taking bike to Avignon TGV by train

If you live in London, or have some time there to spare, this is the way to do it:

There are some TGVs [*] between Paris and Avignon which have space for several bikes in one of the coaches. It costs 10€ to book a space. 

At the same time as you buy your own tickets, book your bike onto Eurodespatch where it can travel unboxed, unfolded and in a state of nature. This costs £30 iirc.

Take it to Eurodespatch early so they can put it on an earlier Eurostar than the one you'll travel on, and it will be at the pick-up place at Gare du Nord waiting for you when you arrive. 

Cycle to gare de Lyon, it takes 10 minutes and is difficult to go wrong.

On the return trip do same thing in reverse, or if you can't get the bike on earlier Eurostar be ready to collect it later when you get London.

[*] this may be seasonal, or they may sell out very quickly. When I haven't been able to get one I've used Intercité or TER trains, which are much slower but you don't need to book or pay for your bike.

In contrast with one of the other comments which moaned about the attitude of French train staff, I've found them always to be very friendly and helpful. The same goes for the Eurodespatch people.

Last year I was an route to Girona with my girlfriend, we hired bikes there, and noticed two English guys get on with bikes at Gare du Lyon, they also travelled to Girona. One bike was in a clear plastic bag but I'm not sure about the other. The guys had travelled the same way as we did via Eurostar so it is possible.  The staff on the  SNCF train were clearly happy with the arrangements so if you can get your bike to Paris then you should be OK.  It might be worth biting the bullet and going with Eurostar and sending your bike ahead which they allow.

Saddly this highlights the lack of interest in having proper inegrated transport policies which take into account the needs of cycling. And this in an era of trying to reduce carbon emisions and concerns about health issues related to sedentary lifestyles. This will only change when governments intervene and legislate.

Excuse the rant about EUROSTAR - sorry not sorry... I've successfully used them before for bike trips to Brussels and Paris.

So I finally established after petty time consuming research that Eurostar don't allow any bikes on their service either in a bike bag or in their bike/luggage compartment to Avignon (among other places).  They outlined their lame reason for this here http://road.cc/content/forum/138972-eurostar-no-longer-carries-bikes-avi...

Their webpages are confusing. For instance their own bike dedicated webpage doesnt answer its own question: https://www.eurostar.com/uk-en/travel-info/travel-planning/luggage/bikes...

Which routes can I bring my bike on?

<blockquote>Bikes cannot be taken on all our routes, even if they’re in a protective box or case.
routes, even if they’re in a protective box or case.

Bikes larger than 85cm long can’t travel to or from:

Ashford International
Ebbsfleet International
Calais Fréthun
Disneyland® Paris
Lyon Part-Dieu
Avignon TGV
Marseille Saint-Charles
Ski destinations

If you’re travelling to any of these destinations, our partner First Luggage may be able to help. As a Eurostar customer you’ll receive an exclusive discount.<blockquote>

So I phoned up First Luggage and they quoted me £140 one way door to door for a bike  It was guessed (!!??)  about £40 if disassembled and was the size of a large suitcase:

174cm size. 87 x 57 x 29

I wasn't quoted what the discount would be and was basically told we cant give accurate costs because they needed to see what turned up.

So the second option of booking a £30 place on Eurostar to Paris (ONE WAY TO AVIGNON IS CURRENTLY ONLY £49!?) then a change to French rail for the second leg sounds by all accounts above to be an ordeal.

The Eurodespatch company that Eurostar use for bike bookings is very 1996. "First, to check availability and book your bike, email EuroDespatch [at] eurostar.com" - no phone, no online booking just email.

It was mostly a copy and paste job in emails with them after that:

Dear (they used my surname) ,

I am afraid we do not provide service to Avignon the only destions which we do have servise for bikes are London to Paris Gare Du Nord ,Lille and Brussels if you wish to pre-book in one of this destination then would you precise the date ,time and the destination so we can check availability for your bike thank you .

regards

I can't for the life of me understand why from a commercial POV Eurostar is so low tech and disinterested in customers using their service to travel with their bikes. From poorly worded faq to outdated customer service  and outsourced companies that treat bicycles as an afterthought. Maybe the sheer number of cyclists from the UK wanting to do the famed Mount Ventoux has made it unsustainable? Short term thinking in my eyes.

The suggested option of hiring a bike down there instead? Thanks for the links ove one and all.

A quick look however https://www.francebikerentals.com/our-bikes and it's €40 per day for a touring bike which seems steep to me IMO if i was to hire for 6 days that works out at €240. They have already made back maybe a third of the bike on an approximate value of the bike.

