Bridget + Darius
June 28, 2025 • Gençay, France
57 Days To Go!
Bridget + Darius
June 28, 2025 • Gençay, France
57 Days To Go!
Travel
VERY IMPORTANT: YOUR PASSPORT
You MUST ensure your passport expires more than 6 months out from the date you plan to depart the European Union (EU). Certain countries (e.g., Italy) require your expiration date to be only 3 months out from your departure, but others (including France) require 6 months. To be clear, you will not be permitted to enter the country of France if your passport expires within 6 months of your expected departure date. The official guidance from the U.S. Embassy & Consulates in France is as follows: "Entry into France for short-term tourism (90 days) or business requires that your passport be valid for at least three months beyond your intended date of departure from [countries within the EU]. If your passport does not meet the [EU] requirements, you may be refused boarding by the airline at your point of origin or while transferring planes. For this reason, we recommend that your passport have at least six months’ validity remaining whenever you travel abroad."
ETIAS TOURIST VISA
Beginning at some point in 2025, if you do not hold an EU passport, you must obtain a tourist visa (also called a "Schengen visa") for the entirety of your stay in the EU. We do NOT expect this to be effective by June 2025, so you will NOT be required to have this visa to enter the EU for travel to the wedding. (While the visa applications may be available prior to June 2025, there is a 6 month "transitional period" where visitors will be permitted to enter the EU without this tourist visa. This is why we are confident you do not need to worry about obtaining this visa for travel to Europe this summer.) We obtained this information from the following website, for your reference:
ETIAS Website
Where should I fly into within France?
Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport is the largest international airport in France, and is where you should play to fly into if you are coming directly from the United States. CDG is right outside of Paris. There is a train at the airport that you can take directly into Paris. Very easy.
If you enter the continent through other points (e.g., London, Amsterdam, etc.) you can take the train (EuroStar) to Paris.
When should I buy my plane ticket?
According to Google Flights, the best time to buy a June plane ticket from the U.S. to France is from December-March (4-7 months in advance). Booking then vs now will save you approximately $125. Because we are traveling to Europe during the summer (the best time of year!), flights will likely be around $1000. Keep in mind, if your dates of travel are flexible, you may fly into other points of entry (e.g., London, Amsterdam, Ireland, Barcelona) for a cheaper price than flying into Paris, then book a short flight or train between European countries for approximately $100 (or less!) Please let us know how we can assist you with planning your travel itinerary!
Purchase Eurostar Train Tickets
How do I pronounce all of these places I am traveling to?
The general rule of thumb is, you do not pronounce the last letter of words in French. [For example, in English we say "Paris". In French, they say "Par-eee" (i.e., Pari -- do not pronounce the "s").] Here are the phonetic pronunciations of the locations you will be traveling, if its helpful! *Gençay = "Jah-on-say"* *Poitiers="Poy-tee-A"* *Charles de Gaulle="Sharl deh Gall"*
Where exactly is your wedding and how do I get there?
I am flying into Paris and heading directly to Gençay. What is the easiest way to get there?
There are two ways you can travel to Gençay from CDG
You can travel to Gençay directly from CDG either by car (i.e., rent a car at CDG and make the 4 hour drive directly to Gençay), or by train. There is a train that travels directly from CDG to Poitiers, the train station closest to Gençay. Travel time is approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes, and cost is approximately €35- €45. We HIGHLY RECOMMEND purchasing your train ticket to Poitiers in advance of your travel. Once you arrive in Poitiers, you will take an uber or taxi to your house/airbnb where you staying (approximately 20 minute car ride). See link below to purchase train tickets directly from CDG to Poitiers.
Purchase train ticket directly from CDG to Poitiers
HIGHLY RECOMMEND purchasing this ticket as far as possible in advance of travel.
How do I get from CDG to Paris? I am spending time there before heading to the countryside.
