Travel to AofA09 in Frejus

Most AofA09 participants will probably land in Nice Airport. Here are some indications about what to do to get to Frejus--St Raphael. If you are coming from far and wish to break your journey, Nice is a good choice: it has many hotels, is an interesting city, and, in this perod of the year, should be very pleasant. In case you land in Marseille(s) or need/wish to break your journey in Paris, see the bottom of the page.

There are public transportation connections roughly every second hour, between Nice and Frejus/St Raphael, and the trip itself will be about 1h15 minutes. Here is a summary. You may also refer to the following sites:

Villa Clythia [in French]. Some information in English! They say the reception is open from 2pm to 8pm on Sundays.
Nice Airport.
- Access map 1: from Google Maps. Villa Clythia is the red A; the St Raphael train station is the blue D. (Google up Google maps; then search forFrejus, villa clythia.)
- Access map 2: in case you come by car (stolen from the web).

Notes

St Raphael and Frejus are adjacent cities. It seems taxis are more easily found from St Raphael than Frejus, for the last few kilometres or so that it takes to get to Villa Clythia.

Nice is the second largest airport in France with excellent facilities. The airport is close to the city and the main train station.

Details of the return trip are not listed here: there are symetrical ways to get back to Nice Airport, either in the early evening of Friday or the morning of Saturday (neither trains nor buses accumulate in Frejus!).

Warning: this is meant to be a survival kit, with indications on what to expect when you plan your trip; it's nothing but a quick compilation from the web.

0. SPECIAL AofA SHUTTLE BUS from Nice Airport, Terminal 2

SPECIAL SHUTTLE BUS: The organizers give more detailed/precise information here about a special shuttle bus leaving at 6:30pm (18:30) on Sunday from Nice Airport, Terminal 2, at "Point Information" [I believe this lies immediately outside the terminal on arrival level; please check once you've arrived].

1. BUS from Nice Airport to Frejus/St Raphael (train and bus station)

There are buses every day on 9.00 - 12.30 - 15.45 - 19.30 Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes. Departs: Nice, Terminal 1, platform 5; Terminal 2; platform 1. (busline AVIABUS, it'd seem).

Source: Nice Airport > Access and Parking > Busses and shuttles -> CHOOSE YOUR CITY.

The site of Villa Clythia also gives the schedule of another company, Car Phoceens, with buses leaving the airport at 8:15 and 12:15.

2. TRAIN from Nice (main train station) to St Raphael (train station)

On Sunday 14th June 2009, there are three direct trains that take about an hour: at 10h11, 16h01, 18h32.

Source: French Railways (SNCF).

From Nice Airport to Nice Main train station

The airport is fairly close to the city (estimate: 20 minutes). Either take one of the shuttle buses to Nice or a taxi.

3. TAXI from Nice Airport to Frejus

About 50 minutes. Rates on a Sunday, as of 2009, should be around 180Euros. It may be worth it, if there are two or three people together. Taxis go by the meter with moderate additional charges for luggage, airport, and 4th passenger. Tip (up to 10% for this fare) is entirely optional and it should reward the quality of service.

Source: Nice Airport > Access and Parking > Taxis.

4. CAR RENTAL from Nice Airport to Frejus

About 50 minutes. All the major car rental companies have a booth at Nice Airport. Since this is the beginning of the high season, it may be preferable to book in advance.

5. VIA/FROM MARSEILLE(S) --- just in case

This is probably only of value for those who would break their journey in Paris. Please note:

If you're starting your French journey from Paris (city, not airport), you're probably better off just taking the very fast trains to Marseille(s) (1st class is comfortable, but 2nd class is OK). Duration is 3 hours. There are trains every hour, leaving from "Gare de Lyon" in central Paris.
- There is a train from Paris to St Raphael leaving Paris at 7:46 am and reaching St Raphael at 12:22. Duration: 4h36min. [Credit: Wojtek Szpankowski!]
Marseilles' airport is far away from the city on the North. A shuttle bus probably takes some 45 minutes and a taxi ride is probably about 70 Euros to the main train station in Marseilles [called "Gare St Charles"]..
Marseille--St Raphael, on Sunday, has trains at 7:26, 10:59, 14:29, 15:57. Duration is around 1h45.

flajolet

Last modified: Fri Jun 12 19:17:14 CEST 2009