cathy52

I am arriving at CDG at 7am on Aug 29. I need to get to Amboise from there. I am torn between a rental car from the airport or a train from CDG. I would rather take the train rather tan drive 3 hours after a long flight if you think it will work. From what I can see the train leaves CDG at 10 am. I think this might be the best option, bit the 10 min train change in Tours has me worried. Will I have to actually change trains or is this just a stop and I remain on the train to get to Amboise? Do you think I will be able to clear the airport and make the 10am train? Would I need to book these tickets in advance? Ultimately, I will be renting a car to tour the Loire. What do you suggest? Thanks for your help.

Dukey1

If you are taking a TGV to Tours then yes, you will have to change trains in order to (somewhat) backtrack to Amboise.

I cannot imagine it taking you THREE hours to get your luggage and clear immigration at CDG.

OTOH if you took a regular train (probably from a station in Paris) you wouldn't have to change trains at all and could just get off in Amboise but the question becomes where is the best place to rent a car. The last time we did the Loire we took a regular train from Paris to Blois, rented the car there, and drove the short distance to Amboise.

You have lots of different possibilities.

StCirq

I always allow at least three hours between stated landing time at CDG and boarding a TGV. Even with that time margin, I've come close to missing a train a couple of times. It's not uncommon for the plane to taxi around for 30+ minutes after landing, and it's not uncommon to have to wait 45 minutes or more to get through immigration. Add even more time if you have to get checked luggage (I don't). So yes, your 3 hours is the perfect window of time.

Don't worry about the 10 minutes to change trains in Tours. It's perfectly normal. There will be screens along the tracks when you deboard telling you which track to proceed to for the train to Amboise. If it's not clear to you, ask any train attendant.

Michael

Taking the regular train from Paris is no better than changing in Tours (presumably the same train station). 10 minutes should be sufficient time for changing trains. Leaving from Paris would mean taking some form of transportation to the city, and if taking the RER changing to the métro to get to Montparnasse.

cathy52

I prefer to leave from CDG rather than take the extra time to go into Paris and take a train from there. That being said I guess what I am asking for is the least stressful and quickest way to get to Amboise after an international flight. What to do suggest?

StCirq

The least stressful is clearly the train. You shouldn't be driving that distance after an all-night flight.

adrienne

I'm guessing you're taking the 10:16 TGV from Roissy. There's a change at St-Pierre-des-Corps (47 minutes) and the next train goes to Amboise St-Pierre. It takes a few minutes longer but its an option.

Do a search for Roissy to Amboise and you'll see the trains I'm referring to.

dugi_otok

Take the train to Tours (St Pierre des Corps). Rent a car there. It is only a 30 min drive(14 miles)to Amboise.

>> Will I have to actually change trains or is this just a stop and I remain on the train to get to Amboise?<<
This is a train change.

>> Do you think I will be able to clear the airport and make the 10am train? <<
Yes

>> Would I need to book these tickets in advance?<<
The cheapest tickets are those purchased 3 months in advance (PREM). The problem is that they are non refundable. If your plane is late enough that you miss your train from CDG you are out the cost of the train tickets. You can check the cost difference between the refundable/exchangeable and PREM tickets and then make a decision on which ones you want and whether you want to buy them the day of the trip.

kerouac

10 minutes to change trains is a huge amount of time. Many connections in the provinces are only 6 or 7 minutes. Believe me, this is not a problem since most of these stations have a grand total of 4 tracks.

cathy52

Thanks everybody. I think I can make a better choice after your advice.

PalenQ

www.bahn.de/en shows that train leaving CDG TGV station at 10:16 (same as adrienne found) and getting to St-Pierre-des-Corps at 11:59 and then the train for Amboise leaving SP-d-C at 12:46 - do not go into Tours even if that TGV train does - St-Piere-des-Corps is the mainline station in Tours. Most TGVs do not go into Tours in town dead-end terminus station.

And yes it is easy to rent a car at SPdC - all the major car rentals agencies are just opposite the station -
AVIS is (at least used to be) in the station -it is an easy drive to Amboise from St-P-d-C which is well outside the horrendous traffic that central Tours has on weekdays.

but taking the train and picking up car the next day or so will probably save you money as the SP-dC to Amboise fare is just a few euros - save a day on a car rental. And perhaps you want to stay the next day just in Amboise, which has more than enough to amuse oneself for a day - tour the chateau, the Clos Luce, Leonardo da Vinci's last stoimping grounds, check out the street of troglodyte housing - I think you can enter the one with the UNESCO World Heritage status (adrienne note that!) and just walk around down by the Loire, which to me is most beautiful in Amboise - a wise sandy river bed often with only rivulets of water in it.

