The TGV from Avignon to Paris comes into Gare Lyon. How much time should we allow from Gare Lyon to De Gaulle midday/midweek in early June, and how to get there? Thanks--Mike

The TGV also goes from Avignon directly to CDG. Have you checked the schedule???

Stu Dudley

I'll second the vote to take the train directly to the airport. From Gare de Lyon you should allow 1 hour to get to your check in counter via public transportation, 30 to 40 minutes via taxi unless there is an accident.

There is also the Air France bus from Gare de Lyon to CDG.

Cash,

I did the exact same thing on my trip, except there were rumors of a strike (ok, there were rumors and REAL strikes my entire time in France, but that's a whole other story).

Being on vacation I wasn't on the net every moment, or reading newspapers. I found out about the rumor on a lucky break. Because I didn't want to miss my international flight back home, I cut short my time, went into Avignon, changed my train ticket and went into Paris a day early, just in case.

Bottom line...make sure you keep up to date on the trains when planning to connect for a flight home..you just may have to re-work it at the last moment!

Regards,

Melodie

StuDudley, I've read about the TGV direct from Avignon to CDG but it does not appear as a destination choide on the TVG reservation website. I am hoping to catch an early train on a Sunday, Jul 3 to catch a 12:00 noon flight out of CDG...is this do-able?

According to the Deutsche Bahn web site

<b>http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en
</b>

there is a 6:39 departure from Avignon TGV station that arrives CDG at 10:04.

I'm taking that route in summer, also, and have bought several tickets on SNCF for the TGV.

YOu are mistaken that Aeroport CDG is not listed as a destination from Avignon, I just saw it. You are putting in wrong information or something to the box. They have a dropdown list to just the destination (one being Aeroport CDG 2 TGV) with Avignon as departure point.

There is only one possible train that morning, though, the 6:39 one to make that flight. That is going to be a tight schedule, unless it is a local flight. There are still a few seats left on that train with PREM discount pricing, it says right now last few seats available (which I have found to be true when they say that). YOu probably can book a regular fare seat, of course, which isn't really too much more in second class (89 euro regular, 60 euro PREM).

I don't use the TGV website for French train tickets, I use www.sncf.com

Hi cash,

At www.sncf.com you want Avignon to Roissy (95).

I'm arriving at CDG on the same day you are, except I'll be on the 11:21 arrival. The afternoon before our departure, we're going from Avignon to Chamberry, and then from Chamberry to CDD on our departure date.

The earliest train from Avignon gets in 2 hrs before you departure (according to Robespierre, I didn't verify myself) which should give you plenty of time to get to your flight.

If you can't get to the Avignon TGV station that early, do what I've done several times and take the TGV to some interesting town on the way to Paris the evening before and stay there. Dijon is perfect, because you can stay at the very nice Jura hotel 50 yds from th station &amp; there's a 6:30 or so TGV that gets into CDG at 8:30am or so - no train changes.

Like others have said, you need to enter &quot;airport CDG&quot; in the destination box.

Stu Dudley

Thanks all for the help - I am trying to arrange for a later flight out of CDG (at least later than 12:00 noon) just in case...otherwise the suggestion about staying somewhere closer the night before makes sense. I'm sure my failure to see the Avignon-CDG train schedule is my brain's way of telling me we won't want to leave...

I found the Avignon-Aeroport/CDG/2 schedule on the sncf.com site, frustrating that you can't pull up the same route/schedule on raileurope or tgv.com. Thanks again!

I'm glad you found it. The TGV website just links you to the SNCF website, though, and has the same information and schedules (if you look at their section on schedules, it redirects you to www.voyages-sncf.com). I don't use it as it's just a middleman and there isn't any reason to use it. I don't know why Raileurope doesn't have it, but they aren't the French railways, just a private company and don't list every train in France.

OK, I have booked my TGV tickets for the Avignon-CDG/2 trip, arriving 2 hrs prior to my flight back to the U.S.
I realize it is a tight schedule, but it is the earliest train out of Avignon (and we want to extend our stay as long as possible!). Are they any tricks I need to know to get from the TGV platform to the terminal to check in for my flight on American Airlines? Thanks.

Have you done a risk/benefit analysis of waiting until the last <i>possible</i> minute to get to the airport?

What if the train is delayed a half-hour? Are your tickets changeable without an exorbitant penalty? What is your alternate plan if the security line is 1¾ hours long?

I like to sleep in a place where I have at least two ways of catching my flight. Three is better.

Robespierre - the risk is having to spend another day/night in Paris, and the benefit is to spend another night/day in Paris....ha-ha.

Seriously, I see your point and understand the risk. I return on a Sunday, taking the first train (hoping for no delay) and hoping 2 hrs is enough time to get through check-in and security. Am I HOPING for too much?

I don't think you're hoping for too much. I did this twice last year.

A Sunday in May I left Dijon at 7:45am. It was late and departed at 7:55am. I arrived at CDG on time at 9:35am. I walked to the 2E terminal for my Delta flight, checked-in, went through passport control and security. When I stepped away from the x-ray machine it was 10:05. It took exactly 30 minutes from train arrival to being cleared and in the concourse. More than enough time for my 11:35am flight. I would never count on things happening that smoothly!

In December I left Bordeaux on a Sunday morning at 6:45am. I arrived on time at CDG at 12:07pm. My American flight left out of 2A. Check-in, passport control and security took little time. I was on &quot;the other side&quot; and duty free browsing at 12:50. This was 40 minutes. My flight left at 2:30pm.

This is my trick if American is still flying out of 2A: From the CDG TGV station I followed the signs to 2C knowing the unmarked 2A was on the other side. All the 2A signs in the TGV station point out to the shuttle bus that circles T2.

(On my flight in I had time to kill at CDG. I rode the shuttle bus to see how long it takes. With little traffic it took 20 minutes to complete a lap of T2. I had to wait 10 or 15 minutes for the shuttle to come by. I can easily walk from one corner of CDG T2 to the opposite corner in less time than that.)

indytravel has been lucky (so far). But if there is a possibility that something can go wrong with a plan, you should have a backup. Depending on the SNCF to make sure my return airfare or rebook penalty is safe doesn't seem like a good bet to me.

Most people don't get pickpocketed. But it happens. Most people don't get bumped from flights. But it happens. And most people don't get delayed on the trains from southern France to Paris.

Robespierre I don't think I was lucky at all. One time I was at the airport 2 hours before my flight. The other time I was 2.5 hours before my flight.

I would never plan to be at the airport more than 3 hours ahead of time. At CDG the flight won't even be available for checking in until 3 hours before departure. Sometimes check in doesn't start until 2 hours before departure.

You twice got there in time to board your flight? That's the <i>definition</i> of &quot;lucky.&quot;