I will be arriving at CDG at 10:30 a.m. I would like to catch the 11:30 a.m. TGV for Cannes. Is this do-able?

My second option is to spend the night at an airport hotel and catch the 7:00 a.m. TGV the next morning. I am thinking this might be the better option - i.e. get a day's rest to overcome jetlag before heading to the beach to sleep?

No, I don't think so. You don't say who you are flying in on, but even if you are flying into CDG-2, where the TGV station is located, you would be cutting it too tight, in my opinion.

Can you take an afternoon train to an intermediate stop, then get up in the morning and continue to Cannes? For example, there is a 1:15pm TGV from CDG to Lyon. Lyon is the culinary capital of France, and should make a much more interesting stop than staying at the airport.

Also, keep in mind that you have a lot more alternatives for the train if you go to Gare de Lyon. Only a few of the trains stop at CDG. Blair is far more knowledgable than me on this, but perhaps you could get an afternoon train from Lyon to Cannes?

I've been playing with the French train site at www.sncf.com (http://www.sncf.com) for some of my own travel planning. Click on the British flag if you prefer to use it in English. I see a train leaving Gare de Lyon at 1:50pm arriving in Cannes at 6:54pm. You can also take the 1:11pm train from CDG and transfer at Lyon for Cannes, arriving the same day.

Personally, I would hate to waste a day of my trip at CDG. I'd prefer to get underway - whether the two hour trip to Lyon or all the way to Cannes.

Thanks for the good advice. I have been looking at the Europerail.com site. I'll check out the SNCF site also.

My current itinerary is Cannes - Grenoble - Paris. I would like to make Grenoble my halfway point so that I can visit ma famille française and do laundry.

Based on your advice, I'll do Grenoble/Lyon first and then head to Cannes (or even do Paris first, before Grenoble and Cannes.)

This will be my first trip to France since 1980. We aren't going until June 2003, but I need to finalize award tickets and hotel rooms soon.

I am looking forward to finally introducing my son to France and to his "cousins français." After spending four weeks this summer at Concordia Lac du Bois, he may even be able to communicate with his "cousins" a bit.

Since this will be my first trip to France with a teenager, I would appreciate any suggestions/advice on what to do.

We will be in Paris for about two weeks - allowing for plenty of time to make day trips, etc. We will be in Cannes for about ten days and hope to make lots of day trips also. Any remaining time will be spent in Grenoble and eating quenelles in Lyon. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif

Blair is right. One hour is definitely too short to go through the customs and reach the TGV station. 60 mns is my personal record, from disembarking gate to TGV platform, but I had to run all way long, jump in a shuttle which was miraculously waiting for me, and catch my train which was 5 mns late....
Note that I am rather familiar with CDG and did not have to look for help to reach the TGV station http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif


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http://mapage.noos.fr/fles/

Ouppps.... I meant 35 mns and not 60...
Mea culpa!!

My personal record is about 15 minutes, but from Schengen 2F with a carry-on... it does include exchanging the AF coupon for a TGV ticket though http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif

Those were great days... it actually took me less time from my hotel near the Lille TGV station to CDG 2F than from downtown Paris, and I was able to go home every weekend during that project.

35 mns from Terminal 1..... http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/biggrin.gif