marshybird

I wonder if someone could suggest the best way to make train reservations for France. I already have rail passes for our family of 4. I understand that it is cheaper to get the reservations at a train station in France, but I'm worried that there won't be seats left -- especially as I've read here that only a certain number of TGV reservations are allotted to railpass holders. I tried phoning BETS, but I'm in Canada and the number doesn't work for me -- I guess it is just for the US.
I see it costs a lot to reserve through RailEurope, so -- is the best thing to phone SNCF in spite of the long distance fee? I'm not sure what the charges are through SNCF.
I figure I should book the train that we need to take from CDG to Le Mans on the day we arrive in France because it might be fully booked when we get there. Do you think I need to book my later train trips before I leave Canada (Le Mans to Paris and Paris to Sarrebourg on Aug 21st and Sarrebourg to Paris on Aug 30th) or would it be better to make those reservations once I get to France in early August? Thanks!

Dukey

The cost of a seat reservation is definitely higher if you book it through an agency such as RailEurope AND they'll tack on the S+H fee as well.

I'm not sure that your information about a certain number of seats being alloted to railpass holders is entirely accurate.

Where did you see that written?

GeoffHamer

There are slower trains to Le Mans as well as TGVs. If you find the TGVs are fully booked, you'll still be able to get to Le Mans.

TimS

Yes, it is true that train companies are allowed to limit the number of reservations alloted to passholders. I've read reports of people being denied a seat even though regular fare tickets were available. I suggest you call the SNCF English-speaking number and at least make reservations for CDG-Le Mans. Since you already know the other dates you want to travel, you could make all your reservations at once and be done with it. Dial 011 (international access code for Canada & the US) + 33 (country code for France) + 08 92 35 35 39 (omit the inital zero which is only used for calls originating in France). If you get an automated response, press 2 and you should be connected to someone who speaks English. You will prbably pay 3 euros/reservation, well worth the price of an overseas call compared to what Rail Europe would charge you.

marshybird

Thank you. I'll phone SNCF as soon as it's daytime in France.
It was here on Fodor's that I read about the restricted reservations for passholders.
For Geoff -- we fly in to CDG at 1 pm. The only trains from CDG to Le Mans later that day (Sat Aug 6) are at 1:38 which I don't think we'll have time to catch and 6:24 which is a long wait, but our best choice, I think. It would be easier than taking trains across Paris to another station and we'd probably end up in Le Mans around the same time.
I was half thinking that it would be nice to keep the other travel dates sort of open and reserve in France, but I think you're right, Tim, that it's good to get it all booked at once. If the reservation fee isn't too high and we have to change our travel time, we won't have lost too much.
Thank you!!!

Underhill

Do a search for MorganB's excellent guide to the French railway system--it's on this site and on tripadvisor.com.

TimS

marshybird, TGVs from Gare Montparnasse to Le Mans that would work for you leave at 16:35 and 17:00. Other than a taxi, the simplest way to get from CDG to Gare Montparnasse (one stop at Gare de Lyon) would be to take the Air France bus. Buses run every 30 minutes, take about an hour, and cost E12.

marshybird

Thank you to everyone -- I booked the tickets last night. I phoned SNCF -- thanks for the phone number -- and spent ages on hold, finally got a clerk who was halfway through making my reservations when I realized that he hadn't understood me when I said I had a rail pass. When I told him about the pass, he put me on hold and we were cut off! I phoned again, got him and suddenly the train from CDG no longer had seats available for my family unless we paid an extra couple hundred euros, so I was glad to have the Montparnasse option to fall back on. Although I was on the phone a long time, I did get my 4 train trips reserved for 4 people for a total of only 36 euros. This is hugely less expensive than through Rail Europe which would have been around $200. Thank you again!

ira

Good for you, M.

PalQ

The bit about pass seats on TGVs has been confirmed more in an article in a UK rail mag i subscribe to - they talk about trains in Italy and France restricting reservations for passholders - they were actually talking about InterRail but the same applies to Eurail and how rather than get a little money in return from the Eurail group they would rather sell that seat at a higher price, such as the PREM fares, etc.
And the article points out the Spain, Italy and France have recently opted out of the EuroDomino railpass scheme that European use akin to Eurail - they opted out because more European were using their trains than other countries under the scheme but they weren't getting any more of the share of the pot. Harbinger for Eurail - that France, Italy and Spain could opt out?
That said, on the trains the OP is taking they may not have a problem except for the CDG-Le Mans train due to having only a little time before to reserve, so i'd reserve as outlined above before getting there. The others are not lines heavily used by passholders and you should have little problem. the main problems i've documented are on the Paris-Bordeau-Spanish border and Paris-Avignon-nice lines. Mandatory reservations are sweeping Europe and are making the traditional benefit of a railpass, just able to hop on much less a benefit.
Only Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the UK, Ireland, Belgium and Holland it seem have trains that largely do not impose mandatory reservations on long-distance trains.
The Swiss are so strong on the no reservations mandate that in accords with SNCF to run TGVs over the new LGV Est high-speed line into Switzerland they demanded that within Switzerland the TGVs would be open to anyone - no mandatory reservations within the Swiss portion.

PalQ

And i might add - if you find no passholder reservations possible once in France and they say you can buy a regular ticket however - pleading can work - one person i know went to another window and begged and the ticket guy did make a passholder reservation - they can override the automatic block on pass places if they want apparently. I asked the folks at BETS about this and they said the same thing, that often when they try to get a passholder reservation to Avignon, Nice, etc., is says not available but regular tickets are - they say they can override it by booking a regular ticket and somehow cancelling it, preserving the reservation for the passholder. As the computer system is the same as used in Europe French ticket windows can do the same if they want.... and if you plead and cry a bit they may - but again on your lines i think you won't have a problem.