I agree with Stu and others re taking the train direct from CDG to Avignon - very relaxing train ride after a long flight. Car rental is very easy at the TGV station in Avignon, and there are great PREM fares to Avignon. Also, there is a nice shuttle bus from the TGV station to downtown Avignon (in case you want to stay in Avignon the first night or so without a car, which I did). It was easy to take shuttle bus back to TGV station to pick up car and drive on from there after seeing Avignon.

I stayed in several different locations (St. Remy, Vaison les Romaine, and Lourmarin, as I had 2 weeks in Provence. I loved everything!

Thank you all for your help. One last question (actually two!) How long is the train ride from Paris to Avignon? Where to I get our train tickets?

I think there used to be some nonstop flights to MRS from the US, but I don't know if they still exist. I think there was one from JFK or somewhere around there.

The train to Avignon is about 3.5 hours. There are lots of plces to get tickets, including the France railway's website (www.sncf.fr). Best if you can read French, of course, as it isn't translated into English, but it's the best source. Also, you have to follow directions and fill out information correctly, a lot of people can't do that (ie, some people think where you want to pick up a ticket is the same thing as asking where you live, which it isn't).

>>How long is the train ride from Paris to Avignon? <<

Let's make sure you know where you are catching the train from. If you fly into CDG, you will catch the TGV train to the Avignon TGV station from the train terminal at the CDG airport. You should not go into Paris and take the train from there.

Stu Dudley

Taking the TGV from CDG TGV to Avignon TGV is very easy. We did it with a 6 and 2 yr-old three or four years ago without any problems. Our train left CDG about 1.5 hours after we arrived at CDG. We cleared customs, grabbed a bite to eat, and walked right on the train. Most of us slept at least a little. After arriving in Avignon, I walked about 100 feet from the station, picked up the car, and we were at our B&B near St. Remy about an hour after walking off of the train and about six hours after arriving in Paris.

We just returned from Provence last week. We flew to CDG, took the TGV from the airport to the TGV station OUTSIDE Avignon, picked up a rental car and drove to St. Remy. It was VERY easy and I definitely recommend it if you are not staying in the city of Avignon. We had a two hour window between our flight arriving and the train departure and we had time to spare. Of course, our flight was right on time (miracle), and we got to CDG at 6 a.m. so the airport was not busy.

You can buy the PREMS TGV tickets online and print them from your computer at home. You have to use the French website but if you have a little time, the tickets are considerably cheaper. I also suggest buying the ticket insurance (only 6 Euro) so if you miss your connection you can get a refund.

Have a great time, and Stu's advice is invaluable!

Hi, ssdssi: Are you planning to do a trip report? I would love to hear about your experience.

From the US you can get nonstop flights only to Paris or Nice - so I would do the latter. (To me the need to change planes on the way TO a vacation is just too much trouble - and increases the chance of missing luggage.)

I hope you do not mind a minor hijack of this thread.
We are considering Provence next week. Volcano and BA strike causing me to consider changing our existing plans. Flying SFO/LHR later this week. Considering Eurostar to Avignon or flying to Marseille if flying is possible. Can rent an apartment in Avignon for a week for about $3500 and use it as a base to explore Provence. Best way of getting from Marseille airport to Avignon if you do not rent a car? Understand parking in Avignon is difficult and we would have to rent a station wagon or minivan for the 4 of us and we would rather just rent a small car in Avignon which would not have to carry all of our luggage.

Stu: I'm flying on the 18th from sfo to france too, what flight are you taking...moi, delta, sfo to nyc to nice.

We're actually flying on the 17th & arriving on the 18th. American Airlines FF.

>>From the US you can get nonstop flights only to Paris or Nice - so I would do the latter.<<

As far as I know, the only flight to Nice is AF/Delta from JFK. So if you are not originating your trip from NYC, you will fly miltiple flights to Nice, and then about a 2 - 2 1/2 hr drive to Avignon.

There are also non-stop flights to Geneva from JK, and some to Brussels where you can catch a TGV directly to Provence.

Stu Dudley

Scheduled flights into Marseille -

FRANCE
Ajaccio
Bastia
Biarritz
Bordeaux
Brest
Calvi
Clermont-Ferrand
Figari Sud Corse
Lille
Lyon
Metz-Nancy
Mulhouse
Nantes
Paris Beauvais
Paris Orly Ouest
Paris Roissy CDG
Rennes
Strasbourg
Toulouse
Tours

DEPARTEMENTS D'OUTRE MER
Saint-Denis la Réunion

EUROPE
Amsterdam
Basel-Mulhouse
Barcelona
Bristol
Brussels
Brussels Charleroi
Cagliari
Catane
Cologne
Dublin
Edinburgh
Eindhoven
Frankfurt
Geneva
Glasgow - Prestwick
Gothenburg
Ibiza
Istanbul
Lisbon
London Gatwick
London Stansted
Madrid
Malaga
Malta
Milan (Malpensa)
Munich
Oslo Torp*
Porto
Prague
Rome Fiumicino
Stockholm - Skavsta*

NORTH AFRICA
ALGERIA
Algiers
Annaba
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Bejaia
Chlef
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Oran
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Tlemcen
MOROCCO
Agadir
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Marrakech
Nador
Oujda
Tangier
TUNISIA
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Tunis

AFRICA
BURKINA FASO
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GABON
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SENEGAL
Dakar

INDIAN OCEAN
Antananarivo
Saint-Denis de la Réunion see DOM

CAUCASIA
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MIDDLE EAST
SYRIA
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ISRAËL
Tel Aviv

NORTH AMERICA
CANADA
Montreal

CARIBBEAN
Dominican Republic
Punta Cana


Peter