Avoid OUIGO Train in France? 🇫🇷
 

Hi all,

Our trip is in 2 1/2 weeks, landing at CDG on Monday, September 6 at 8:50. We had planned to take a TGV to Marne La Vallée then have a 40 minute connection to catch a nonstop OUIGO train to Aix-en-Provence.

A few on another Board seem very anti OUIGO trains: mostly due to being crowded I think.

This seems to be the easiest and most cost efficient way to get to Aix by train since we don’t want to fly.

Am I overthinking this or should OUIGO trains be avoided?

I guess we could taxi into Paris and catch a regular TGV but it sounds a bit unnecessary to me. That said, we also could taxi to Marne La Valle if I need more time for the connection.

Thanks all!

Ouigo trains can be considered a bit more cramped than Inoui trains. There are 1258 seats compared to 1090 in a normal TGV, but the principal reasons are the fact that there is a baggage limitation and no 1st class (which on a normal TGV has a 2+1 configuration compared to 2+2 in 2nd class). And there is no bar car. So they are not really squeezing you -- they are just making it possible to put more people on a train and lower the prices.

I have taken Ouigo trains, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with them unless you are feeling aristocratic.

Thank you kerouac ! Not feeling aristocratic at all! Just want to get to Aix after a very long journey from Los Angeles. 😊

Can’t you take the TGV directly from CDG? That’s what we did in 2018, going to Avignon, I believe the same train continues to Aix and then the Côte. I have no idea about present schedules though, but think this could be an easier option.

What baggage limitations are there in these trains?

We don't mind taking the OUIGO. I just want to be sure we can make our connection at MARNE LA VALLEE CHESSY. There is not a timely TGV train from CDG. We land at 8:50 a.m. and the first TGV that we could possibly make is at 3:00 p.m.

A couple of other options:

1. We could MAYBE make an 11:03 TGV to MARNE LA VALLEE CHESSY. That would put us there 1 1/2 hours in advance of the OUIGO train (which departs for Aix at 12:46 p.m.) I guess we could buy two tickets on the 11:03 TGV and go for it. I would probably buy the 11:57 TGV tickets as well in case we miss the 11:03 a.m.
33 euro each (+ 19 euro for the extra TGV ticket if I buy both.)

2. Wait for the 3:00 p.m. TGV if the consensus here is that the OUIGO 40-minute connection is too risky.
116 euro each.

Any other guidance?

All over France, the SNCF often sets up lots of connections to be about 8 minutes particularly in stations where there are only 2 or 3 platforms. 40 minutes is an extremely long connection.

Hi Kerouac,

The connection is to a OUIGO train and we have to stand on the platform 30 minutes prior to.