Trip to France with bikes - THE DILEMMA!

[Claudia]

Hi, all!

So me and my boyfriend are planning a trip to France this summer as my mum lives in the Southwest and one of the time trials are just near her, then go up to Paris on Sunday to watch the final of the TDF.

Now... Trouble starts when we plan to take our two road bikes with us.
One of my friends works for Eurostar so we can get us both return tickets for £99 which traveling beyond Paris is a BARGAIN!!
But, Eurostar doesn't book bikes for connection trains. Given we have to get a 6 hour TGV connection down to Agen, we seem to have two options: book it via RailEurope and pay the extortion and lose my friend's discount or buy/hire bike box to put the bikes in.

But, again, as road.cc reported last year, Eurostar are taking the piss with all the bike restrictions and it is never guaranteed the bikes will actually make it on the same train as us which for someone that has a connection train to catch, is not great.

Then, supposing we make it to Gare Du Nord with the bikes, there's the transfer to Montparnasse. Metro with bike boxes?! Taxi?! That must be another extortion in Paris...

We did consider flying in but it would end up being EVEN more expensive. Not to mention the piss about around London and then on to Gatwick or Luton with the bike boxes and luggage...

Has anyone traveled to France with Eurostar, with bikes and got connection trains? Or not? Any suggestions will be really appreciated!

thanks guys

 

[bikehog164]

Have a look here might help you,

http://www.seat61.com/bike-by-train.htm#.UyCtNfYzGo4

 

[Claudia]

it is probably the clearer version that I've read of it all, so far!

thanks

 

[robgul]

Sort of ... we (13 of us) came from Paris to London on Eurostar with bikes (having cycled past Montparnasse) - but we had ridden into Paris. The ride from Gare du Nord to Montparnasse is fairly painless ... lots of bus lanes to use.

Eurostar trains take only 8 bikes so the bikes went on two consecutive trains ... we all went on the same train (actually the 3rd train in the sequence) ... our bikes were already at St Pancras when our train got there. Bikes were loaded on the train through the parcels office - just wheeled on, All worked like clockwork (and some riders we talked to as they arrived at Paris when we were waiting for the train had no problem)

The fly in the ointment with your proposal for bike boxes is the size .. Eurostar reduced, significantly, the maximum luggage size last year ... making it virtually impossible to take anything bike-wise except a folder as in-carriage luggage. [Seat 61 baggage size for Eurostar is wrong - the max dimension is now 85cm according to Eurostar's website]

Not sure all that helps ... but it's probably worth phoning Rail Europe (which is now called Voyages SNCF) to explain your need and see what they say (or if you are in London they have an office on Piccadilly IIRC)

... all this begs the question : Why do you feel the need to take your bikes?

.. would seem to be a PITA to me - especially if you are going to watch the finish on the Champs [I've done that 3 times - twice to see Armstrong (5 & 7 ... before they were erased) and then to see Froome win ... a bike would have been a real nuisance.so many people around ....

Rob

 

[Claudia]

Thanks for your reply, Rob.

If eurostar website is up to date, we can take the bikes on bags / boxes that do not exceed 120x85cm or something like that. Need to take them to euro despatch and pay 30 odd quid each way - when on TGV they go as standard luggage.

We need the bikes because my mum lives in the middle of nowhere - literally - the closest coffee shop is 10km away so it's a good place to go for long rides as we'll be there for a week.

I do agree on the stop by in Paris to see the final but the plan is to come down early ish, despatch the bikes and then get the last train back to London. Hopefully it is doable.

Going without the bikes would be a lot easier indeed but my bf doesn't even want to consider that.

 

[robgul]

... the Eurostar bit : you used to be able to take bigger bags (even bike bags/boxes) into the carriage with you.

There have been lots of changes to the TGV trains in the last 3 or 4 years and many of them now take bikes not in a bag (or housse as they call it) ... they can be wheeled on like the trains here - if booked. That would seem to be the simplest - worth checking out (I have seen bikes wheeled on to TGVs at Gare Lyon in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Avignon, Montpelier and Nice) ... and for Eurostar send the complete bike via Euro Despatch, not boxed ... and ride from G du N to Montparnasse.

As you suggest - getting the bikes to G du N on the last morning and sending them off to London makes sense, while you enjoy the finish.

One point worth checking is the timing for the finish - 2013 (100th Tour) was special with an evening finish and fireworks - there were suggestions that the same idea could be repeated ..... that would affect your "last train" plan

Rob

 

[Claudia]

Yes, I know TGV takes fully assembled bikes as long as you book the slots. The problem is eurostar doesn't book slots for TGV trains, I'd have to do it with raileurope and I'd lose my friends discount. It would cost me a good extra £200 if not more...

Will have to look at all the details carefully. Not that I mind spending the night in Paris but then the return might cost more than the whole trip...

 

[bigjim]

I.m confused. Why are you taking the bikes to Paris if you just need them in Agen?

 

[robgul]

I just had a look back at the tickets we bought last year (we had a group rate for 13 passengers) - it was in effect two separate bookings - one for the people and one for the bikes (i.e. the two were not connected within the ticket and freight departments - it didn't seem necessary to have a passenger ticket to send a bike) ... that may just be a way to do it if TGV works the same way with separate bike tickets .. get your bargain tickets and book the bikes separately. [At Eurostar Freight, Spencer was the man who helped us sort it all]

Rob

 

[Claudia]

I.m confused. Why are you taking the bikes to Paris if you just need them in Agen?

Errr... I have to change trains in Paris, maybe?
Wish I didn't...

 

[Claudia]

I just had a look back at the tickets we bought last year (we had a group rate for 13 passengers) - it was in effect two separate bookings - one for the people and one for the bikes (i.e. the two were not connected within the ticket and freight departments - it didn't seem necessary to have a passenger ticket to send a bike) ... that may just be a way to do it if TGV works the same way with separate bike tickets .. get your bargain tickets and book the bikes separately. [At Eurostar Freight, Spencer was the man who helped us sort it all]

Rob

Yep, went to euro despatch today by Eurostar departures and got it all sorted. Will book the tickets tomorrow, go back there to pay for the reservations to get them guaranteed and then drop the bikes one day before as we leave on the first morning train.

Let's hope it all turns out just fine

 

[bigjim]

Errr... I have to change trains in Paris, maybe?
Wish I didn't...

No. Still not getting it. Talk to me slowly, no big words.
I've read it as you are flying to your mums, watching the time trial. Then the train to Paris to watch the finish and then back to your mums? Have I gone wrong?

 

[Claudia]

Yep, you got it wrong. I'm getting the train all the way there. So, London - Paris - Agen. Back to Paris, despatch bikes, champs élysées to watch the big final and then back to London. As I'm staying in Agen for the week, makes sense I take the bike

 

[bigjim]

Yep, you got it wrong. I'm getting the train all the way there. So, London - Paris - Agen. Back to Paris, despatch bikes, champs élysées to watch the big final and then back to London. As I'm staying in Agen for the week, makes sense I take the bike

Ah. Gotcha. Nice around Agen. I was there in September. Rode from Tours.
Found Paris, on the bike, a bit busier the year before. Have fun.