Avignon pre cruise advice

Cruising out of Nice next year and going to spend a few nights in Avignon pre cruise; would it be best to fly into Nice, Marseilles or Paris, and then take the train from there?

Cruising out of Nice next year and going to spend a few nights in Avignon pre cruise; would it be best to fly into Nice, Marseilles or Paris, and then take the train from there?

The only way you can answer this question is by trying some dummy bookings on the dates you want to travel. You need to look at the airport you want to fly from and try various combinations with different airlines. When you look at the Paris cost check your arrival time and work out if a same day train south is available (I believe the journey is really fast).

You might find that costs differ depending on what day of the week you plan to fly. Airlines have different numbers of stopovers and some changes are more convenient than others.

Let me say that DW and I both love Avignon (and the surrounding region) and have rented apartments in that area on a few occasions. If the OP happens to be in Avignon on a Sunday, they should make sure to rent a car and drive to the fabulous Sunday market at L'Isle sur La Sorque (we often recommend this market here on CC).

As to which airport, given that the TGV trains stop at Avignon (where they have their own station) we think that they should compare the cost of air to both CDG (Paris) and Marseille. Not sure Nice Cote d'Azur is such a good option...unless there is a really great deal (unlikely) on a direct flight to that airport.

Hank

We arrived in Barcelona, and took the train from there to Avignon.

Avignon is a great spot in which to day trip the region. Be careful what train station you choose to get off on in Avignon, the one closest to the town center in not on the main line.

Enjoy

Srpilo

thanks for the input!

I hadn't thought about BCN but will check that out also

We arrived in Barcelona, and took the train from there to Avignon.

 

Avignon is a great spot in which to day trip the region. Be careful what train station you choose to get off on in Avignon, the one closest to the town center in not on the main line.

 

Enjoy

Srpilo

Just to clarify, there are two different stations (separated by a couple of miles) in Avignon. The main (Central) station is within site of the old town walls....and is used for regional trains. The newer station was built primarily for the high speed TGV trains (which run on different tracks) and is not within walking distance of the main part of town. However, there is very frequent shuttle bus service between the two stations. I should add that parking at the TGV station (which has a huge parking area) can be a nightmare for Americans without a working Chip/PIN card. We once got stuck in the parking lot when none of our credit cards would activate the exit gate...which caused a nasty situation since we could not go forward (gates) or backwards (more then 10 cars blocking our way). It was truly one of those "Seinfeld" moments (but we were the only ones laughing).

Hank