HawaiiTrvlr

I am going to France for a wedding in June. I will fly to Paris, stay a few days and then take the train to a town between Avignon and Marseille (Saint-Remy-De-Provence). I thought I had a decent grasp of the French train system but maybe Saint Remy is too out of the way for regular service. I have been seen routes that start in Marne-La-Coquette (a suburb SW of Paris) but only go to Avignon. Then I saw a option that started at Gare de Lyon station but with a train change in Nimes then back track to Avignon. Then take a train/bus to Saint Remy. Am I on the right track? Should I just get a train to Avignon and then take a uber to Saint Remy? Any suggestions would be very appreciated.

YVR Cockroach

Rural France is, comparatively, underserved (or unserved) by rail. If there ever was a more comprehensive network, it's gone now (much like it has in denser Britain). Stayed in the immediate vicinity (Beaucaire to the west) in the past and even more time in surrounding areas not too much farther. Depending on how long you intend to stay and how much free time you have, I'd rent a car from the major station to drive around. There's lots to see. Roman ruins right around town, and Baux en Provence the south (where bauxite was named/discovered).

Goldorak

Hi !
it's certainly not Marnes la Coquette with is a pretty town in the west suburb of paris, but rather Marne la Vallée in the east suburbs and is the station serving Euro-Disney.
If you are staying downtown Paris, take a TGV from downtown gare de Lyon station to Avignon TGV. And take a bus or a taxi from there to St Rémy. It's about 20 km only.

HawaiiTrvlr

That's the town. I knew it started with an M and three names. Thanks for the advice on the train. It does look like there is a hourly bus that goes from Avignon to Saint Remy however I think it leaves from downtown Avignon and not the train station. As a last resort, I could rent a car. I am only in Saint Remy for 3 days before going back to Paris.

Marambio

There are car rental offices at Avignon TGV train station - probably more convenient to pick up the car from here than driving all the way from Paris.

NickB

There are no train station in St-Remy. The 3 nearest stations are Tarascon (which would be very inconvenient for you), Cavaillon and Avignon. Avignon is by far the most convenient if you are arriving on a long distance train from elsewhere in the country.

There is a fairly frequent bus service between Avignon and St-Remy (bus 707, every half-hour, taking about 1hr even though the distance is approx 20km) but it leaves from the bus station, which is next to Avignon Centre station (not Avignon TGV station). If you arrrive at Avignon TGV, the simpler would be to make your way to Avignon Centre train station and walk the odd 200m to the bus station.

The current timetable for the bus is here and tickets cost €2.50 one-way. You need to put your case(s) in the hold yourself

Clearly a taxi or Uber from Avignon station is also a possibility, albeit obviously at greater convenience but also higher cost than the bus. As I don't really use either, I will let other advise on cost and availability.

HawaiiTrvlr

How far is it from the TGV station to the Center station? I am guessing I can grab a taxi that will take me there?

Thanks for the information. I am still waiting on our accommodations in St Remy. Hopefully it is relatively close to wherever the bus would drop me off (center of St Remy). If all else fails, the parents of the bride will have a car. Maybe they will come fetch me in Avignon.

mlin32

The distance between the gare TGV and gare centre-ville Avignon is roughly 4km, so it won't take long at all to just get a taxi or car-sharing (Uber) service.

Goldorak

Sincerely, if there is no bus from the TGV station, I don't see the point of taking a taxi to the downtown station to then take a bus. St Rémy being very close, better to take a taxi right from the TGV station to St Rémy ! Cost difference will be minimal.

NickB

Well, St-Remy about 20km from Avignon and, since it is out of town, I suspect that you will be charged for the there-and-back journey, so 40km rather than the 5km journey between the stations. That said, it would undoubtedly be much simpler. Also, St-Remy is fairly rural and an address in "St Remy" could well be in the middle of nowhere. If there is any driving to be done in the area, a hire car at Avignon station or a taxi seems a better choice (and the former definitely if wanting to do some tourism in the area other than in Avignon itself)

southlondonphil

There are, I think, 2 direct trains a day from Gare de Lyon that will call at Avignon Centre, these are the 12:14 and 17:14 services to Miramas. Whether these will still run (and at the same timings) after the summer timetable change in May/June is uncertain at this point.

Otherwise, a TGV service from Gare de Lyon to Marseilles will stop at Avignon TGV and you would get a regional TER train or a bus to Avignon Centre to pick up the 707 bus to Saint-Remy

A Taxi/Uber from Avignon TGV to Saint-Remy would likely be somewhere in the region of €40 to €60 one-way based on some brief online research but the journey would take only half the time that the 707 bus does.

HawaiiTrvlr

Thanks everyone for their advice. I truly appreciate it. I think I am leaning towards a taxi from TGV to St Remy. I am still waiting for my friends to give me the address of our house/wedding venue. That will be the defining piece of information on what mode I will take. It is nice to know that FT is full of great information.

HawaiiTrvlr

Will the schedule change/update be that significant if I book now to what a new schedule will be? I am looking at a train from Gare du Lyon to Avignon TGV that leaves at 12:38 arriving at 3:20.

southlondonphil

I don't know. In the UK railway timetables change in late May / early June and again in December, but I'm not sure whether France has a similar arrangement or only changes its timetables once in a year in December. If the latter then what's in the timetable now should be a fairly solid indicatior for June.

mooncity

Just some extra info about the Avignon TGV. Coming from Paris, and exiting to the left /toward the city, it seems like there's nothing at the station. The station stores/cafés/ticket shops are on the right side.

The bus to the city is ok, but cash/coins only and uses quite a long time to get to the center. Don't cut the time short!

Enjoy France!