french trains
Sep 28th, 2010, 08:31 AM
#1
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french trains
hello all, can anyone tell me all about securing a seat on a train heading from paris south to carcassonne? i've never travelled in france before so i am pretty clueless. thanks in advance!
Sep 28th, 2010, 08:36 AM
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That's a very long trip (5-9 hours) and will involve at least one transfer. The French railway website is www.voyages-sncf.com or try www.tgv-europe.com . You can use Raileurope, also, a North American travel agent that sells their tickets but there will probably be a markup.
Sep 28th, 2010, 09:40 AM
#3
Generally you can get an excellent discount ("Prem's") by booking 2-3 months in advance on www.voyages-sncf.com
Often you can print the ticket yourself.
Often you can print the ticket yourself.
Sep 28th, 2010, 12:00 PM
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there is no problem ever IME or rarely in 'securing a seat' on trains to Toulouse - seat reservations i think are required on all or nearly all trains there - definitely on TGV trains - the high-speed trains - even if you just show up and buy a ticket at full fare at the station. But take Christina's and kerouac sage advice about trying for a PREM fare - online discount that to secure you should book as early as possible as those seats are sold i think in limited numbers and can sell out early - and the discount can be immense. For lots on French trains and European trains in general i always highlight these fab sites: www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com.
Sep 29th, 2010, 07:36 AM
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An easy way for me to see if a French train has mandatory seat reservations requirements before boarding is to go to the German Railways web site - www.bahn.de, the easiest i've seen to use for train schedules and details all over Europe - and when you click on 'details for the above' it will not whether a certain train is subject to mandatory reservations or not - if it says nothing about that then it is not - sometimes it may say 'Reserve please' which really means seat reservations are possible but not mandatory.
