London to Avignon - Eurostar/TGV
 

Hi all,

Hopefully someone has some advice on what to do in this scenario. My parents will be travelling from London to Avignon via Eurostar/TGV combination in June. They are travelling just before the service runs direct from London to Avignon - so a change is required in either Lille or Paris.

Our current thinking is to transfer in Lille (it seems easier to do the change of trains).

So, the dilemma:

1) Eurostar is on sale now (6 months in advance) and has some reasonably good fares (~ 34 pound each) to Lille.

2) The TGV from Lille to Avignon is not on sale for about a month.

Is it best to wait a month and buy it all as one ticket (as I believe you can be ticketed all the way through), or is it best to just buy the Eurostar earlier - while it's cheaper - as the price of it will go up, and therefore a combined ticket will end up more expensive?

I assume that there are sufficient trains from Lille to Avignon - such that if we pick a time (e.g. arriving at Lille at 11.30am), there won't be an arduous long wait for a TGV.

Any information appreciated, as always!

Also, as an aside - Paris remains an option - but as mentioned, I think it would be easier to transit via Lille.

London to Avignon starts at £67.50.

If you think you can make savings buying two tickets then that's up to you. You'll need to cost them separately from the eurostar and sncf sites. Seems unnecessarily complicated to me and I doubt you'll save money.

Just buy London to Avignon tickets from eurostar when they become available.

Definitley change at Lille.

One advantage of having a single ticket is if there are delays on the first part of your journey and you miss your connection. The carrier is then obliged to put you on the next available train. There is no such obligation if you are travelling on two separate tickets.

I think some people can get obsessed about paying the least possible amount of money for train tickets. Generally speaking, the earlier you book the cheaper the tickets, but it does lock you in to a particular itinerary which may not turn out to be the best. Few trains are sold out until the last minute before departure.

Thanks sofarsogood. The reason I ask is the question is - I am not sure when the service becomes available to book all the way, whether they release fares that are reasonable, compared to buying two single ones in advance (i.e. now).

I generally note that the closer to the departure time, the more expensive the fare, hence the question. But if there is probability that when they are released (i.e. 90 days before departure), that the fares are reasonable - and we haven't missed all the "early bird" fares - then we can of course wait.

Thanks chartley also. Dates are certain so there isn't a requirement for flexibility. I understand that trains aren't necessarily sold out - but there can be a significant difference in the fare paid. (Especially when you're travelling on AUD or NZD!)

<i> but there can be a significant difference in the fare paid.</i>

Only if you wait until a month or so before departure. Is it possible that you are making this more complex than it need be? Purchase the tickets from London to Avignon now.

You might save a couple of euros if you wait but I doubt it. You could also end up paying a lot more.

Well we can only buy the Lille leg now. The Lille to Avignon leg is only purchasable in another month. Which means the Eurostar might go up I suppose.

My advice is to wait until 92 days when both Eurostar & TGV are open for sale, and buy both together, checking prices at both www.eurostar.com and www.loco2.com

There are two reasons.

First, a through fare may be cheaper than the sum of the two fares.

Second, I've known too many people try to be clever, book their non-changeable non-refundable Eurostar 120 days out, only to find 90 days out that their onward train is re-timed or not running that date due to engineering work, leaving them with a useless Eurostar ticket and the need to buy another Eurostar ticket with an earlier departure from London.

Wait, wait, wait.

The real main in seat 61?!

How could I ever go against that advice!

Thanks, we'll wait for another month.

man*