I'm glad that someone started this thread, I was thinking about taking the train from CDG to CGN next month and now I know it will be easy and much better than flying thru Munich to get to Colonge.

 

Can a Thaly's train be boarded in Roissy (CDG airport layover)? I looked at their website but didn't see a station that would apply.

 

Am I missing something here? I don't see Mainz(or FRA) as one of Thaly's destinations.

Unless you're talking about connecting to a nat'l train in CGN.

 

On the Mainz end, you've got to take a short train ride between the main Train station and Mainz. On the Paris end, I think you'll have to get to Gare du nord. It's only one line--the RER B-line.

 

I don't think I've seen a link to this site in this thread yet:

Thalys | The high-speed train between Paris, Brussels & Amsterdam/Cologne

I found this guy's site extremely helpful in planning my travel. Perhaps it will clear up some of your questions. Everything from where/how to arrange tickets to where the best seats are on the trains.

I don't think the Thalys trains operate from Mainz/Frankfurt. In Germany, they originate out of Cologne. You could either make your way there from Mainz and then on to Paris or just take the normal DB trains and forget the Thalys.

 

The original poster was asking about gouge for the train, Mainz to Paris...Maybe we should have given him the gouge for the Orient Express instead of Thalys.

 

I just took the train from Paris to Mainz last month. It was a Thalys train from Paris Nord to Koeln (Cologne). Real nice train, 1st class ticket was 91€, meal and wifi included and I think 1 rebook allowed if plans changed. Booked through the SNCF website, but I had French speaking help. We left Paris at 1001 and were scheduled into CGN at 1315. Missed the connection to FRA (snow) in CGN but took a local train that actually stopped in Mainz on the way to FRA Main HB. Evidently there is non-stop fast service from CGn to FRA main and then you have to take a short hop back to Mainz or, as I did, take a slower train with a number of stops and get off at Mainz before it gets to FRA. Those trains run quite often and they honored my ticket no problem. The train I took was slower but took a spectacular route right along the Rhine and was great. The second leg was 105€. Good luck.

 

Great info... I'm looking at Paris - Mainz next month... Just wondering how easy it is to get Thayls tickets at station in Paris all the way thru to Mainz or does one have to purchase Koln - Mainz ticket at Koln Hbf after arriving there?

A lot of recommendations to buy thru Thayls online... Except can't get the Koln - Mainz leg from there website. Any other recommendations apptreciated!!!

 

Book the tickets separately. Paris-Koln on Thalys.

Get the DB Bahn ticket from Koln-Mainz on line here: http://www.bahn.de/i/view/USA/en/index.shtml

Or just wait until you get to Koln and get the ticket at the station. You can even just get on the train and pay for it w/ the Fedex card once the conductor comes around.

 

Here's a good website: Travel By Train In Europe: Eurorail, Eurail Passes & Train Tickets from Rail Europe

If you type in Paris to Mainz it tells you to contact them for help. But if you type in Frankfurt as your destination if brings up a bunch of possibilities. I took that 10:01 train and missed the 13 minute connection, but no problem, there are a lot of trains going to FRA from there.