Normandy to Paris
 

We plan to drop our rental car in Normandy and train to Paris.Does anyone have a suggestion on which city would be the easiest to do this?Also can we buy the tickets shortly before departing or do we need reservations?Thank you very much

Caen worked very well for us; the car drop-off is just across the street from the train station.

We had reservations but probably weren't needed; however, you can save money by buying the discounted PREM fares in advance in most cases.

Since there aren't any TGV's running between Caen and Paris to my knowledge, you won't find PREMs fares. But the regular fare is pretty reasonable - 25-30€ each way. Depending on who's traveling in your party and their ages and relationships, you may be entitled to other discounts, too. You can buy the tickets online at www.sncf.com and pick them up at the station (or an SNCF boutique), or buy them on the spot.If you're traveling at a peak time or have a lot of people in your party, it might be wise to get them ahead of time. There's quite a selection of trains every day, though.

PREM'S fares ARE available on the Corail trains between Caen and Paris. The regular fare is €29.10 and the cheapest PREM'S is €15. Book as soon as the three-month window opens at voyages-sncf.com. Leave France as the default country, do NOT choose cancellation nsurance, and print your own ticket.

We used PREM fares for our train travel between Paris and Bayeux in June. I bought the tickets exactly 90 days out and had no problem getting the PREM fares. It was 15 euro pp from Paris to Bayeux and 20 euro return trip. This was on the route that did not change trains in Caen. Very easy trip and it only took 2 hours.