Meeting Your Trip in Laroche-Migennes

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

1. Where you Join Your Trip (see immediately below)
2. Our “Access Packages,” designed to help you to do so.
3. Suggestions on how to time your trip to the trip, whether you are having us arrange your travel, or doing it yourself.
4. Service information regarding train travel to your trip start location.
5. Suggested pre-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 to 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 Join Your Trip?

We assemble at the railway junction of Laroche-Migennes, between 11a and 2p on Sunday. Laroche is between 75 and 110 minutes from Paris by train.

We will send you details of meeting time and place with your final itinerary.

If you wish to make your own way to the trip (in other words, not to set up your travel arrangements through us), a couple of hints on getting there are offered at the bottom of this page.


2. Our ACCESS PACKAGES
as of January 20, 2008

The closest intercontinental airport is Paris. Our “Access Package” includes an “open” rail ticket from Paris (reservations are not required on this line). Our London “Access Package” additionally includes a train from London to Paris.

Base (Starting) Access Package Price: 28€.
“Ride the Bike Train” Access Package: 22€.
The discount isn’t much on this route, but then, all you have to do is take the bike train, probably the one you would have taken anyway. See service information, below, for details.
If you are a North American traveller, the $ price (US or Canadian) on your price chart applies until 35 days prior to trip departure. Otherwise euro prices are transcribed to your invoice in its currency, converted at the exchange rate of the day on which the package is requested (rounded to the nearest whole dollar or pound). Current “mid-market” rates can be consulted from the site we use for conversion. We use the mid-market rate on the day of conversion, and add 2% to cover currency broker exchange commissions (our conversion rates are thus as good as, or better than, any you could obtain, including via your credit card, unless you are a professional currency trader).

Availability is normally guaranteed until 15 days prior to trip start (payment received by us). Tickets ordered within 15 days must be called for at our Paris office, or higher shipping charges will apply.

Included:

• 2nd class train tickets to Laroche-Migennes from Paris.
  See Service Information, below, for the bike train information.
• A printed schedule / itinerary, highlighting any connections.
• Our “Route Sheet to the Trip,” helping you through your journey.
  

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 from London. Add 69€ if you are also purchasing tickets back to London, 99€ if not, or if you prefer a changeable return. In 1st cl., add 99€ or 145€; 1st class tickets include meal service.
  A Paris stop-over is available at no additional charge, if desired.
• First class train tickets (in lieu of 2nd class): 12€ (only available on the late train).
• Paris airport train tickets, from Charles de Gaulle or Orly to Paris center. Follow this link for details.
  

3. TIMING Your Trip

Fast trains run from Paris to Laroche at 8:30a and 12:30p. Catching the first express allows for a full riding day, taking the second still allows for a pleasant (but truncated) afternoon ride.



4. Service Information
Schedules are approximate – exact timetables can be consulted at http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/fares_schedules/index.htm.
Best trains are mentioned. Others are slower or have multiple connections.

• From Paris. Express trains run at 8:30a and 12:30p (an 80-min. trip).
  - Please be sure to tell us which train you intend to take, so that we may send you the appropriate meeting instructions (trains depart from two different Paris stations), and so that we are sure to get early risers’ cycles to Laroche in time (cycles are shipped on two separate trains).
  - The only train in between is an all-stops local at 11:30a.
  - The “Ride the Bike Train” discount applies to the 8:30a train.
• From London. 8:30a, with a connection in Paris.
  If you order your ticket through us, we also include a Paris metro ticket, to help improve your chances of catching the 12:30p express from Paris to Laroche. If you prefer to de-stress this rather tight connection (45 minutes to cross Paris), tell us that, and we shall book the 7:30a Eurostar from London, instead.

5. Suggested PRE-TRIP VISITS

Travel to Laroche is easy from Paris, but also from Switzerland or from Alsace.


6. Hints on TRAVELLING INDEPENDENTLY to 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 pre-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 all routes can be consulted on this web site:
http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/fares_schedules/index.htm

Laroche is on the “old” (pre-TGV) Paris - Dijon main rail line. Getting there other than via Paris rarely makes sense, though if you are coming from the south or east it is worth checking into connections via Dijon.

Travel from London on a Sunday is a bit awkward, as the first morning Eurostar (8a) only reaches Paris at 11:47a Paris time. The express to Laroche departs at 12:31p in the current schedule, but from Gare de Lyon (you arrive at Gare du Nord). If you are fluent in Paris Métro, you usually make it, but it is close....


Planes. No airports are closer than Paris’ three. Charles de Gaulle and Orly are equally convenient. If you land at Beauvais, allow 2 - 3 hours for the trip to Gare de Lyon.


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.