Eleventh Week

I’m continuing to have connection problems with the Wi-Fi on residence.  I apologize for writing to you again a day late. 

For those students who are coming to Rouen Business School next semester, or are leaving the University of Windsor for an exchange elsewhere – have no fear!  From my experience at Rouen Business School, and conversations with other exchange students, the process of arriving to your new campus is fairly straightforward. 

Rouen Business School provides a taxi reservation service from Charles De Gaulle (CDG) and Orly (ORY) airports in Paris.  In your months prior to arriving on exchange, you will receive an email from the exchange coordinator at Rouen Business School providing you the option to reserve a taxi ahead of time.  The cost of the taxi varies depending on how many students they pick up, and ranges between €60 and €180.  While it may not be the most economical method of transport when you arrive, it is direct and hassle-free.

The second option to arriving at Rouen Business School is via public transit.  

From Charles De Gaulle airport, take the regional train into Paris.  This is the RER B train, and tickets for the train are around €9.  Keep an eye out for the stop Châtelet.  While the RER B trains from Charles De Gaulle go to the same location, one of the lines has more stops on the route into Paris.  Depending on train that you take, you should expect to arrive at Châtelet in 25-40 minutes.  From Châtelet, switch to the metro line 14, towards the direction of Saint-Lazare, which will also be your exit.  This metro trip is quite quick, at only three stops.  Be sure to exit the metro system, where you can get your first glance of the magnificent city of Paris!  Unfortunately the trip doesn’t end here, head over to the Gare Saint Lazare to purchase your ticket from Paris to Rouen.  Once inside the station, if you head over towards Platform 24, there will be a kiosk where you can purchase your ticket. I also recommend purchasing your 12-25 Card here.  For €49, the card provides you with a 25-50% discount on all fares in France depending on if you are traveling at a peak or non-peak time.  Depending on the time of your train, you can expect to pay between €10.80 and €16.20 to travel from Paris to Rouen, and the trip takes around an hour and a half.  Once you arrive at Rouen, there is a bus stop outside of the train station.  If you opt to take the bus to arrive at Rouen Business School, wait for the bus line 4 and stop at the bus stop La Varenne.  From La Varenne, walk to the other side of the roundabout and you should be able to see Rouen Business School.  Alternatively, you could take a taxi from outside of the Rouen train station to Rouen Business School for around €10. 

From Orly airport, take the OrlyVal, a quick shuttle that brings you from the airport to the regional train line in Paris.  Once you arrive, purchase tickets for the RER B train, which should cost around €9.  Take this train and get off at Châtelet.  From Châtelet, switch to the metro line 14, towards the direction of Saint-Lazare, which will also be your exit.  This metro trip is quite quick at only three stops.  Be sure to exit the metro system, where you can get your first glance of the magnificent city of Paris!  Unfortunately the trip doesn’t end here, head over to the Gare Saint Lazare to purchase your ticket from Paris to Rouen.  Once inside the station, if you head over towards Platform 24, there will be a kiosk where you can purchase your ticket. I also recommend purchasing your 12-25 Card here.  For €49, the card provides you with a 25-50% discount on all fares in France depending on if you are traveling at a peak or non-peak time.  Depending on the time of your train, you can expect to pay between €10.80 and €16.20 to travel from Paris to Rouen, and the trip takes around an hour and a half.  Once you arrive at Rouen, there is a bus stop outside of the train station.  If you opt to take the bus to arrive at Rouen Business School, wait for the bus line 4 and stop at the bus stop La Varenne.  From La Varenne, walk to the other side of the roundabout and you should be able to see Rouen Business School.  Alternatively, you could take a taxi from outside of the Rouen train station to Rouen Business School for around €10.

If you’re participating on an exchange to a different university, wait for contact to be made with your host university.  They will usually provide some sort of accommodation or assistance to your university from the airport.  

I apologize for not having any exciting traveling adventures.  At this time of the semester, I’m being swamped with a major assignment for most classes, as well as the beginning of my preparation for my final exams.  I’ll be sure to find some adventures next week!