Sue

Anon, (if you're asking me and not Sue lvwrights) it was about 5 weeks, but our tickets weren't for a TGV, and we picked them up in Nice for a journey that began in Limoges. Once the site accepts your paid order (usually not more than 2 months in advance) it's as Sue lvwrights says, you just take your email and CCard with you in late July and pick them up. Theoretically you should be able to pick up your tickets at any SNCF office at any time before the train leaves, but I seem to recall someone warning about possible lineups at SNCF stations in Paris, so don't leave the pickup till the last minute.

anon

Thanks for the reply, Sue. That's the only thing I worried about regarding the purchase of tickets through SNCF. Glad to know there's a cheaper way to purchase tickets than through Rail Europe.

T.R.

Okay, I've figured out I don't have to use raileurope but can use sncf website. I just put in that I want to pick up the tickets in France. I will then pick them up when we land at CDG. Now I want to know am I getting a specific seat on the TGV to Nice or just the ticket that will let me on the train?

elvira

You must RESERVE A SEAT on the TGV, and you will be assigned a specific seat. If you didn't do it when you purchased the ticket, you can do it at any train station or when you pick up the tickets.<BR><BR>The reservation has a car #, then a seat #. Sometimes the seat will have two reservations on it because different people will be using that seat for different portions of the trip (You are going from Paris to Tours, but someone else is going from Tours to Bordeaux). The reservation slip(s) will show the portion each has bought.<BR><BR>If someone is in what you think is your seat, explain nicely. Sometimes they've made an honest mistake; sometimes you are in the wrong car. Usually the whole thing's resolved with no probelm. If not, find a conductor to solve the discrepancy. Once again, be polite and approach it as "we have a small mistake". Let the conductor be the one to order someone out of a seat.<BR><BR>

Sue

Just before the tracks, you will see small orange boxes on poles where people appear to be punching their tickets. You do the same; it puts a date and time on your ticket which should be there when the conductor checks it. The French for this is "composter."

alison

Regarding reserving a seat, there is a box that you can fill in on the SNCF ticket reservation form. However, the system does not default to that box.<BR><BR>Should we fill in the box in order to secure reserved seats?? Thanks.

xxx

Regarding the original message, Rail Europe charges at least 50% more than SNCF and other rail companies.<BR><BR>You can even possibly try Swiss Rail whose website is more user friendly than the SNCF site. I reserved tickets for travel within France from Swiss Rail using the TGV. Swiss Rail mails your tickets to your US address also unlike SNCF which asks you to pick up your tickets at any train station before your train departs.

Kathleen

This is a funny title : RailEurope vs. SNCF??? Don't you know that SNCF owns 80% of RailEurope! So buy your tickets from either or it goes to the same pocket at the end... If you do not speak french I still advise you to buy your tickets from Raileurope though...

Andre

Kathleen,<BR><BR>If I understand your post correctly, people should buy overpriced SNCF tickets through RailEurope because SNCF owns them???<BR><BR>Doesn't make much sense to me...<BR><BR>Andre

xxx

Kathleen, even if SNCF owns 80% of RailEurope, why would that justify to buy tickets from RailEurope and not directly from SNCF?

Diane

Thank you all very much for the excellent information regarding purchasing rail tickets through SNCF instead of Raileurope. For 3 of us, we saved over $400 canadian dollars booking through SNCF. You can reach an english speaking person by calling this number from Canada 011 33 8 92 35 35 39.Given that we are 3 weeks away from our trip to France, they are even sending us the tickets so we don't have to worry about picking them up. We prepaid for them as well as our car rental which we were able to arrange through SNCF and got a further discount on car rental. Wished I would have had this info last year! Thank$!

Mike

Does SNCF have a France rail&drive package like RailEurope? Waiting for Reply!!! Thanks, Mike

Liz

Mike (you really should do a new post. Some times people don't go back to an old, long post.)<BR><BR>I'm pretty sure any type of Railpass or Rail/Drive pass, even for one country, is something you have to buy through Raileurope, but that's fine, their prices are higher for point to point, but Railpasses are set prices, and only vary by "extras".