Venue & travel

Sustainable travel stories

See our separate travel stories page to share information, tips and inspiration with fellow Summer study participants. Please contribute!

Bus reservation now open

Book your shuttle here!

When do I need to be there?

The confernece starts Monday afternoon 10 June at 18h00 (6.00 pm). Shuttle buses are planned to sync with most important train connections from major cities in Europe to/from either Gare de Laon or Champagne-Ardenne TGV

The venue

eceee's new Summer Study venue Center Parcs Lac d'Ailette is a large holiday resort and conference centre located about an hour northeast of Paris, in the direction of Reims and the Champagne-Ardenne region. Read more.Read more.

Getting there by train

There are two stations that are most relevant for trains: Laon (served by regional train) and Champagne-Ardenne TGV (served by TGV/INOUI). We plan to arrange shuttle buses from both. 

Train schedules online

We recommend to use the site of Deutsche Bahn for researching train schedules (as opposed to current level of train service, the site is excellent!) or SNCF's site (which in our view is less convenient if you are not used to it). See our travel inspriation page for more tips and advise.

City of Laon, Gare de Laon

Laon is reached by regional train from Paris Gare du Nord, approximately once per hour. Gare de Nord is the station where international trains from Benelux, northern Europe, central and northern Germany and the UK arrive.

Laon is 19 km away from the venue and you will need about 25–30 minutes by road to reach Center Parcs Lac d'Ailette. Reservations not needed for the regional train to Laon.

Shuttle buses: eceee will arrange shuttle buses from and back to Laon. See the shuttle bus schedule below.

Taxis are available in Laon and will cost approximately €45 in one direction for 1–4 passengers (for taxi and car sharing billboard go here)

Champagne-Ardenne TGV station

Champagne-Ardenne TGV is a station on the high-speed Grand Est line between Paris Gare de l'Est and Strasbourg. It is located 9 km from the city of Reims and 56 kms from Lac D'Ailette and you will need approximately 60–70 minutes by road to get from the station to the conference venue. Even long distance connections from Scandinavia are likely to be routed vis Strasbourg to this station. You must reserve a ticket on the TGV or TGV/INOUI trains.

Note 1: Make sure to book your train to/from Champagne-Ardenne TGV, and not to Reims TGV (city centre station). There will be no shuttles from the city of Reims.
Note 2: In some cases you will have long connection times at Paris Gare de l'Est (e.g., some Frankfurt connections) and it may be worthwhile to walk over to the Gare de Nord (400 metres away) and take the regional train to Laon instead.

Examples of approximate travel times are:

  • Strasbourg: 1,5 hours
  • Paris Est: 40 minutes
  • Charles De Gaulle Airport TGV: 30 minutes
  • Karlsruhe (Germany): 3 hours (with a change in Strasbourg)
  • Zurich: 4–7 hours depending on the connection
  • Frankfurt am Main: 4,5–8 hours. Some connections go over Paris Est, some via Strasbourg.

Shuttle buses will be available from and back Champagne-Ardenne TGV. See shuttle bus schedule below.

Taxis from Champagne-Ardenne to the venue cost €120–150 (for taxi and car sharing billboard go here).

Shuttle buses

Reserve your shuttle here! (on the site of Mathez) 

We plan to arrange shuttle buses on Monday 10 June both from the station Gare de Laon and from the station Champagne-Ardenne TGV. The same applies to the return journey on Saturday morning, 15 June. There will be a fee for the shuttles. The booking page and fees are expected to be announced in late March.

To/from Champagne-Ardenne TGV

Cost one way: €36,00
Reserve your shuttle here! (on the site of Mathez) 

10 June to Center Parcs
(Transfer time approx 1h10 minutes)
(Note: If you need lunch at Center Parcs, please book in advance with Mathez. Please also note: room check-in only starts at 16h00).

12h15 (Note: Slightly later than previously announced)
16h10 EXTRA SHUTTLE ADDED (23 May)
18h45

15 June from Center Parcs back to Champagne-Ardenne TGV 
(Transfer time approx 1h10 minutes)

06h00
07h15
09h35 (Note: Now earlier departure time)

To/from Laon (Gare SNCF)

Cost one way: €12,00

Reserve your shuttle here! (on the site of Mathez) 

10 June to Center Parcs
(Transfer time approx 30–40 minutes)

15h20
17h15 (New shuttle added 17 May)

For later arrivals we suggest taxi and taxi sharing.

15 June from Center Parcs back to Laon
(Transfer time approx 30–40 minutes)

8h35 (Note: Earlier departure time)
10h35 (Note: Earlier departure time)

Travel by air

Paris is normally reached through Charles de Gaulle or Orly airports.

There are direct high-speed train connections to Champagne-Ardenne TGV (approx. 30 minutes from the Charles de Gaulle TGV station but transfer time within the airport may be long).

From Orly you would probably be best served to take public transportation to Gare de Nord and then the regional train to Laon (see above).

Taxi and taxi sharing

As always, eceee will publish a billboard for taxi sharing later this spring when the shuttle schedules are known. We will also provide contact details to some of the local taxi companies. There are limited companies in the region. Should you take a taxi for the return journey, we strongly advise you to book it a few days in advance.

Taxs are available in Laon and will cost approximately €45 in one direction for 1–4 passengers.
Taxi from Champagne-Ardenne TGV to the venue will cost approximately €120–150 in one direction, as mentioned above.

Getting there by car

You can go by car and there is free parking. However, you will need a voucher to be able to enter the area.

Camping

Some people have asked about camping. It is not possible to camp or stay in a camper van on the grounds. However, there are a number of camping sites around the lake.

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