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Train travel from UK to Bourges or Nevers


abbo
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Please can some one help. 

We have bought a house near Sancerre and are looking at the various ways of getting there for some friends that would not like to do the 6 hour drive from Calais, but they do love train travel. 

 I have looked on the internet and think that they could do a fast train from Waterloo (they live in Linconshire so anywhere in London is fine to leave from), this train then goes to Epernay via Paris and I dont think they need to change - then my problem starts as my french is not upto searching the french sites for times and stations to take them from there to Bourges or Nevers.

Could anyone suggest a good route ?

Abbo

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Just had a quick look for you on www.voyages-sncf.com, AFTER I verified with my atlas exactly where Epernay was.

Firstly, I can't see the point in going to Epernay. It's ESE of Paris, so not on any direct route to Nevers OR Bourges.

As I thought, the webite gave Eurostar to Paris Gare Du Nord, a trip across Paris to Gare De Lyon, then a short hop to Nevers or Bourges, with a cost of around €250 return per person.

Spongebob

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when I enter the Paris nord (where the eurostar lands) to paris gare de lyon (for the route to cosne - which would be near to us) I get the message about the journey being more than 3 changes, as our friends would have suitcases would ou advise a taxi to paris gare de lyon ?

abbo

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Taxi ... about 20/25euros from station to station. Hassle free and nice watching the city go by...

Metro : only 2 changes that I know of. Gare du Nord get on ligne 5 direction Place d'Italie. Get off at Bastille and take ligne 1 direction Chateau de Vincennes. Get off at Gare de Lyon. There look out for Grandes Lignes SNCF.  Minimal cost. Just hassle with luggage and crowds

A choice between minimum hassle/maximum cost or maximum hassle/minimum cost ...... 

Have a look at www.ratp.fr . Click on the english flag then map of the metro.

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I travelled to Nevers by train from Paris twice a year or so ago, once after Eurostar trip from Waterloo and once after flying in to CDG. (For me, the Eurostar option was by far the better of the two, apart from hassle of getting to and from Waterloo.)

I may have forgotten, but I don't recall having to change on the underground between Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon. In any event, it didn't take long to transfer between the 2 stations and the trips between Paris and Nevers were extremely efficient. (Also good value car hire at Nevers station if prebooked.)

If only Eurostar started from Cheltenham....

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Well it was SUPPOSED to start from  Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, etc, but the government let Eurostar renege on their promises once they had some public funding.

After all, what does ANYWHERE that's not London, or the South East matter?

Spongebob

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[quote user="missyesbut"]

Taxi ... about 20/25euros from station to station. Hassle free and nice watching the city go by...

Metro : only 2 changes that I know of. Gare du Nord get on ligne 5 direction Place d'Italie. Get off at Bastille and take ligne 1 direction Chateau de Vincennes. Get off at Gare de Lyon. There look out for Grandes Lignes SNCF.  Minimal cost. Just hassle with luggage and crowds

A choice between minimum hassle/maximum cost or maximum hassle/minimum cost ...... 

Have a look at www.ratp.fr . Click on the english flag then map of the metro.

[/quote]

This is very useful information for me too, as I have to do a similar change - can you possibly tell me if it is easier/cheaper/quicker going between these two stations (Gare du Nord - Gare de Lyon) by Metro or by RER?  Where do you get the tickets and how much do they cost?  Couldn't see this information on the website recommended above and I am aware of the limited time between my train connections!

Yours, from the provinces

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It would SO nice if it started from Brumejum! From this end of Wales then it would only be a two-hour long of the most depressing drudgery of a train journey. I could put up with that knowing that I would just woosh in comfort through the landscape on to GayParee! after B'ham....

The scenery in Wales is absolutely beautiful I'll grant you that.

But the train itself !... more like livestock wagon!... Filthy! Coffee tastes of 'jus de chaussettes'! and exhorbitantly priced....

Oh shut up! Missy ! it's TOO depressing...

You can deduct that I don't 'do' train in Wales that often consequently... I have driven to B'ham at times, park the car and taken the train to London!....

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>>> can you possibly tell me if it is easier/cheaper/quicker going between these two stations (Gare du Nord - Gare de Lyon) by Metro or by RER?  Where do you get the tickets and how much do they cost?  <<<

As long as you are in Zone 1 or intra-muro (meaning within the 'périphérique' boundaries of the city) the cost of the journey between these stations, is the same and the ticket is the same for RER or Metro. You get it at the little booth just before the barrier entering into the Metro system...

Quicker... Just about the same .... change at 'Chatelet-Les Halles' and loads of long corridors to deal with....

I always avoid Chatelet if I possibly can in any journey I make on the Metro! It's a real bottle neck in the city's metro/RER system.

So I use the line I mentioned above.
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Abbo,

          If you live very close to Sancerre (lovely town and wine!) you could book SNCF tickets from Gare de Lyon, Paris to the Hotel du Rempart in Sancerre. This involves a train to Cosne followed by a bus to Sancerre. I use a similar combination each time I take the train and it saves my wife making long trips to the station. It works well.

                                                                     Alistair

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thanks again to all of you for the help and suggestions

And yes, we have a house near sancerre (its about 20k south out in the flatter fields) and it is lovely and so is the wine !!!  we will move there in the future.

best wishes

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I have a house about 40 k from Sancerre in a small town called Aubigny Sur Nere. Next year I am moving out there 'almost full time' as I have plenty of work to do on house & outbuildings. I have therefore read these posts with interest. I have used the train from Gare de Lyon to Gien and from Austerlitz to Bourges - either of which is about half hour drive for someone to collect me at this end or I can get a coach (not too frequent though). I suspect that you could get a coach from Bourges to Sancerre. I can buy a ticket at G de Lyon which includes the coach to Aubigny as well and works out much cheaper than buying the 2 separately. Worth asking about any such deals in Paris stations.

Like many other posters I agree that the wine is superb - White or Red (my daughter is partial to the Rosé). Also like Menetou-Salon from the area which is under-rated I feel.

 

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please excuse my lack of knowledge - where is Austerlitz?

and I agree with your taste of Menetou Salon,

We are about 10k from Jouet sur l'abois at Precy but collecting from a station is no problem as long as it is nearer than Paris !!!

a

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