Good Evening,

Although we have travelled throughout Europe, mostly driving or using guides, I always get a bit anxious when coordinating train travel. We will be landing at CDG from Bucharest on October 31 at approximately 9:00, with Bayeux as our destination to tour D-Day sites. We plan to take a cab to St. Lazare to avoid all the transfers. So, I have a few questions:

1. Should we buy our tickets in advance? We have 4 adults in our group.

2. Would the 12:10 train give us enough time to get from CDG to St. Lazare? Oddly, at least to me, Captain Train website offers a 1:45 train, but /en.voyages-sncf.com/en does not - only a 3:00 train. Any thoughts on why that is?

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

You always get cheaper prices on Intercités and TGV train tickets when buying up to at least 3 months in advance. However, even last minute tickets between Paris and Bayeux aren't more than 40.30€. But they can be as low as 15€ when purchased in advance. I use the French version of SNCF (voyages-sncf.com) and I see trains leaving Gare Saint-Lazare at 12h10, 13h45, 15h05, 17h45 etc. If arriving at CDG from another European destination then 3 hours should be enough time to get from CDG to Gare Saint-Lazare but who knows? There are only a few of the cheap tickets left right now anyway so you wouldn't save more than 5 or 10 euros buying in advance but it would guarantee you a seat.

I would buy tickets for the 12:10. Arriving at CDG, save your boarding passes and luggage receipts which will be needed to get to the baggage area.

>>> Oddly, at least to me, Captain Train website offers a 1:45 train, but /en.voyages-sncf.com/en does not - only a 3:00 train. Any thoughts on why that is?

You have left "Direct journey only" box checked at /en.voyages-sncf.com/en.
If you uncheck that box, you see 13:45 train leaving Saint-Lazare requiring a change at Caen.

The 12:10 is direct:

http://en.voyages-sncf.com/en/

Four people with luggage may not fit in a regular taxi. That could increase your time waiting in the queue for a larger vehicle, or require two taxis. You might consider reserving in advance. The large G7 company is often mentioned on this website; their link shows a range of services or you could e-mail for further details. And yes there are lots of other competitors you can find.

Thanks everyone for your help. We will not be checking luggage so I think we should be able to get our of the airport somewhat quickly. I think I'll get the advanced tickets for the 12:10.

discounted tickets are I believe train specific and can't be changed. And as Mystique says full-fare is not that much - can buy full fare tickets in advance and make an optional seat reservation if you wish but you can always get tickets at Saint-Lazare too.

I'd buy a full-fare ticket either online or at S-L so you can leisurely transfer from CDG toS-L without angst and board the next train- unlike TGVs seat reservations are not mandatory - at least last I knew.

For lots on French trains check www.seat61.com - great info on discounted tickets; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Changing in Caen for Bayeux is no big deal- a small enough station so a direct train would be sweet but not a big problem to have to change in Caen.

As said above, I would go for advance discounted tickets if your plans are fixed. (sounds like they are.) It can just be so so much cheaper.

btw... i was taken by surprise at how completely moving i found the bayeux 'tapestry' to be. wow! enjoy!

And if you can get a 15 euro ticket and do miss the train you are out only 15 euros vs buying full fare.

You can't get a 15 euro ticket for those trains so that is irrelevant. Those fares are only earlier in the morning. I'm not sure you can ever get a 15 euro ticket for that route in mid-day, but you definitely can't for end of October.

Even if you buy a full fare ticket, if you opt for an e-ticket, you cannot get a refund, as far as I know. If you opt for a paper ticket, you have to pick it up at the station, anyway. Now if you have a credit card that will work in the SNCF machines, that would be fairly convenient, otherwise you'll have to wait at a window, anyway.

Those trains have seat reservations, also. There are some slightly reduced tickets at 12:10 but you won't get a refund if you miss the train, they are about 31 euro. You only get a partial refund if you try to change it in advance of the departure.

Those trains have seat reservations, also>

Yes not mandatory like TGVs but optional - reserve when you get your tickets - I've ridden those trains several times and have never seen a full train and you can always board in any case, unlike TGVs where you must have a seat reservation to board.