youngtom2910

My partner and I plan to take a day trip to Chartres from Paris in December. I see there is an SNCF office at 54 Blvd. St. Michel. I assume I can buy ticket at this office? Is there a standard day return fare or will I save money by buying it early? Can I use the ticket on any train? Thanks.

PalenQ

check fares at www.oui.sncf - these are regional trains with no real discount so just buy at station or SNCF office and ask questions there. No seat reservations possible so can't sell out.With full-fare ticket yes you should be able to use any train -buy an 'aller et retour' ticket - round trip. For lots on French trains check www.seat61.com; BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com. The cathedral is a short walk from Chartres train station. Try to catch legendary Chartres tour leader Malcolm Miller for tours of church inside and out.

kja

I just bought my tickets at the stations.

janisj

Go to the station - go to the window or machine - buy ticket - board train.

StCirq

Yup, go to station, buy tickets, find your train, get on it, get off at the right station, walk to the cathedral, etc. It's not tricky.

PalenQ

and I think they have to cancel their own tickets by sticking them in a date cancelling machine coming and going. Failure to do this could result in a fine for not having a valid tickets - conductors do not always go thru trains and this is a way of making sure everyone cancels their tickets

Christina

You don't punch tickets to show they are "valid", it's to show they are used. The ticket says right on it whether you have to do that or not. If it's a paper ticket bought in person, I would think you would have to. There is also no such thing as a roundtrip ticket. If you buy aller-retour, you are just buying two tickets. and no, you don't get any special fare for buying a ticket each way at the same time.

Yes, you can buy tickets at a SNCF boutique office and that can be a good idea as lines may be a lot shorter. You can buy any SNCF ticket at on e of their offices. That office is closed Sunday, though.

You could just buy it from a machine at the train station, though. That's what I do for short TER tickets like that.

PalenQ

Another thread said you could buy them online and load to phone and then they would not need to be validated yourself but then you are restricted I think to a certain train. I would avoid that to maintain your flexibility on which train to take. Trains are 2nd class only as far as I can tell - TER trains - Trains Express Regionales I believe - or regional trains. Starting from Paris in morning means you'll be going against the flow of commuters going and returning.

Nikki

This process is called validating the ticket.

PalenQ

You don't punch tickets to show they are "valid", it's to show they are used.>

Well SNCF sites say 'to validate your ticket you stick it in a machine which cancels it'. Which means no one else can use that ticket so that ticket is used when you complete your journey.

Pictures of French Ticket Cancelling/Validating machines - like Christina says it will say on your ticket if you have to cancel your ticket - as in images of tickets shown at this site:

: https://www.google.com/search?q=sncf+ticket+validation+machines+images&tb m=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjp-5-dvoLfAhVs9IMKHTLQBUMQsAR6BAgFEAE&biw=1269&bih=614# imgrc=AGHDQbvSOVtAqM:

Note on the top of the tickets it says 'BILLET a compostez avant l'access au train' - "meaning to validate your ticket before boarding the train" by sticking it in a composteur - a validating machine that date stamps it.

Pictures of French station ticket cancelling machines: https://www.google.com/search?q=sncf+ticket+validation+machines+images&tb m=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjp-5-dvoLfAhVs9IMKHTLQBUMQsAR6BAgFEAE&biw=1269&bih=614

May be much ado about nothing but this is one thing that can flummox novice train travellers perhaps.

xcountry

When I feel used I don’t feel validated. Why can’t this be simpler?

kja

@ xcountry:

Nikki

Thankfully, I’ve never been punched, so it isn’t an issue.

kja

@ Nikki:

thibaut

In French 'to punch' is said 'composter' which is also the word to recycle your garden waste. But don't try it wth a SNCF ticket, it doesn't work.

PalenQ

SNCF tickets are not compostable?

TDudette

LOL, xcountry and Nikki.

Will someone agree that the Montparnasse station is where the train for Chartres leaves??? Also, does one need to keep that ticket to actually exit the station upon return??

PalenQ

Yup Montparnasse it tis - not sure about tickets need be kept - but I would.

StCirq

Yes, you leave from Montparnasse.

Always wise to keep the ticket until you're actually out on the street again.

kerouac

Chartres is the official end of the suburban network, so you can get your ticket out of both the commuter machines and also the main line ticket machines -- if you have a payment card that works in France.