Here are some helpful tips and most frequently asked questions that I’ve shared with others, to help you plan your trip to France. These tips are especially useful if this is your first trip to France.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Airports
Most international travel to and from France occurs from the two major Paris airports, Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Orly (ORY). And although you could choose Zurich, Switzerland or Amsterdam, Netherlands as your European arrival points, getting to us by train will require more logistics and time. If you get stuck, or are unsure how best to proceed, please feel free to reach out because I’m here to help!
Because both Paris airports are outside the city center, you’ll need to first make your way to a Paris train station to get to us. More on how to know which train to go to can be found below but for the sake of this guidance, you’ll want to end up at Gare de l’Est.
If you’re not renting a car, then the two options I suggest is either taking the RER (which connects with the Paris Metro) or a taxi, which has fixed fares from both airports and will be a direct trip to the correct train station. For trip planning and to see travel options, I like using Rome2Rio.
The Charles de Gaulle airport is northwest of the city center.
- The trip by RER from CDG terminal 2 to Gare du Nord takes about 34 minutes and will cost 45€ each. What’s great about this option is that you are next door to Gare de l’Est which is a relatively safe and easy 5 to 10 minutes walk.
- By taxi, the trip can take an hour and your fixed fare is 56€ for the Right Bank and 65€ for the Left Bank, however because of it’s location, I’ve found that I usually end up paying the 65€ to get to Gare de l’Est.
The Orly airport is south of the city center.
- The trip by RER from ORY to Saint-Michel Notre-Dame station takes about 25 minutes and will cost about 6€ each. From there, it will take another 10 minutes by the Metro 4 line to Gare de l’Est.
- By taxi depending the fixed fare is 36€ for the Left Bank, however most of the train stations that you’ll need to consider are on the Right Bank and will cost 45€. Depending on traffic, your trip time will be about 30 minutes to Gare de l’Est.
By Train
The trains in France are very good and very efficient. One thing to keep in mind is that Paris is your central hub and ALL of the highspeed (TGV) service originates there. That said, there are some tricks to know if you are traveling around in the country and don’t want to go north up to Paris when your goal is to go south. I always explore all options to look for the most efficient route and sometimes that does mean originating a leg in Paris.
To book your tickets, you can either use the SNCF Connect website, or download the SNCF Connect app for your smartphone.
As you can see from this map, there are 6 important train stations in Paris. Note that 4 of them are grouped together in pairs. Gare de l’est is next to Gare du Nord and Bercy is close to Gare de Lyon.
There are three local train stations that we use to pick-up and drop off our guests at and it all depends on timing and frequency of the trains. The order given to these choices is based on reliability, frequency and simplicity of service.
- Destination: Troyes. Direct, hourly service from Gare de l’est with travel times taking about 1h40min. Prices range from 27€ for 2nd class to 52€ for first class service. From our village to this station, the travel time is about 45 minutes.
- Destination: Tonnerre. Direct, hourly service from Bercy with travel times taking about 1h45min. The cost is about 17€ with just one class of service offered. From our village to this station, the travel time is just 20 minutes. However, sometimes these trains are not direct and the frequency of service is less than if you are traveling from Troyes, especially on weekend days.
- Destination: Montbard. Direct infrequent service from Gare de Lyon with travel times taking about 1h. Prices range from 27€ to 65€ depending on class of service. From our village to this station, the travel time is about 1 hour.
By Car
If you’re planning on renting a car, make sure to enroll your cell phone for International roaming coverage. Most rental cars have Android Auto and some also have Apple Car Play. Both will allow you access to online mapping tools like Google Maps or Apple Maps which you’ll find critical if you’ve never driven in France before or from a Paris airport. More on technology tips below.
From ORY to our village, average driving time is 2h19min
From CDG to our village, average driving time is 2h31min
Buying Wine – & Getting it home
One of the reasons I started offering these tours was because there are people like me who love both food and wine and who also are not afraid of trying to bring back some “liquid treasures” that were discovered during the trip.
Many of the wineries you’ll be going to will have wines that you will not be able to find in the United States. You’ll also find that wines here in France are between 20% to 40% less than similar wines back home in the States. After years of European travel and from my experience as being a guide, you’re left with two suggested options:
Option 1 – The Wine Suitcase
As you can tell from the photograph, it’s exactly what it sounds like it’s supposed to be. Designed for airline travel, these insulated cases are generally designed to fit 12 bottles. I’ve been using one for years and have never had any breakage. It’s a safe option, that can be used repeatedly for all of your travel needs.
Option 2 – Ship Your Wine Home
I discovered Cote d’Or Imports a few years ago at a winery I was visiting in Beaune.
Before our trip, I will reach out to our list of wineries who we’ll be visiting so that they are aware of this option to help you ship your wine back to the US. You will also find that during the visit, I’ll help facilitate the paperwork process.
During your time of purchase at the winery, you’ll not be required to pay the 20% VAT that would normally be charged. However as of this update, tariffs of about 15% will be assessed by Cote d’Or Imports.
For more information about how this service works, click on the link above. Also, feel free to reach out directly with me on pricing, etc.
Technology – From cell phones to power
If you’re like me, you’ll be traveling with at least a laptop or tablet along with your cell phone. The voltage in France and all of the EU is 220 volts, not 110. I always make sure to have at least three things with me to ensure that I can stay connected:
USB Cables – You can’t have enough in my opinion. I usually bring both types for my Android devices – USB to USB C and USB C to USB C. Your rental car can be equipped with one or both and you just never know until you jump into the front seat.
Plug Adapters – which are different than Power Converters. Most electronics from the US, like laptops, are equipped with their own power transformer. These will work with both 110v and 220v. All you need to do is “adapt” the plug so that you can connect to an outlet.
Power Converter – This will convert voltage from 220v to 110v as well as provide conversion to DC power that will allow you to charge your phone and tablet. Keep in mind that there are limitations when it comes to wattage output and they may not work well for something like a hair dryer.
