French Rail (SNCF website) Question
 

We will be in France for a week in March, spending most of our time in Paris, but also going to Lyon for a couple of days to visit family.

My father in law said to buy the train tickets before we left the US.

I've looked at the SNCF site and there are some great discounts, but I can't figure out how to get the tickets sent to me in the US. It looks like they list every country but the USA.

It also looks like there is a "print your own ticket" option, but I'm not so sure how that works, especially since I can't select my country.

Am I missing something here?
Has anyone bought train tickets in advance off the SNCF website?

Thanks for any advice!

There was a very good thread on this a few weeks back. Christina & Indytravel contributed a lot to it. Do a search on "SNCF train tickets"

Stu Dudley

Yes, I buy them with some frequency. It's not an easy site to use.

Since Lyon is your destination, you should be able to find PREM or the new IDTGV tickets, both of which are deeply discounted, and both of which you simply print out on your own computer. When you open the site and go to Reservations, you will see clickable boxes for both of these kinds of tickets on the left-hand side of the screen.

You cannot purchase either of thse more than 60 days before your traveling dates.

Leave the country designation as France. Be sure to click the box that indicates you agree to the terms (it's a bit hard to locate on the screen).

You will end up with your own printed tickets that you must take with you. Be sure to have the same credit card with you that you used to buy the tickets. You won't have to go to the window at the train station or stamp your ticket in the composteur. Just get on the train and be sure to have your passport available - the conductor will want to see it or another picture ID to verify you are the correct ticket holder.

Bonne route!

St cirq: do you have a laser printer. Someone told me SNCF site tickets could only be printed on a laser computer - i don't know but present it as a possible problem.

I printed my Prems tickets for last November on a 5 year old HP inkjet. I didn't even print them in color just grey scale.

I didn't have any problems with them on the train.

One more point...you can print more than one copy of your tickets on your printer and put one in a safe place as "insurance". Since they are imprinted w/your name and you must show a matching passport to the conductor who checks them on the train, there is no danger of them being used by anyone else, even if you did lose one of your copies.

Yes, I do use a laser printer, but if indy printed them on an inkjet, I don't think it's a problem. I didn't print them in coclor, either. In fact, there was no color on the last tickets I purchased.

Yes, I do use a laser printer, but if indy printed them on an inkjet, I don't think it's a problem. I didn't print them in color, either. In fact, there was no color on the last tickets I purchased.

StCirq-
Thanks so much for the detailed instructions! It's a great help.
Kristina

Now that you mention it StCirq I remember the Prem ticket itself on the top 1/3 of the page wasn't in color.

It was the backgound for the terms and stuff on the bottom 2/3's that had some color.