Getting to UNICAEN

Getting to UNICAEN

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Caen campuses

You have several options to get to Caen.

By train (the most common)

To get to Caen by train from Paris, you will have to go to the Saint-Lazare train station.

From Roissy Charle de Gaulle airport (CDG):

  • Roissy bus: €12 (drop-off at Opéra Madeleine – 10-minute walk to Saint-Lazare)
  • Taxi: €50 (flat fare, including luggage and multi-passengers)

From Orly airport (OR):

  • Orlyval + RER: €12
  • Taxi: €35 (flat fare, including luggage and multi-passengers)

From other Paris train stations (Lyon, Montparnasse, Nord, Est & Austerlitz), prefer the subway (€2,10): detailed metro map at www.ratp.fr

Once you are at Paris Saint-Lazare, get on board a train to Caen. It takes between 1.45 & 2.15 hours depending on the train. Good to know: all the trains to Cherbourg stop in Caen.
The normal one-way fare is €36. By booking early in advance, you can find discount rates starting at €15 one-way.
Schedules and reservations at www.oui.sncf

By bus (the cheapest)

Two bus companies are serving Caen from Paris: Blablabus & Flixbus.
Mandatory reservation. If you anticipate your booking, you may find low-cost one-way tickets under €10.

By plane (more expensive but faster)

Caen-Carpiquet airport has flights from/to Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, London…
More information on flights and airlines at https://caen-airport.com/

Once at the airport, take the Twisto Liane 3 bus to downtown Caen. Schedules and bus stops information available here.

By car (if you don’t have an ocean to cross)

Depending of where you start your journey, it is always possible to get to Caen by car.
If you come on your own, we recommend that you trust your favorite GPS app to find the best itinerary.

You can also use a car-pool platform such as Blablacar to share the ride with others, either as a driver or a passenger; it lowers the costs and it is way funnier that traveling alone!

By boat (if you arrive from England)

Finally, if you are crossing the English Channel, you can depart from Portsmouth, UK, with Brittany Ferries. There are 3 daily ferries to Caen-Ouistreham.
Once in Ouistreham, you are only 15 minutes away from Caen city center with the Twisto 12 bus (bus stop Ouistreham port).

If you will be studying on our Cherbourg campus, you can also cross driectly from Portsmouth or Poole, UK.

For information regarding local transportation in Caen and its urban area, please refer to our transportation section.

Cherbourg and Alençon campuses

The towns of Alençon and Cherbourg are both accessible by train from Paris :

  • Cherbourg from the Paris Saint Lazare train station
  • Alençon from the Paris Montparnasse train station : you will need to change train at either Le Mans or Argentan.

For all your train journeys: https://www.sncf-connect.com/en-en/