simenon

Hi
I’ll be leaving Montreal with Avignon as my destination. There are no direct flights. I would have to land in Paris and take the train to Avignon. Air France website is offering a flight/train combo ticket when I enter Avignon as my destination. Arrival is at Terminal 2E and train terminal is at TN. There is no seat assignment offered. I have 3 hours b/w arrival and train departure.
I also looked into Roissy airport option but it’s much too expensive.

Anybody have experience with this route and with the combo ticket?
- Is the connection to the train easy enough? Even with luggage?
- Will a seat be assigned to me?
- Will I be getting off at the City Center in Avignon?
- Is it easy to get to the city center by shuttle or taxi?
- Will my luggage arrive in Avignon or will I have to collect it at the airport?

I called the Air France customer care line but I didn't feel the agent was certain of what she was saying.

I’d love to hear from you.
Thanks!

MmePerdu

I have done the CDG to Avignon train but bought the train ticket myself on the SNCF website. The transit time was about the same, I found the train with no problem and, no, you arrive at the Avignon TGV station, not at the city center station. There are regular city buses that serve the TGV station and bring you to the edge of town, slightly closer in than the train station, in front of the main post office. You collect and handle your own bags and, if I recall, all TGV seats are assigned.

Everything you need to know is here if you decide to buy your own train ticket. Do compare the prices: http://www.seat61.com/France-trains.htm#.Um15Chwug58

Christina

I don't know what advantage there is to buying the combo from Air France, and you have to have a seat reservation. Maybe if your plane is late, you are covered on that. But if you bought it yourself, you would have some input into the type of seat you want (by window, aisle, etc.). Your post is confusing to me as you say you looked into the Roissy airport option but it was too expensive. What does that mean, your flight must be arriving at Roissy isn't it? train terminal at "TN" doesn't make any sense to me, is it at Roissy or in the city? If in the city, I really wouldn't do that, it is a lot more inconvenient that just getting the train at the airport.

So I don't know where you are leaving from but yes, you will be assigned a seat by default, you can't get on without one. Yes, it is easy enough to get to the train station, as far as I'm concerned, but I have no idea where you are leaving from. If it's in the airport, it is right next to terminal 2E. I looked at the AF website and it appear to me it is certainly leaving from Roissy, and that you have to collect your ticket from the tgvair ticket counter at CDG (which is at the train station, I guess).

No, you won't go into Avignon center.

The AF website says you must collect your baggage when your plane lands, and then go to the train station.

I really don't understand how this could be cheaper than buying your own ticket with an advance purchase rate, but who knows, maybe they have some good deals. That is so cheap anyway, buying a PREM in advance, I can't believe they are selling that for 5-10 euro. But you probably will be more protected for plane delays.

it really doesn't give you any advantage over buying the ticket yourself, and then you could even print it at home rather than collect it -- unless they do give you some delay protection. What are you using to compare fares to say the "Roissy airport option" is too expensive and what does that mean.

Southam

It's easy to buy the train ticket yourself. The archives of this site save plenty of posts about the TGV out of CdG (from one wing of Terminal 2) and the intricacies of buying tickets. Here is a brief recap:
http://en.voyages-sncf.com/en/ is the TGV site; there are alternatives.
www.seat61.com and www.parisbytrain can help you with strategies for buying and using tickets.
http://www.aeroportsdeparis.fr/ADP/e...assagers/Home/
will help you get around.
The cheapest train tickets are offered approximately three months in advance. That discount should be part of your comparison to the price of the Air France package.
If you choose to organize the train yourself, your seat reservation is part of the ticket you buy from SNCF on-line. You move your luggage onto the train (having taken the bags through Customs.) The transfer is not particularly difficult if you have researched the route in advance.
I have no experience of the Air France package deal but guess that arriving passengers are required to take their luggage through Customs since the airport is your entry point into France. That's true when connecting to domestic flights. An Air France rep certainly should know better than me. If you don't like the phone info, try e-mail.
As for Avignon, the TGV deposits you at its terminal on the edge of the city where there is a shuttle bus to the centre.
I don't know what you mean by "Roissy airport option". The airport at the village of Roissy is Charles de Gaulle. Both local commuter (RER) and inter-city TGV trains leave from Terminal 2 although the stations are separate, as are the train lines.

