Conques to Paris?

[Amy Mello]

I have had some trouble identifying the quickest ways back from Conques to Paris for a flight home and was hoping I might be pointed toward some transportation options.

We are booked for arrival in Paris on Tuesday June 7 and we must make a return flight on Saturday June 18 at 2:30pm. (Not possible to squeeze even 1 more vacation day from work - but looking forward to starting a multi year effort to walk Le Puy!) I was optimistic, but after reading threads here and looking at mileage, I think its probably not possible for me personally to walk it in 9 days.

So, if we need 10 days to walk from Le Puy to Conques, it means I would arrive in Conques on Friday, the 17th presumably in the afternoon (looks like short day of 9ish miles to Conques) and I'd need an option like a late night, very early morning, or over night train to Paris - or I'll have to skip a day of the walk which I do not prefer.

Any advice?

 

[BShea]

Have you checked Blablacar.fr? You can arrange a ride through them, but it'd probably be easier to get to Paris if you could get to Decazeville. There is a baggage service that transports people along the Le Puy route if you get behind schedule or want to get a ride from Conques. (There's no bus service). http://www.lamallepostale.com/price-list-the-st-james-way.
According to my Michelin guide, it's 10 days to Conques but we ended up having to do some 1/2 stages because of blisters!

 

[NavyBlue]

Hello,

Plenty of options for leaving Conques ... described in French
http://www.tourisme-conques.fr/fr/venir-conques-marcillac.php

 

[Amy Mello]

Thank you both for these links!

I wasn't thinking of a plane, but its very reasonable to fly from Rodez to Paris at 6pm - still leaves me some time to see Conques. Should work perfectly. Now I'll just focus on training so I can actually reach Conques in 10 days!

 

[mspath]

Conques is worth far more time than a mad dash!! Why bother to arrive at all if you can not visit at leisure? See these links for some of the monumental
treasures.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/camino-photos/conques-in-springtime.3370/


https://sacredsites.com/europe/france/abbey_of_conque.html

 

[billmclaughlin]

She's also racing through Paris and, I suppose, Lyon and Le Puy. But she'll be back in Conques to resume hiking at some point...

We make our own choices.

Meanwhile, I see the flights from Rodez go to Orly. It's never simple.

 

[Amy Mello]

True that we wont have as much time in Conques, but I do hope to return when we start the next section next year.

I'm not very sorry to miss extra time in Paris, but do wish I had more time for Le Puy and Conques. Only so much vacation time -and budget.

We did some of the Portuguese last year and really look forward to this hike in France being something we can go back to every year til we finish.

Appreciate all the advice, the forum has been excellent to help me plan, and excited to make a tentative plan for stages and get feedback in the future.

 

[Kanga]

My husband walked to and caught the train from Decazeville back to Paris - that seemed the easiest "exit" after Conques (it's the town after Conques). Decazeville is really the only place on the Le Puy route I disliked!

 

[marbuck]

My husband walked to and caught the train from Decazeville back to Paris - that seemed the easiest "exit" after Conques (it's the town after Conques). Decazeville is really the only place on the Le Puy route I disliked!

Yes. Poor old Decazeville, it does not have much going for it. But there is a nice Cathedral.