Getting me & my bike from Samois, France to St. Jean??

[susancarmichael2001]

Hi All! I will be arriving via the Cherbourg ferry from Ireland on June 23, taking the local train to Tours, biking the Loire Valley for 3 days, then going to the Django Reinhardt music fest in Samois (transport still TBD) . I can't figure out how to get me & my bike by train or bus from Samois area (south of Fountainbleau) down to Bayonne. I have seen that French trains may now require a bag and that Eurolines busses don't take bikes at all. I don't have time enough to bike all the way to St. Jean and then do the Camino -- any suggestions? Teleportation? Hitch hiking??

 

[KiwiNomad06]

TGV trains require a bag, but there is provision to carry bikes on more regional trains- or at least there was until recently. It will take you quite a bit longer, but you can probably work out a route on various slower routes to get where you want to go. Trains that have a carriage that take bikes have a train symbol in the train timetable.
Margaret

 

[mspath]

susancarmichael2001,

In France it is difficult to travel long distances by train without going through Paris.
Throughout the day there are many TER local trains from Fontainebleau to Paris Gare de Lyon. These trains carry bicycles. The journey is roughly 45 minutes. In Paris you would need to bike to the Gare Montparnasse to board the TGV train to Bayonne. In Bayonne it is another TER train to SJPdP. All these trains also transport bikes. As Margaret notes the timetable for such trains show a bike symbol. For more info see >> http://www.voyages-sncf.com/

For specific info on transporting bikes on French trains see >> http://aide.voyages-sncf.com/toute-laid ... votre-velo. In particular click Voyages à bord de TGV and Voyages à bord de TER

MM

 

[susancarmichael2001]

Thanks, Margaret and MSpath for the good advice! I did notice that I could take my bike on to the train at Cherbourg to Caen and then again to Tours, but was flummoxed by Paris. Now I know I will have the great opportunity of riding my bike across Paris -- what a thrill! I will look into all this and am writing down all the tidbits so when I need the info, I have it on hand. I lived for almost a year in Finesterre and watched the happy peregrinos stagger into town -- now I will be one of them!

 

[KiwiNomad06]

Actually you can take your bike on the RER trains in Paris, outside peak hours. I have done it from one main station to another, but not sure about Montparnasse. It is a bit tricky though as you have to navigate a lot of stairs in some places, though I think Gare du Nord had a lift I was allowed to use. I always found help came easily though- people seemed to materialise who would help me up stairs and onto the carriage. You have to quickly work out which carriage has the cycle symbol on as well.

I forget the names of the slower long distance trains you can take bikes on. (Corail? Or is that the old name). But it is just the ones with the train symbol on, and you might find you have to use a less direct route to use them with the TER trains.
Margaret