Help with train plans to/from CDG
 

I know that the answers to my questions lie somewhere on the Fodor's or SNCF site, but I would really like some help so I can speed up this frustrating process.
Here are the details: I arrive at CDG on Air France, 12/27 at 8:50am. I need a train from CDG to Rennes. I know there are direct trains from CDG and that there's one at 1:38pm. From what I can tell, there are earlier trains from Montparnasse, but I'm leery about lugging my bag around on the metro in a sleep-deprived daze and would probably rather go direct from CDG to Rennes, even if it means waiting for 4 hours. Does this make sense or is there a better way to do this?
Secondly, I need to buy 2 tickets for my daughter's and my trip back from Rennes to Paris on 12/30 and I'm not sure which station we should arrive at, given that we'll be staying in the Marais District. Thanks so much for your help.

There's a direct Air France Bus (Les Cars Air France) to Gare Montparnasse. [It stops at Gare de Lyon, but you just stay on.] No need to switch, no need to haul luggage around trains.

The TGV back will also arrive Montparnasse. Just take the metro to your hotel. Or taxi if you have lots of luggage.

That's great news. Thanks.

One more question. How much time should I allow from arrival at CDG to Gare Montparnasse? I assume that I'll have to buy a train ticket in advance, so I'll need to know the timeframe. Thanks.

If there's an earlier train than you can catch with the AF bus, you can save 25-30 minutes by taking the RER to Port-Royal and a taxi to the Gare. This method should take about 50 minutes portal to portal. The RER trains depart every 15 minutes and AF every 30.

p.s. The interchange to the Métro at Denfert Rochereau really isn't bad - you can do it with your eyes (half-)closed. Also takes 50 minutes, because the RER is a little further, but the Métro is faster.

By the time you get to the TGV station at CDG it could be 10:30. Why not just relax, have breakfast, shop a little and take the train from there. It's probably an hour trip to the Gare Montparnasse and there will be schlepping bags to get to the train.

Gretchen, that sounds appealing. The options Robespierre mentioned made my head spin. I'm sure it's easy if you've done the routine once, but I'm more inclined to choose the foolproof plan.

Hi D,

You are scheduled to arrive at CDG at 08:50.

It will be more like 10:30 - 11:00 before you have gotten your luggage and been through immigration and customs.

As Gretchen suggests, why not do a little shopping and have lunch at CDG before your train arrives?

((I))

Er, the direct TGV still has to go from CDG around the East side of Paris to get to the West. Time difference is about 40 minutes, compared to from Montparnasse.

The OP arrives at CDG 8:50. If she can take the 11:05 TGV from Montparnasse, he/she can arrive 13:23. Yes, that's kind of tight, so let's look at the next train 12:05-14:08. That's still arriving at Rennes more than two hours than direct from CDG.

Even if the OP can't even make the 12:05, there's another one at 14:05 that will arrive at Rennes 11 minutes before the direct from CDG. But he/she should be time to go to a cafe around Montparnasse to have lunch, rather than hanging out at CDG.

I'd probably just wait at CDG, also, for the likelihood that you might save 2 hours. You'll save the hassle of getting to Montparnasse and then getting from the AF bus stop to the place you need to be in the gare. Yes, none of these steps are that terrible in themself, but I'd just wait there.

I took a train from CDG last summer rather than go into the city, and I had about a two hour wait for the train, maybe a bit more. It wasn't worth the trouble for me to go into Paris for that amount of time, and I know the transportation system well -- I just wasn't interested in doing that in order to be at my destination 2 hours earlier. That isn't that important to me, I knew I wouldn't be doing a lot that day, anyway, at my final point, and by arriving later, I knew my room would be ready.

It's up to you, I can see both points. But it was really relaxing when I arrived (on time, for once) and was waiting for luggage, not to have any anxiety or worries because I knew I had plenty of time, in comparison to some others who were running around like crazy and getting upset because they might miss some connection.

The Air France Bus stops at several locations at CDG2 - check Air France's website. But chances are the walk will be shorter to the bus than to the train at CDG-TGV.

The bus stop at Montparnasse is outside Le Meridien hotel, on the side of the train station. It's just steps from the side entrance.

Really, guys, it's not that difficult. Hanging out at CDG for 4 hours isn't really that much fun.

The other factor I think you need to consider is the length of time to get through passport control and baggage reclaim at CDG.

In my experience the delay at passport control is in the length of the lines. This is true because quite a few international flights arrive in the 7:30 to 9:30 time frame. If several big jets land at virtually the same time, the surge of passengers can cause the wait can be non trivial. Also, retrieving your luggage can take more than a few minutes.

If you arrive at T1, you will then need to take a shuttle bus to the CDG train terminal area, which is located between hall T2C and T2F.

