Leaving Your Trip in TOURS

This page offers help (concrete or informational) on leaving your trip. Topics include...

1. Where you Leave Your Trip (see immediately below)
2. Our “Access Packages,” designed to help you to do so.
3. Suggestions on how to time your ongoing travel, whether you are having us arrange it, or doing it yourself.
4. Service information regarding train travel from your trip end location.
5. Suggested post-trip visits, especially when these are not geographically obvious, but are rendered economical and convenient by direct rail connections.
6. Hopefully helpful hints for those setting up their own travel from the trip.

If you wish to arrange some or all of your travel through us, please tell us what by means of this response questionnaire, designed to collect all the information we need to be able to book your travel.


1. WHERE and WHEN Do You Leave Your Trip?

Your trip disbands on Friday afternoon, upon arrival in Tours, at the end of a full (and ambitious) riding day. We recommend the night there (and propose it in our Access Package — see “Timing Your Trip,” section 3, below).  Even with the full day, however, you are in time to return to Paris if you prefer to do so, as trains run very late.

If you wish to arrange your own ongoing travel (in other words, you do not want to set up any ongoing travel arrangements through us), hints regarding ongoing travel are offered at the bottom of this page.  Otherwise...


2. Our ACCESS PACKAGES
as of January 7, 2010

The closest intercontinental airport is Paris’ Charles de Gaulle.  Our “Access Package” includes a night in Tours, and a TGV rail ticket to Paris or direct to the airport.  Our London “Access Package” includes a train to London.

Base (Starting) Access Package Price:  84€
To see what this means in your currency, look here:   http://www.bluemarble.org/CurrencyConv.html
Special “Ride the Bike Train” Friday Ticket to Paris: 12€, 27€ in 1st class.
Does not include Friday night’s lodging, though you may book a Paris hotel through us if you wish.

Availability is usually good until 35 days prior to trip start (payment received by us), as we try to hold onto an allotment of hotel rooms until then, and can always find space on one of the many trains.  Within 35 days, availability must be confirmed, and costs may be higher.  Some extra-cost options also have higher prices if ordered w/in 35 days.

Included in the Regular Access Package:

• A hotel night in Tours, based on shared occupancy.
  Typically, at least some of your past weeks’ travelling companions will also be staying over, and you will know the city a bit at this point, having passed through previously in the middle of your trip.  If you have no pressing reason to travel on, we suggest you stay and enjoy the town.
  Our usual Tours hotel is a very simple place:  private baths, but the rooms are small and quirky.  We choose it because it represents good value, and is excellently located, which is especially important in Tours, and rare.  If you prefer a more luxurious final night, we offer an upgraded hotel, below (“Options Offered at an Extra Cost”).
• Breakfast if you have time / get up for it.
• Train tickets to Paris, direct to Charles de Gaulle airport, via TGV high-speed train, or to Orly Airport, via Massy and a connecting shuttle train.
  Tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangable once ordered.  1st class and / or modifiable 2nd class tickets are available at additional cost.
• Seat reservations on the TGV high-speed train.
• A printed schedule / itinerary, highlighting any connections.
• All taxes, booking charges, baggage charges.
  

The “Ride the Bike Train” Access Package is simply a Friday evening 2nd class train ticket to Paris.  Friday night’s lodging is not included.
If you opt for this, you will travel to Paris via cycle train on Friday evening (a 2'40" trip, instead of 1'10" on the TGV), and secure the bike(s) in your charge at the Austerlitz train station upon arrival.  We can help you set up Paris lodging if desired.

Options Offered at an Extra Cost (subject to availability)
Prices are in addition to the “Base” Access Package Price.  For a general discussion of train upgrades, see here.  Topics include the relative comfort of first versus second class, and different types of accommodation available on overnight trains.

• Tickets to London.  Add 69€ if you are also purchasing tickets from London at the start of your trip, 109€ if not, or if you prefer a changeable ticket (in 1st cl., add 109€ or 149€; 1st class tickets include meal service).
  A Paris stop-over is available, if desired, for an additional 15€ (no additional charge if you “Ride the Bike Train” to Paris).
• Higher fare code tickets which are exchangeable locally:  +15€ 2nd class, +39€ 1st class.
  These tickets are exchangeable at any station, on a space-available basis, at any time until the train’s departure, for free if the exchange is made prior to the date of travel, or for 10€ on the date of travel.  Cost of either exchange is 10€ higher if you make it through us.  Tickets are refundable less 20% before the train’s departure.
• First class train tickets to Paris (in lieu of 2nd class):  +15€ restricted, +39€ flexible.
  The restricted fare is a discount price, not always available.  The flexible ticket is exchangeable and refundable as above.
• Single room in Tours:  +21€.
• Upgraded hotel in Tours: +24€ / person, regardless of room type.
  In making your request, please tell us if you would accept the “regular hotel” as a back-up, or would prefer to make your own reservation should our “upgraded” hotel not be available.
• Tickets on the Paris airport train, to Charles de Gaulle or Orly from anywhere in the city.  Follow this link for details.
  These are not necessary if your TGV from Tours goes directly to the airport.
  

Alternate Arrangements, in lieu of our usual packages (subject to availability)
Prices are complete (in other words, they are not in addition to the “Base” Access Package Price).
These discount fares are generally capacity restricted.   If not available when you place your order, we will offer you the best available (higher) price before booking.