At night in summer there is a bombastic stupendous Sound-and-Light show in the castle with an English version or headphones with English - a cast of hundreds of locals participate.

Note that unless you have a ticket you could face a long wait in line at CDG TGV to buy a ticket - last time I was there it took about 45 minutes in an incredibly long line to get to the window. It may not typically be that crowded but leave as much time as possible - if you buy a full-fare ticket on www.voyages-sncf.com then it can be changed to another train if you miss the train - discounted tickets I believe cannot be.

For lots on French trains check out these IMO superb sites: www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com. Note that that train is a TGV Dupolex - two levels - the view from the upper level is infinitely nicer than being in the sunken lower level where you may only see wind blocks and guard rails.

PalenQ

A much cheaper way if buying full fare tickets to Amboise would be to go into Paris and Austerlitz station which has frequent direct trains to Amboise via Les Aubrais and Blois - and has a fairly flat fare structure - though you may be able to get some discounts the regular fare should be way cheaper than the regular TGV fare to ST-Piere-des-Corps and then connecting train to Amboise and you do not need seat reservations on these trains - just hop on with a ticket.

Take the RER from the airport and change to direct metro to Austerlitz or if traveling light take the RER from CDG direct to Gare du Lyon and wlak across the pedestrian pathway that links GAre du Lyon to Austerliz (part of the newish Charles De Gaulle Bridge) in about 5 minutes. buy a ticket at the DCG RER station through to Amboise - it will include the RER/metro ticket to Austerlitz I believe.

snowgirls

Just a small note. We were delayed from take off in Canada for 3 hours by a summer storm which then caused us to miss our booked TGV to Strasbourg. We were able to rebook the next train. Just an example of how one delay can effect other plans. Going into Paris, with more frequent trains to your destination seems like aviable option.

ParisAmsterdam

Much as I hate to encourage someone to drive after a trans Atlantic flight, if you transfer to Amboise you are severely limiting your car rental possibilities. You're better off stopping at St Pierre des Corps and picking up a cat there.

Michael

Amboise is 30 minutes from Tours by train. The OP can always go to Amboise and pick up a car at another time taking a ride to Tours that is no longer than an ordinary métro ride if one were to go from the hotel to a car rental pick-up place in Paris.

cdnyul

Or, land at 7:00AM, pick up rental car at 8:00AM, drive, get to destination before 11:00AM.

I routinely drive for five hours after a transatlantic flight without any problems.

Mark

cathy52

One more question please. We will be returning the rental car after a couple days in the Loire and taking the train back to Paris. Will it be easier to do this from Amboise or from Tours?

greg

There are many different kinds of transatlantic flights. For those starting from Montreal, Paris is only 7 hours by Transat. But for someone starting from Honolulu, it takes more than 21 hours to Paris.

nytraveler

I can;t imagine landing at CDG at 7 am and being in a car at 8 am. All my experiences (am flights arriving from NA) include a lot of taxiing to get to a gate, time for deplaning and getting to Immigration - which may be a 10 minute wait (rare) or 35 to 40 minutes (more often), then trekking to get luggage then heading to car rental and doing the paperwork, checking out the car etc.

We did this and drove to a chateau near Chinon (one driver and one navigator) and from landing to arrival at the chateau was about 5 hours. After that we decided never to do such a long drive off a plane again - we now limit to an hour or less.

Ruby99

I had less than 1.5 hours to make my train at CDG (was going to St Pierre des Corps). Our flight arrived early (as I've found is often the case when I travel to Europe) and there was virtually no wait at immigration. I didn't take a chance with checked luggage though, I just brought carry on... for 2 weeks! Thankfully I had access to a washing machine the 2nd week I was there.

What I remember: The long, long walk through the airport to get to the train... At least 15 minutes. And then I was there so early before my train, I waited over 30 minutes. All that stress for nothing! But I admit everything that went right could just as easily have gone wrong... I lucked out.