How to get to PAF, by car, train, taxi or foot

Performing Arts Forum
15 Rue Haute
02820 St Erme Outre et Ramecourt, France
email: contactpaf@gmail.com
To ask for a stay, simply write us an email with your desired dates and we will let you know if there is space for you. We can only allow visitors who received a confirmation from us via email.

PAF is in the small village of St. Erme, in the northernmost region of France called Hauts-de-France, 160km from Paris and 200km from Brussels. The closest larger towns are Laon (20km) & Reims (35km). You can ask anyone in St. Erme for help finding the old Couvent (convent), rue Haute 15.

By CAR
You can ask anyone in St. Erme for help finding the old Couvent (convent), rue Haute 15. Note for GPS users: Rue Haute 15 is sometimes called rue des Charretiers 2.

Carpooling
PAF classifieds is a site for apartment swaps, ride-sharing, and object exchange. It’s aimed to enable people to travel for less and/or not to pay two rents when coming to PAF.
Facebook group for travel between Paris & PAF
Facebook group for travel between Amsterdam or Brussels & PAF

BlaBlaCar (drivers usually publish their ride 2-3 days before departure)

Car Rental
https://www.intermarche.com/
Others we could check out in Laon:
https://goo.gl/maps/HRTUNmEwGznaGq25A
https://goo.gl/maps/ujB2SRHueCmGofWw9
https://goo.gl/maps/hJKHcMqkJKNeLsyH8
Many more options in Reims, including the one next to the TGV station: https://goo.gl/maps/RXoi1pggP9Uj72cM9

To park at PAF: you can enter with the car in the entrance courtyard of the building. If the parking is full you can park along the road on the side of the building wall. There is no parking fee.

By TRAIN or BUS
PAF is in St. Erme, a very small town with a train station that’s 2.3km from PAF (35 min walk gradually uphill, or a short taxi ride). Each of the itineraries below end at St. Erme station—skip to the “by foot” and “taxi” sections for more info from there.

Trainline (Europe train & bus)
This can be useful for booking trips that cross national borders, because it searches trains & buses across multiple sites. However, it doesn’t always find all the routes, especially the regional trains. And it may be more expensive than booking on the national rail sites. We recommend using this to find routes from other countries to PAF and then cross-searching on the individual national rail sites to see if you can get a cheaper ticket.
SNCF Connect (France train & bus; can also book regional trains here)
TER Hauts de France (Regional/local trains; can’t access the high-speed TGV; this website is in french but you can use google translate; sometimes you can find a cheaper ticket here using instructions below)
On the TER website, sometimes reduced "prix cassés" can be found if booked in advance for certain connections. To find “prix cassés”, click Bon Plans in the menu tool bar of the website

Paris Metro Trip Planner (also google maps can work)
Flixbus - cheap bus tickets all over Europe.
Examples:
Amsterdam (multiple stations) — Paris (Bercy Seine) 8hr
Brussels (multiple stations) — Paris (Bercy Seine) 5hr

BlaBlaCar Bus - cheap bus and carpools all over Europe.
Examples:
Amsterdam Sloterdijk — Paris (Bercy Seine) 8hr
Bruxelles-Midi — Paris (Bercy Seine) 5hr

Routes: from Nearby

Most of the longer routes from Paris, Brussels, etc. will end in one of these places, here’s how to finish the journey. These trains don’t sell out and the prices are pretty stable so you can buy the ticket at the station, or even on the train (for an extra charge).

Route 1: from Reims Main Station (Gare Centre)
Reims is 35km from PAF. If you miss the train below, see “taxi” section.

Regional Train: Reims Main Station – Saint-Erme (32 min, 8€) (July 2023 timetable)

Route 2: from Reims/Bezannes TGV Champagne-Ardenne
Many bus & train routes will take you to this station on the far side of Reims, which is 51km from PAF. If you miss the train below, see “taxi” section.

Regional Train: Champagne-Ardenne TGV — Reims Main Station (15min, 3€)
(July 2023 timetable)
Then follow Route 1 above.

Route 3: from Laon
Laon is 20km from PAF. If you miss the train below, see “taxi” section.

Regional Train: Laon – Saint-Erme (train toward Reims) (12 min, 4€)

Routes: from Paris

Route 4: from Paris Nord (Gare du Nord)
Regional Train: Paris Gare du Nord – Laon 95 min, 24€
Then follow Route 3.

Route 5: from Paris Est (Gare de L'Est)
High Speed Train (TGV): Paris Gare de L'Est – Reims (Gare Centre) 50min, 20-60€
Then follow Route 1.

Route 6: from Paris Bercy-Seine Bus Station
2 bus options from Bercy-Seine:

BlaBlaCar Bus:
Gare Bercy-Seine — Reims/Bezannes TGV Champagne-Ardenne (2hr, 7€)
Then follow Route 2.

