Overnight train schedules out of Paris
 

I just booked a flight into Paris and out of Bilbao for my Paris/ Basque Spain trip.
Before booking, I had planned to take an overnight train from Paris to Bayonne or Hendaye, but now I'm not sure that's going to work. For our ideal itinerary to work, we would need to leave Paris on a Wednesday in June.

I could have sworn there was an option for a Wednesday, but now I can only find Friday, Saturday, and Monday tickets?! June tickets aren't available to book yet, but I want to be sure before I book check-in and check out days at apartments in France and San Sebastain.
I've been looking at raileurope.com, seat61, and raildude. Am I mssing something, or will I be stuck with a day in a train?

Thanks!

I don't see any night trains on Wednesday either. The trip from Paris to Bayonne is only 5 hours with no changes so it's not a whole day. You could leave early, on the 7:28 train, and arrive at 12:30 and still have a half day in Bayonne.

Go to http://www.bahn.de/i/view/USA/en/index.shtml for a complete schedule but you will need to buy tickets from a French site - SNCF or Capitain.

Do not use Raileurope as the prices are much higher and they do not show all schedules.

If you book soon you can get a discounted rate (90 days before the travel date).

I do see overnight trains Paris to Hendaye, border station on the first three Wednesdays in June at www.bahn.de/en - train # NZ 4053, leaving Paris Austerlitz at 21:54 - perhaps schedules are not loaded yet after that - but that train has been running nightly at that time for years. But who knows after new summer schedules?

Yes, there are night trains out of Austerlitz. It's too early to see most schedules in June.

Do not use RailEurope! Use www.voyages-sncf.com and stay on the French site or use www.capitainetaine.com.

The old elipsos overnight train Paris to Madrid via Hendaye/San Sebastian, etc - a direct train has been scrubbed with the opening of the new Trans-Pyrenees TGV high-speed rail line via Perpignan and Port Bou - folks wanting to go to Madrid on night trains now have to take a French night train to Perpignan then transfer to TGVs direct to Madrid from there.

As far as I know the French domestic night trian Paris to Hendaye will continue running but check www.seat61.com for updates on that - under his 'News' option where he talks about Paris-Spain night train changes.

Thank you, all! Voyages-sncf and capitainetaine seem to have overnight trains scheduled on Wednesdays between Paris and Hendaye. As long as there aren't any major schedule changes for June, I should be okay planning to spend that night on a train.

Oops! The train schedules came out today and my overnight trip is not available. I was looking forward to the overnight train experience, so it's a bit of a disappointment.

It doesn't look like there are any corail lunea routs running on Wednesdays.

We also loose a day of touring Paris without the overnight train, but my apartment there is already booked. Fortunately, the apartment in SS isn't finalized yet, so I can add a night there.

You can do an overnight train I think, and end up in Bordeaux about 8:30 in the morning and go on from there. the night train is to some obscure place near Agen - connecting train puts you in Bordeaux about 8:30am. for lots of good info on overnight trains check www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

French domestic night trains only have couchette wagons not sleeping cars - meaning a 4- or 6-person compartment IME.

The schedules just came out and your trip is "not available." As in sold out or what? I doubt it is the former this soon.

Originally I thought they would keep the Paris to Hendaye-Irun night train because it went onto Madrid but with the opening of the new TGV route to Barcelona via the Trans-Pyrenees Tunnel, night train connections to Madrid not involve a night train from Paris to Perignan where you transfer to day TGVs to Barcelona and Madrid - so the night train route via Irun I guess has been scrapped.

Not scrapped entirely. I think they still run a few times a week (Friday, Sunday & Monday?) just not the day I need it. :(

Honestly I'd scrap the idea of an overnight train. It's not an experience I personally enjoy. I don't sleep well on the train and end up tired the entire next day. I'd much rather take a morning train and arrive mid day as another poster suggested.