gardngrl

We've never traveled by train in France (outside of Paris) and wonder about luggage. If taking a high speed train to Loire, for instance, do you check lugage or keep it with you. Is a larger, hard sided piece too big a pain to travel with? Since we are staying in an apartment in Paris for the first 10 days, I'm confident we'll have more "stuff" than 2 carry-ons will handle.

PalenQ

No there is no checking of luggage on trains anymore in France or much of Europe like there used to be.

And you will find ample room for any luggage you can manage to struggle on board with - no limits - there are luggage racks by entrance for large pieces that don't go into the overhead racks by seats but keep your eye on them at stops - TGVs paris-st pierre-des-corps however don't stop anywhere

JeanneB

Gardngrl:

I went to Paris with a good friend and one of our funniest memories is her struggling with a big ole hard sided suitcase trying to get it on the train! I believe it was a 26". All I can say is: don't do it!

You only have a few minutes to board. The train pulls in, you wait for passengers to get off, everyone rushes the steps up to the train, and---voila!---before you know it the train is departing! For train travel, I'd recommend no larger than a 22" bag and a small carryon.

robjame

If you reserve a seat (peace of mind) there will be no rush for seats.
My experience has been as PQ says, plus there is an area between the front and back facing seats to store whatever.
Our bags were large and the entrance and exit to the train were the only struggling moments and certainly didn't cause us any undo stress.

nbujic

"You only have a few minutes to board."

and often to get off (if you are not going to the end of the line.)
The less luggage the better!

StCirq

Pack light or my guess is you'll regret it. I'm not sure why staying in Paris for the first 10 days will mean more "stuff" than 2 carry-ons will handle. Are you big shoppers? Leave the stuff in Paris and retrieve it later if that's the case.

janisj

&quot;<i>Since we are staying in an apartment in Paris for the first 10 days, I'm confident we'll have more &quot;stuff&quot; than 2 carry-ons will handle.</i>&quot;

Not quite following - do you mean because you are buying out the city? Otherwise - an apartment for 10 days would mean I could pack really, REALLY light since I'd probably have a washer/dryer. That woul dmean lots less luggage - not more.

Underhill

You can actually check luggage on the TGV now, but not as you would normally think of it: the luggage has to be picked up in advance (sometimes a day ahead) by the company. I haven't talked to anyone who's tried it, as the process isn't geared toward vacationers.

PalenQ

And it's not cheap either - can remember exact price but always think when i see the fee it's not affordable for me.

Think it has Sernam (SNCF deliver company i think) a private company doing it? And it must be delivered to an address i think and probably goes by freight train. But don't really know that much

pavfec

My DH and I travelled by train in Germany last year, each with a 26&quot; suitcase and had absolutely no problems. We always found a place for the luggage and we had no problems getting on or off the train. I had a purse flung around my body and he had a backpack, so both our hands were free for the suitcase. If you get to the door early before getting off, you'll be the first off no problem.

NeoPatrick

Maybe you should relook for an apartment that comes equipped with pots, pans, linens, and furniture?? LOL

Seriously, I have been on many TGVs where there was NO room for luggage when the train was full. More than once people have had to leave large suitcases in the aisles and people were literally stepping up and over them. This has mainly been on the long trips -- like Lausanne to Paris or Nice to Paris, but the overhead bins on the TGV trains do not hold large suitcases, and on a busy train those compartments at the end of the train fill up fast. Surely I'm not the only one who has seen this?
This is the reason if you train is starting at your starting part, I suggest you get there a little early so you can board the train and settle your luggage before everyone else does.

socialworker

This post is making me remember the other reason we started our carry-on only policy for all travel, including Europe. It was not only the issue of waiting long periods in baggage claim and/or the possibility of lost luggage, but also train travel. I would always have the Dickens image--via Hollywood, of course--of Jacob Marley and his chains on all of our past trips, every time we got on and off of a train, back before we started packing lightly.

PalenQ

Since there are 25% fewer folks competing for the same amount of luggage space in first
class this is a reason that if you have loads of stuff to go first class. And IME there is likely to be empty seats in first class to accommodate luggage as well.

suze

There's a lot more choices than either &quot;2 carry-ons&quot; or a &quot;larger, hard sided piece&quot;!

