TGV - Paris CDG to Bordeaux
 

I've been trying to figure out the Rail Europe schedule for TGV from CDG airport to Bordeaux. Arriving early morning from the states in Terminal 1. I know TGV leaves from Terminal 2 and it will take some time to get to Term 2.
It looks like there are very few TGV trains that run that route. Can someone help me with understand whether there really are just the few trains so we don't sit in CDG for 5 hours waiting to board the afternoon train - or is there another option?
Would need train to Bordeaux on a Monday.
Thanks.

ah.. forgot to ask if anyone can help me decipher this:
PARIS MONTPARNASSE 1 ET 2
Where is this located in Paris?
Thanks.
Been looking at the www.scnf.com site as well for train options, but would appreciate ANY and all help.

France rail map, schedules, tickets:

http://downloads.raileurope.com/map_...pe/france.html

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

http://www.voyages-sncf.com/dynamic/...geUK&WB=HP

Montparnasse 1 et 2 is the Gare Montparnasse located in the city of Paris itself.

I doubt you'll find any direct TGV services from CDG to Bordeaux.

I'm doing the exact same thing (arriving Term 1 and going by TGV to Bordeaux) and will make my way to Montparnasse and take the train from there using tickets I ordered through the voyages-sncf site and printed out at home.

There is no need to go through RailEurope for these.

Hi F

Trains leave CDG2 at 08:56, 13:45 and 16:38

>PARIS MONTPARNASSE 1 ET 2
Where is this located in Paris?

In the 14th.

Use www.ratp.fr to find out how to get from CDG TGV to Gare Montparnasse.

Enjoy your visit.

((I))

Sorry, I stand corrected by Ira's better research as to direct services from CDG to Bordeaux.

Ira I am glad you've stopped talking about 25 Euro PREMS fares, however.

Let me add one more comment about those direct train departure times:

You do not say what time you are arriving at terminal 1....but my suspicion is the 8:56 departure may be cutting it close although I may be worng. OTOH the 13:45 probably entails an unnecessary wait.

You'll find there are almost hourly departures for Bordeaux from Montparnasse 1 et 2 and you may be better off making your way there...just a thought.

Yes, the 8:56 would be just a bit too quick.... and waiting till 13.45 is too long. I was only finding those exact train times that ira found.
I think I will check our your suggestion Dukey and make our way into Paris earlier. Might work out better.
ira, Thanks for the website.

Hi Dukey,

>Ira I am glad you've stopped talking about 25 Euro PREMS fares, however.

You're right. It's now as low as 22.9 for Paris Montparnasse to Bordeaux St. Jean.

I think that that's close enough for government work, though. :)

((I))

It wasn't that low when I bought my PREMS a few weeks ago that's for certain.

I am flying to France on May 16th on Air France, on the new 7:45 AM flight from JFK which arrives at CDG at 9:00 PM the same day. The next day, I will take the 7:39 AM train departing CDG which arrives at Bordeaux at 12:00 PM. The only downside about leaving from the airport is that it takes about 1 hr longer to get to Bordeaux. The reason for this is that the TGV from CDG by-passes Paris via a feeder line at Massy. However, it also saves me the trouble of having to go to Gare Montparnasse, another 45 mins via the RER lines into Paris on the morning I head for Bordeaux.

I would love to have bought my PREMS for that 8:56 departure from CDG direct to Bordeaux.

The only problem is my flight arrives at 7:45 that morning and assuming an absolutely on-time arrival, an immediate exit from the plane <b>at an actual gate</b> and no problems retrieving luggage and no waits at Immigration or Customs, etc., I still did not feel &quot;comfortable&quot; buying a non-refunadable/non-exchangeable ticket for that particular train.

Call me foolish but to each their own.

Dukey, Since you booked a PREM'S ticket, I'd call you prudent and wise.

Fairway, Taking the RER and Metro to Gare Montparnasse costs 8.10 EUR. If you don't want to handle your luggage, you could take the Air France bus #4 directly to Gare Montparnasse (one stop at Gare de Lyon). The fare is in the 12-14 EUR range. (The site is acting up at the moment so I couldn't get the exact fare.)

Hi Dukey,

&gt;It wasn't that low when I bought my PREMS a few weeks ago that's for certain.

PREMS fares, like airfare, change daily, depending on demand.

TimS - thanks for the additional info.
We definately don't want to sit at CDG for 5 hours. The bus can be booked online - or can we pick it up at the airport when we need it? Have taken RER before and just purchased ticket when we needed it that day.

