La Min-sú de Terrasson

Getting here

W

e recommend you to combine your stay at our min-sú with a few days in London, Paris, Bordeaux or Porto or make it part of a longer European tour.

Find out how to arrive directly by plane, train or coach from Paris, Lyon, London, Barcelona, Porto or Lisbon. Or how to avoid Paris by traveling through Bordeaux or Toulouse.

Pick-up and drop-off at train station, airport or long distance coach stop in Brive-la-Gaillarde, just 20 minutes away, can be arranged and is very convenient. Or you can take a train from Bordeaux to Terrasson. (Please note that pick-up & drop-off is only included for guests who purchase our packages. Or could be arranged by demand.)

Arriving by train at Brive-la-Gaillarde or Terrasson

Traveling by train remains the best & romantic way to travel around Europe. It allows you to experience the distance and changing landscapes in comfort. To travel by train from Paris to Brive take the SNCF intercity train leaving from Paris Gare d'Austerlitz, or avoid Paris and hop onto the TGV high speed train to Bordeaux directly from Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) train station underneath terminal 2.

Getting to Gare d'Austerlitz
The easiest way to get from CDG to Gare d'Austerlitz (or central Paris) is by train, which runs every 15 minutes from 5h00 to 23h45 from terminal 2. You will find the train by following the 'Paris by train' signs with the 'RER' 'B' logos. Take the RER B to St-Michel/Notre-Dame, then change to RER C in the direction of Massy-Palaiseau/Dourdan/St-Marin-d’Étampes.

Or change from the RER B to Metro line 5 (orange) at Gare du Nord, in the direction of Place d'Italie. The Gare d'Austerlitz metro station is next to the train station. The ticket you buy for the RER B train from CDG to Paris covers this transfer so no additional fare is necessary. Keep your ticket to use in the turnstiles as needed to make the transfer.

Booking (early) through the SNCF websites
The French National Railway Company (SNCF) operates the major intercity trains including intercity trains and the high speed TGV trains. SNCF sells tickets with an allocated (guaranteed) seat number. Early booking online can be very favourable for the SNCF operated trains, when you just walk in to Gare d'Austerlitz and buy a ticket for the next train to Brive it will set you back over 70 euro, whiles booking 3 months in advance could land you a ticket for just 15 euro .

'Not sure which train you catch; we had guests buying tickets for two consecutive trains, spending 30 euro, so still saving more then half.'

You find the SNCF website (in English) here.

Local train services are operated by regional railways like the TER Aquitaine between Bordeaux, Périgueux, Limoges and Terrasson. Regional railways do not offer early booking nor do they offer a 'first class', (which on some online platforms shows them as 'full' instead of the more accurate; 'no early booking available, just walk in') which is confusing, but they are 'never full', no seat numbers are allocated or guaranteed, which in some unlikely event may mean you have to sit on your suitcase.

'Local trains have great 'group offers' (Tribu), with 20% discount travelling in twos, 30% as a trio, 40% for four persons and even half price if you gather 5 or more!'

You find the TER tickets website (only in French) here.

Arriving by plane at Brive Airport

Brive has a new airport, the old airport in town has closed, the new name is Brive Dordogne Valley Airport (code BVE), about 5 km outside Brive on the Brive – Toulouse A20 highway in Nespouls.

The airport is not served by public transport, but taxis are available in front of the airport for each arrival.

• Daily flights (except sat) to & from Paris (Orly Airport) and seasonal flights to Nice are operated by Amélia. Find out more and book through the Amélia website or the BVE airport website.
• Flights to and from London (Stansted), Brussels (Charleroi) and Portugal (Porto) are operated by Ryanair several times a week. Please check flight schedules at: the Ryanair website.
• Please check (seasonal) flight schedules at: www.aeroport-brive-vallee-dordogne.com (English)

Getting to Orly Airport
There are several ways to get from CDG to Orly Airport (Paris Orly International Airport). Easiest would be the 'Air France Bus'. You can buy a ticket at the machine or from the driver. The journey takes a minimum of 45 mins (be aware traffic can be an issue especially during the rush hours) + bus goes in every 30 minutes + possible delay arrival. To avoid missing your connecting flight, we advise you to spare at least 3.5 – 4 hours in between two flights.

Another one would be by RER train changing at Antony station to the Orly Airport line.

Arriving by long distance coach at Brive-la-Gaillarde

The cheapest way to travel around Europe. Several long distance coach companies, linking destination to the south (Spain or Portugal) with Paris, or Bordeaux with Lyon, will stop at Brive (daily). The bus is clean with good WIFI and drivers have to take regular stops to rest (there is a machine that logs their activity). The bus terminal in Paris is at the small 'Bercy train station', which has a metro station next to it.

• Flixbus operates coaches to many destinations in France and Europe incl. Nantes, Toulouse, Lyon and Paris. Find out more through their website (English).
• BlaBlaCar operates ride-sharing (covoiturage) and buses around France. Find out more through their website (English).

Avoiding Paris

Not a great fan of Paris (join the club), hop onto the TGV directly from CDG Airport, or avoid Paris altogether by traveling from a large number of international destinations through Bordeaux or Toulouse.

'We have dropped guest at the Terrasson railway station after breakfast who arrived in Malaga (Spain) by tea-time flying through Bordeaux'.

Find out more on our detourism-pages for Bordeaux and Toulouse.