ozgirl

Hi all, planning a trip to France next year (July) - last week will be in the Pyrenees. Will be checking out of rental on Saturday am and heading back to Oz from CDG at 1550 next day (Sunday.)
We will have a lease car that can be dropped off at Pau or Toulouse airports.

I would love some comments on train versus plane back to Paris and if plane, to which airport - I have flown into and out of CDG before but have no experience of Orly.
AirFrance have some good fares available from Toulouse to either Orly or CDG for $AUD82 which seems great? Not sure how long that will last either.
We love train travel and know that it is much more relaxing but this trip would be around 6 hours, wondering if even with check in and transfers from airport to Paris would flight be better?
Given that our rental is about 2 hours drive from Toulouse, realistically we would probably be looking at a flight or train around 11 - 12 ish.

We are committed to being in Paris for that night as daughter/son and respective partners will have spent their last few days there and we want to catch up and have the "last supper" in Paris before all flying out the next afternoon.
We have been to Paris before so not concerned necessarily about time to sight see but just having the family connection somewhere nice.

Doubtless will have more specific questions later, but stuck on making this decision at present?

Michael

I would try for train PREM tickets from Toulouse or Pau to Paris. You probably can drop the car off at the train station or a near-by rental office.

Cathinjoetown

I would be tempted as well to go for PREM train tickets from Pau as you're planning to meet family in Paris that evening.

Unfortunately, there's no firm date on when the TGV will be finished between Paris and Toulouse, although I have heard "2010." So, you will be looking at a six-hour journey.

On the other hand, if your rental is close to Pau or Tarbes and you can get a cheap flight from either place to Orly, your travel time would be cut in half. Connections from Orly into Paris are easy and shorter than from CDG, particularly if you are meeting up with people and staying on the Left Bank.

sheila

Flights from Toulouse to Paris take about 1/34 hours. CDG is more convenient mainly because of the links. Orly flights can be a LOT cheaper.

You can get a TGV from Tarbes, but the route is hardly direct. Do you know where your accommodation is? It's about 2 hours' drive from Tarbes to Toulouse and slightly further- maybe 2 1/2 from Pau- so if you're staying somewhere near there and you decide to fly, you'de be better flying from there. Tarbes-Lourdes only goes to Orly. I've never checked Pau

tedgale

I have not taken the train but have taken the plane from Toulouse to Paris CDG. Getting downtown from CDG is a bore, obviously. Most Air France flights seem to go to Orly, however.
FWIW, Toulouse is a great and accessible small airport. It is also on the SW side of the city, so comparatively accessible from the Pau direction.
Six hours (by train) from Pau to central Paris is probably the time you would spend driving + flying + commuting from the Paris airport.
The main advantage to flying is that you can buy the tkts now -- and cheaply.

ozgirl

Thanks guys. Our accommodation is in Gripp (Pyrenees, near La Mongie) and Google maps say about 1 hour 45 mins to Toulouse driving. Pau is a bit closer but has less (and more expensive) flight options. Air France from Toulouse is same price (with plenty of choice) for either Orly or CDG.
Sheila, we would be under an hour from Tarbes according to Google. I will look at flight options from there but guessing they may be less and more expensive?

Michael

Tarbes is closer than either. You could take the train from there or even Lourdes.

sheila

Viamichelin has you at just over 2 hours to Toulouse (and I think that's nearer the mark) and at 50 minutes to Tarbes airport, and an hour and 20 minutes to Pau. There are maybe 3 flights a day and it's about £70 one way. Flight time an hour and a half.

So £70, 3 1/2 hours; as against 7 1/2 hours (and that's the shortest) at about the same price (€79, next month. They're not doing next summer yet)

Christina

I just took the train from Toulouse to Paris last month, but I was staying in Toulouse. I always take the train if it is a reasonable stay because I hate flying and dealing with airports and getting from them into the city -- at least big cities. If you have to drive two hours to the train station, however, it loses some of the appeal. I got a real cheap idTGV ticket, though, it wasn't anywhere near 79 euro, I think it was only around 20.

ozgirl

Thanks. Pau looking like a likely option I think as we are restricted to either Pau or Toulouse to drop car off (and the airport in both those places, not train station.) They have flights from Pau at $AUD112 at the moment so not too bad.
So, if I go with that option - Orly or CDG?

sheila

CDG. Transport links are better