Pvoyageuse

"I don't know what advantage there is to buying the combo from Air France"

If your plane is delayed, SNCF will put you on the next train - free of charge. When you get to the airport TGV station, you must go to the TGVair Office with your plane ticket and they'll give you a proper train ticket (and a seat assignment).

Sarastro

Terminal 2E is at Roissy airport (CDG) so it is not clear exactly what your plans are. However, there is one huge advantage to purchasing one ticket with Avignon as your destination - if anything goes wrong and your inbound flight is delayed, it will be the responsibility of Air France to see that you make your final destination. If you purchase train tickets yourself, and you can certainly do so, if your inbound flight is late due to weather or a mechanical problem, your tickets may be lost and you will be purchasing new tickets at walk up fares which are considerably more expensive. Further, at certain times there may be no walk up seats available. Basically you save money purchasing train tickets separately but the risks can be high.

All TGVs seats are reserved seats so you will have a seat assignment. You will most likely clear immigration and customs at CDG with your luggage and make your way to the TGV station which is in Terminal 2. You should be able to handle yourself whatever luggage you are carrying.

There are TGVs which terminate at Avignon Centre but most stop at Avignon TGV. The shuttle bus from Avignon TGV costs about 1.20€ and normally takes 15 minutes to reach Avignon Post Office which is near the heart of the old city.

PalenQ

If you do not have a seat assignment at CDG TGV station then you could face a dauntingly long wait in line to make one - automated machines do not I think but not sure - I had a railpass and had to make one and lines were incredibly long - took me about 45 mins for a simple thing.

Sastros says all TGV tickets come with seat assignments - that is not exactly true as most TGVs I understand have tickets they sell on it called Sur-Reservation, which allows you on the train in anticipation of no-shows or you sit on folding seats in the areas between cars.

For lots of great info on French and TGV trains check out www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com. And like others say compare prices at www.voyages-sncf.com for what the add-on fare would be but also heed the advice that if you plane is late discounted tickets cannot be changed nor refunded so if the train ticket from the plane is still valid if late - on another TGV train good - but not all TGVs may have any empty seats available say on the next train and you have a 4-hour gap in the next train - most would then go inot Paris' Gare de Lyon where hourly or much more TGVs to Avignon.

Ask your airline exactly what the conditions of use of the add-on ticket is - if it can be also used from the Gare de Lyon, etc.

Pvoyageuse

PalenQ : read what I have written above. The OP will get his train ticket and seat assignment at the TGVair office which is located at the CDG TGV station. I doubt there will be a long line, there won't be that many people travelling with a combo on the same train at the same time.

simenon

Thank you all! Thank you for the useful links and for sharing

My mistake, I meant I had checked out Orly NOT Roissy as an option.

As some of you have mentioned, the advantage of the combo ticket is that I would be protected in case of a flight delay. If I compare ticket prices for Nov. 2013, I would also be saving a bit of money but the price difference being minimal, I'd rather pay a bit more if it means I will be making things easier for myself. I just have to decide which is better: reserving my seat myself or playing it safe with a combo ticket. I must say, I don't like train travel with luggage so I'm looking for an easy option. I won't get the train ticket price before booking my flight. I usually book in January for my March/April trips.

I think I must've landed on a new AF agent b/c she said I wouldn't need to pick up my luggage and that I would arrive at the Central station. I forgot to mention, that the train station on the AF site is XZN. So, from what I've read above, that's the TGV station and the other one is the Central station near the post office.

- Is the Central station used more for regional trips such as for day trips to nearby cities?
- If so, is Avignon small enough that staying in a hotel or apartment near the Central station would mean that I'm truly centrally located in the city?

