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How to travel to Taizé? The simplest option is often to take one of the Taizé buses which depart weekly from many major cities during the summer months. Once booked, you need only get yourself to the departure point before the bus departs, throw your bags into the hold, and there is nothing more to worry about until the bus arrives in Taizé some time later. However, not everyone lives close to a bus departure point, and not everyone likes the idea of spending many hours on a bus. Furthermore, there may be some hours waiting around in Taizé with nothing much to do on the Sundays. Finally, if you need to be at work on Monday then leaving Taizé by bus on Sunday evening may not be ideal.

On these pages are presented, by country, some alternatives to Taizé travel, by rail, road and air. You can then make your own decisions about the tradeoffs between different transport options in terms of price, time and hassle.

Contents

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Location / Compass

Location map
Enlarge
Location map
  • Communauté de Taizé, 71250 Taizé, Saône-et-Loire, Burgundy, France
  • Half-way between Dijon (111km north) and Lyon (100km south).
  N  
W + E
  S  

T
G
V

2
km

Cormatin
4km (2.5miles)

A6
E15


25
km

Chalon
41km (25miles)
Cortevaix
6.5km (4miles) 		Taizé
46.516°N, 4.617°E 		Tournus
28km (17.5miles)
Cluny
10km (6miles) 		Mâcon
32km (20miles)
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Travel tips

  • Timing: Aim to arrive before 3pm on a Sunday, as Welcome is at 3.30pm each Sunday (the buses arrive in time for Sunday Welcome)
  • Timing: Ideally, plan to leave on Sunday either after church at around 11:30 (you can take a packed lunch) or before church if you are feeling all churched out by the end of the week. The buses leave during the afternoon.
  • If you arrive just in time for church on a hot day, have a shawl or old sack or something ready as your knees and shoulders must be covered in church (or you can pick up a cloth from by the church entrances)
  • If you arrive in the morning you will need a couple of euros for lunch as meal tickets are given out at Welcome in the afternoon--buy a lunch ticket from la Casa after church
  • Packing Tips
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Taizé from France

  1. by car
    • DrivingInFrance
    • Driving costs in France: Toll roads €45.50 each way through France from Calais ; 7h from Calais + coffee-stops, 681km/423mi = €62 fuel each way Dec2007 prices) (look up toll+fuel costs from a UK postcode: Taizé is (Taizé, Saône et Loire, postcode 71250). From Le Havre 5h40 (+ coffee-stops); (Toll costs: 31.00 EUR / Petrol costs: 52.50 EUR).
    • Main motorway is the A6 / E15 which runs North-South through Dijon, Chalon, Tournus, Mâcon, Lyon.
    • directions from Chalon-sur-Sâone (from the North)
    • directions from Mâcon (from the South)
    • directions from Mâcon-East (from the East)
  2. By bicycle
    • You can take the road from Tournus, which is deceptively wiggly and hilly
    • There is a greenway/cycle-path (voie verte) from Cluny to the south (12km) or Givry to the North (35km) which is smooth, flat and wonderful to cycle on (an old railway line). The cycle-path goes right round the hill that Taize is built on. la voie verte (French)
  3. (mainly) by train
    • http://www.alleuroperail.com/eurorailway-maps/france-map.htm
    • Nearest train stations:
      • Tournus, normal trains. Bicycle is then okay, but the route is hilly.
      • Mâcon TGV (Mâcon-Loche), high-speed TGV trains (Paris-Lyon). From Paris 1h35. Shuttle bus to Taizé.
      • Mâcon-Ville. From Paris 3h30 via Dijon. Shuttle bus to Taizé.
      • Chalon-sur-Sâone. [[ShuttleBuses|Shuttle bus] to Taizé.
    • From Paris: Gare de Lyon (map ) Getting through Paris to the Gare de Lyon
    • Book at your local station or travel agents, or online from http://sncf.fr
    • You can check times and prices right through to Taizé as the connecting Shuttle bus is run by the SNCF (French railway).
    • French train travel: high-speed (fast trains: TGV); low-speed (regional trains). Sane pricing (more expensive for higher distances). High-speed trains more expensive than regional; high-speed trains should be booked in advance, cheaper for Youth (under 26). Platform="voie", carriage="car". You must stamp ("composter") your ticket on the platform before getting on train. http://sncf.fr | European Rail Timetables in English
  4. By Coach (to Dijon/Lyon )
    • http://eurolines.com run coaches to Dijon and Lyon and then you can continue by shuttle bus/train.
    • This may be a cheaper option than the train
    • but often slower, less comfortable (can't get up and wander around so much, etc), less frequent (and won't connect with the SNCF Shuttle Buses)
  5. By Bus: the SNCF shuttles from Macon and Chalon via Cluny: Shuttle buses
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Taizé from nearby Airports

