Questions re trains in southern France
 

I'm trying to figure out a fall trip, and need help with trains.

1. Is it possible to go by train from Avignon to Cannes? (or even Apt to Cannes?)
2. Is there service from Cannes to Marseille? And once in Marseille, how do I get to the airport?

I'd prefer to not rent a car if I can escape it.

answrs to your questins
 

Taxi from Avignon airport to Avignon station.

TGV trains from Avignon to Cannes to Marseille

Timetables are available at:
http://www.sncf.com/

(Click on the British flag at the bottom of the page for English).

Looks like 25 mins shuttle bus from Marseille centre to the airport:
http://www.mrsairport.com/eng/acces/acces_bus.jsp#mars

Perfect. Thanks, jib71.

Does anyone have any idea what is occurring in Cannes the week of October 20? I'll likely be able to use a Diamond Force to get into the Hilton, but it is sold out, as is the Meridien in Juan les Pins.

Marché international du duty free (octobre 22 - 26)

Thanks, dodo. I didn't even know that duty free had an association and a trade show - but why not, it is big business.

I'm back for more transport info.

Is there a bus from Juan les Pins to Cannes? Cannes to St Tropez?

Yes, I know there is a train from Juan les Pins to Cannes - but if there should be a bus along the coast, it would be more scenic - and come into Cannes at a more convenient spot for me (if it drops off along the Croisette).

I could not find train service from Cannes to St Tropez, so am wondering about alternative transport.

From Cannes to St-Tropez by bus, I would suggest :
- train from Cannes to St-Raphael
- bus from St-Raphael to St-Tropez

Bus timetable can be found there (French only) :http://www.sodetrav.fr/lignesinterurbaines.htm

Choose "St-Raphael Gare SNCF" as the departure station and "St-Tropez" as the arrival one.

There is also a bus service from Toulon to St-Tropez and back.

Train strike throughout France on Oct 18
 

The friend I am visiting in France just sent this:

President Nicolas Sarkozy will face his first strike on Oct. 18 after five of France's eight railway unions called for a day of protests, vowing to defend their right to retire at 50. The strikes will be a test of labor's strength against Sarkozy's resolve to overhaul pension privileges enjoyed by 500,000 public sector employees. Labor unions said that the strike could last more than 24 hours if Sarkozy did not take their grievances into account and some warned that France could face weeks of mass protests. In 1995, a three-week transport strike paralyzed the country and forced Sarkozy's predecessor, Jacques Chirac, to withdraw a revision of public sector pensions. In 2003, a reform of civil servant retirement benefits prompted two weeks of protests, although the proposals eventually passed.

Fortunately, I only need to get from Juan les Pins to Cannes on October 18. I checked bodory's link (thank you) but it doesn't appear to include Juan les Pins. Is there another site that gives bus schedules for this area? It would be great if I can pick up a bus that runs along the Med, dropping off on the Croisette in Cannes.

Failing that, roughly how much is the taxi fare between the two cities?

Also, should the train strike extend several days, is there bus service from Cannes to anywhere within an hour of Apt?

for bus, please check here: http://www.cg06.fr/transport/transports-tam.html
for taxi fares (estimated price) check here: http://www.nice.aeroport.fr/acces_st...xi/default.asp

I'm actually in Cannes and Juan les Pins this week, taking the train each way for €2.10. I think a taxi would be roughly €30 or so. Taxis are expensive here.

As for the strike, you never know this far in advance of if or when exactly the strikes will happen. Or where. I wouldn't worry about it. If indeed there is a strike, just ask your hotel concierge to order a taxi for you a few hours in advance.

As for the scenery, actually the train has better scenery than the bus for most of the route. However I vastly prefer a car in this part of the world. Trains and buses are a big hassle, especially now with it raining cats and dogs outside. Today the train computer system went out and the Cannes train station was pure hell. The trains still ran, but no one had a clue of when they were coming or going. The schedule was abandoned so you just had hordes of people standing around hoping their train would come sooner or later. I really should have rented a car.

The Nice-Aix and Nice-Avignon buses call at Le Cannet and Mandelieu, near Cannes. I have never taken them but I suspect that the bus stops must be close to the motorway entrance/exit. Check in Cannes.

Apt is about 50km from Aix, but there might also be buses from there. If there are any, however, they are unlikely to be very frequent (one or two a day, possibly three max would be my guess). The Nice-Aix buses arrive at the Gare routiere, from where virtually all buses (other than intra-town buses) leave so you could ask there.

The bus company operating Nice-Aix (and Nice-Avignon) buses is "cars phoceens".

When you say Apt - do you mean Avignon or Nice? The bus options from Nice Airport to Cannes is in my view the very best option - and you have two choices, slow and cheap or fast and more!

The express bus runs every 30 minutes each way and takes around 40 to 50 minutes and takes you along the toll road. The 210 leaves just outside the terminal and takes you right down to the Gare Routier in Cannes - right by the port. It costs more than the slow bus I was on it a week or so go and I should take more interest but I think it was around 11 euros. The timetable is here:

http://www.cg06.fr/transport/lignes-tam/210.swf

The other choice is the slower 200 that stope every on the route and the timetable is here:

http://www.cg06.fr/transport/lignes-tam/200-ete.pdf

.... and costs 1euro 30 each way.

Whatever your plans - St Tropez is not the easiest place to get to and dissapoints many who try.

:confused: I only know of one Apt, and that is in the Luberon, about 50 km N of Aix and 50 km east of Avignon.

Correction mode in Hyperdrive?^

I'm going to be landing in Marseilles and going to Juan les Pins, then to Cannes. I've given up returning to St Tropez on this trip. From Cannes, I need to go to Apt - or as close as I can get with public transport - which I believe is Aix. I don't anticipate visiting Nice; I've been there many times while working in Europe.

The strike is the most worrying thing at the moment. Posters have given me the links for transport so I have a plan for how to get between these cities - but if the strike occurs on Oct 18, or if it is a multi day strike or spreads to multiple forms of transport, then I have a considerable problem.