Paris: we love the popote (home cookin')-led, funky-boho, co-op run 'Le Temps des Cerises' in 13e (Butte aux Cailles), not to be confused with more upscale restaurant with same name up in Le Marais.
Butte aux Cailles is also a great area for street art.
Bonne Chance CC.
I am done. the licking of the plates

kja, thank you. I will check out La Tomate Verte!!!
Zebec, This sounds familliar because I remember reading something about being careful not to get the two restaurants confused. It may have been your post. Definitely on my list. OK, my list has officially started

You can also check Chez Gladines on the Butte aux Cailles. It is a Basque restaurant.

Happy New Year everyone! I've been missing in action but I'm back. We have about 45 days to go before we depart for our trip to Paris and Provence....hurray. I'm working on restaurants AND the biggest missing link right now is the train from CDG to Aix. I was hoping, based on your experience, that someone might be able to help me figure out what site to use to purchase tickets and if there is anything in particular I should be aware when I book. Fingers crossed that my travel angels will come through. Thanks as always. I found the link below but don't know if that's the best or not.

We arrive at CDG from the U.S. Feb. 21st at 9:05 am. I see a training, at the link below, that leaves CDG at 11:02 and arrives in Aix at 2:08 (3 hrs, 6 min), which sounds great????? We would opt for
OUIGO Plus+ which I think provides more comfort. I didn't see an option for difference seat/sections/classes.

https://www.thetrainline.com/en-us/t...20and%20prices.

I usually use SNCF-connect.com, and highly evolved humans use the SNCF app. Have heard that some US credit cards work better on trainline than on the official SNCF site; YMMV. There is indeed that Ouigo train at 11 am and you’re right to choose ouigo plus which is a modifiable ticket. InOui would be better comfort, but I’m not seeing many of those. For guidance on comfort levels on French trains, see the Man in Seat 61.

Do you know the on-time performance of your airline on that route? Will you have baggage to claim?

Others with more recent experience arriving at CDG from the US, is a margin of two hours right? Would the 12:30 pm Ouigo train be a safer bet — book that, and change to earlier if all the stars align? Genuinely unsure.

You then step outside the station and either take a taxi or the shuttle coach to downtown Aix.

Hi FTOttawa, thank you for the reply. I was starting to worry that I may be left to figure this out on my own. I guess I’ve become pretty dependent on my Fodor experts. I checked SNCF’s website but It only gave me one option for Feb. 21 from CDG TGV to Aix TGV, which is what I think I want for high-speed train. There was only one train at 2:59 pm and didn’t arrive until 6:31 PM (3 hrs 32 min). Eeek. I didn’t see any other options.

I also found https://ricksteves.raileurope.com/ but now I'm unsure what site to use. Thetrainline, SNCF, raileurope, etc. I only need the train to get from Paris to Aix on Feb. 21 and then from Avignon to Paris on Feb. 28th. We will each have a suitcase and each of us will have a carry on.

We arrive at 9:05 so I thought a train at 11:02 might work but, per your suggestion, 12:30 may be safer. This isn’t as easy as I thought it would be ☹

I got fewer options when I put in Aix ville as destination, and more with Aix TGV as destination. Cue the eyeroll. No, it is not easy.

I will double check and try again. Yes, the site was a little cumbersome. Didn't seem easy to see options, etc. I though it was odd that I only got one option (time) for a train from CDG to Aix (TGV on both ends). I will look again though. Thank you.

I agree that Nice, though not originally on the OP's radar, is a good choice as well. A combination of the villages, and the city (I'm with Kerouac) would be a nice contrast and there is much to see there. You can also fly back to Paris from Nice, and avoid the long train ride back at the tail end of your trip.

Hello again. I DID IT! I downloaded the trainline app on my iphone rather than using the website and it worked....hurray. One more question for all of you. We will be traveling from Avignon TGV (I hope) to Paris. We will be staying (thanks to points) at the InterContinental Paris Le Grand Hotel. Does anyone know what train station we should arrive at in Paris. We will take a cab to the hotel because of luggage, however, i wasn't sure which station to pick as our arrival destination. Merci beaucoupce!

ciaociao, the TGV high speed trains from Avignon arrive at Paris Gare de Lyon. Check out the iconic restaurant Le train bleu on the second floor of this station. If you wish to eat there, a resrevation is highly recommended.

Hello Kanadajin, thank you so much for the train station info and the restaurant. I will definitely check it out. Merci