sportpix

My son wants me to visit him near Bergerac next month for his birthday but there are no direct flights from Faro. A suggestion was made to fly indirectly to Bergerac but the connections and flight times look dreadful. Another suggestion was made to fly to Bordeaux and then either hire a car or go by train to Bergerac (actually he's an hour by car southeast of Bergerac).

I'm quite happy to go by train but have just read some dated comments that the track is being relaid and so there is only a bus available. Is the train now running again and if so is it a simple or complicated way to get to the Bergerac area? I plan to have only one cabin bag with me so will be relatively mobile.

I just did a search for car hire and the cheapest I could find for four days was 208 euro. As I'm paying 270 euros a month for my hire car here that seems to be very excessive. My son reckons it would be a 3.5 hour drive to the place near Bergerac while the train seems like it would be somewhat faster and obviously much cheaper. If I choose the train is it best to pre-book the ticket or to buy on arrival?

Any advice would be gratefully received.

dmu

Hi, the SNCF website indicates regular TERs (regional trains) from Bordeaux to Bergerac, taking more or less 1h15 mins. There was no mention of works on the line when I just looked. If you have a Smartphone, you can buy the tickets on-line (www.sncf-connect.com), but seats in TERs can't be reserved..... At the time of writing, a one-way ticket costs less than 20€. My "Smartphone" isn't smart enough and, for a recent trip, I had to buy my TER tickets at the station....
Hope you find an itinerary which isn't too time-consuming and/or exhausting!
(Once you've arrived at Bergerac, presumably the forward journey to your son's will be straightforward?)

sportpix

Many thanks for this. I will be able to get a pick up in Bergerac. I’m slightly concerned about buying a train ticket forward as if the flight is delayed and I get in late and miss the train I will have to buy another ticket. And as it seems there are two trains, one from the airport to Bordeaux town then another to Bergerac, I’ve got waiting time to consider into the mix.

dmu

Out of interest, I had another look at the SNCF site - you don't have to pass through Bordeaux at all. You can go from Mérignan to Pessac, then another change at Libourne for the train to Bergerac, taking 2-3 hours in all, depending on the time of day.... and costing less than 20€.
I don't know what happens if you miss a train, but, contrary to TGVs where you need to book a seat before you can get on, I suspect that you can simply get on the next TER train. To be confirmed, as I've thrown my tickets away and can't check the wording, and it would be a pity to be told by the inspector on the platform that this isn't possible

sportpix

By way of an update, my son says that the nearest station to Saint Caprais 46520 (where his in-laws have a house) is somewhere called Cahors. Apparently it’s little more than half an hour by car to SC. Not sure how this affects the overall journey from BD airport

dmu

According to the SNCF site, it would be longer to go to Cahors by train from Mérignac. over 5 hours, and with a change in Bordeaux St Jean (main station) and another in Montauban.
On the other hand, Bergerac is much further away from Cahors than Montauban....
You've got the choice between a longer train ride or a longer car ride.
Don't miss a visit to the famous Pont Valentré in Cahors!