  • French airport map
  • Airports near to Taizé include:
    French airports
    Enlarge
    French airports
    • Lyon (Lyon-Saint Exupery) (95km/60mi)
    • Dijon (115km/66mi) (currently closed to passenger aircraft)
    • St Etienne (150km/90mi)
    • Geneva (177km/110mi)
    • Paris CDG(380km / 235miles)


  1. From Lyon website (English) website (French):
    • Shuttle into Lyon train station runs every 20 minutes, takes around 45 minutes,€8.60 one way (group discounts for more than 10 people), booking counter for Satobus just inside the terminal adjacent to the departure point of the bus on level 1. http://www.satobus.com/welcome.html
    • train to Macon (fast TGV or slow regional---get off the bus at the right station in Lyon!), Taizé shuttle bus from Macon (either station). (Takes around 3h from Lyon Part-Dieu to Taizé including connecting times)
  2. From Dijon airport website : Dijon airport is not currently open to passengers. Shuttle into Dijon Station, train from Dijon to Macon or Chalon
  3. From St Etienne website: transfer to St-Etienne central by bus or train (shuttle info), travel on to Lyon by train (~1h) and continue as above.
  4. From Geneva' airport website:There are frequent trains and buses from the airport to the city-centre railway station. Approximate travel time: 7 minutes (train), 25 minutes (bus). See the airport website and in particular the transportation page for details, including free public transport tickets: With effect from January 2008, you can pick up a free ticket for public transport from the machine in the baggage collection area at the Arrival level. This Unireso ticket, offered by Geneva International Airport, allows you to use public transport in Geneva free for a period of 80 minutes. (local transport page). From Geneva train station, travel by train to Macon or Chalon (~3h) and catch a Taizé shuttle bus.
  5. From Paris CDG: Cross Paris and catch the train to Macon.Detailed article
  • An alternative especially for families or groups may be to hire a car or minibus from Geneva or CDG airport.
  • Air travel tips:
    • budget airlines often charge for baggage and checkin
    • itinerary should include travel times to/from airport, checkin time, customs+baggage claim at the other end ... can often make "short flights" a less attractive option
    • short-hop flight checkin 1h before, long distance flights 2h, but ...
    • don't forget to leave time to get through security and customs---security can be very slow especially if there is some "terror alert" on
    • take empty water bottles that you can fill with water once through security. No liquids going through (at least) UK security at the moment...
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Taizé from Western Europe...

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Europe:Austria

  • Loacker Tours runs a weekly summer bus. If you navigate through the flash I *think* the timetable for 2008 is: Wien (1530h Saturday) → St Polten (1612) → Linz (1731) → Salzburg (1831) → Innsbruck (2039) → Feldkirch (2240 Saturday) → Dornbirn (2315) → Bregenz (2335) → St Gallen (0005) → Zurich (0100) → Taizé (0830 Sunday). Price starts at 170€ from Wien going down to 110€ at Zurich.
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Europe:Germany

  • Discounted connecting tickets to all train stations over Easter, Lent, All Saints (November) can be booked through Regenbogen Tours
  • Bus runs from major cities (Berlin, Magdeburg, Leipzig, Dresden, Frankfurt, Munich) in the summer (subject to demand): special buses, online booking, connection tickets available here
  • Loacker Tours runs a weekly summer bus from Dornbirn & Bregenz, with requestable pick-ups at St. Gallen and Zurich.
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Europe:Italy

  1. Buses run from Bologna and Treviso
  2. Trains via Geneva or Lyon to Mâcon (cross-border tickets: buy at the station)
    • Milan via Visp & Geneva to Mâcon approx 7 hours
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Europe:Netherlands

