I will be attending a conference in Dijon in June and need to get there from the US (Boston).
Can someone please let me know what airlines fly to Dijon and if there are direct flights from London as I may go through there instead?
I'm finding flights to Paris from Boston and would have to cross the city and get two trains to get to Dijon. Since I'm travelling internationally with suitcases, would prefer to have a more direct route.
Thankx.
I don't think there are flights from London to Dijon. There are very few flights into the airport, even the airport website suggests flying to Geneva and taking a train from there.
As far as I know, the airport near Dijon is only for small private planes, and I don't think there are any commercial flights that land there.
You'll probably need to get from CDG to Gare de Lyon, and then there are frequent trains from there to Dijon. Since you're worried about luggage, one method of reaching Gare de Lyon from CDG is via Air France buses ( you don't need to have flown on AF). On the internet, look for "Cars Air France " for current prices and departure locations. Your luggage will be placed in a luggage bin below the bus, and off-loaded ad Gare de Lyon. Then, you'll need to walk about 50 m to the station entrance, and look for the correct platform for your departing train ( TGV). You can reserve your ticket on the TGV online, and retrieve the ticket at the ticket windows ( Guichets) at Gare de Lyon. You could probably be ready for departure on a TGV 2-3 hours after your plane arrives-- but that always assumes that your plane will be at the gate on time.
It's true there are no flights to Dijon from London or Paris. However, the rest of the information above should be ignored. Fly into CDG. From there hop on the TGV to Lyon (yes, right from the airport - no need to go into Paris). Trains are frequent. Change in Lyon to Dijon and voilà! Buy your tickets as soon as possible 92 days before the date of travel to get the best prices.
I disagree with the plan of going via Lyon for several reasons:
You would need to pay for one ticket from CDG to Lyon, and another from Lyon to Dijon
The transfer in Lyon sounds simple on paper,but the tracks ( and platforms) in Lyon PD are elevated above the level of the station. If the connecting time is short, it can be frustrating trying to push through a large crowd of people on the platform to get to the stairs or escalators or elevators to get to the station level and from there to the appropriate departure platform. I often have bad luck, and discover that the escalators or elevators are out of service, and then I have to haul my luggage down stairs and then up another set of stairs.
If the connecting time is long, then you have to deal with spending time waiting ( and the fatigue after a long flight. From Lyon to Dijon will likely take about 2 more hours, so you'll likely spend 4 hrs travel time plus time waiting for the connecting train.
I forgot to add that, at least in the past, there has been a TGV direct from Dijon to CDG, leaving about 07:15, so you might check current schedules for your return to CDG!
<<You would need to pay for one ticket from CDG to Lyon, and another from Lyon to Dijon>>
No. It's easy as pie to reserve the whole voyage in one fell swoop. You will end up with two ticket segments, but it's not rocket science.
And changing trains in Lyon isn't a headache, either, no more so than changing trains anywhere in France. You always have to push your way through people to get to your next platform. You're making this out to sound way more difficult than it is.
And the Air France shuttle is no longer called Les Cars Air France, hasn't been for a year or two. They are now Le us Direct. Sounds like your information is out of date.