maxmox

1. Which website do I book through for the best rates? I've found several (SNCF, TGV-Europe etc). How do I get that PREMS discount ticket?

2. I'll be renting a car in Paris and dropping it off in Tours and then taking the TGV back to CDG airport. I understand there are a couple stations in Tours? Is it the St. Pierre de Corps station that I will be catching the train from? I am hoping to return the car at the station.

3. Our flight leaves that day (July 16th) at 2.30 pm, how long do I need , i.e. what time should I catch a train?

THANKS much for any advice!!

yk

1. www.voyages-sncf.com; or www.tgv-europe.com. both should have same fares. The latter you can navigate in English if you set your country to Great Britain.

2. There are car rental desks at St Pierre des Corps.

3. You should arrive at the airport no later than 12noon.

Sarastro

1. As yk writes they should have the same fares but it has been my experience that voyages-sncf includes many trains not found on the tgv site. voyages-sncf is only available in French.

2. There is also a least one company operating just around the corner in front of the Tours central station.

3. Noon should work but 11:30 am would be even better.

ira

Hi max,

>...Our flight leaves that day (July 16th) at 2.30 pm...<

I suggest that you be inside the terminal 3 hrs in advance.

The 10:23 out of St. Pierre des Corps is absolutely the latest train you should take.

Christina

If a PREMs fare is available, it will be offered to you on the website as one of the choices.

StCirq

Agree with ira that you should be on the 10:23 or earlier (though I would never risk taking a train from that far away the same day as a flight, but that's just me).

PREMs will be readily apparent on the voyages-sncf website IF they're available for the day and time you want.

yk

Looks like your choices are either:

08:03 train, arrives CDG at 09:42
or
10:23 train, arrives CDG at 12:09

The fare I'm seeing is €29 for both trains, which is a pretty good price. You might want to get your tickets soon before the discount tix run out.

If you choose the earlier train, make sure you first check if the rental car desk is open that early.

yk

BTW, the flight you are catching at 2:30pm - where are you flying to and from which terminal? Do you have checked luggage or carryon only?

maxmox

We depart CDG Terminal 1 (Iceland Air to Reykavik and on to Boston). We will have checked luggage. Thanks for your help.

maxmox

yk - can you send me a link to where you are seeing the fares for 29 euro?

I don't know what my problem is, but I am having issues ... I can't seem to find the listings on the tgv website for these departure times at all?? I keep getting no results when I search one-way outward from st. pierre de corp/tours to cdg. ???

yk

I used www.voyages-sncf.com

The stations you want are:
St Pierre des corps
Roissy

The 29 euro fare is the TGV Loisirs fare, for 2nd class.

Since you leave from Terminal 1, I suggest you take the earlier train, as you need to transfer from the CDG TGV station (in T2) to T1.

Again, I suggest you double check the rental car company opening hours at St Pierre des Corps. I know Europcar has a location there as we rented from them a few years ago.

maxmox

I'm REALLY tempted to book the later train arriving at 12.09pm b/c if we took the earlier train we will have to pay extra fees to return our rental car before opening hours... do you think I could make it ok with the later train, or is it just too risky?
our flight departs Terminal 1 at 2.20pm. Cutting it way too close? Opinions appreciated.

How long does it take to transfer between T2 to T1 at CDG? Are the TGV trains delayed very often?

Robespierre

What are the refund/exchange terms on your air ticket?

If you'd be stuck for the cost of a replacement ticket if you don't get to your flight, I highly recommend staying closer to the airport. Our rule is that we spend the night before a flight where at least one backup airport transfer is possible. RER + taxi, or shuttle + bus or the like.

With an afternoon departure, I'd stay somewhere between Orly and Gare du Nord within range of either the RER or Air France shuttle.

maxmox

I just found www.raileurope.com , is there a reason why I should not be using this site? I have not seen anyone mention it, but it lists the same TGV trains and you can pay in USD. It looks like they SHIP the tickets to you, which costs $18!

If I book through tgv-europe.com, how do I get the tickets? Are they e-tickets, or will they also have to be shipped/mailed to me in the US?

Robespierre

I've had tickets from SNCF delivered to my hotel in Paris no problem. Just give the front desk a heads-up to put them aside for you. At the Alixia, they clipped them to the folio that had my reservation in it.

maxmox

Robespierre - does SNCF charge you for mailing within France, or I'm assuming they do not and this is why you opted to have them send the tickets to your hotel instead of your home?

yk

1) How much are the tickets you see on raileurope.com?
2) Your next option would be to take TGV from Tours to PARIS (not CDG) the evening before, and stay in Paris for one night.
3) For PREM'S you can print it out at home. For the Loisirs tickets, you have a choice to collect your ticket from an automatic ticket machine with the bank card used for the payment.
4) Looking at July 15th from Tours to Paris, there is a slow train at 17:02 arr into Paris Austerlitz in 2 hours, with PREM's tix for 15 euros. Or you can take the 17:12 TGV to Paris Montparnasse (1hr 18mins) with 26 euros Loisirs tix available.

There are probably later trains but I didn't check for you.

maxmox

Hey yk - on raileurope.com it is $92 USD for two travellers.

We already have our hotel booked in Chinon the night before so would really like to stay with that plan.

I think I'm going to call the car rental company tomorrow and see how much this fee will be to leave the car before opening hours, or if thats even possible.

Other option would be to drive the car back up to Paris and return it at CDG... would that be nuts?

Skedaddle

Hello, all! I'll try to interpose a question about TGV without hijacking the thread. I'm booking for an upcoming trip and I've never traveled on TGV (just regular SCNF). Are the fares truly better for advanced booking than walk-up at a station or travel agent in Paris? Assuming the answer is yes, do hotels really receive the tickets (this just seems like a level of customer service I'm not used to from hotels ? I'll be staying at a business class hotel (Hotel Concorde la Fayette) in Paris (fantastic deal), so you'd think they might be able to do this. Any tips on making it happen? I don't mind retrieving in a station in Paris, but does it have to be a TGV station? I guess I could get them at the CDG station when we arrive. I'm a little leary of that because sometimes the automatic machines don't seem to like US cards. Is there some sort of help if it doesn't work?
Sorry for all the questions, but it looks like you guys are the experts on this!

yk

Skedaddle - as mentioned earlier, it depends on the type of ticket you buy online. The PREMs tickets (very discounted) can be printed out at home. Other less discounted tix such as Loisirs tickets, can be picked up at SNCF station or SNCF boutique with your CC at kiosk or window.