otto2

Arrive CDG May 24, want to TGV train to Avignon that morning. Went on Rail europe and then scnf and another site. Various pricing.

Which way do I go? Do not wish to lose money on nonrefundable tickets.

Help please. Thanks.

Ackislander

You have to decide whether price or certainty is more important, though we all want low prices and absolute certainty.

It depends on where you are coming from but let's say that it takes you two hours to get through immigration and get your bags, thirty minutes to get to the station and find the train. How long do you need to allow for your plane to be late (weather, strikes, congestion)?

Add that to the 2.5 hours above and do not book a train before that time. You might still not make it and lose the money, but this minimizes your chances. Remember that you can do all this perfectly and still have an SNCF strike. When we travel, we can prepare, but we can't control, so it isn't worth losing sleep over.

FrenchMystiqueTours2

It depends on the train. Prices range from 25 € for the 9:24 train to 93 € for the 11:58 train. There are al kinds of fares in between with different conditions. Since you never know for sure if your plane will be on time, I would either go with a non refundable 37 € fare in the afternoon or exchangeable fare in the morning at 57 € with a 10 € if you need to change or get a refund. http://www.tgv-europe.com/en/?DISTRIBUTED_COUNTRY=GB

MmePerdu

As an example, I did last spring what you plan to do. My flight was scheduled to arrive at CDG (T2A) at 9:10 and I booked the TGV to Avignon at 11:43. It was a very comfortable connection. I think if you give yourself the same 2 1/2 hours you should be fine too.

Gretchen

Well, in order not to lose money you don't have to don't order from RailEurope.

CarolA

I tend to allow four hours.

I also tend to ignore the "don't order from Rail Europe" chant I see on message boards.

I go to Rail Europe, TGV etc... and I price them all out. I include any fees etc my Credit Card may charge for a foreign currency conversion etc. Then I buy whomever is cheaper. Last time I did this... Rail Europe was actually lower

StCirq

I never have, and never will, use Rail Europe. I've never seen a cheaper fare from them (how could there be? - they're a reseller and need to make a profit). Anyone who says they're finding a lower fare on RailEurope is probably not using the SNCF site properly.

Allow 2.5 - 3 hours and buy PREM fares online from the www.tgv-europe.com site. They begin to be available three months out from your departure date, which would mean they're available now.

kerouac

For the amount of time to allow, it depends where you are coming from. People on this site automatically assume that you are arriving directly from North America, but it is not always the case, and that changes the timings.

Christina

You seem to have viewed various websites, so the answer is really just up to you. Look at the prices and weigh the alternatives based on the timing and your desire to not buy a nonrefundable ticket. In theory, you can have less risk of missing a nonrefundable time if you select a departure time many hours after your arrival. Even though you could lose it, I suppose, if your flight were really really late or cancelled. That's really up to you, is it worth it to you to save 25 euro by wasting four hours in the airport or not? That's just a hypothetical, of course.

Raileurope can indeed have some decent fares, it isn't straightforward what they charge on any given ticket, and they can have promotions or certain fares that are priced on different dates than some other websites. Also, their markup is not a straight percent of some base fare, either.