We will be staying in Bayeux and then heading to Nice. Is there a better alternative than going to Paris and flying from CDG or Orly?

I'm trying to figure out the same thing. I posted on the 22nd and received no replies.

So far, the only airport I can find in the region that has flights to Nice is Rennes. If you find out anything else can you post the info. Thanks.

Suziem,
Not on Fodor's but another contact told me that there are flights from Caen to Nice through Lyon. Around 3 1/2 hours $187 Euros. Let me know if you find a better way.

THanks

I'll keep checking and if I find any good option I'll post them. We are a group of 9 (4 adults & 5 teenagers) and our trip is in mid-June. We may end up taking the night train from Paris to Nice. I realize a sleeper is not so cheap but we'd save on hotel rooms for one night anyway.

suziem,
If you are going back to Paris anyway, check Easyjet's flight schedule. We flew them from Paris to Nice and they were fine.

Thanks Laidback. I think a flight is what we'll end up doing. The cost of a sleeper on the night train is real expensive when you add it all up for 9 people. In the end a flight and hotel rooms will be cheaper.

Our challenge will be coordinating train schedules from Bayeux or Caen to Paris, then connections to the RER to either CDG or Orly for the available flights. Most flights depart from Orly.

This however seems easier than staying our last night near Rennes in order to have time to return a rental car and catch the only flight to Nice from there @ 9:50 am.

Thanks everyone for the helpful suggestions.

Oh by the way, Chaz, I looked up flights from Caen to Nice. The flights I found were more like $500 per person. One-way or rndtrip. Did you ever find this flight for $187? I still think that's too much for our group, just to save 3 hrs or so of train travel to Paris.

Absolutely not worth flying that route, as well as not convenient. Even if the trains are not direct either, that is the way to go.

Hi C,

Try www.whichbudget.com

Suzeim,

Actually you were right that $187 was not possible. We did find, however a direct flight Caen to Nice on Air France leaves t 5:50 pm, arrives 7:30) . Looked like over $500 at first but when booked Round Trip (actually return to CDG like a week later) we were able to get it for $263. We will not be using the return portion.

For us the extra time we get in Normandy is important and not having to head back to Paris and deal with either driving to Orly or train and connecting.

Best of luck

You can take the TGV from Rennes to Marseilles and switch to a train to Nice. It's a long trip (10-11 hours), but maybe the equivalent of going back to Paris to fly or train from there.

Damned! I wanted to show my knowledge of French regional transport by suggesting you the seemingly quirky but cheap connection: Deauville- London Stansted by Ryanair + Stansted-Nice by easyJet. This would have been only 80 euros. But the connections don't fit, since the Deauville flight lands at STD at 17h40 where the last Nice flight departs at 18h15. Anyway, it's good to know that Ryanair will be operating this thrice weekly flight (Tu, Th & Sat) between Deauville and STD at 32 euros all taxes included, from March 1st, 2007.

Chaz-Where did you find the $263 rntrp fare Caen-Nice? We may be willing to pay that. I've checked Air France, orbitz, sidestep. There are NO non-stop flights. They all stop in Lyon (making flight time about 3.5 hrs) and are more like $600. Maybe it's our date of travel, June 18th.

suziem:
1) airfrance.fr gives a single Caen-Nice on June 18 for $ 306 ; with a return on the 25th, that's $ 373.
2) Bayeux-Nice by road is a 1,200 km / 11 hour ride that, between gas and toll, will set you back $ 242 (viamichelin.fr). So the 3h15/$306 by plane are neither horribly long nor over expensive.
3) Alternatively, you can drive to Orly (280 km, 2h45, all autoroute), drop your car there and take an easyJet flight to Nice ($49 all included).

Thanks for the research Art.

There are 9 (4 adults & 5 teenagers) of us in our travel group. I think the train to Orly option seems best for us. We will be in Bayeux for only 2 nights. We are hoping to rent just one vehicle (van that seats 9). When we have the luggage with us, we'll be too cramped to drive far. We will be taking the train from Paris to Caen, picking up the van at the rail station then driving directly to the hotel to dump the luggage.

OK, suziem, I wasn't aware of the car/luggage situation. When you get to gare Saint-Lazare in Paris, the most cost-effective way for you lot to get to Orly is to take 3 cabs (you can wait for the van-like ones to appear in the line to accommodate all your bags): at the end of the day, it'll be cheaper than taking métro + AF bus at Invalides x 9, and of course much more comfortable and quick. My advice for easyJet: book ASAP, since prices really go up as you get close to the date. You can always change your flight for a €25 fee or something if need be.

Art- Can you estimate what a taxi would cost from St Lazare to Orly and travel time?

We can either arrive at St Lazare at 2:01 and take the 5:05pm EasyJet flight or arrive SL at 4:32 and take the 7:00pm EJ flight.

The Aeroports de Paris Web site estimates that a taxi from central Paris to Orly will cost around 35 EUR. There is a small surcharge for departing from a train station. There is an extra charge (2.60 EUR) for each passenger beyond three and a 0.90 EUR charge for each piece of luggage weighing over 5 kilos.

Thanks Tim. Just the info I need.

Now how about timing? We've never flown in/out of Orly before. How far is it from Central Paris? Guesstimate....weekday drive time from St. Lazare to Orly, leaving at 2pm or 4:30pm??

"weekday drive time from St. Lazare to Orly, leaving at 2pm or 4:30pm": about 30-40 mn for 2pm (safer bet if you ask me), throw in another 10-15 mn if you arrive at 16h30.