Originally Posted by
atc20
Hi,
I am scheduled to arrive at CDG T2A from LHR on Sunday at 3:10pm, and would like catch a 4:04pm TGV train. Simple question... am I dreaming?
I am a NZ citizen (so not on a EU passport), will be flying business class (if that makes a difference?), and have one piece of checked baggage. But I can run fast...
If I book a train ticket it online and print it out, do I need to visit the ticket office at the train station, I can I literally just walk on-board the train?
Thanks in advance for your help...
Opinions may vary on this one. You might make it, but do it ten times, and I'd bet you miss 4 or 5 of those.
After baggage claim, it's probably only ten minutes to the SNCF station, less if you run. I believe you will need to convert your train schedule printout to a ticket, either at the ticket office or from a machine (which I have not done).
By my experience, the real open questions are the time for taxiing to the gate (which at CDG can take forever), and the time for checked luggage to arrive, which can be fast or very slow.
Many SNCF trains offer cheap fares for no change tickets or for tickets that can only be changed up to departure of the train. If you avoid these restrictions and have an exchangeable ticket, there is not much to lose on most routes by booking the earlier train and switching to a later one if you must.