Need explanation of seat choices on TGV trains.
 

Before I purchase my tickets on the Roissy to Strasbourg TGV in May I want to be certain I understand my seat preference choices. I can choose either carre or kiosque. Am I correct in thinking that carre is the 4 person seating and the kiosque are the two that face each other on the other side of the aisle?

Will I also be given the opportunity to choose the direction I face, as I really don't like to ride facing backwards. Thanks for any help, Deborah

Hi D,

>Will I also be given the opportunity to choose the direction I face,<

No.

Sometimes the train switches direction.

If you have a problem, you can ask someone to switch seats.

Sorry, I can't recall about the carre and the kiosk, at this time.
((I))

PS,

I checked the 12:54 to Strasbourg.

The only choices were window or aisle.

((I))

Ira, thanks for letting me know about having no choice in which way our seats will face. I think I may avoid any problems choosing ticketing in 1st class instead of 2nd. Lucky for me, my husband doesn't mind sitting "backward" ;;)I guess I thought 2nd class seating also included the single seats facing each other. Ron and I prefer to drive when we are in France so I've only taken the train a couple of times. thanks, Deborah

I know :
carré (square): 4-seat box style (2 seats other 2 seats)

kiosque. I am not sure but I found the following on RailEurope site: 17-seat end compartment ("Le Kiosque")

> Will I also be given the opportunity to choose the direction I face ...

When you buy online, no. I usually get to choose carré or duo (airplane style, you face the back of other seats) and aisle or window.

kappa, thanks, my Larousse dictionary gave me pilot house or wheel house for kiosque--- I was hoping I wouldn't be given seats in the front engine ;;) Deborah

> I think I may avoid any problems choosing ticketing in 1st class instead of 2nd. Lucky for me, my husband doesn't mind sitting "backward" I guess I thought 2nd class seating also included the single seats facing each other.

2nd class does not have the single seats facing each other, that's only in 1st. For your "problem", buying 1st cls is a good idea. Just be careful in case you have not noticed : You should choose DUO vis-à-vis and not DUO côte à côte (side by side on English page?).

And I wonder why I get so confused!!! This is what I found doing a search here of the word carre

< Yes kiosque means a grouping of 4 seats, 2 facing 2, with a "table" in between. Carre is just regular side-by-side seats. >

Isn't that just the opposite of the information here. Carre is a square, right

From what I am understanding thanks to Ira and Kappa is that if I stay with 2nd class, I can't be assured of getting a forward facing seat.

If I do choose 2nd class I can select either two side by side seats with a table between or two seats side by side positioned like an airplane.

If I don't want to be seated side by side facing other people do I select carre or kiosque?.


Thank you for bearing with me to understand what to many must be a simple decision ;;) Deborah

> " Yes kiosque means a grouping of 4 seats, 2 facing 2, with a "table" in between. Carre is just regular side-by-side seats. "^

Above seems wrong to me. As you know now, Carré means square and what above calls kiosque is actually "carré".

> Carre is regular side-by-side seats.

I know carré and côte à côte (side by side) are two different types of seasting as I always buy côte-à-côte.

As to Kiosque, since it was a new word for train seats for me I searched and found above : 17-seat compartment.

> From what I am understanding thanks to Ira and Kappa is that if I stay with 2nd class, I can't be assured of getting a forward facing seat.

Yes with online purchase, but sometimes at the station counters, they can do that.

> If I do choose 2nd class I can select either two side by side seats with a table between or two seats side by side positioned like an airplane.

Yes, as long as there are enough seats available to give those choice. But it happens you don't get the choice you want because such seats are already sold out, at least at the rates you are buying with.

> If I don't want to be seated side by side facing other people do I select carre or kiosque?.

Neither. You have to choose "DUO côte à côte (airplane style)= side by side. TGV kiosque 1st class is this :

http://www.tgv.pl/tgv/tgv/kiosque1kls.jpg

Imagine a similar but lower quality/space for 2nd class.

And in carré, you two can be sitting side by side AND facing 2 strangers OR you two can be sitting facing each other.

Maybe this will help:

http://www.trainweb.org/tgvpages/formations.html

> Maybe this will help:
http://www.trainweb.org/tgvpages/formations.html

YES, That's where I got info on "kiosque"

Thank you so much. I think my confusion came when I went to seat selection in thinking I had to choose either carre or kiosque. If I selected indifferent I would have been given, in a 2nd class car, two side by side seats configured like an airplane.

Have I finally gotten this????

