To and From the Airport

When we fly to Australia we normally start on the train from Saint Pierre des Corps (SPdC). There's two or three TGVs each day that do the journey direct to Charles de Gaulle airport (CDG), and it makes for far less stress than driving, paying for parking, tolls, fuel and shuttle buses. It also means that when you arrive back in Paris after a long flight you don't have to wrestle with rush hour traffic around Paris. In 2009 we caught the bus to and from Tours, but now we have a garage by Saint Pierre des Corps station driving is a much more convenient option.

At the top of the escalator at the station is a mahoosive departure board.

Often, we are catching a flight that leaves Paris in the evening, so an early afternoon train is fine. On our visit last year we had an early flight, so we caught the latest possible train to Charles de Gaulle and stayed in a hotel in the airport precinct.

On our way home usually arrive in Paris early in the morning, and catch a train direct from the airport to SPdC. We always allow at least three hours between the plane's scheduled arrival, and the train's scheduled departure which gives us time to clear immigration, collect our luggage, and make our way to the station. Usually, it allows us time to grab a coffee as well.

Susan guarding our luggage at the station on our way home, while I look for coffee that isn't Starb**ks 

Once again, though, 2009 was different: we arrived in the early evening and spent the night in Paris, catching the train home from Montparnasse the next day. It makes for an even longer trip. 

This trip we had extra excitement: we made the train with plenty of time to spare, then sat on the train at the station for about 2 hours whilst there was a bomb scare at Marne Les Vallée. 

But the train is still the way to go. After 24 hours in transit the last thing I want to be doing is dealing with traffic.