  • Train from: Amsterdam, Schiphol, The Hague, Rotterdam to Brussel, to Paris Gare du Nord (about 5 hours from Amsterdam). Then take a RER or Metro to Paris Gare de Lyon, and from there take a TGV to Macon Loché. Then the Shuttle bus to Taizé.
  • Taizé bus from: Utrecht and Arnhem Regenbogen Tours
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Europe:Spain

  • Not sure if it still does... (In the summer a Taizé bus runs down through Portugal and across via Madrid to Taizé)
  • Train (Madrid → Geneva → ... / Madrid → Hanaye → Lyon / Madrid → Hanaye → Paris →  : 20h. Sleeper from Hanaye (Couchettes) european rail timetables
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Europe:Switzerland

  1. Around 3h from Geneva by train to Macon or Chalon stations, and then another hour or so on the SNCF Shuttle bus. http://sncf.fr or http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/e to look up rail connections right through to Taizé
  2. A Taizé bus runs weekly in the summer with request stops at St Gallen and Zurich (http://www.loackertours.at/ requires Flash)
  3. eurolines do not run any direct coach services into Switzerland, but you can travel from Basle, Berne, Fribourg, Lausanne, Zurich and change at Annecy or Chambery or Grenoble to a train or another bus. This may be an inefficient way to travel timewise.
  4. Drive from Geneva 177km/2h; from Zurich 419km, 4h. DrivingInFrance---fuel, toll costs can be estimated from http://viamichelin.com. Detailed driving directions from Chalon-sur-Sâone (from the North); Mâcon (from the South); Mâcon-East (from the East)
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Europe:UK

TravelWithinUK then cross to France ...

  1. By Coach: The Taizé Bus runs from Birmingham, London Victoria and Dover once a week in the summer, arriving and leaving Taizé on Sunday. (Taizé↔London 10h each way, £100 return.). Book in advance and you must have registered with Taizé already (new 2007). This is the simplest way to get to Taizé but it does involve spending 10h on a bus, which is not for everyone. You should also note that the bus is overnight, so departs London on Saturday afternoon and arrives back in London at around 5.30am on Monday morning. The UK buses arrive on Sunday morning and leave on Sunday evening, so there is a certain amount of sitting around during each Sunday.
  2. By Coach: Eurolines run a service from London Victoria (via Eurotunnel) to Lyon three times a week (Mon/Wed/Fri).
    • Prices to Lyon start at £50 (advance fare)
    • 15h on a bus (Take lots of water! You will get dehydrated!)
    • Can book straight through from other NX stops (most major cities) http://nationalexpress.com
    • You can alternatively change buses to get to Dijon
  3. By Ferry (car or foot passengers):
    • May work out cheaper than Eurostar for foot passengers, especially at popular travel times/late booking (but further to travel either end). Probably takes longer than Eurostar.
    • Main route is Dover→Calais:
      • Ferry costs are per car and vary wildly on time of year, time of day (so adjust travel to suit yourself); from £30/car one way on P&O on the 2am ferry... (ferry companies P&O and SeaFrance from Dover). Ferry approx. 1h30 Dover→Calais (arr. at least 30 mins before---if you arrive early you may be offered an earlier boat!). Foot passengers from £10/person (depending on time of day and advance booking)
    • Ferries also from Portsmouth (→Le Havre), Newhaven (→Dieppe), Bournemouth(→Cherbourg): overnight and much slower than Dover→Calais, but driving time in France is only slightly less, so if you fancy a nice nap on the boat... (or for public transport passengers living in the South/South-West possibly cheaper than getting to London) (Portsmouth→Le Havre: prices from £110ish-return for seats or £200-return for a shared cabin) (for this boat price per car goes up slightly with no. of passengers) (foot passenger prices from £10/passenger! :)
    • From west/south-west by car: ferry to Le Havre/St Malo/... is slower and more expensive than Dover→Calais ferry (note Condor Ferries much cheaper deals than Brittany Ferries...), however, the distance (hence fuel costs) in France is slightly less, and the toll costs are slightly less (Calais←→Paris are the most expensive toll roads in France). So if the distance/fuel in the UK is also less this may work out a cheaper option (and you get a nap on the boat). For foot passengers the cheapest ferry prices are very similar so the difference depends on the travel either end. In France by train: ARRIVE by around 14:00 if you want to reach Taizé the same day (Le Havre ferry is overnight, arrives in the morning). May be slightly more expensive from Calais but depends very much on route and trains.
    • From East Anglia you could consider Harwich→Hook of Holland (£25 foot passenger single) although this is a roundabout route and won't be cheapest or quickest!
    • Ferries can be booked from http://www.aferry.to/ http://www.directferries.co.uk
    • http://ferrygreen.com/ ??
  4. By Eurostar (public transport passengers):
    • Travel to London St Pancras (no longer Waterloo since Nov2007)
    • Eurostar to Paris Gare du Nord
    • ("Eurostar now carbon neutral"http://www.terradaily.com/2007/070417110146.7uje1lm3.html )
    • Eurostar London (St Pancras)→Paris (Gare du Nord) : 2h20.
    • Prices vary wildly (depending on time/date and how far in advance you book), Youth prices for under 26, book in advance. Cheapest youth return £50 (Dec2007 prices) (adult returns from £60 if you are sufficiently quick off the mark). If the Eurostar and trains are booked well in advance train travel may be a relatively cheap option.
    • You may be able to book on the day but you will get the expensive tickets!
    • You can book all the way through from selected UK stations but you may not get the best deals this way so look at booking separately if the cost seems high!
    • Be there 30 minutes in advance
    • Tube/rail stations: Kings Cross or St Pancras. Tube lines Victoria (light blue), Piccadilly (dark blue), Northern (black), Circle (yellow), Hammersmith+City (pink), Metropolitan (burgundy) (& National Rail to KX/St.P,or to KX Thameslink & walk 100 yds). London Transport
  5. By plane:
    • Airports near to Taizé include: Geneva (177km/110mi), Lyon (95km/60mi), St Etienne (150km/90mi), Dijon (115km/66mi)
      French airports
      Enlarge
      French airports
    • Paris CDG(380km / 235miles)
    • French airport map
    • Lots of possible UK departure points
    • Easy to look up on http://skyscanner.net
    • Budget airlines: beware of baggage prices (£7/bag...), check-in costs (£2...) etc
    • 1--3h depending on route, plus check-in( minimum 45mins in advance, security may take longer especially if there have recently been terrorism scares), baggage claim, travel to/from airport; then travel within France.
  6. Via the Eurotunnel (car drivers)
    • Eurotunnel by car: from £49/car each way (middle of the night price Dec2007) / 30mins + queuing time (arrive at least 30mins in advance). Folkestone ←→ Calais . http://eurotunnel.com

