By train

If you prefer to get your orientation before venturing higher up, the next best method of arriving is by train.

Luc-en-Diois is easily accessible by train from most European cities but the trains are not frequent on the winding single track  from Valence to Briançon, which actually passes through the farm.  The last train from Valence on a Saturday leaves at 16.31 so you need to plan your journey backwards rather than forwards.  In other words, start with the train on which you intend to arrive at Luc-en-diois. 

If you are travelling from Scandinavia or Eastern Europe you will need to start out on  Friday evening to get here for Saturday afternoon. Most West European cities are, however, less than 10 hours away, and Paris is just four hours from Luc-en-diois if you get the right connections.

Please have a look on the timetables at the end of the page.

Night Train:

The night train takes 7 hours and uses much less energy per passenger than the TGV. It leaves Paris Austerlitz at 22.03 every night of the year and arrives at  5.51 but it only stops for us at Luc-en-diois in the summer. 

Morning Trains:

If you have a booking at Paulianne from Saturday to Saturday we suggest that you either  take the night train  from Paris, or stop over in Paris for the night, take a morning train to Valence and arrive at Luc-en-diois at 12.33, 13.47 , 16.24 or 18.10 on Saturday.   Either way we will meet you at the station.

Have a look at the European timetable we have assembled for travelling from many major cities across the continent, but do check the times and do try to book well in advance.  Unfortunately the procedures for buying train tickets are unnecessarily complicated and the SNCF website is deplorably bad. Many trains simply do not appear on their website and you will find better information on French trains by looking up Deutshbahn, or better still, finding a copy of Cook’s European Timetable. (Even the smallest French stations keep a copy of Cook’s.)  The fares can also fluctuate erratically between trains and it is usually cheaper to buy tickets on the net. In fact the best offers can only be bought on the net. If you experience difficulties, please telephone and we might be able to help.    

Returning:

Every  weekday except public holidays there is a train from Luc-en-diois at 7.06 that arrives at Valence Ville at 8.22 and Valence TGV at 8.37,  connecting  with the 8.54 TGV arriving in Paris at 11.05 in time for the 12.19 Eurostar that arrives in London at 14.09

There is a train every day from Luc-en-diois at 11.56, arriving at Valence Ville at 13.18.  This connects with the 13.36 arriving at  Lyon Airport at 14.06 and Paris Lyon at 16.01. The 17.10 Eurostar from Paris Nord arrives at Waterloo at 19.09.  The 14.20 from Valence TGV (served by a 20 min bus ride from Valence Ville) arrives at Charles de Gaulle Airport at 16.42, Lille at 17.43 and Brussels at 18.36.  The 18.36 from Lille arrives at Waterloo at 19.39.  This route to London takes half an hour longer than travelling via Paris but it avoids having to use the metro.  

An afternoon train leaves Luc-en-diois at 17.10, arriving at Valence Ville at 18.28 and Valence TGV at 18.52.  A  train for Paris leaves Valence Ville at 18.57, arriving at 21.15.  A  train for Lille leaves Valence TGV at  19.15 arriving at Charles de Gaulle Airport at 22.04 and Lille at 23.01 (too late for a connection to London).

The night train  leaves Luc-en-diois at 23.08 and arrives at Paris Austerlitz at 6.45. The 8.13 from Paris Nord gets into Waterloo at 10.13.  If you are booked to stay from Saturday to Saturday you might wish to get in a whole extra day by taking the night train back on the Saturday night but you will need to clear your room on the Saturday morning if there are other guests arriving.

By train, then car

Cars can be hired from all the usual companies at Valence Ville and Valence TGV stations but we strongly recommend a holiday without a car.  Some of our previous visitors have stayed on the farm for the whole of their stay, though most venture out to Luc-en-diois, Chatillon-en-diois and Die on market days.  There is a little bus that can take you to all three markets from our entrance.  We have also planned a number of local walks that fit in  with the bus timetable. They range from gentle strolls to ambitious climbs but you might prefer just to explore with a compass, a map, and maybe a GPS.

Europeans timetables: