waffleor

I can't figure out the trains!! Everyone keeps telling me how inexpensive it is and when I go to book a day trip from Paris to Amsterdam it hits at like $230.
Someone please educate me on the trains...

mjdh1957

Who is 'everyone' and what do they know about trains?

Have a look at www.seat61.com - he knows about trains, though it is a UK based operation he gives you lots of information about train travel in Europe.

Paris-Amsterdam is a high speed rail route operated by Thalys, which used airline=style pricing so cheap tickets sell out fast.

Cathinjoetown

Use www.voyages-sncf.com

I just plugged in a random July date and found a roundtrip for 73€, non-refundable, no changes, le,aving Paris very early, returning 7:00 pm. Other times available.

Cheap fares go on sale 3 months out.

FrenchMystiqueTours

To buy train tickets and check schedules and prices you can use www.voyages-sncf.com (in French). If you use the English language version of this website you may have to enter Great Britain or Antarctic as your ticket collection country to avoid being redirected to the RailEurope. Other countries may also work but just try to find a country that doesn't get you redirected to RailEurope. The RailEurope website often doesn't show all the trains and generally has higher prices but you can check just to compare. For trains that require reservations you can buy tickets up to 3 months or more in advance and the earlier you buy them the cheaper they will be. The discounted tickets are known as PREM tickets but these are non-refundable and can't be exchanged.

Here is a website that will tell you how to navigate the SNCF website:

http://www.nickbooth.id.au/Tips/FrenchTrain.htm

An excellent website to learn all about train travel in Europe is www.seat61.com.

I know some people have trouble paying with their credit cards if they don't have the chip and PIN technology, even when they've notified their credit card companies. But many report an American Express card works just fine and some also report that a Capital One card and PayPal work as well.

I will also mention that the German rail site www.bahn.de is one of the best sites for checking rail schedules all over Europe. You can't get prices or buy tickets from this website but it is a great reference site. Often it will come up with rail connections that you won't get on the SNCF website.

There are two new ticket websites you can also check which some people say are easier to use than the SNCF site, but one is in French only. Here they are:

http://loco2.com/

http://www.capitainetrain.com/

If you have problems buying from tgv-europe, www.capitainetrain.com is a private website which links directly to the SNCF ticketing system. It is only in French, but translate.google.com would probably allow you to follow it. www.loco2.com is a UK site, so there is a small conversion cost from € to £, but it is in English and has French prices.

mweiner

Have used both the French SNCF and the excellent German DB on my smartphone as well as notebook. However, I first start with Rail Europe www.raileurope.com as a reference on price and schedule. If I cannot get a cheaper price or better itinerary from the domestic European train websites, I book through them. They will also give you a hard copy ticket and rush it to you as well overnight (for s small fee). Sometimes this is worth it, especially if there are multiple age groups traveling.

try out the different websites and see what works best for you.

justineparis

Where on earth did you find that outrageous price , we did Amsterdam to Paris last summer on Thalys and paid 39 euros each.

I booked on Thalys directly. I also booked well in advance of date of travel, the closer to date you book the more expensive the tickets.

When is your travel date, and where were you booking???

StCirq

I would never use RailEurope to check schedules - they often don't show all the trains.

waffleor

I'm looking to go some time between June 5th and 9th.
There's just so many different options and my brother's girlfriend keeps telling me keep looking because she'd spend like 30 euros max on the train when she lived there.

Sarastro

While it is possible to travel on the train at 30€ or less, you have waited too long for tickets at that price for early June travel.

You might take a look at www.voyages-sncf.com (in French) and follow the link <i>Calendrier des prix</i>. For example, I currently see trains to Strasbourg on June 9th for 40€. There are other choices.

justineparis

Oh dear, you did wait too long. I bought my tickets like 90 days in advance..

Cathinjoetown

Okay, I just found this 5 minutes ago on voyages-sncf, June 5, Paris Amsterdam, 6:25 am depart, 7:17pm return, 114€. I did not check you other desired dates, I assume you can do that.

The longer you wait, the less choice you have.

To repeat, the cheap tickets go on sale 3 months out but sell out the closer you get to the date.

If your brother's girlfriend can find you a 30-euro ticket for early June, great. Please share the details here.

Do try Thalys website as well.