...Travel through France to Taizé

...Taizé from nearby airports

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Taizé from Scandinavia

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Europe:Scandinavia:Denmark

  1. By coach in the summer months: Cross the border to Sweden to catch the weekly Taize bus from Helsingborg. 24h on the bus, cost is around €220 (and there are group discounts for large bookings). (http://www.delfinbuss.se/taize/index.asp for more info and bookings)
  2. By train through Europe: 20-24h through Paris or Frankfurt (check the number and times of changes as well as the time as it may be more comfortable to take a little longer on a direct sleeper, for example). Look up timetables, booking and route maps through Europe on http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/e
  3. By plane to a nearby airport (Geneva, Lyon, St Etienne, etc: see image:airportmap.gif for a map of French airports) and then travel through France to Taizé
  4. By coach (http://eurolines.com) to Dijon (change at Paris. 17h/€80 to Paris--prices depend on time of year) or Lyon and then train/shuttle bus to Taizé
  5. Drive: 1450km Copenhagen to Taize, 14h. Toll costs in France. see http://viamichelin.com for routes and estimated fuel and toll costs. Detailed driving directions from Chalon-sur-Sâone (from the North); Mâcon (from the South); Mâcon-East (from the East)
  6. Maybe ferry Esbjerg to Harwich (East Anglia, UK) and then train to London Liverpool Street/Eurostar/Train (or other travel from UK) is a viable (if not exactly direct) option.
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Europe:Scandinavia:Finland

