Hello,
We will be in Marseille on July 17 and are looking to get back to Paris. The online train booking is only givingg us a 8 hour trip back to Paris...arriving at 11:30PM. Any ideas on how to get to Paris earlier? Is is too early to be booking this online...we are looking for the 3 hour express train but it keeps on bumping us out of the site.

Have you checked for a TGV?

We were on the SNCF website which books trains in France.

Try again on 17th (or 18th?) April - 3 month rule. It's too early.

thank you, kappa

The TGV is the fastest way from Marseille to Paris. It takes three hours. I wonder if this is what you meant by the three hour express train.

"The Marseille TGV is at the good ol' Gare St. Charles, right in the town. Buses and taxis are available to get you to other parts of town, and there's a shuttle bus (navette) to the Marignane airport."

I don't understand the problems you are having, as I didn't have any problem checking schedules for that route on SNCF's website (www.sncf.fr). YOu can check schedules without buying, anyway (there is an option when you type in the itinerary to just check schedules or horaires).

There are many TGV trains all day from Marseille to Paris on that date that take about 3 to 3:30 hours each. They leave almost every hour in the morning. I don't think you can reserve them now, but there certainly are plenty of trains.

They appears to allow me to book a special rate of only 45 euro second class (50 euro first) for an idTGV on that date at 19:29 pm (arrive Paris 22:41 pm). That is only about 3 hours. I think you can book that now, as it said you could, although I didn't try. They do allow some idTGV discount fare bookings at different times than the regular tickets, I think.

If you don't want to book that, you'll probably have to wait a while to book the regular tickets at other departures. I don't know what trip you were being allowed to book that took 8 hours but you could book this far ahead, that seems very odd.