It's down right effing annoying how difficult it is to actually take your own bike down to what is a wonderful part of the world to cycle. I wonder if eurostar will ever review their carrier rules which is so frustrating to cycle tourists. Surely the tourist board of Provence and UK/French cycling groups should lay pressure on what is a monopoly by eurostar and a undeserving one at that?

As for my cycling trip in May it's looking unlikely now as rentals seem overpriced and i dont fancy flying which requires an ache of ballage using rail was meant to take away.

Considered driving?

I've driven to Northern Italy a few times.  Having travelled to the same region a dozen times the hassle factor of ferry + drive is less than flying + hire.  It's nice being able to throw in all your bike spares / tools / gels / drink mixes / spare kit etc etc & not worry about weight.  As family with kids, 3* bikes hanging off the back of the car and one driver, 700km in a day seemed easy.  Plenty of time for a nice lunch break & stopping early in the evening.  If you're able to share the driving you could get to Avignon in  day from Calais.

Agree with all the comments above. I've done a fair few trips to the Alps and so far the easiest has been: fly to Geneva, hire a car, drive yourself and your bike to where you want to go.

We travelled from Bordeaux by train with 2 bike boxes (they were longer than 120cm). When I bought the ticket at the station I asked if I needed to pay extra or book the bike on. Was told no, as it was just luggage. On the train and even though it fitted fine in the luggage compartment the guard told me we should have paid. He was nice enough, didn't charge us but recommended we do the right thing next time.

So, the return trip - same question to the ticket person, explained that I was told I should pay for it as its a bike. Told no again, not required. Told off on the train again. All very French, but that's why I love the place!

Another point well made above is the hassle of train stations with a bike. Even with an EVOC bag its a pain, there seems to be a lot of steps in French train stations, and little in the way of lifts or ramps.

I'd just get on. Once you're on the train it's unlikely they'll throw you off for having a bigger than normal piece of luggage. Or just fly to Geneva and hire a car.

+1 with the bike hire idea. The last two times I've been to France I left the bike ay home and hired a carbon fibre, 105 equipped bike when I was there. These places are often owned and run by British ex-pats.

Its a couple of years ago since I did it this way, I'm pretty sure the rule was 120cm then. I can't remember how long my soft bag is at the mo.

Eurostar was more of a pain, as the baggage racks coudn't take my soft bike bag, but the guard was ok, with it being in the aisle. I doubt its the same now. Getting across Paris was a nightmare, but only because we used the Metro. Its only 2 stops, but the metro is too busy & there's too many stairs,escalators. I'd use a taxi like you're thinking, but not all big taxi's will oblige I'm told. You might have to pay extra?

SNCF was a dodle compared to Eurostar, most carriages have big racks to accommadate push chairs, big suitcases. My big bag fitted fine. But there's not much room in the seating compartment for your own. We went from Garde Nord to Valance.

Would I do it this way again, never!

If you don't like flying then ok, but I would rather fly, plenty of carriers, although I'll always be heading to Lyon, but there are flights to Avignon. From Lyon, I hire are car and drive to the Alps, its only an hour and a half, roads are great. Car hire £121 for the week.

Last September I flew with BA from Heathrow to Lyon for £118 return. That included 25kg hold luggage & a cabin bag big enough to take my off bike clothing. Hold luggage allowance was big enough for my ridgid bike boke, like you Evoc, no extra surcharge, like Easy Jet or Ryan Air. 25kg is plenty if you use your Evoc bag to take crah helmets, cycling clothing etc etc.

Other options, don't take you bike! I chap we met at Velo Vercors caught the train, and rented his bike, a full carbon Trek, with 105, which was deliverd to Velo Vercors. He said his trip on the train was very relaxing without bringing the bike!

http://www.francebikerentals.com/rentals

There loads of other places in Avignon that rent bikes, including ones in Bedion, which isn't that far from Avignon

http://www.provence-cycling.co.uk/bike-rental/offer-6-2.html

One other option is to get a steel frame and have S&S couplers installed on it, then it'll fit in what is really an oversized suitcase, which you can get on the train or plane as ordinary luggage. Or a Ritchey Breakaway frame does a similar thing. I have a Reynolds 931 frame with S&S couplers, so I don't pay airline surcharges for bike boxes, as its within the size limits. Its not a cheap option, but I can use the train or plane without any size hassle.

My limited experience of French railways suggests that their staff's officiousness rises and falls in line with the numbers of passengers.  If you travel at a quiet time/on a quiet day you will be left in peace.  If you share a train with a thousand others the harrassed SNCF personnel somehow feel the need to stamp their authority on somebody.  It might be you!