Deborah

I found this though the aide symbol on voyages-sncf site,

http://tinyurl.com/d9bsg7

it explains the seat choices. Now I just have to find out if I can select a non-smoking car in 1st class ;;)

thanks again, Deborah

I thought all trains in France were nonsmoking by law, there aren't any smoking cars anywhere any more, that I know of.

There no smoking in France anywhere anymore.

I wouldn't worry about riding backwards, because you can hardly feel the train moving anyway.

There is no smoking in France anywhere anymore.

I wouldn't worry about riding backwards, because you can hardly feel the train moving anyway.

thanks Christina, the train chart kappa and stcirq provided showed that one of the 1st class cars allowed smoking. I checked my last TGV train ticket that I saved and it showed we were in 2nd class, non smoking. thanks again, Deborah

kerouac, thank you for the info

Now can anyone tell me why my capital one visa was not accepted as payment when I tried to purchase my tickets.

I think I read in a recent thread that the same thing had happened to someone else---

Should I just wait and try tomorrow?? thanks, Deborah

I so appreciate Capital One Visa, they just called our house to verify that there was not fraudulent activity on our card because of a recent purchase we had combined with the request from SNCF.

They cleared our card so I should be able to go back to SNCF and purchase my tickets. Here's Hoping ;;) thanks again for everyone's help. Deborah

That's right there is no smoking cars anymore on French trains. I just used above site for the explanation of "kiosque". I didn't pay attention about smoking cars but if it still says that obviously it still contains old infos.

> If I selected indifferent I would have been given, in a 2nd class car, two side by side seats configured like an airplane.

Not necessarily. "indifferent" means any seat configuration including the one you might not like, doesn't it?. I have never picked "indifferent" so I have no personal experice what you would get though. If you don't want to face a strager, you must choose "DUO côte à côte". Haven't I written this above? I forget. Even then it's up to availability though. Haven't I written this either? I forget.

kappa, thanks for the info. Duo cote a cote wasn't a choice, it was indifferent, kiosque or carre--that's what had me confused I usually don't like choosing indifferent, either

It appears that the SNCF site is down for purchasing tickets online which I discovered after several attempts

Having Fodor's is such a help when you are presented by so many obstacles in planning something simple like purchasing a train ticket.

For me today, in trying to place my reservation I have had 1. the seat selection question 2. whether a train car allows smoking 3. having Capital One Visa question fraudulent activity of my card and now 4. finding the voyages-SNCF site down for online purchases.

Tomorrow should be a better day for me to buy my tickets, I hope ;;) Deborah

> Duo cote a cote wasn't a choice, it was indifferent, kiosque or carre--

Then I would think Duo côte à côte is no longer available (or the train you want to book does not have that seating?). You could try higher rates (if shown on the choice). They might still have Duo côte à côte. Then it's up to you to pay more for your preference or not.

Kappa, I tried your suggestion and as I am selecting seats on the first day these Premium seats are available for purchase, May 5, I checked all the more expensive seats in 2e classe and the options for all were indifferent, carre and kiosque.

Thank you very much for trying to help me though this.

I think all in all I'll just buy 1e classe tickets where I know the seat option duo vis a vis is available. I might even be able to sleep after our trans-atlantic flight on the train in 1e classe ;;) Deborah

Deborah, you may not need any more info but the following site seems to explain better than above mentioned site or all what I have written so far.

http://www.tgv-europe.be/europe/BE/e...hoix_placement

By the way, I tried to find your train but couldn't. Are you taking one of the few (or only one) direct train Charles de Gaulle TGV (Roissy) to Strasbourg departing about 07:00 in the morning? Most others seems to require 1 change. Just being curious. sncf site is not really user friendly, e.g. finding Paris Airport TGV station. I went to Swiss Railway site (that I am used to use), put Charles de Gaulle TGV and got the timetable right away even if you don't know the locality name Roissy. Also Strasbourg has no "TGV" station (like Avignon-TGV vs Avignon-Ville), it seems. Only one station (Strasbourg-Ville) for all the trains incuding TGV trains, doesn't it?

Ooops, my above post messed up your thread with the long URL. I didn't bother with tinyurl.com bacause usually somehow my posts don't get this problem when I post long URL's(don't know why). Sorry.

Thanks Kappa, yes, there are three direct trains for Roissy CDG2 TGV to Stasbourg, which I found thanks to Ira--we have a fairly long wait for the 12:56 train but it won't require getting into Paris. Something that makes my husband happy as he is just a little surly after a usually sleepless flight!!

My link (which did work with the tiny url) was the same one you gave but in French, it was good to see your English site.

Don't worry about the long link, at least it wasn't in the title ;;) you know how that throws all 50 threads around it off.

My post will just gently fade away but I've learned so much about choosing train seats!!! Thanks again, Deborah