tangwah

Flying into CDG at 6.40am on Wednesday 4/23, need to catch a train to Dijon. Can't decide if I can make it for the 10.28am train or whether I should book the later 1.32pm train instead. It seems taking the Roissy bus to Gare de Lyon is the quickest (affordable) way to go. Please help me if I am wrong. Thanks. Also wondering if it would cost much more if I simply bought the train tickets when I get to France. Thanks again.

StCirq

The Roissy Bus is your best bet. It takes about an hour to get to the Gare de Lyon, and it leaves every 20 minutes or so from CDG. You should easily make the 10:28 train (I have often flown into CDG and taken the Roissy Bus there to catch a 10:10 train). You can check www.sncf.fr to see if there are discount fares on that line, but at this point it's probably the same price as picking them up when you get to the station.

StCirq

Forgot: Have you looked into taking the TGV to Lyon directly from CDG, with a connection to Dijon?

tangwah

I didn't, will check it out, thanks so much for your advice.

Robespierre

The Roissybus doesn't go to Gare de Lyon. Its only terminus within Paris is at Opéra.

The Air France Bus (Ligne 4) does go from CDG to GdL. 16,50€

The least expensive way to accomplish that trip is via the suburban train. Take RER B to Gare du Nord, then RER D to Gare de Lyon. 8,40€

bocacpa

I'm a little confused. will be doing the same itinery in June and thought I had to take the Air France bus. What I read said the Roissy bus went only to the Opera. What did I miss?

Robespierre

You're not confused. StCirq is.

Roissybus => Opéra
Air France Bus => Gare de Lyon

StCirq

You're right. Thanks for the correction. It's the Air France Shuttle that goes to Gare de Lyon. Sorry. The rest of the innfo - every 20-30 minutes, takes an hour - is correct.

Robespierre

It might be added that if one wishes to make the entire trip at ground level (no lugging luggage up and down), then the Roissybus to Opéra, and Bus N°20 to Gare de Lyon is a less expensive alternative to the Air France Bus.

http://www.ratp.info/orienter/f_plan...mpdf=352&lang=

tangwah

Thanks everyone. I did get my buses confused. I will probably go with the Air France Shuttle from CDG to Gare de Lyon.

kerouac

If you take the RER B to Gare du Nord, you just cross the very same platform and the RER D will take you directly to Gare de Lyon, where a full battery of escalators and elevators awaits you. There is absolutely nothing easier than that.

I certainly cannot imagine how people can recommend taking two different buses (Roissybus etc.) to get there.

If you want a direct route, the Air France bus to Gare de Lyon is fine, but it leaves you at the bottom of the hill on which Gare de Lyon is located and you have to lug everything up to the station level.

Robespierre

<i>I certainly cannot imagine how people can recommend taking two different buses (Roissybus etc.) to get there.</i>

I didn't recommend it. I said it was an alternative that didn't entail any vertical distance. In addition, some people might not be comfortable traveling on the train (for whatever reason), but have no problem with buses. Besides, the bus route is more scenic.

So I guess you lack imagination.

kerouac

I know a lot about traffic, however.

tangwah

the RER trains seems convenient will it take longer or a similar time as the AF shuttle? Does anyone know how much a taxi would cost? I am tempted, if it costs less than 40 euros. we will only have carryon bags with us. Thanks again, I really appreciate the replies.

Robespierre

The RER trains run more frequently than the AF, so your odds of getting a sooner departure are better.
The enroute times are about the same, once you've factored in the train's longer route and stops, plus the transfer time at GdN. The bus might win by 5-10 minutes.
Taxi will be about 50&euro;

Robespierre

Oh - and this could be significant or trivial depending on the time of day: the RER ticket lines can be long, but you pay the AF driver at the door. (If you have enough &euro; coins or a Chip'n'PIN credit/debit card, you can get your RER ticket from a machine somewhat faster than at the window.)

marielouisebond

Thanks to Kerouac whose advice to take RER B to Gare du Nord then RER D to Gare de Lyon was spot on. We'd had a terrible time leaving CDG but made our TGV connection to Geneva in about 50 minutes. Surely the SNCF should give this as the easiest option!

kerouac

I'm glad that things worked out for you.

cageym

On the day we tried to catch the Air France shuttle we learned, after waiting about 40 minutes) that that line was "on strike" for the day. So we diverted to the RER which was overcrowded, hot and a fairly unpleasant experience. But it did get us to Gare de Lyon, as intended. Unfortunately we missed our train by 2 minutes thanks to the combination of a flight delay, the futile way for the shuttle, long lines to buy RER tickets, long waits for RER trains, etc. These things happen.... I regretted later that we didn't just pop for a cab upon learning that the shuttle was "on strike."

Robespierre

<I>marielouisebond on Jul 1, 09 at 09:13 AM

Thanks to Kerouac whose advice to take RER B to Gare du Nord then RER D to Gare de Lyon was spot on.</i>

You're welcome. Robespierre on Apr 8, 09 at 11:32 AM