Thanks

MmePerdu

Both stations are to the south of the city center, the TGV a couple of miles, the local station just outside and across the road from the city wall. I stayed inside the wall but also on the south side which is also convenient to the bus station should any day trip be more convenient from there. For instance the Pont du Gard or Uzes. So if you stay in the southern half of the area inside the road that runs around the town (the yellow road on Google maps) you'll be close to the train & bus.

simenon

Thanks MmePerdu! I'll check it all out on google map and see what works best for me.

MmePerdu

I'm sure you know that if you zoom in the locations of hotels will appear. I stayed at the Colbert, just about due north a couple of blocks from the Gare Routiere, the bus station. The Avignon Central train station is just to the west of it and the TGV bus stop on the Cours President Kennedy across the road.

The Colbert is a modest but nice hotel on a small pedestrian street. Not fancy but very comfortable and good value and convenient to everything.
http://www.lecolbert-hotel.com/

simenon

Thanks again MmePerdu! I've been looking into hotels as well for Avignon, Lyon and Paris. I'm a bit all over the place now b/w flights, day trips and accommodations. Thank you for your recommendation, it helps narrow the choices. I will soon be asking for help with hotels and will be posting a new thread.

kerouac

With an Air France ticket, if your transatlantic flight is delayed, AF will do even more than put you on the next train -- they will put you on the next flight to Avignon.

Christina

well, that is a pretty good deal then that AF would even fly you to Avignon, that makes it enticing. The only thing you'd be losing out on would be being able to pick the type of seat you want, but it probably won't make much difference. If you are alone, it will most likely assign you to a solo anyway, at least not within those groups of 6 which families want. It's not that long a trip.

It is possible to get a train ticket to Avignon Central, but all it really consists of (from Paris CDG) is a train to the Avignon TGV station, then a transfer to the central station, by bus. If the end point was XZN, that's probably just something AF uses. Any rail ticket from SNCF is supposed to indicate the name of the station where you are going, and if it were Avignon Centre, it would have to show a transfer.

All I know about the luggage is what I read on the AF website but it seems more likely to me that you would have to pick up your baggage at CDG before going to the train station than AF taking care of it the entire way.

But I just checked the AF website and see what you mean about them using that code for the Avignon train station. However, I checked one date, and the times they give for that train (9:58 am to 1:08 pm) clearly mean it arrives at Avignon TGV, as that is its schedule. If it were Avignon Centre, it would add on about a half hour (maybe 10-15 minutes transfer time, plus 15 minutes for the bus).

The main Avignon train station is pretty central, yes. Check out the Hotel Bristol, is it fairly close to it and only a few blocks walk into the main square, for example, I think it is a perfect location for that. http://www.bristol-avignon.com/uk/index.php

simenon

A flight to Avignon would be GREAT, kerouac! Christina, thanks for checking out the AF site. I guess it's pretty clear that the arrival station is the TGV. Also, thank you for the hotel suggestion

Sarastro

<i> If the end point was XZN, that's probably just something AF uses</i>

XZN is a rail station IATA code than can be used by any air carrier that wants to coordinate flight and train schedules. Several years ago, there were a number of US air carriers that sold tickets from US cities to such locations as XZN (Avignon TGV station), XPJ (Montpellier St Roch), XSH (Tours St Pierre des Corps station), or QXB (Aix-en-Provence TGV).

It seems that sometime around summer 2012 all of these destinations disappeared from flight schedules. There must have been an agreement with air carriers and the SNCF that was in place and subsequently canceled. The concept could be advantageous for the traveler whose destination is beyond CDG into locations with limited service by air. It's not really clear what happened but I have not seen schedules which included train station for a while now.

simenon

Thanks Sarastro! Good to have background info!

kerouac

Air France still uses all sorts of codes to cities where it has blocks of train seats under an AF flight number -- for example, Brussels Midi is ZYR since Air France no longer flies to Brussels from Paris. Avignon-TGV is still XZN.

PalenQ

I did not even know Avignon had an airport, what with larger Nimes being so close?