Paris train questions
 

First Timer questions - Staying in Ru Cler and departing to Germany via train from the Est station in Paris. Not being familiar with the process, how much time in advance should we plan on arrival at the station? Planning on taxi just to keep things simple. Purchasing tickets (w/reservation)online in advance. Does that ticket get you onboard or is there a check-in required? Are you assigned cars/seats? Non-smoking cars available? Thanks for any help and/or additional information.

How much time to allow yourself to get to the station will depend in part on what day and what time of day, but I would allow at least an hour (and call the cab ahead of time).<BR><BR>If you purchased your seats on the SNCF website, you already have a reservation, but you do not have seat assignments. You'll need to go to the ticket counter at the Gare de l'Est with your confirmation number (printout from the SNCF website), where you will be given specific seat assignments. You may choose smoking or non-smoking.<BR><BR>After that, all you have to do is remember to "composte" your ticket - stick into one of the little orange composteur machines and get it stamped.

From Rue Cler to Gare de l'Est is about<BR>7 K through the middle of Paris. Traffic can be heavy at times, so I would allow extra time just in case.<BR>I think using a taxi is a good idea because the Paris Metro is not luggage friendly. However, getting from Ecole Militaire to Gare de l'Est requires only one change at Opera. <BR><BR>Paris cab drivers are very expert at getting around the city by taking all manner of side streets to get around traffic tie ups, but that does not always work when every street is full of cars.<BR><BR>I would allow at least an hour to make the trip and find the train. I can wait on the train much easier than I can chase it down after it leaves!!<BR><BR>If you have extra time, you can always look something to read while riding, have a cup of coffee, find your train, and select a seat without having to panic.<BR><BR>All trains I have seen in Europe have non smoking cars. Usually I don't make a seat reservation, except on weekends. This past summer when traveling on a Sunday afternoon, I was unable to reserve a seat in a non smoking car because I made the mistake of waiting until late Friday afternoon to buy my ticket.<BR><BR>I do not know if ALL seats were reserved, or if only a portion of the seats were set aside as reserved seats and some were left unreserved. I was unable to find out for sure because I was buying my ticket from an agent who worked for one of the private mountain lines in Switzerland and the train in question was operated by the Deutsche Bahn. <BR><BR>When I asked for a seat reservation, he told me that no second class seats in the non smoking cars showed on the computer. And that was all he knew. There were plenty of seats in the smoking cars!! Faced with a definite threat of having to ride in a smoking car, I decided to buy an insurance policy in the form of a first class ticket. An expensive lesson!!<BR><BR>Reserved seats are marked in some way, usually with a piece of paper on a clip near the seat. If the rail car has compartments, the reservation notice will be on a clip mounted on the door frame. If you are taking a TGV, all seats are reserved.<BR> <BR>When you board the train in France, you are required to cancel your ticket in a machine near the platform that stamps the date and time on the ticket. Some of the machines cut a little notch out of the ticket as well. The machines are in small metal boxes welded to metal posts along the train platforms. <BR>They are usually obvious. <BR><BR>There is no check in; no one runs your luggage through a scanner. You arrive at the station, consult the departure board to find out which track your train is on, stamp your ticket, and find a seat. <BR><BR>Once you do it a time or two, you will find the process is easy. The largest problem I have in Paris train stations is finding the right track number because some of the stations like Gare de Lyon and Gare Montparnasse are quite large with multiple levels. Gare de l'Est is one of the smaller ones, but it, too, has its quirks.<BR><BR>If you arrive very early, you need to make sure that you are actually boarding the right train. There is usually ample information posted on the outside of the train that gives the destination.<BR><BR>If you see your train listed on the departure board, it is ready for boarding.<BR>

If you paid for tickets online and made a reservation, you don't have an actual ticket in hand as I understand it. You have to pick up the actual ticket at the train station, where they will tell you your seat number, since you say you reserved one. You can't just get on the train without the ticket (and don't forget to stamp it as advised above). If you did reserve online,you already selected smoking or nonsmoking, it asks you that.<BR><BR><BR>It's hard to say how busy the ticket windows will be at the station when you go, but you may need to stand in line a while. I would try to get there about 45 min ahead of departure time, at least.

Some observations about this train station: We had to take a train to Strasbourg from Gare de l'Est and I hate that train station. We arrived at 6:45 a.m. and there are not more than a handful of seats available to wait. The info. booths have reps. who do not understand much English so it's difficult trying to get any info. The station is small as compared to Gare du Nord & Gare de Lyon and doesn't have many places to eat. Plus all the entry doors are left open so it's freezing in the station. It's torture to wait at this station so dress warmly if going in the early a.m.<BR><BR>Be sure to compost your tickets at the orange machines before boarding.<BR><BR>