vjose

Thanks Cathinjoetown.

Finally I managed to get the tickets through the SNCF on first class. The prices were going up so I rushed an booked. Total came out to be 513EUR.

Basically I took 6 at once with 3 year old as a noon paying and another one adult ticket. Fortunately we got the same compartment however couchettes are all over the place.

Question, How and where to keep our luggage/baggage? on the couchettes!

Another question, To be on a safer side,How many hours we should allow our self to get the Easyjet flight from Toulouse to Rome which departs at 14:05.

I guess, Train from Lourdes at 09h46 arrives Toulouse at 11h30 would be good enough.

How do we get to the airport from TOULOUSE MATABIAU to the airport.


Appreciate your help on the above

neckervd

Toulouse Matabiau - Toulouse Blagnac:
http://www.toulouse.aeroport.fr/en/a...sport-services

"How and where to keep our luggage/baggage? on the couchettes!"
There is usually space for about 8 big suitcases above the corridor (but inside the compartment).

Cathinjoetown

Not sure what you mean by couchettes all over the place, they should be in the same compartment. On the night trains I have taken, and I admit it's been awhile, you do not have a seat and a couchette, just a couchette. As you booked together, they should be together.

FlyBus to the airport leaves from just outside the station, see neckervd's post. Cost is 5€ pp, possibly less for your youngest. Taxis are around 30-35€ and you most likely would need two. Bus is just as fast and leaves every 20 min.

Check when Easyjet wants you checked in as they are serious about it.

vjose

neckervd, thanks for the link and help with luggage question.

Cathy,I got Coach 16 for all but Seat numbers are 012,015,016,086,095,096. yes all these linked to upper berth(more) and lower berth(few).

Easyjet check in opens 12:05 and close by 13:25.

Train from Lourdes at 09h46 arrives Toulouse at 11h30 would be ok? it gives about 2 hours before the Check in Closure.

I will get the Flybus to the airport. As per the link I could get the tickets from the driver.

If all above is good then the only thing still remains is to find a hotel close to grotto at the Lourdes.


Regards

Cathinjoetown

Transfer time should be okay, barring anything out of your control! The wait for bus should be max 20 minutes and trip by bus another 20.

Wish I could help decipher your couchette numbers. As there are two tiers of 3 couchettes in one compartment, you would have 4 uppers and two lowers. Why the numbers aren't sequential? Sorry, not a clue. I would think your tickets should have both a coach and compartment number as well as a couchette number.

Kay2

FYI if you check back--flooding in Lourdes. Still a month until your trip, though.
youtube/tSpa3SwBDFE

vjose

Kay2 - Thanks a lot.

it is quite a bad flood. there are suggestions that Lourdes may be completely closed for Summer.

Bit worried now.

Dukey1

As, unfortunately, I think you should be. I am sorry if your trip does not happen as planned. Here's a link to another story about the current flooding:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/20/wo...site.html?_r=0

Cathinjoetown

http://www.lourdes-france.com/index.php/en/

I would keep checking this site as well as with your hotel as some hotels were damaged.

The most recent information is that the river, Gave de Pau, is going down, access to the city is improving and clean-up is underway.

The weather has been absolutely miserable, the Garonne is out of its banks and the rain keeps coming. This is primarily an agricultural region, am very concerned for the farmers.

chapla

My first thoughts were and still are that this is way too much effort/expense to visit Lourdes for one day! Now with the uncertainty due to the weather and flooding,I would seriously consider skipping Lourdes.

kerouac

Tonight's news on TV said that at least 40 hotels in Lourdes will be closed for the summer season after the floods. The grotto is supposed to reopen tomorrow after the mud has been washed away, but downtown Lourdes is devastated. This is particularly cruel since Lourdes already had severe floods last autumn.

vjose

Dukey1, Cathinjoetown, chapla and Kerouac - Thanks for the links and info.

Will check on the links and will decide on Lourdes by end of the month( anyways only a week left).

We really wanted to do Lourdes(Original plan was for 2 days- but changed to one so that we could get easyjet from toulose to Rome)

PalenQ

and there is an overnight train leaving Paris around 10 pm and getting into Lourdes bright and early about 6 am - save on a night in a hotel makes the cost cheaper - www.voyages-sncf.com - you could book a 4-person private compartment - 3 year old I believe travels free if he/she does not occupy own sleeping berth so all five could go in one compartment.

For lots of great stuff about overnight trains and European trains in general check out these IMO fine sources - www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com. You can score some discounted tickets perhaps if you book far in advance.

Dukey1

I've been to Lourdes twice over the years. Although someone said the place is "devastated" I kinda find that difficult to <B>completely</B> believe and I'll tell you why. Most of the village sits high above the river; it is only the extensive grotto area and the lower crypt church which as pictured in the link I gave above, that have probably been the most affected. There are several of the older larger hotels which are situated near the entrance to the grotto area and would have been most subject to flooding. Also, there are many of those stores/stalls that sell the various holy water containers, religious objects, rosaries, etc., which would probably have suffered some damage.

The main thing is the grotto area itself; the town is absolutely filled with places catering to the religious tourist "trade" including restaurants of every type to include fast food places, and so forth. Some would say it is tackiness personified.

It sounds as if there are simply too many "ifs" in this whole situation right now for you and I can fully understand the disappointment. BUT you might be even MORE disappointed if you spent the time and considerable money to get there to find it isn't nearly as spiritually uplifting as you had hoped.

And one more thing, the place is NOT going anywhere anytime soon...they've been there "doing business" for decades and will be for decades more to come.

vjose

Thanks PalenQ.

I am already booked on the overnight Train as well as Hotel and onward train connection to Toulouse.

From Toulouse we will take easyJet to Rome.


However worried about the flood situation at Lourdes.

chapla

Wow! I just googled Lourdes floods-what a mess!

Dukey1

You booked a hotel? Is it one that has been flooded and closed?

vjose

Thanks Dukey1.

Yes I have a confirmation from www.grandhotelmoderne.com, not ot sure if this one is closed.

I was checking on this link http://www.lourdes-france.com/index.php/en/ which Cathinjoetown provided. It seems the Grotto is reopened and the river is receded.

kerouac

Yes, they are raking out the mud from the lower parts of town.

The hotel location appears to be above the flood level.

Cathinjoetown

Agree with K, hotel location looks fine but just fire off an email to them to confirm. I do know the rail station is above the main part of the town so no problems there.

Pardon the expression, but they will move heaven and earth to get things up and running.