If your plane is, for example, 20 - 30 minutes late in landing, and you need 45 to 60 minutes to clear passport control and reclaim your luggage, and then another 20 - 30 minutes to get from baggage claim to the train station, it could be almost 11 am before you would be ready to board any kind of train.

So I think it likely that you are looking at a waiting time at CDG of perhaps 2 hours, 45 minutes to 3 hours.

I think I had rather wait than
struggle to Gare Montparnasse, which is a huge, confusing station in my opinion. I have been in there to buy tickets and always come out somewhat bewildered.

Also, I have never considered any of the Paris Metro or RER stations to be overly luggage friendly. In my experience, elevators and/or escalators are few and far between in those stations.

By contrast I find the main stations in both Zürich and Munich to be fairly straight forward. Perhaps it helps because I read German and the travel agents usually speak English.

I see a lot of pluses on the side of waiting, and quite a few negatives on the side of trying to get to Gare Montparnasse.

If you left CDG at 12:43 on the RER, battled your way to Montparnasse, and took the train from there at 14:05, you would arrive in Rennes 11 minutes sooner than you would if you enjoyed a pastry at CDG while waiting serenely for the TGV.

It might help to know that this is my first solo trip to France, I abhor getting lost, especially in a foreign country, and my suitcase is going to be extra heavy (within legal limits of course), since I am delivering clothes to my daughter and presents for her host family in Rennes. SO, for all those reasons, I'm leaning toward the roundabout route to Rennes. When my daughter had to go through the same drill, she was met by a Parisian and escorted directly to the train in Montparnasse. Maybe if I'm lucky, the same Parisian will take pity on The Mother and offer to do the same for me. If not, I'll be content to play it safe. Having free time to sit and read is such a luxury for me that I can entertain myself for hours doing just that.

In response to your question about the return trip. The train from Rennes to the CDG TGV station (Roissy 95) on a direct run leaves Rennes at 9:10. The next direct connection is at 14:35.

Both trips take 3 hours on the schedule.

You may have a wait at CDG if you take the direct route. Bear in mind however that ever since the shoe bomber, security takes a little while. How long is hard to say. I have landed at CDG quite a few times, but departed from there to the USA only twice.

Thanks for help with the return, Brookwood, but I'm not going back to the airport from Rennes. We're going to our hotel in the Marais district. rkkwan said I should take the train to Montparnasse on the return.

I agree. You have essentially no choice but to go to Montparnasse if your destination is central Paris. The Marais is to the north and east of Gare Montparnasse on the other side of the Seine.

You don't just pick a Paris station and decide you want to take a train to it because specific regions of France are served from a given station.

Gare de Lyon for example is mostly for destinations to the east and south of Paris. Gare St. Lazare serves the Normandy area.

The Marais is a fairly large area, sprawling from the 4th over into the 3rd Arr.

Depending on where you are going, I doubt if there is a direct Metro line from the Montparnasse-Bienvenue Metro station to that area.

With luggage, I suggest a taxi, unless of course carrying a heavy suitcase up 25 steps or so is easy. My triathlon friend would think nothing of it!! Really!

I love the Air France Bus, and find it pretty hassle-free. In May I arrived on a 9:20 flight at CDG (I think we arrived a little early), got through customs very quickly, took the Air France Bus to Montparnasse and made a 12:15 train to Angouleme. It was a little tight, but I made it! Anyway, there are frequent trains to Angouleme, so I wasn't too worried, but had a PREM ticket, so it would have cost me money to miss that train.

On another trip the year before (to Burgundy), I did the same thing to Gare de Lyon, making a noon train, with plenty of time to spare. I have been to CDG 7 times in the past 4 years, and have never had a wait at customs.

However, since you are not familiar with where to get the Air France Bus (but it's really easy!) or with Gare Montparnasse, you might be more comfortable waiting at the airport. If it were me, I know I would go for the earlier train, and get to Rennes earlier.

Next time I'll be more adventurous. Brookwood, my hotel is near the RER station-Chatelet Les Halles-Gare de Lyon and the Metro stop Hotel de Ville, if that helps.

Metro line #4 runs from Montparnasse-Bienvenue to Chatalet and Les Halles. No change required. The only problem is that the actual platform at Montparnasse-Bienvenue is quite far from the TGV train station. [It's at opposite side of the plaza.]

There's an underground walkway that links the two.

If you don't want to walk, then taxi.

Or Bus 96, straight from Montparnasse to Hôtel de Ville-Marais. I know some people get put off by buses, but this one is really straightforward, it starts at the small bus terminal on the left hand side of the station, is quite frequent, and will deliver you straight to your destination with no connections, stairs, etc.