Each person take one (checked on the plane, carried onto the train) rolling suitcase ~22-24&quot;.

Bill_H

Couple of weeks ago we took the TGV from Paris to Avignon, then later from Avignon to CDG ... there's an open area for luggage at the entrance of your car, you stack it yourself. Also an overhead rack, but it's pretty narrow, nowhere near as deep as overheads on an airplane.

Plenty of time to load and unload, we found.

If you have a lot of luggage maybe reserve the lower level seats so you don't have to lug your bags up the stairs to the upper seats.

Bill

Jake1

Certainly the less stuff you travel with, the easier it is. But unless you have some physical issue (disability, not very strong, nervous type) I wouldn't think handling a 26&quot; suitcase would be a life-changing event. Ideally I guess we should travel only with what we can carry in our pockets.

But we've never had a problem with 26&quot; suitcases on European trains, Venetian vaporettos, or any other form of transport. Of course it would depend on an individual's physical condition and whether or not you are an easily flustered person. Even for people who &quot;struggle&quot; to get their suitcases on and off a train we're not talking about hours of misery, but a few seconds or minutes of fussing about.

Christina

I sure wouldn't take a 25&quot; suitcase, but think its possible -- just don't see why you would want to. I don't understand the apartment thing, either -- I had no more luggage the times I stayed in apts than when I didn't (I didn't rent ones with washer/dryers, so I agree that would, if anything, cut down on stuff). If you are thinking because you are in an apt you must bring recipe books, utensils, lots of condiments or who knows what, I would just try to forget those ideas in terms of not thinking of stgaying in an apt. for 10 days on vacation as the same as setting up house that you need tons of stuff.

You often have lots of time to get on TGV trains in Paris, much more than a couple minutes. I think those are the ones that originate there, not sure, but I know some of the ones I have gotten on in Paris were at the quai maybe 20-30 minutes before departure.

I agree that there are many luggage choices you haven't named. I don't travel with hardside luggage, ever, for example, there are plenty of other kinds.

NeoPatrick

PalenQ, I think you are wrong about that first class comment. All my comments about the luggage system were in First Class Cars. It seems that many first class passengers carry more luggage than the second class passerngers do. And not to sound racist, but I'm often amazed at the gigantic suitcases (often two at a time) that many, many Asians traveling in first class trains have. I'm not talking about regular intercity or other trains, but rather the special ones like TGV and Eurostar Italia.

I can't remeber the last time I traveled a TGV, Thalys, or Eurostar (Italia) major route that wasn't fully booked in first class (admittedly I'm usually traveling in the very busy summer season). You should have seen the mess in First class two weeks ago on our Eurostar from Rome to Venice. The first leg was fine, but at Florence the train was packed -- in fact there was quite a scene from one couple who had gotten on in Rome without a reservation, paid their fine, and then had no seats at all from Florence to Venice. And luggage -- you can't imagine!

I don't mean to make a huge issue of this. I still don't find traveling with luggage on trains a big issue, but I just don't get it when people say there is lots of room for luggage -- on the deluxe first class long distance trains, that has rarely been true in my experience.

PalenQ

Patrick: intersting point - first class folks could well indeed carry more, much more - never dawned on me but makes sense.

I have been on many TGV trains in 1st class that were not fully booked and there were empty seats but i haven't ridden many in past few years and i think sncf is filling empty seats with its PREM fares so empty seats are becoming a thing of the past perhaps. Ditto Trenitalia and ES trains.

Good point and i'll be checking on my next trip to see if in fact 1st class travelers carry more luggage, again which makes sense to me and i have seen the type of travelers carrying on an unfathomable amount of luggage like they're moving from New Delhi to Europe

MaureenB

When we took Italian and French trains last May, I was traveling with one large rolling bag, and I was really wishing I had two smaller bags instead. It is a soft-sided bag, which I had stuffed and it was really wide. On one train it had to sit in the aisle and everytime the train stopped, I had to move it into the compartment so people could pass by. It was a pain and it irritated the other travelers.

I'd advise two medium bags vs. one huge bag.
&gt;-