Paris and Normandy Trains
 

I have a couple questions,

I land in Paris around 11 on a Saturday in early July and then will be travelling by train to Caen. Will trains be sold out? Will I be able to buy a train ticket at St. Lazare. I can buy now but with possible delays or if I want to spend an extra hour or two in Paris I was just wondering if waiting til I'm there is a better idea.

Second, on Thursday I am leaving Normandy to go back to Paris, am I better off driving back to Paris or taking a train. At this point in my trip I'll be up near Le Havre. Should I train from Le Havre or Rouen? I don't mind driving but I'm assuming there will be lots of traffic getting back into Paris.

Thanks!

If you are going to rent a car anyway, why not at CDG and drive to wherever your first stop is.
Drop the car and train back?

There are car rental locations across the street from the train station in Caen (we rented from EuropCar). Caen or nearby Bayeux is convenient to pretty much all of Normandy, without the headache of driving around Paris from CDG. Sorry that I can't speak with certainty to the availability of train tickets for walk-ups in early July, but with several trains a day to Caen, I would be surprised if any one were sold out.

Just a small correction--you are on the NW side of Paris at CDG and on the side where you drive north to Normandy. It wasn't hard for us to do.
Returning the car to CDG might be more problematic. We were coming from Chartres (after a tour of Normandy) and it is an easy return to Orly and a taxi ride into town.

Great thanks for the info!

>>Just a small correction--you are on the NW side of Paris at CDG<<

CDG is north<B>east</B> of Paris -- but same concept - no driving around Paris to get to Normandy.

The TER trains from Saint Lazare to Normandy are never "sold out" but they might not have any seats available. Since they are not TGVs, people can stand the entire trip if necessary. I have done it from Paris to Rouen before. Not fun, but it didn't kill me.