Transporting bikes on trains
 

We are planning to bike for two weeks in the Dordogne Valley. I have been told it can be a nightmare to get the bikes on the same train as ourselves. There can be a wait of 1 to 5 days to get our bikes. We are arriving in Paris on 9/16 and leaving the same day for Gourdon. Any advice/experience traveling on french trains with a bike? HELP!!!!!!

This is from Rob Hunter's "Cycle Touring in France" and my personal experience. Generally, you must send your bike ahead and it will take a day to get to your destination. (Hunter says it may take 2-5 days - it always took 1 day for me, but I wasn't going more than 150 miles). There are many trains that do allow cycles thou - they are indicated by a bicycle symbol. <BR> <BR>Unfortunately, your bikes will probably arrive a day after you do - it's a big pain. However, cycletouring in France is so much fun, don't let it ruin your trip

<BR>Thanks for the encouragement Steve. I can deal with a one day delay, more than that would certainly throw a monkey wrench into the works. Should I assume the same delay exists for returning to Paris? Would we be wise to end the trip a day early and send the bikes back first?

There are some places you can probably get better info than here -- there's a good bicycling-specific WEB site at www.cycling.org which has a FORUM and those people probably know a lot more about it. There's also some info on the French RR WEB site (www.sncf.fr); sometimes you can take the bike with you (which that site explains) but only on certain trains (TGV and Corail), and they're marked on train schedules as allowing bikes with a symbol, I think. I think they may have to be dismantled some, too, in that case (ie, one wheel taken off)--the SNCF site explains. Otherwise, you do have to ship it as baggage a day ahead of time to make sure it's there for you. If you can read French, here's the WEB site of the Association of Cyclistes Urbains de Montreuil (a Parisian suburb) which has some good info: www.ensad.fr/person/profs/vansteenkiste/vvv.htm

Yes, it goes both ways. If you are going directly to Paris and flying home immediately, then obviously you need to make sure the bikes will be there. You might talk to someone in the train station in the Dordogne about the return trip if your French is good enough

Jeff, I can't give you any info on bikes on trains in France but we would really appreciate your comments when you return. We are biking Normandie and Bretagne this Spring and we've decided to rent a car at CDG, drop it off at Caen and start the bike tour from there. We just can't seem to get straight skinny on the SNCF's policy re bikes. We have used the rails in Ireland, Germany and Austria and they were most acommodating, geared toward cyclists, but France?? We've toured the Lake District of Italy but didn't use the FS. We bring our bikes with us and put them back together at the airport, Malpensa and Frankfurt so far, and ride or catch the train from there. Thanks for sharing.

Hi Richard, <BR>Sorry for the slow response. <BR>We had a great trip in the Dordogne. We had no trouble getting our bikes onto the trains. Howvever, everyone we spoke with told us how lucky we were. We transported the bikes disassembled in large bike bags. We also travelled mid-week and off-season. The French trains are very unpredictable when it comes to transporting bikes. There are some trains that do carry them. They can be identified on the schedules with a drawing of a bicycle. Howvever, no matter what the schedule says it is the train manager or the conductor who decide what goes where and when. This could easily result in significant delays in meeting up with your bike. <BR> <BR>I am not sure how I would get around this in future trips. I know people who used Bike Fridays (high quality folding bikes). The bikes travel in a plastic case that converts into a trailer. This is not a gimmicky device. It is a hight performance piece of equipment. It cost an arm and a leg too. Perhaps renting a car, tho generally very expensive, may be the most reliable route to take. Sorry I can't be of more help. <BR> <BR>On another note, I would highly recommend touring the Dordogne and Lot river regions. Fascinating! The locals were great, the chataux, bastides, and country side make for an excellent trip with a lot of variety. <BR> <BR>We stayed in B&B, and even in a chateau one night. Just about all accommodates were very good and surprisingly reasonable. <BR> <BR>Have a great trip.