Help with Chantilly train please
 

I made so many notes on train from Gare du Nord to Chantilly & now I’m confused.

One note says says TER-Picardie counter at platforms 15,15,17 of grand lines ground level

Other note says head to track 20-21 ticket window on left says Ile-de France

Can anyone please tell me the easiest way at Gare du Nord.

buy your tickets on main cncourse Grande Lignes section (main lines) but go to the suburban railway station under the main station on its east side to find trains - those ticket windows sound right by each other - look for those signs above them and go to either? I'll let kerouac confirm that or not but very easy and you can buy that ticket online yourself or from ticket machines - buy 'aller retour- round trip ticket and don't forget to self-cancel your tickets each way before getting on train to have them considered valid once aboard.

https://parisbytrain.com/gare-du-nord-photos/

You can buy tickets online and not have to mess with the madness of standing in line at the Gare du Nord. Online tickets can't be composted for obvious reasons and don't need to be.

Can online tickets then be refunded if not used (if no need to compost or self-cancel?)

The website tells you the conditions for refunds and exchanges when you buy a ticket.

Thanks for the tips

I think that at least some of the Chantilly trains leave from the ground level with the main line trains. But wherever they leave, this is not at all a problem -- there are screens about every 10 meters in the station showing the platform number of all of the trains.

<< there are screens about every 10 meters in the station showing the platform number of all of the trains.>>

True, but if Chantilly is not the final stop on the train route (and I have no idea if it is or not), it can be easy to miss on the screen if you're looking for Chantilly. There is normally a sort of ticker-tape listing on the screen of all the intermediate stops, though, so be sure to look for that.

And, it's not just Chantilly but Chantilly-Gouvieux, the name of the station you want. I believe there is no Chantilly station but C-Gouvieux should be on screens.

I do the journey from Paris to Chantilly usually several times every month so I know the routine well. This year they no longer sell tickets at the Ile-de-France counter near tracks 20 and 21. They are now purchased in the SNCF Grandes Lignes ticket office in the front part of the station. I've gotten into the habit of buying these tickets from machines but I believe there is no English language option and it takes getting used to the procedure, since it seems like there are a zillion questions to answer and buttons to push before you finally insert your credit/debit card to make your purchase. Once you know the routine it's simple. There is no designated track where these trains always depart from. In my experience it is anywhere between track 9 and track 19. Look for your departing train track (track number posted 15-20 minutes prior to departure) on the blue overhead departure monitors that say "Grandes Lignes" (not Ile-de-France). In front of each platform there is a monitor that will show all the stops that train makes so you can be sure to board the right train. Insert your ticket into one of the yellow composting/validation machines you'll see spread out along the length of the platforms. Do the same when leaving Chantilly-Gouvieux (that is the name of the train station but it is physically located in Chantilly).

Curious - why don't you just buy tickets online?

<< Curious - why don't you just buy tickets online? >>

Because I don't want to be locked into a specific time and date since my trips are sometimes last minute decisions. The tickets I buy from a machine are also valid for a period of 7 days starting from the date/time of validity shown on the ticket. This is also the case with tickets purchased at a manned counter at the train station or at any SNCF boutique. I don't believe that option is available with on-line ticket purchase but I might be wrong about that. Someone who may know can correct me if I'm wrong. Also, it only takes a minute to buy a ticket from a machine so I'm not worried about time lost at the train station.

The only advantage to buying tickets on-line for me (and anyone really) is when you can make a savings of more than a few euros buying in advance vs. last minute. This is particularly true on TGV and Intercités trains where there are substantial savings when buying tickets in advance. But even though there may be some trains to Chantilly (and other destinations near Paris like Vernon-Giverny) where you'd save a few euros buying tickets in advance (like 3€ to 6€ savings one-way), the minimal savings is not worth it to be locked into a specific time and date. And since Chantilly is a day trip from Paris then it would be logical to want the flexibility of choosing the best weather date to do your day trip. For those train journeys where prices are fixed and there is never any savings for buying tickets in advance, and also for any ticket where you only save a few euros buying in advance, I don't see any advantage to buying a ticket on-line.

For people who can't buy tickets from machines because they can't read French or the machine doesn't accept their credit/debit card, there are always the manned counters to purchase tickets. I think people avoid this because they hear horror stories about incredibly long lines to buy tickets, which are isolated incidents that are the exception rather than the norm. I haven't purchased a ticket at the new SNCF Grandes Lignes counter yet but for the last several years I was buying tickets to Chantilly at the Ile-de-France ticket counter in Gare du Nord and I don't ever think I stood in line for more than 10 minutes.

Thanks for the update and yes we do want to choose a good weather day.

I agree, I would not buy such tickets online either, if you buy a TER ticket from the automated machine, it's good for a week, also, and it only takes a minute or so to do that.

Weird you can't buy open ticket online and say print yourself.

I wouldn't buy the tickets ahead ot time. There are lots of machines at Gare du Nord, and if they don't take your card, the ticket office will. Most of the train station ticket offices are no longer overloaded simply because most people buy their tickets from the machines.