Flixbus:
Paris (Bercy Seine) — Reims/Bezannes TGV Champagne-Ardenne (2hr, 9€)
Then follow Route 2.

Route 7: from Paris Charles De Gaulle (CDG) Airport
There are many train routes from CDG to Saint-Erme.

The most direct/cheapest/fastest route is actually this local bus + train route, which won’t come up when you search the national rail site:

Airport Inter-terminal Train (CDGVAL) to Terminal 3 bus station (Roissypôle)
Bus 691 (platform E3): Roissypôle – Crepy-en-Valois (45 min, 1€)
(March 1, 2023 timetable) You can buy the ticket on the bus (cash or credit card), which sometimes has WIFI & air conditioning
Regional Train: Crepy-en-Valois — Laon (1 hr, 15€)
Then follow Route 3 from Laon.

Route 8: from Paris ORLY Airport
Orly hosts mostly small airlines from select cities, including:
FrenchBee from Newark, Miami, LA, SF
EasyJet from Berlin, Venice
WizzAir from Rome, Warsaw
Transavia from Lisbon, Athens
Vueling from Dublin, Milan, Valencia, Florence, Barcelona
Lufthansa from Munich

2 transit options from ORLY:

BlaBlaCar Bus
Orly Airport (from Parking P5) — TGV Champagne-Ardenne (Reims)
(2.5 hrs, 10€)
Then follow Route 2.

Metro (station ‘Antony’) to…
Gare du Nord (35 min, 4€) Then follow Route 4.
Gare de l'Est (35 min, 4€) Then follow Route 5.
CDG Airport (60 min, 20€) Then follow Route 7.

Route 9: from Beauvais Airport
Ryan Air airport to UK, Helsinki, Portugal, Spain and more

Airport bus shuttle: Beauvais — Paris (Porte Maillot) (75min,17€)
Metro: Porte Maillot — Chatelet — Gare du Nord (30min, 2€)

Then follow Route 4.

Routes: from Brussels

There are many train/bus routes from Brussels.

High Speed Train (TGV):
Bruxelles Midi Brussel Zuid — Reims/Bezannes TGV Champagne-Ardenne (2h 40min, 60-100€)
Once per day, there’s a direct high speed TGV train (that doesn’t go through Paris so it’s more direct, and may be cheaper than Thalys) to Champagne-Ardenne TGV station.

Flixbus: Brussels (multiple stations) — Reims/Bezannes TGV Champagne-Ardenne
7hr, 50€
Then follow Route 2.

BlaBlaCar Bus: Bruxelles-Midi — Reims/Bezannes TGV Champagne-Ardenne
7hr, 25€
Then follow Route 2.

Routes: from Amsterdam

There are many train/bus routes from Brussels. Thalys is the fastest/most expensive.

Flixbus: Amsterdam (multiple stations) — Reims/Bezannes TGV Champagne-Ardenne
10hr, 60€
Then follow Route 2.

BlaBlaCar Bus: Amsterdam Sloterdijk — Reims/Bezannes TGV Champagne-Ardenne
10hr, 30€
Then follow Route 2.

Routes: from Berlin

There are many train/bus routes from Berlin, expect at least 9hr, 150€ for trains.

Flixbus: Berlin (multiple locations) — Reims/Bezannes TGV Champagne-Ardenne
15hr, 40-80€ Then follow Route 2.
There is a direct flixbus from Berlin Brandenburg Airport to Reims and one from Berlin Hbf (Central Station) to Reims. There’s many more that follow this route with a transfer in Leipzig, Frankfurt, Prague, etc.

By TAXI
Uber is not very active in the region. Consider taking taxis instead.
TAXI Leblanc +33(0)323226909
Call them beforehand as they have to come from St Erme: “Bonjour je voudrais un taxi pour aller de la gare de St Erme/Laon/Reims au PAF à (hour) heure(s) (minutes), s’il vous plaît.”

It is the same price for a 3/4 person taxi as for a 7/8 person one (price is based on distance). Inform them when you have a lot of luggage.

Taxi from Saint-Erme Station, 7€
Taxi from Laon, 50€
Taxi from Reims Main Station, 100€
Taxi from Reims/Bezannes TGV Champagne-Ardenne Station, 90-100€

By FOOT
The walk from St. Erme station to PAF is 2.3km, gradually uphill. Take the road opposite the train station between the Pharmacie and the Tabac Cap Vert and follow the line in the middle of the road, until you see the big building. Keep walking up the hill until you find the entrance through the parking lot.

Services in St. Erme

Supermarket: Intermarché (immediately behind St. Erme train station)
ATM Machine: inside Intermarché
Hardware Store: Bricopro Masterpro, next to supermarket
Bakery: Jofrin Julien on your way from St. Erme train station to PAF
Pharmacy: Pharmacie de Saint-Erme on your way from St. Erme train station to PAF
Hospital: There is no hospital in town. The closest 24-hour ER is in Laon.