You may travel from the airport to the city by car or by train. You may call an uber (recommended), or take a taxi, from CDG to Paris but BEWARE of traffic. If no traffic, the ride will take you approximately 35 minutes. If there is traffic, the ride could take you 1 hour and 30 minutes. Taking the train into the city is very simple and cost effective. There is a train (called the "RER") that comes directly to CDG that will take you from the airport into the city. Follow the signs within the airport to the train. Once there, you can purchase your ticket at a kiosk. It costs approximately €12 per person, and you can choose English on the kiosk as the language. You do not need to make an advance reservation for this train. Once you reach Paris, you may need to switch to metro (underground train transit) to get you as close to your hotel as possible. We can help you determine your individual route and the best station to exit the metro once your hotel is reserved.
I want to spend some time in Paris before heading to the countryside. Should I rent a car at the airport, drive it to Paris, then leave a few days later to head to the countryside?
NO. If you plan to drive to Gençay, do NOT plan to rent a car at CDG and first travel to Paris with your rental car (i.e., do not plan to rent a car at the airport, spend one night in Paris, then drive to the countryside). The traffic from CDG to Paris could take you up to 1 hour and 30 minutes, and once you arrive, you will continue to sit in traffic driving through the city. Upon arrival to your hotel, there is no where to park. This is a waste of time and money. If you would like to visit Paris before heading to the countryside, we recommend taking an uber/taxi to Paris, then renting a car in Paris and driving directly to the countryside.
How do I get from Paris to Gençay?
The train from Paris to the countryside will leave from the Paris Gare Montparnasse station. If you are not close enough to walk, you can take an Uber or you can travel via metro (lines 4, 6, 12, or 13 - get off at the "Montparnasse Bienvenue" stop). Follow “train grande ligne”. Go to the VERY TOP of the station (keep taking escalators up) for the bullet train to Poitiers.
We HIGHLY RECOMMEND purchasing your train ticket in advance, to travel from Paris to Poitiers (the train station closest to Gençay). To get the best price, and have an electronic ticket on your phone, download the Trainline app. This app works for train travel all around Europe. The train from Paris to Poitiers takes between 1 hour and 15 minutes (bullet train: TGV), and 2 hours (any other type of train), depending on which train you take. Once you arrive in Poitiers, you will take an uber or taxi to your house/airbnb where you staying (approximately 20 minute car ride).
Travel once in the countryside
Where should I plan to stay in the countryside?
You will want to stay as close to Gençay as possible. There are no hotels in the area. As a result, we have created a list of all of the homes and airbnbs available for rent within a 20 minute radius. Stay tuned for more details on this.
Houses / Airbnbs Nearby for Rent
This Google Doc lists of houses, airbnbs, and apartments for rent near the Thibault house in Gençay, where all wedding festivities will be held. Unfortunately, there are no hotels nearby. We are doing our best to make this process as easy for all of you! Please let us know how we can assist you in booking your stay. Once you reserve your lodging, please let us know so we can update availability on the spreadsheet.
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Ce Google Doc répertorie des maisons, des airbnbs et des appartements à louer près de notre maison à Gençay, où se dérouleront toutes les festivités de notre mariage. Malheureusement, il n’y a aucun hôtel à proximité. Nous faisons de notre mieux pour rendre ce processus aussi facile que possible pour vous tous ! N’hésitez pas à nous faire savoir comment pouvons nous vous aider à réserver votre séjour. Veuillez nous informer de votre lieu de résidence de manière à ce que nous puissions mettre a jour ce document.
Will there be transportation available to and from the wedding?
Yes. We are working on it. Stay tuned for more details.
How do I get around once in the countryside?
You can call an Uber within Poitiers (where you'd arrive via train), but Ubers are likely not available in Gençay. We plan to at least ensure taxis or other transportation is available once in the countryside. Stay tuned for details.
GENERAL TRAVEL ITEMS
Purchase plug converters (US to Europe)
Should I be concerned about being scammed on price by a taxi/uber if I don't speak French?
NO. This is not something to be concerned about in France. With Uber, you know exactly the price you are paying. With taxis, you may want to have cash on you (some are still cash only, particularly in the countryside), and don't be surprised if they charge you a small fee per piece of luggage you place in the taxi as well. (The idea is, the heavier the vehicle is, the more gas is used, hence the fee. You will not encounter this surcharge with uber rides.)