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There are an infinite number of ways to get to Cavalaire. We have tried many of them. Each has its
advantages and disadvantages depending on where you are coming
from, when you need to leave and what you want to do when you are
there. Don't dismay if your brain hurts after considering
all of the options.
By Airplane
From
CDG
you can fly into either
Marseille
(MRS)
or Nice (NCE) on Air
France.
You can also catch
Easy Jet;
however, going down it is an 8 pm flight and coming back it is a
6:15 a.m. flight (which requires you to leave the apartment at
about 3 a.m.)
You can fly into Toulon from Orly on AF, but that
requires getting across town to Orly from CDG. (We have not done
that.)
Other options are to fly into Marseille or Nice
from London Heathrow or Gatwick (on BA), London Stansted (on Ryan
Air), Frankfurt (on LH), or Madrid (on IB) although IB is very
expensive.
Both Marseille and Nice airport are about a 2 hour
drive to Cavalaire.
Many times in the past we have flown to NCE from
CDG and then rented a car. We then flew back to CDG the
night before and stayed either at the airport at the Ibis or
downtown at the Hotel Lux Picpus.
By Train
Paris CDG to Aix en Provence TGV, Marseille, Les
Arcs Draguignan, Toulon or Nice: If you fly into Paris
CDG, you can catch the TGV from the airport to Provence. The
train goes through Lyon, to Aix en Provence TGV and then
Marseille. It then continues on to Toulon, Les Arcs
Draguignan and Nice. It takes between 4 1/2 to 5 hours
depending on your destination and is a beautiful ride. It
goes about 200 mph.
Reservations can be made in advance on
RailEurope.com
and tickets can be sent to you in advance. Or you can make
your reservation of
Voyages-SNCF.com
and pick your tickets up at the
ticket counter when you get there. (Please note, if you
attempt to use the ticket machines at the train station to pick up
your ticket you will need a European issued credit card.)
The train will be listed on the
departure billboard about an hour before departure but the
track won't be displayed until 10 minutes before the train leaves.
As you walk towards the track, make sure to validate your tickets
by getting getting them stamped in one of the
yellow machines before you take the escalator down. Once
you get down to the track, look for the
train display which will tells you where your car will be
located, and then go to that location to wait. If you have
an assigned seat, make sure you are sitting in the correct one.
Tip:
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Catching the TGV down is easy. There is an
11:42 a.m. direct TGV that gets you into Les Arcs Draguignan at
4:45 p.m. Les Arcs is a 1 hour drive to the apartment
compared to 2 hours from Nice or Marseille.
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We have taken the TGV to the new Aix en Provence
TGV train station which was easy to get to and less traffic than
going into Nice or Marseille. Note: the Aix en
Provence TGV station is halfway between the Marseille Marigane
airport (MRS) and downtown Aix. It is not the one in the
center of Aix.
Map showing Marseille airport and Aix en Provence TGV
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If you have a 2 p.m. or earlier return flight out
of CDG, you won't be able to take the train from Nice, Les Arcs or
Toulon and make it in time. You can do it if you go in and
out of the Aix En Provence TGV or Marseille station instead, but
you have to get up very early. We got up at 3
a.m. to make the 6:15 a.m. train out of the Marseille St. Charles
station. We won't be doing that again.
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Last time we left the day before our return flight
from CDG and
took the train to Lyon where we stayed for the night across from
the station at the
Hotel Campanile Part-Dieu Lyon. We had a nice dinner and
walk in town, and then caught an early train the next morning up
to CDG.
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Car Rental
Renting a car is pretty much a necessity.
Cars can be rented at the airports or train stations. We
have found that Avis or National/Alamo tend to be the cheapest.
The Cartwrights have a company that they have used for monthly
rental.
As of this writing, renting the smallest car that
you can will cost
Rent a small car because roads are narrow, parking
spaces are small and gas is very expensive. Having a big car
is a big disadvantage.
When your rent your car, make sure to check every
inch of it for scratches and have them note it. They will
try and get you for them if you don't.
Not all credit cards include CDW insurance in
Europe. Make sure to check your card and use it. Most
home car insurance does not cover you in Europe. If you are
not sure, pay the insurance.
Directions from Nice Airport to Cavalaire.pdf
Directions form Aix en Provence TGV train station to Cavalaire
Bus & Taxi
You can get to Cavalaire from Toulon by taxi
or bus, but then you are stuck at the apartment which is 1 1/2
miles up the hill. Currently we don't have a bike or scooter
but might get one in the future if car rentals get any more
expensive.
Sodetrav
is the bus line that runs up and down the coast. You can
catch it at the bottom of the hill at the bus stop on the main
road down by the market. Pay for your ticket on the bus in
cash with exact change.
Sodetrave-Toulon-St Tropez - To July 09.pdf
Sodetrave-Toulon Airport-St Tropez - To April 09.pdf
Taking a taxi to Toulon will set you back about
$125 or more, but here are some numbers just in case:
Taxi ROGER: 94
64 47 05
Taxi Porchon: 94 64 29 47
Taxi Roger Abraham 94 64 47 05 Charming
ex-Air France employee. Speaks English. Spends 6
months/year in Cavalaire.
Note: The above numbers are now quite old
and may be defunct.
Summary
There are a lot of ways to get to Cavlaire and get back
based on your plans. Our favorite is to take the TGV down
from CDG and then either take the train back or fly back the day
before.
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