schnauzer

Just starting to do some planning for next year's trip to Paris. I have searched all the train info (thanks MorganB) but most of the info is suited to buying tickets with a set date in mind.

What is the best way that people have found to buy tickets without nominating a certain day? Is this something I can do in advance or is it best to buy on the day (or a couple beforehand) For instance to go Strasbourg for a couple of nights. We just want to play it by ear and go when the mood takes us. Do we go to a booking office in Paris, try and do it over the net whilst in Paris or try and buy something beforehand that gives us a better price but is open dated.

Thanks for any help, I can't seem to find any info along these lines.

Schnauzer

Travelnut

I believe you can buy undated tickets, which are the kind you will have to 'stamp' or cancel in the orange box when you board the train. You can just go to the ticket office and buy yours before the train you want to take (allow for some time in waiting), or you can stop by a station or an SNCF boutique and buy your tickets at any time. If you have the 'smart chip' type of credit card, you can buy them from the machines, too - I don't know if English is used on the machines - I've only bought them from the boutique agent or the train station ticket window. (other than online from home).

Travelnut

You can drill down within the SNCF site and find a list of the boutiques that would be convenient to you.

http://www.voyages-sncf.com/leisure/fr/launch/home/

Look in middle of the window, under "Train" and click on >Infos and Services...under "Guide du voyageur SNCF" click on "Toutes les informations SNCF"...

Scroll all the way down to the drop-down list - choose "France" then whichever Paris train station is nearest to where you'd go to buy a ticket. Paris-Nord will get you a list of offices near Gare du Nord. Paris-Rive Gauche will get you offices nearer Montparnasse...

111op

With Strasbourg, if you try to buy tickets ahead of time, you stand to buy some cheap PREMS fares. If you buy last-minute, tickets may be twice as expensive.

I took a day trip to Strasbourg a few weeks ago, and I was too late for the cheapest fares, but because I booked ahead, I was able to find an outbound for 25 euros and a return for 33 euros.

The cheapest fares will always bound you to take a specific train. There are other more expensive fares that may allow you to make one change before departure, etc. SNCF website will have the rules.

For trains that are more "regular," buying ahead of time wouldn't really save any money. For example, if you want to go to Colmar from Strasbourg, the Strasbourg-Colmar trains should be the same price whether you buy ahead or not. If you want to go to Reims, for example, I think the same would apply.

In that case, you should just buy from the station. That ticket should be open and valid for a period of time (a few months? one year?). You just need to validate (composter in French) your ticket prior to boarding.

TimS

TGVs (like Paris-Strasbourg) require reservations for a specific date and time. However, so long as seats are available you can buy a ticket up until shortly before departure.

No reservations are possible on regional trains (like Paris-Chartres). I know that a ticket is good for any train all day, but I don't know if it's only good on one particular day.

Christina

Most train tickets in France are good for a long period after you buy it. It's just the TGVs where you must have a reservation, and thus it is for a certain date and time. Also, any special advance fare ticket you buy online that can be printed is like that, as it is nonrefundable.

Some tickets are only valid for that day, but most are good for at least a month (I think it is typically 60-90 days, I forget, it says what it is). I had one once that was only valid for a certain day (but any time that day, for that route) and that was some special test thing SNCF was doing in certain areas where they had a lot of ticket fraud, I found out. That wasn't a TGV.

If you want a TGV to Strasbourg, you'll have to have a reservation for a certain train, that's just the way it is. If it's full fare, you can always change it, though. If you bought a regular train ticket, it probably wouldn't matter, but you'd have to check the ticket.

ira

HI S,

>What is the best way that people have found to buy tickets without nominating a certain day?

Go to train station.

Find ticket counter.

Stand on line.

Buy ticket.

Or

Go to SNCF boutique.

If you don't wish to plan ahead, you will miss all of the discounted fares, so you will pay 66E instead of 22E.

ira

PS,

Are you planning to just arrive in Strasbourg and have ahotel room waiting for you?

TimS

Okay, I was curious enough to check the guide on the SNCF site. Open tickets (like those for regional trains) are good for 61 days.