lholliday

Does anyone know how to secure tickets on the fast train from Paris to St Malo? We will be flying into Paris Charles DeGaulle and looking to go straight to the train station.

StCirq

There are no direct trains from CDG to St-Malo. You can either take a TGV from CDG to Rennes and then a local TER to St-Malo, or you can go from CDG to Massy, change there to Rennes, and then the local to St-Malo.

Whichever you do, give yourself 3 hours at least between stated landing time at CDG and boarding the train.

PalenQ

Unfortunately there are only a few trains from CDG thatgoes directly to Rennes, where you change to a regional train for St-Malo-like one around 2pm - before that is appears from schedules you'll have to take the RER into Paris and change to metro to go to Gare Montparnasse for frequent TGVs to Rennes then regional trains to St Malo though some TGVs may go straight thru.

See www.voyages-sncf.com or www.capitainetrain.com for schedules and online ticketing. For general info on French trains check www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

the CDG TGV station is in Terminal 2 and you can get the RER into Paris from there too.

MaineGG

Another possibility would be to take the Air France bus or a taxi from CDG to Gare Montparnasse, then the direct TGV to Saint-Malo. The AF bus is €17.50, and the new fixed rate for a taxi to the Left Bank is €55.

http://en.lescarsairfrance.com/

http://www.aeroportsdeparis.fr/en/pa...paris-cdg-taxi

PalenQ

Note that discounted tickets are train-specific and cannot be changed nor refunded so leave plenty of fudge factor time if doing the discounted ticket route - even full-fare tickets though they can be changed may be hard to do so once there if trains are full.

the best advice I think is to do the discounted ticket route and leave plenty of spare time - the worst would be you would have to sit around CDG or Montparnasse or Massy a few hours and there are cafes, etc. at all.

Christina

Sitting around CDG for a few hours is an extreme punishment to me, I'd even prefer being around a train station. I never allow 3 hours from landing time to get on a train right at CDG. I would like about 2, though, but I do check luggage.

PalenQ

Most of the time you'll be going to Montparnasse station where in the neighborhood there is a flock of cafes and places to while away time and watch the passing parade. Very few convenient TGV connections from CDG that go direct or via Massy to St malo I think.

Point is if train ticket is non-changeable non-refundable it's nice to have ample time so you don't start stressing when planes running late, etc.

And it is not unusual at CDG IME and my son's to have to get out of the plane in the middle of the airport and take buses into the terminal and this can be very slow at times IME.

StCirq

There are about 8-9 trains from Roissy daily that connect with 1 or 2 correspondances to St-Malo, either through Rennes or Massy and then Rennes. Still, not ideal. But it doesn't make much difference to me whether I wait at the CDG TGV station or a station in Paris - pretty much the same drill, having a coffee, reading the newspaper, picking up a sandwich for the train. And I do always allow 3 hours after landing for CDG, 4 hours if I go into a Paris station. I've come very, very close to missing a train even with that leeway, several times.

miket123

"And I do always allow 3 hours after landing for CDG, 4 hours if I go into a Paris station. I've come very, very close to missing a train even with that leeway, several times."

^^ This.

If I'm continuing on from the airport and there are trains every hour or so I sometimes just buy the tickets at the station (here, it would be at Montparnasse). I don't have to predict when I'll be there in advance, and I'm not troubled my flight delays. The problem is you pay the walk-up fare which can be substantially higher than the advance purchase price on trips using hi-speed trains.

So what I would do in your place is spend that first day in Paris. As soon as the RER gets you in Paris you can drop your bags at your hotel and get outside. The next morning there is no problem making your train that you bought a cheap fare for.

kawh

OP-- going to St Malo (etc.) next month.

we had this same question/problem. in the end, we are just going to Angers for a couple of nights (want to see the tapestry anyway)... then taking the TGV directly from angers to CDG... it leaves around 10am, i believe.