How Do I Get To Ecole Des Trois Ponts?
By Jayne Seagrave
Like many women who travel alone, my biggest anguish is not about whether I will break my arm/leg/luggage handle en route, loose my wallet or phone, have insufficient suitable clothes, or suffer a natural disaster which my travel insurance does not cover. No, none of these stresses me. My biggest concern is with the arrival at my chosen destination. How will I make the journey from the airport/railway station/bus station to the first night at my chosen hotel/Air B&B. This was the case when I first committed to the two-week French Language Course at Ecole Des Trois Ponts. Where actually is Roanne, a town I had not heard of, and how do I get to there?
I would be arriving at Lyon International Airport. The School is in Roanne – 122 kilometres away…how should I navigate the French trains and buses and buy the tickets and arrive refreshed and on time. How can I do this when my French Language Skills are a very long way from fluent? Stress!
I have now undertaken this journey well over ten times so can write from experience….it looks complicated…it is not.
Most French Language Students arrive at Lyon International Airport, which is connected to the City of Lyon by a fantastic subway service. The “Rhoneexpress” (www.rhoneexpress.fr) is located on the -1 level of the main TGV station. From the Airport Terminal it is about a ten-minute walk to the clean, efficient, safe trains with ample luggage room and which operate every 20-30 minutes from the Airport to Lyon. While it is possible to save three Euros and purchase tickets from the machine (which have English instructions) at the station, I always opt for buying my ticket from the English-speaking staff member on the train, thus avoiding pressing the wrong buttons on the machine and purchasing a ticket I can not use. The one-way fare is around Euros 20.00.
It takes about 30 minutes to complete the journey which terminates in Lyon Part Dieu Railway Station. It often seems to me like the entire population of Europe has decided to visit Lyon the same day I have decided to visit the same day I have. Consequently, navigating the crowds is an art which is required here.
From the station you can purchase train tickets from the SNCF machines to Roanne, or purchase them in advance from SNCFCONNECT (www.sncf-connect.com) or The Train Line (www.thetrainline.com). Trains operate approximately every hour and while there is a first class option, there is not a lot of difference between first and second class. About fifteen minutes prior to departure from Lyon Part Dieu large sign boards in the concourse will display from which platform the train departs – be aware sometimes there is not that much time between this announcement and walking to the platform. Tickets are checked upon entering the platform and occasionally on the train itself. The picturesque journey through the French Countryside between Lyon and Roanne takes about an hour.
Upon arrival in Roanne (normally Sunday around 4.00pm when the schools intake is scheduled) taxis can be booked to the school. Students receive information about this prior to their arrival from the School itself.
I often walk to Ecole Des Trois Ponts from the station. It takes about 30 minutes and is a lovely option if you are not too tired, nor dragging a big suitcase.
I have also become somewhat of an expert on the hotels at Lyon International Airport. If I have an early morning flight. Often when the course is finished, I leave the school on Saturday and fly back to my home in Canada on Sunday. On these occasions I stay at the IBIS Budget Hotel, a great, clean functional hotel a short ten-minute walk from the Airport Terminal. Intermittent shuttle buses are available from this hotel to the terminal, but their schedule is erratic, and taxi drivers are reluctant to take passengers on this short journey. There are more expensive four-star hotels (Hilton, NH) located at the Terminal itself.
I have also stayed in Lyon, close to the Part Dieu Railway Station where there are many convenient hotels to suit every budget, including IBIS.
Driving from the Airport to Ecole Des Trois Ponts takes between 1h30-2 hours depending on traffic.
In summary, while initially it may appear to be daunting arriving at a large French airport and travelling alone to a fantastic quaint French Language School in a town you have not heard of, it is not – and believe me – it is well worth the effort.
Dr Jayne Seagrave is a British Columbian Best Selling Author. The ninth edition of her book Camping in British Columbia was published by Heritage House Publishing in April 2023. Over 60,000 of her camping books have been sold. She has attended Ecole Des Trois Ponts on five separate occasions over the last four years and is a regular contributor to the Blog Site. See: www.jayneseagrave.com