Why does everyone say to take the bus to Senlis from the Chantilly train station? There seems to be a train station in Senlis about 500 meters walk from the Cathedral de Notre Dame (old center). www.transilien.fr indicates a 25-minute ride (from Chantilly). What is the benefit to getting off the train at Chantilly for a bus rather than changing trains for Senlis? I don't know the bus schedule so can't compare to the train times...

Probably because people combine visits to the Chateau and to Senlis, and the bus connects the two. But for Senlis alone, the train is better.

Check out this very handy URL for trains in the Paris region

http://idf.sncf.fr/GB/default.htm

I do want to combine a trip, but I couldn't quite follow the instruction of taking the bus to the Chateau de Chantilly:
&quot;- Cariane coach for Senlis (free in Chantilly); <u>from the terminal</u> (at the head of the SNCF lines), get off at the &quot;Chantilly, Eglise Notre Dame&quot; stop and walk to the Ch&acirc;teau <u>from the terminal</u>(??), around 35 minutes.&quot;

Is this saying it is a 35 min walk even <i>after</i> taking the bus?

Actually, though, I want to go to Senlis first, then the Chateau. So we'd take the train to Senlis - then which is better for travel to Chateau de Chantilly? Train back and grab a cab to chateau? or take the bus back -and does it have a stop <b>close</b> to the Chateau?

There seems to be lot of interesting things to see and this will be a full day, so I don't want to waste time with logistics... Thanks for any clarification.

I don't think there is a train to/from Chantilly and Senlis, so if you want to combine the two, you must use the bus. I think there is a small surburban rail line that stops in Senlis that is part of the RER system, but it does not go to/from Senlis, only Orry-la-Ville. I think that web site you are using may be referring to the bus between Chantilly and Senlis, as that bus is operated by SNCF. Sometimes bus lines operated by railways look like trains when you look at schedules. Perhaps they have added a rail line between those two, but that used to be the way it worked. If you search a train on SNCF between Chantilly and Senlis, you will get times but they are marked &quot;autocar&quot; which is a bus. I notice they do refer to that as a train on www.transilien.fr, but the number is the same as what SNCF is calling an &quot;autocar&quot;.

For the RER train, you can take line D1 north from Gare du Nord to Orry-la-Ville at the end, I think that's the closest point by train from Paris or you can take the train from Chantilly to Orry-la-Ville. Might as well take the bus, though.

Maybe Dave will see this and clear this up, because it is confusing as I do see the Senlis map with what appears to be a rail line on it, Maybe it has trains to some other places, but not Chantilly or Paris, I don't know (if you ask for a route from Paris to Senlis, you will get routings through Chantilly and then a bus, you don't seem to get anything else).

I am afraid I don't know anything more than that. As for Chantilly, the bus station (where you'd get a bus to Senlis) is right next to the train station. I don't know about those instructions, but they could be right as the church is in the center of town so it sounds like that bus doesn't get you much closer than the train station does. That wouldn't surprise me. I just walked from the train station and it probably took about that amount of time. I think it's about a mile to 1.5 miles. There may be a local bus, I didn't see one, but I like to walk. I think a taxi would obviously be easier, it should only cost around 5 euro.

You may have seen it, but Senlis has a decent web site www.ville-senlis.fr with tranport information and no mention at all of train possibilities from Chantilly, so I rather doubt it.

Christina, I've been looking thru some books I have at home, and I believe your explanation is correct. The book by Annabel Simms &quot;An Hour from Paris&quot; details the transportation exactly as you've described. She says the track between Chantilly/Senlis is closed down and the bus is the only link.

So, to make a bad pun, I am &quot;back on track&quot; now.. thanks!

The train used to run to Senlis. The station is indeed still there, and that's the terminus of the Chantilly to Senlis bus, but no trains go there. (I believe the Chantilly-to- Senlis bus may be operated by, or linked to the SNCF railroad company, and that may be contributing to the confusion.) At one point, the Paris region (RER) train authorities asked the folks in Senlis if they'd like the line to be extended to their town. They said no thanks!

well, that explains the rail line running through Senlis.

I know that bus is operated by SNCF, which is probably why it may appear as looking like a train on a schedule (although is notated correctly on SNCF as an autocar). Amtrak does the same thing in the US -- they run busses on some routes that are in the Amtrak schedule and look like trains if you don't know any better, like between Vancouver and Seattle.

Sorry, Travelnut, I read over your post. The 35 minutes must be referring to the walking time from the train station to the Chantilly chateau. (I'm old and creaky but still confident that the walk is 25 minutes at the outside -- especially if you cut through the woods -- a path leading off to the right on the street from the train station that leads into downtown Chantilly). The train station to Senlis bus (and vice versa) has a stop on the main drag of Chantilly, by the church, that isn't far from the chateau, so if you're going to the chateau after Senlis, tell the driver that, and ask him to let you off there.

thanks, RonZ, Dave and Christina... I'm following the details much better now. Not going until September, so plenty of time to absorb!