CDG to Amiens

[Marg]

HI, I will be arriving at Charles de Gaulle airport at 7.20am on a Tuesday. I would like to travel by train or bus to Amiens. Any suggestions and instructions would be greatly appreciated. Marg

[scirocco]

Sorry for the slow reply. The simplest way to get to Amiens is to take the RER Line B (commuter style) train from CDG to Paris Gare du Nord station, and then catch a second train from there to Amiens. The trains to Amiens are quite frequent, every half hour or so, and take between 60 and 90 minutes depending on the number of stops.

Paris Gare du Nord is a large, busy and complicated station and you will need to transfer from the suburban train part to the long-distance part for the Amiens train. If you haven't been there before allow plenty of time for this transfer and buying tickets etc.

If you are arriving into Terminal 1 at CDG you will need to take the free airport internal shuttle train (called CDGVAL) from T1 to either T3 (closest) or T2 to catch the train into Paris. Terminals 2 and 3 both contain railway stations where you can catch the train to Paris; Terminal 1 does not.

[Marg]

Thank you very much for the great information you have given me. Marg

[Marg]

Another question, at Paris Gare du Nord station how do I transfer from the suburban train part to the long distance part for the Amiens Train? Is there a line name, number or color code I need follow within the station. Thank you in advance. Marg

[scirocco]

My apologies, I completely overlooked the quickest and least hassle option for you to get to Amiens. You can catch a TGV direct from the station at Terminal 2 at CDG, go one stop north to TGV Haute Picardie station, and then get the shuttle bus from there to Amiens. If you are carrying large bags this may be easier than trekking into central Paris to the Gare du Nord. The bus will also be a dedicated shuttle from H-P station, so you won't be fighting for space with commuters. On a Tuesday there are trains leaving CDG at 09:16 and 11:37, so the 09:16 should give you plenty of time for baggage retrieval. To see the details please use the DB Bahn journey planner (enter Aeroport Paris -Charles de Gaulle TGV as starting point):

http://www.bahn.com/i/view/GBR/en/index.shtm

However, if you do prefer to go into Paris, then once you reach the RER platforms of the Gare du Nord, you would be looking for signs saying "Grandes Lignes" or TGV (although the train to Amiens is not a TGV). Suggest you have a look at this link from the homepage for a photo guide to Gare du Nord:

http://parisbytrain.com/gare-du-nord-photos/

[Marg]

Fantastic, we will catch the shuttle bus. Thanks so much