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Day trip from Paris to Rouen by train on May 1, Labor Day holiday

Day trip from Paris to Rouen by train on May 1, Labor Day holiday

Old Apr 19th, 2012, 09:01 PM
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Day trip from Paris to Rouen by train on May 1, Labor Day holiday

My husband and I want to take a day trip from Paris to Rouen by train. Do we need to buy the train tickets ahead of time or can we buy that at the train station the day we go? We also need advise on which day to go. We can't decide to go on Monday 4/30 or Tuesday 5/1. I personally want to go on Tuesday because they have market day on Tuesday ( I love open-air market). However I just found out Tuesday 5/1 is their public holiday, will that be too crowded to travel on that day? Will the market open on public holiday?
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Old Apr 19th, 2012, 09:20 PM
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The market will be open.

If the weather is nice, yes there will be plenty of tourists in Rouen on a holiday. But the crowds of Rouen are nothing compared to the crowds of Paris.

You can buy your ticket at the station.
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Old Apr 20th, 2012, 03:02 AM
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If you can read French you can use the website www.voyages-sncf.com to get info on schedules and prices for your journey. If you can't read French use the site www.tgv-europe.com. However, make sure this site doesn't redirect you to the RailEurope website, which often has higher prices and doesn't show all the trains. Tickets for this journey are cheapest when bought 3 months ahead (10 euros). If you buy them today for a May 1st journey they are 16 euros but the last minute walk up fare is only a few euros more at 21.90 euros. I would just pay a few euros extra and not deal with the hassle of buying them on-line. The morning trains for May 1st leave from Gare Saint Lazare at 8:26, 8:50 and 10:36.
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Old Apr 20th, 2012, 02:04 PM
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Thank you for the advise and information. I think I'll wait to see what the weather is like and buy the tickets from the station.
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Old Apr 20th, 2012, 03:49 PM
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I'm pretty sure that all the shops will be closed on May 1 - like they are almost everywhere in France. Most museums will be closed then also. About 12 years ago, we were in Paris on May 1 (most things were closed - including the Louvre), so we wanted to go to Chantilly for the day to visit the chateau. The ticket line at the train station was monstrous - so we gave up.

I would go on 4/30.

Stu Dudley
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Old Apr 20th, 2012, 03:51 PM
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April 30 is a Monday, and some shops will be closed in the morning.

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Old Apr 20th, 2012, 03:57 PM
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The Cathedral in Rouen will be closed on May 1.

Stu Dudley
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