To Paris by air:
Most international flights land at Roissy-CDG airport north of Paris. The simplest and cheapest transport from there is the RER (suburban train, not to be confused with the underground "metro", or with the TGV or other inter-city trains). Find the RER station at CDG and reach the Austerlitz ("SNCF") train station in Paris. Instructions for reaching Orléans from Austerlitz are below.If your flight arrives at Orly airport (south of Paris) you will also have to take a bus or RER to central Paris and reach the Austerlitz station. There is no public transport from Orly direct to Orléans.
Practical information about Paris airports can be found on the Aéroports de Paris web page.
To Paris by train:
Times and fares of all trains to Paris can be found on the SNCF web page.The Thalys page gives details of services from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Swizerland.
For trains from the UK, check Railtrack for UK trains and Eurostar for the London-Paris service.
To Orléans by train:
Express trains run from Paris Gare d'Austerlitz to Orléans. Gare D'Austerlitz can be reached on the metro and the RER from all Paris rail stations and from Charles de Gaulle Airport. (From Gare du Nord or Gare de l'Est take the metro line 5, direction Place d'Italie -- you will reach Austerlitz in about 10 minutes.) There is normally at least one train to Orléans every hour except in mid-afternoon, and the journey takes just over an hour. Timetables for the trains between Paris and Orléans (or "Les Aubrais", the station on the main line, cf. below) can be found from the SNCF web page.There are two stations in Orléans -- a central one called Orléans and a suburban one called Les Aubrais. Check the departure board at the Gare d'Austerlitz station; if it lists Les Aubrais but not Orléans, get off at Les Aubrais and wait for the (free) shuttle train which will take you to the central station. The shuttle takes about four minutes and does not require a separate ticket.
A return fare costs about 30 Euros. Tickets are valid on any train, but you must punch your ticket in one of the orange boxes in the station before boarding the train.
See the map of central Orléans below. The "Gare SNCF" is near the top.
Central Orléans
To the workshop venue:
The workshop is being held on the campus of the Université d'Orléans, which is south of the city. A tram line connects central Orléans to the University -- trams run every 5-10 minutes and the trip takes about half an hour from downtown. See the blue line on the map below; the stop near the LIFO building is called "Université Parc Floral".University campus
Roads around Orléans
