierrefonds but see what you can figure out from the info I gave you. Keep in mind that the town of Compiègne is worth a visit in its own right.

If you want to have a look at Compiègne and Pierrefonds I wrote a report about them. I visited the region by bike and saw these places plus a whole lot more. The report has lots of photos and historical tid-bits if you want to have a look:

http://tinyurl.com/6snrf3q

It was a while ago and I can't remember what the taxi cost but it wasn't very much money - nothing outrageous that I would remember. He was willing to take us to Pierrefronds and wait for us there but my mother didn't want to go there so we only went to the railroad car. Believe me - if the taxi had cost a lot of money my mother would never have done it.

Go for it! You remember with extreme longing the things you didn't do and didn't see.

bookmarking

FrenchMystique Tours -- Your photos are amazing -- thanks so much for the link to your photo essay! (And for the hepful bus information also). Regardless how my day trip works out, I definitely want to visit this area on a future trip when I have more time (and a car).

adrienne - Your email made me laugh -- your mother sounds a bit like my husband!

I got an email from the tourist office in Compiegne! They were kind enough to give me the telephone number for a taxi that I can reserve ahead or call when I arrive. (Apparently, they were even able to understand my fractured French LOL)

For others reading this post, the number for the taxi company is 03 44 83 24 24.

The Armistice Clearing is 6km from Compiegne and it is on the way to Pierrefonds (15 km.), so it sounds like I could do both in the same day. I'll see how it goes. As you said FrenchMystique, there is plenty to see in Compiegne also.

Thank you all for your help --- I will report back in a few months and let you know how it went!

Can you imagine that I visited Compiègne in 40 minutes? I am still ashamed of myself but I took plenty of photos.

http://anyportinastorm.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=pictures&thread=3939&page=1#76988

Shame on you, kerouac. Compiegne is certainly worth much more than 40 minutes. Did you see the railway car? Inside the chateau?

No, no.

*hangs head in shame*

Well pick your head up so you can see where you're going when you do a return trip!

kerouac - I just saw your thread on Pierrefronds - the chateau looks wonderful. Thanks for posting.

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/the-chteau-of-pierrefonds.cfm

kerouac -- Well, you did see an awful lot in just 40 minutes. And your photos have convinced me that I will need to give Compiegne more time too. Thanks!

I wanted to follow-up on this post. We did make the day trip to Compiegne, and it worked out very well. The train from Paris Nord was easy enough. I had the telephone number for a taxi with me (that I had gotten from the Compiegne Tourist Office), but I was pleased to see several taxis outside the station.

My French is not great, but I was able to convey that we wanted to go the Armistice Clearing and that we wanted the taxi to wait for us. The whole thing cost about 50 euros.

The railroad car is definitely worth seeing, and an audio narrative in English is very informative. It is quite an amazing story.

The museum focuses on WWI, and the most fascinating things are these 3-D picturescopes that display actual photos from WWI. Unbelievable -- you really feel as if you are in the trenches!

The town is also quite nice, and we enjoyed wandering around. (We decided not to attempt a visit to Pierrefonds.) We ate a wonderful lunch at Le Bouchon -- figured we couldn't go wrong with a restaurant named The Cork! Fun place with friendly service and good food & wine.

Thanks for reporting back Magster. That kind of follow-up helps other travelers. Glad it worked so well for you and that it was a worthwhile trip.