johnz323

Hello wonderful Fodors' people.

I will be taking the train from Paris to Strasbourg on April 27th. I’ve been checking and prices on various Europe Rail sites (DB, RailSaver, etc.). Does anyone know if I must make a reservation and pay in advance? It looks like I do but it sometimes hard to tell. I’m fine with going second class.

I look forward to hearing your advice and wisdom!

Happy travels!

PalenQ

Yes, at least on the TGV and ICE trains running over the new high-speed routes

there may be some milk trains on the older classic route but would take much much longer.

Cannot board without a reservation.

I rode it not long ago and made my reservation (with railpass) the day before and no problem

www.bahn.de German rail site is the easiest i've seen to use to get schedules - and it will tell you what trains are 'subject to complusory reservation'

At www.voyages-sncf.com you can book your tickets and often get a PREM fare at a sizeable discount over full fare. The sncf site is often finickly however but than Fodor's folks like TimS and Ira are around and always seem to be able to walk folks thru the site to successful ticketing - the site can be very frustrating however. In the U.S. RailEurope handles those tickets but often at a higher price and not doing the PREM type fares but some folks rather pay a bit more if they can't navigate sncf.com - i always advise calling BETS 800-441-2387 for any RailEurope product for their great service and lack of Re's $18 mailing fee. But i advise you try www.voyages-sncf.com and post for help from Ira and TimS and others who always seem patiently able to help you out with the finicky French site.

TimS

All seats on TGVs are reserved. However, if seats are available, you may buy a ticket (which includes the reservation) until shortly before departure.

Depending upon the time of day, the standard 2nd class fare ranges from 65.70 to 81.80 euros. However, if you book well in advance (up to 90 days allowed) at www.voyages-sncf.com, you can get Prem's fares as low as 22€. As of a moment ago the SNCF site shows a Prem's fare of 35€ on the 07:24 TGV and a Prem's fare of 32.90€ on the 08:24 iDTGV.

TimS

FYI, you can't print Prem's tickets yourself unless you can either (1) handle basic French or (2) know how to get to the OLD English booking page on the SNCF site. #2 is a multi-step process. If you need instructions, just ask.

johnz323

Thanks Tim & PalenQ! I never would have been able to figure this out on my own.

I used BETS two years ago (found out about them from another Fodors' post) and I can't say enough good things about those folks! So patient and helpful. I got a lot of good tips on how to use a Germany/Swiss EuroPass I purchased from them. I also bought a London - Brussels Eurostar ticket from them last year. Even if they charge more, their services are worth it.

Thanks!