Doubts regarding France Rail pass
 

I came across this pass http://www.raileurope.co.in/producto...promotion-5823 .

I would like to know few things.
1. If i take a pass does it mean my travel is free anywhere in france and belgium ?
2. Do i need to reserve for all tickets?

I will be travelling in the following areas
1. Paris to Brussels and return
2. Paris to tours and return
3. Paris to Caen or bayeux and return
4. Brussels -bruges and return
5. Brusels - Amsterdam and return

I might be using the pass for 8-9 days in April. Will i save any money if i opt for this ?
Please help. I am confused.

-Prashanth

Before you buy any rail pass you need to compare the pass vs. the cost of point to point ticket purchases.

For info on trains use the website www.tgv-europe.com for schedules and prices. Don't forget to uncheck the box marked "Direct Trains" to see all possible options. If the TGV site redirects you to the RailEurope website then try again and enter "Antarctica" as your ticket collection country. 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. You can buy tickets up to 90 days 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 TGV website:

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

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

>>You can buy tickets up to 90 days in advance <<

Slight clarification for those traveling a little later in the year than the OP.

You can purchase non-idTGV tickets from SNCF 3 months in advance - not necessarily 90 days. idTGV tickets can be purchased sooner. So for someone traveling on Sept 5, the first time you can purchase tickets in the US is on June 4 at 6:15pm EDT (12:15 am June 5 in France). That's 92 days in advance. This was the situation last time I checked - but that was several months ago. Things can change.

Don't test this today - 90 days is also 3 months from Feb 29. Wait until tomorrow or after 6PM EDT today.

Stu Dudley

With a pass you will need to buy seat reservations for the faster trains. You will have to buy the section from the French-Belgian border to Brussels -- but evidently at a reduced price. (How much?) And also tickets for all other train travel in Belgium and the Netherlands.

This is an awful lot of train travel in the span of 8 or 9 days. Are you sure you want to spend so much time in train stations?

I had one of those passes a couple times and it worked well for me, but that was before they limited the seats available to passholders. As noted, you always have to buy a reservation on certain high-speed trains, pass or not.

But the big issue is why would you think you can use trains in Belgium for free? It doesn't say that anywhere, it says it is for French trains. And the facts say that you can get some discounts on trains between Paris and Brussels, for example, but they aren't free.

i get it :).. yeah still in the planning stage . i am finding it really difficult to judge which is better .. let me do some more research as in diff btw point to point and the pass. Lets c..

thanks for the replies.