All students are invited to attend the ‘Welcome days’. This is a series of days dedicated to you, the students, before the official start of your educational programme at Excelia.
Arriving in Paris by plane
The majority of you will arrive in France at one of two main airports, either Roissy Charles de Gaulle or Orly. From these airports you have to take a train to La Rochelle.
For further information on these airports and their services: www.parisaeroport.fr
Travelling by train from Paris to La Rochelle
The TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse - High Speed Train) operates several times daily between Paris and La Rochelle. The journey lasts around 3 hours, or 2hrs 30 with the new LGV (Ligne Grande Vitesse) which has been in operation since September 2017, departing from the Paris-Montparnasse station. Try to remember to book your ticket in advance as it will be cheaper than buying on the day. You can book your ticket from abroad.
The various options for getting to La Rochelle by train:
- Taking the train from Paris Montparnasse station
Getting to Paris Montparnasse station: from the different airports, you can take a suburban train (called the RER), then the Metro/Underground (check details on the internet site: www.ratp.fr). However, we would strongly advise you to use the Air France shuttle buses which leave every 30 minutes and take you directly to the station.
- Taking the train from Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport
The train which leaves this airport for La Rochelle makes one stop at Poitiers.
Arriving at La Rochelle airport by plane
Certain of you will arrive by plane at La Rochelle - Ile de Ré airport, which is located some 5 km from the town centre of La Rochelle. This airport has flights to some 15 Europeans destinations including London, Dublin and Porto.
From here, you can take the bus, which will drop you off at Place de Verdun in the town centre (the main bus station). A ticket costs €1.30. Buses operate Monday to Saturday and leave every 10-15 mins.
To get from Place de Verdun to Excelia you will need take one of the following buses:
- Illico line 3 – get off at the stop ‘Europe’ ILLICO 3 Timetable
- Illico line 4 – get off at the stop ‘La Sole’ ILLICO 4 Timetable
Map of La Rochelle Bus Network
More information about La Rochelle buses
More information about Rochelle - Ile de Ré Airport
Travelling to La Rochelle by car
If you have your own vehicle you can of course drive to La Rochelle, but pay close attention to the speed limits in France.
- Motorways = 130 km/h
- Dual-carriageways = 110km/h
- Main roads = 80km/h
- Residential, built-up areas = 50km/h
If you don’t have your own vehicle
You can choose the option of car sharing, a solution both economical and practical. In France, the main operator is called BlaBlaCar and is a carsharing service which enables you to travel cheaply. Register on the internet site by using this link or download the application to your Smartphone and search for a suitable journey.