  1. Fly to a nearby airport and travel through France to Taizé (probably the cheapest option especially if booked in advance with a cheap airline, though beware of baggage + checkin prices on budget airlines), surely the fastest option from this distance. Look up possibilities on http://skyscanner.net
  2. Get a boat (overnight) to Stockholm from Helsinki (18h) or Turku (12h), or fly to Stockholm, and take the Taize bus from Stockholm (30h) (summer months only) ferries price varies on time of day
  3. Take the train to Helsinki or Turku, a boat to Stockholm and train through Europe
  4. Travel to Helsinki, take a boat to Tallinn (Estonia), and travel from Tallinn by coach (http://eurolines.com) or train to a town near to Taizé. Catch the Shuttle bus to Taizé. (This is a long way around but perhaps you've come to Taizé several times and want some variety...)
  5. Drive (long road trip). 2500km, 30h driving, http://viamichelin.com to estimate fuel costs and tolls (French toll roads). Includes ferry to Stockholm ferries price varies on time of day. Detailed driving directions from Chalon-sur-Sâone (from the North); Mâcon (from the South); Mâcon-East (from the East)
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Europe:Scandinavia:Norway

  1. Fly to a nearby airport and travel through France to Taize (probably the cheapest option especially if booked in advance with a cheap airline, though beware of baggage + checkin prices on budget airlines)
  2. By coach: in the summer months, travel by train or plane or car (train: 7h Oslo to Helsingborg) to Stockholm or Helsingborg and catch the Taize bus from Sweden (http://www.delfinbuss.se/taize/ for timetables and booking)
  3. By train:
  4. Drive: via Sweden : 2000km, 20h, http://viamichelin.com for routes and an estimate of toll and fuel costs.
  5. Catch a ferry
    • Stavanger/Bergen To Newcastle and travel from the UK to Taize (eg fast train to London, Eurostar, ... expensive option as the ferry is around €300...)
    • To Denmark and travel to Helsingborg for the Taize bus or through Europe to Taize by coach or train
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Europe:Scandinavia:Sweden

  1. By coach: Taizé bus runs during the summer months: Stockholm (0630) → Jönköping (1135) → Helsingborg (1430) → Taizé (1300 next day). Simple option but a long trip from Stockholm! Cost is 2150SEK (2008) ≈ €227 and there are group discounts for groups of more than 15 people. http://www.delfinbuss.se/taize for timetables, booking and more info.
  2. By plane:
  3. By train:
    • e.g. Stockholm → Goteburg → CopenHagen → Hamburg → Paris Nord → Paris Lyon → Dijon → Macon = 44h
    • e.g.2 Stockholm → Copenhagen → Kolding → Hamburg → Fulda → Frankfurt → Karlsruhe → Paris Est → Paris Lyon → Dijon → Chalon → Taizé (sncf bus) = 30h
    • wind up in Macon or Chalon and get the shuttle bus to Taizé
    • a long journey but possibly interesting, greener than the plane and less painful than the bus
    • may be cheaper to buy a rail pass (e.g. 5-of-10 days) which will also give you flexibility for exploring. (Should also cover the SNCF shuttle to Taizé??)
    • European rail timetables (you can put Taizé as the destination)
    • train travel tips
  4. Drive ... (from stockholm=2000km, 20h driving time...)
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Taizé from distant parts: Africa, US, Australia, India, Asia, ...

  1. Fly to a nearby airport
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A-Z

Arnhem|Netherlands • Berlin|Germany • Birmingham (Taizé bus)|UK • Bologna|Italy • Bergen|Norway • Bregenz|Austria • Châlon sur Saône|France • Cluny|France • Châlon sur Saône (by road)|France • Copenhagen|Denmark • Dornbirn|Austria • Dover|UK • Dresden|Germany • Feldkirch|Austria • Frankfurt|Germany • Geneva|Switzerland • Givry|France • Helsinborg|Sweden • Helsinki|Finland • Innsbruck|Austria • Jönköping |Sweden • Leipzig|Germany • Linz|Austria • Lisbon|Portugal • London|UK • London (St Pancras: Eurostar)|UK • London (Victoria: Taizé bus)|UK • Mâcon|France • Mâcon (by road)|France • Madrid|Spain • Magdeburg|Germany • Munich|Germany • Olso|Norway • Paris|France • Paris (Gare Lyon_France • Paris (CDG)|France • St Gallen|Switzerland • St Polten|Austria • Salzburg|Austria • Stavanger|Norway • Stockholm|Sweden • Tallinn|Estonia • Tournus|France • Treviso|Italy • Turku|Finland • Utrecht|Netherlands • Valladolid|Spain • Wien|Austria • Zurich|Switzerland •

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