Another question for anyone out there. Is it recommended or even possible to purchase the TGV ticket the day we need it upon arrival at Gare Montparnasse to Bordeaux - or is it suggested we purchase before leaving the States? Husband wants to wait until we need it like we could do in the UK. Recommended website: www.scnf.com site or Voyages... something? And just how is this different than Rail Europe? All the rail sites are getting confusing.

Thanks for the help. Haven't had to do this before in France.

ah... p.s. to previous message.

What exactly is a PREMS ticket? Sounds discounted somehow.

I take the TGV from CDG to Bordeaux all the time - there are usually trains every hour or couple of hours. I always allow a minimum of 2 hours from landing time at A&eacute;rogare 1 to the TGV station in A&eacute;rogare 2.

If you're going to go into Paris and leave from the Gare Montparnasse (which really shouldn't be necessary), allow an extra hour.

PREMs are pre-paid, non-transferable and non-refundable tickets.

I should add that it's usually easier to find a PREM from the Gare Montparnasse to Bordeaux than from CDG, but the hassle of getting into the city just to get on a train usually deters me from worrying about the extra expense.

Hi F,

If you know which train you want, you can buy your ticket in advance at www.voyages-sncf.com.

Click the British flag in the lower left corner for English.

((I))

Ira, thank you very much for reminding me about how PREMS work. My angst with you is that you have continually advised folks over the past months about these 25 Euro PREMS fares for Bordeaux from Paris. Unfortunately, as you have pointed out, those fares are variable but since so many people here obviosuly depend on your good advice i am always concerned they will feel they are doing something wrong when they don't find those fares you keep saying are out there.

St. Cirq, you may think it unnecessary to go into the city to catch a train. OTOH I think it is prudent to spend my money on a ticket I can be assured of using.

Hi, Dukey:

Well, since it's rare to find a PREM fare from CDG to Bordeaux, I'm usually holding a refundable/exchangable ticket - which means I don't have to worry about missing a train and losing money.

And I do agree that the Paris (Montparnasse) - Bordeaux route is one of the most frequent PREM offerings, so ira's advice isn't all bad. Not always at 25 euro, though.

As for buying a ticket on the day of departure, this causes you to pay double or triple or quadruple of the internet fares. You can certainly do so, if you don't mind the difference in price.

Fairway - The Air France bus #4 departs every 30 minutes. No need to pre-book your ticket.

My quick check at sncf.com showed PREM'S for Montparnasse-Bordeaux ranging from 25 to 48 EUR. The standard 2nd class fare ranged from 65.10 to 76.70 EUR. So long as I allowed plenty of time to get from CDG to Montparnasse, factoring the possibiliy of a late arrival and a delay in getting through immigration/passport control, it would certainly be worth it to me to go from the airport to the train station.

You can book up to 90 days in advance at sncf.com. To have the best chance of getting a PREM'S, book as soon as the 90-day window opens. Leave France as teh default country and print your own ticket.

TimS - In the &quot;Leaving From&quot; portion of the scnf site, I used PARIS MONTPARNASSE 1 ET 2 (75). I have BORDEAUX ST JEAN (33) as the &quot;Going to&quot; block.

Also, I am assuming I put the word &quot;PREMS&quot; on one of the pages for special code fare. Is this correct? Or do I enter another code somewhere?

I am not getting the fare you found for 2nd class of 65-75 euro.

So allowing for arrival delays, customs, etc. what if train is missed anyway?

Will a rail pass accomplish the same task but allow for delays?

Sorry for all the questions but I really do appreciate your help.

You do not need to specify the fare you are looking for. The listing for departures times will indicate which ones are more likely to have specials. Click on a departure and it will list the various fares that are available.

Do NOT enter a code. Click on &quot;Search now&quot; and you will be given all the fare choices still available for the date and time you want. If PREM'S are still available, that will be one of your choices.

PREM'S are non-exchangeable and non-refundable. If you miss the train, you eat the cost of the ticket. If you book a PREM'S, allow lots of extra time between your arrival at CDG and your departure from Montparnasse. Or book a regular ticket on an earlier train that you think you can catch if you have no delays. Those are fully exchangeable.

That special code thing is for some other kind of discounts, not for a special fare ticket. I'm not sure as it doesn't apply to me, but I think if you have a special yearly train fare card of some kind, for seniors or students, or something like that.

In any case, it doesn't apply to you.

The results page will be very clear that some discount fares are labelled PREMs (and they are different colors).

Fairway, if you are still having difficulty I have just topped MorganB's excellent instructions for booking tickets on the SNCF website in case you need it.