train reservations to Dijon

My husband and I land at CDG at 8:15 am on Oct 12. We plan to take the Air France bus to Gare de Lyon, and catch 11:44 am train to Dijon. first question - have I allowed enough time to get from airport to Gare de Lyon. Second question - can I book the train ahead, and if so, will I still have to stand in line at GAre de Lyon to get the actual ticket from our e-mail reservation confirmation? That is how it seems from the postings on the Forums I have read. When we went to italy and travelled by train, we just showed our internet booking on the train, didn%26#39;t have to have an actual ticket.

Are there any other suggestions about getting to Dijon same day as we arrive? Since we will be sleep deprived, we need something simple. Can we just show up at the Gare de Lyon and hope to get a ticket?

I thought I had it all figured out - now I%26#39;m not sure if booking train ahead is a good idea - or if I have left enough time from travel from CDG to Gare de Lyon to catch the 11:44.

Thanks so much - these Forums are so helpful.

|||

well it%26#39;s time to hurry up, go to www.voyages.sncf.com

then enter the departure town, Paris, the date oct 12, the time from 11am and how many people in the party and 1st or second class and the final destination Dijon .....

(by the way do you plan a return ? )

Choose your seats ....then buy your PREMS TICKETS AND PRINT THEM, that%26#39;s all, it%26#39;s will allow you the time to go from the airport to Gare de Lyon with the RER ... no stress ... if your flight is at the right time of course .... enjoy it

|||

If you have a problem with arrival such as the plane is late getting in and you are nervous about the time, you might want to have a backup plan like taking a taxi to the train station (you will want to have enough euros with you to cover it if that occurs).

I agree you must make your reservation now to be sure of getting a seat, and you should actually print your ticket and take it with you (what you are referring to is the process where one makes the reservation and pays for it, then picks up the ticket at a station prior to travel).

|||

I%26#39;d seriously suggest you book a later train. Depending on how many planes land around the same time as you, you could be stuck in a baggage-jam and have to shuffle very slowly through the terminal. I last landed at 6.30am, but I didn%26#39;t arrive in the centre til 12 noon - and that was with no delays by customs, etc...

The later train at 2.54pm will get you to Dijon at 4.30 pm...bit of a pity that there%26#39;s no train in between the 11.14 and this one...

Voyages sncf advise that reservations are required - so just buying tickets on the day could be risky..

|||

Hello!

My husband and I are traveling to France in late September, arriving on a Monday at CDG around 10a. We%26#39;re heading to Dijon that day, and are booked on the 14:54 TGV train. We probably allowed waaay too much time, but want to be better safe than sorry in case our flight from the states is delayed. Plus, we plan to have a nice lunch at Le Train Bleu there in the station.

I completely agree that you should book your tickets NOW! We were able to get a great price in 1st class by going thru the sncf website. Check out one of the stickies at the top of the forum for the booking instructions. It was super-easy and we were able to print our tickets here at home.

|||

I should mention, Midlifetravellers, that you can take a TGV directly from the CDG station to Dijon. No need to travel all the way into Paris. Check the SNCF website, and enter Roissey in the departure box.

:-)

|||

If you can get the train from CDG do so by all means. It will save you an hour or so depending on traffic over going into the center.

If you have to go into town, I would suggest getting the later train. You just cannot know whether the plane will be on time, the luggage will arrive as planned. You need a margin for error. The person having a nice lunch at the station is wise.

We took the TGV last year in ist class and it was fine and quite comfortable. But definitely reserve your train and your seats. That will save you time whichever station you go out from.

|||

I checked into trains directly from CDG to Dijon, and the only one that came up was at 19:25. Then again, this was for my specific date (9/23), so who knows if they offer an earlier one on the day midlife is travelling?

|||

Just checked voyages sncf for the 12 Oct - the only train directly from Roissy to Dijon is that same train...

AEROPORT CDG 2 TGV 19h25 5130 Période de pointe

Valider cet aller

DIJON VILLE 21h20

Best price 20 euros per ticket.

The 14.55 seems to be the safest bet....

|||

I should add...that if you were travelling by train to Gare de Lyon, it would take you at least 45 mins, and that%26#39;s without lining up to buy your tix. (that%26#39;s an entirely different story! - allow at least 30 mins)

Airbus would be a bit quicker - probably no queueing for tix, but would still have to take at least 45 mins...taxi would be quicker again...

I%26#39;d sincerely recommend you purchase your 14.55 tix now, to get the best price. If you have some spare time before the train leaves, there%26#39;s always shops, cafes etc to prowl around in the station, easy to spend an hour or two relaxing and people watching.....

|||

Thanks so much for your help and suggestions. Tried to book seats last night and had a big ;problem with the SNCF website - no tickets, but did take my visa #. Finally got that sorted out this am (after a fretful night) and got our tickets booked (and printed). I did look at train from Roissey, but it is too late, unfortunately. We have to be in Dijon by 6 pm to pick up car.

Took advice and got later train to Dijon - we%26#39;ll be somewhat exhausted from overnight flight, but at least we%26#39;ll be in Dijon. That still leaves us 2 hr to pick up car.

Thanks again. Excellent advice and help.