• Friday evening train to Paris, 39€ 2nd class, 54€ 1st class.
  Tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangable once ordered.  Modifiable tickets are available at additional cost, as above.
• Overnight train to Madrid or Barcelona.  Price includes a berth in a 4-person sleeper cabin.  129€.
  Upgrades to double and single cabins are available, either regular or deluxe.  A berth in a double cabin costs 199€, and a private single cabin costs 299€ (these are discount rates, not always available on Friday nights, and rarely available at the last minute).  For deluxe cabins, add 35€ per person double, 55€ single.  These tickets are not refundable or exchangeable once ordered:   full fare tickets, which can be exchanged for alternate dates, or refunded less 20%, are available for 30% additional.
  Local (couchette) service, requiring a change of train at the French / Spanish border, is available at 97€.  But we really recommend the express, given the small price difference.
• Hotel in Tours (additional nights, or without rail tickets), including breakfast and tax:  36€ / person shared occupancy, 56€ single.
  Shared occupancy rate guaranteed to solo travellers willing to share on the post-trip Friday night only.

3. TIMING Your Trip

If we may influence your thinking on the topic of timing....  Tours is a beautiful city.  And, though you will already have spent a night there in the middle of the trip, you will be grateful for a second.  If you have the flexibility to do so, try to schedule your ongoing travel for Saturday.  This especially makes sense if you have a Saturday flight from Charles de Gaulle, and will not have enough time in Paris to make the transfer there worthwhile....

Like airplanes, trains from Tours require reservations. You must not only tell us where you wish to go, but at what time of day you wish to travel.  If you are headed straight for the airport, allow ample time to connect to a flight.  The airline is not responsible for train delays, and, though these are rare, they can happen.  Moreover, it can take a while to get from train to check-in counter.


4. Service Information
Schedules are approximate – exact timetables can be consulted at http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/point_to_point/triprequest.htm.
Best trains are mentioned.  Others are slower or have multiple connections.
Most main line trains departing Tours leave from a suburban station called St-Pierre-des-Corps.
Shuttle trains go to St-Pierre-des-Corps from the downtown station 15 minutes before every departure.  You have to allow 30 minutes by taxi, but the taxi starts from your hotel, saving you the walk or bus ride to the downtown Tours station (about 15 minutes).  Any direct trains departing from downtown are explicitly mentioned below.

• To Paris.  Travel time is 75 minutes, trains run at 5a, 7a, then hourly.
  There are direct trains from the downtown station at 6:30p on Friday afternoon, at 8a and at noon on Saturday, without the connection at St-Pierre-des-Corps.  The last Friday train via St.-Pierre is not until 10p.
• To Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport.  Travel time is 2 hours.  Saturday trains operate at 8a, 9a, 10:15a, 1:30p, 4:30p, 7:30p and 9p.
  - There are Friday evening trains at 7p & 9p.
  - These same trains serve Massy-Palaisseau, close to Orly Airport, and linked to it by an every-half-hour shuttle train.
  - The 8a and 7:30p services on Saturday require an additional change of train, and carry an extra cost of 14€, but they offer essentially the same travel time.
• To London.  10a, 12:45p, 1:30p, with a connection in Lille.  Trip time is ± 6 hours.
  - Frequent alternate service via Paris, but a station change in Paris is required:  Gare Montparnasse to Gare du Nord.  Travel time is roughly equivalent, despite the station change.
  - The last service on Friday evening is at 4:30p, too early to comfortably enjoy the riding day.
• Overnight trains
  - To Madrid:   Express:  9p, via a connection in Poitiers.   Arrival is at 9a.  Local departs at 10p and arrives at noon, with connections in Orléans and Irun. 
  - To Barcelona:  7:30p (express, sleepers, arrives 8:30a) or 9p (local, couchettes, arrives 11:45a).

5. Suggested POST-TRIP VISITS

An excellent overnight “Hotel Train,” the Francisco de Goya, operates to Madrid.  Daylight service is also available, to Madrid, Barcelona, or the South of France, but it is an all-day trip to any of these. The Normandy beaches can be reached in about 3 hours.


6. Hints on TRAVELLING INDEPENDENTLY After the Trip
Guests subscribing to an “Access Package” need not read this section.

See also “Timing Your Trip” and “Service Information,” above, as either of these may additionally help.

We gladly provide travel consulting (schedule or routing information) concerning post-trip individual travel.  In particular, we have invested a great deal to become railway experts.  Our service fees are reasonable: a 20€ charge for all but the most complex projects – or the most simple (for instance, only a 10€ charge applies if the service is limited to the preparation of a routine rail ticket).  You will generally find them well-justified by the time they will save you in research, standing on line, overpaying for your tickets, or all three.

But, for some, this type of research is fun.  So, here are some hints, intended to start off hardened “do-it-yourselfers.”

Trains.  Schedules for most main line trains can be consulted on this web site:
http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/point_to_point/triprequest.htm

Tours is served by TGV (high-speed train) to northern France, including direct service to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport. Connections are available to Brussels, Brugge, Amsterdam.... Travelling to the south of France, or to the Alps, is also easy via TGV connections in Lyon.  And mainline trains go south to the Basque Country and northern Spain, with connections further south.

Planes.  Tours has a tiny airport. Ryanair serves London Stansted from Tours once a day at this writing. Another Ryanair airport, Poitiers (also serving London Stansted) is within an hour by train.  Otherwise, Paris has more air service than you want or need.


If you wish to arrange some or all of your travel through us, please tell us what by means of this response questionnaire, designed to collect all the information we need to be able to book your travel.