Connecting to Train from Paris CDG to Avignon
 

I've read lots of posts about booking the lowest-price tickets for high-speed rail from Paris to Avignon, but do you have tips on timing? My sister is flying into Paris on Air France and wants to immediately take the train from CDG to Avignon. How much time should she allow from the time she lands to the time her train departs? And if for some reason her flight is delayed, does she have any recourse if she misses the train? Thanks for any advice!!

AT least 3 hours.

She needs to go through passport control, collect her bags, and then walk to the train station at CDG. I would allow at least 2 1/2 hours for this. If she purchases PREM super-discount tickets and misses the train - she's out of luck and must then purchase regular tickets - if there are seats left on the plane. We once purchased changeable tickets and missed the flight by 1 day because of problems in Dallas where we connected through. We had to purchase new tickets at a cost of the difference between the prevailing fare and the fare we had already paid. In this case, it cost is something - but not the full fare.

Stu Dudley

3 hours.

3 hours if she departs from CDG, 4 hours if she goes into Paris to depart from Gare de Lyon.

The principal reason for the amount of time between flight and train is that no one can accurately know if his flight will or will not arrive on time. Missing the train because of a late flight can be very costly.

Tickets changes or refundability are a function of what type of rail ticket you buy, it's just like airfare. You buy the cheapest discounted ticket (called PREMs) and no, it isn't refundable, that's part of the deal. You miss the train, that's that, you have to buy another ticket. This is told you when you buy the ticket. But if you buy a regular price ticket, you do have some options.

To sort out CdG, see www.aeroportsdeparis.fr