Heavens

Saw this on another post. We are trying to book a train from Paris to Bayeux at the end of April. Four of us want to go on a Sunday, trains are limited. Return on Tuesday.

What is the best way to get a good price for this trip? We feel we must book a reservation bc that Monday is Labor Day holiday and fear that many will be traveling at that time. Any help on the best way to do this would be helpful.

Also, can I book this? And if I do, where do I have them send the tickets? To my house in the states? Thanks for you help.

StCirq

There are no PREM tickets fof non-TVG lines. Just go online at www.sncf.com and check for tickets to Bayeux that fit your schedule. Leave France as the country, and click on the option to pick your tickets up at the station. Pay with a credit card and print ou tthe reservation confirmation they will email to you. Then, when youpick up the tickets, make sure you have the same credit card with you that you used to buy the tickets.

TimS

I'm sorry, but StCirq is mistaken. There are PREM fares on non-TGV routes, including Paris-Bayeux. A PREM ticket, if not sold out, is 20.30 E and a regular 2nd class ticket is 30.40 E. The secret to getting a PREM fare is to book your ticket as soon as the "window" opens (now 90 days whereas it used to be 60 days). You print your own PREM ticket. If the PREM seats are gone, do what StCirq says. You can pick up your ticket at any SNCF station or ticket boutique. Do NOT ask to have it sent to the states.

Johnmango

I am really confused about the PREM tickets. I was at the website and cannot find US or Canada on the list of countries annex 2 or 3). Does it mean that I cannot buy the PREM ticket if I live in US or Canada??

francophile03

You can buy the tickets if you're from either the US or Canada. But you cannot have the tickets mailed to these countries as they're not on the list. I have heard of people entering "France" as their country and I think they use their residential address and somehow get their tickets mailed to them. I'm not sure if I got that right, but what I'm saying is they played around with the system and it actually did mail a ticket to their home in the States. But that's just a chance you take. I believe that it's possible to call them and order the tickets to be sent to your home address. Again I may be wrong there too.

What you can do if it's a PREM ticket is to choose France as your country and choose the selection to print out the tickets.

Johnmango

I was at the www.sncf.com website again, and try to book tickets from Paris to Turin (in May 2006). But the website does not give me a choice of printing the ticket. It only says "picked up at station" or mailed to address in France or countries in annex 2 or 3 (don't see US or Canada). If I book more the 11 days (I think) ahead, the tickets have to be picked up within 7 days of booking.

So I am totally at a loss.Tim S: how can I get the tickets to be printed???

francophile03

In that case you cannot print them out if there is no choice for that. If you are staying at a hotel another option is to request them to receive your tickets for you and use the hotel's address.

Johnmango

I should maybe clarify...

When I checkd the fare, I got the price, then I went through the suual steps of ordering/

- First I picked the dates and time
- then I had to type the address, and you cannot put down US or Canada as a country because you can only pick the country from a pick list, and US/Canada are not on the list. So I just left it "France"

- it also ask me whether I want to ppick up tickets at the station, or have them mailed to my address. There is NO "third" option of printing the tickets

- then I get to the page of actually buying the tickets with my credit card. I didn't want to go through with it, knowing that I may not get the tickets

- so unless AFTER I bought the tickets, another page pops up saying that I can now print the tickets on line, I will have to get another way of buying the discount PREM tickets??

John

TimS

John - I was curious so I plugged in an arbitrary date in May and went through the ordering process. Like you, I was NOT given the option to print the PREM ticket I found. (I have no idea why.) Like francophile03, I have read reports on this board about people entering a US address by mistake but still receiving their tickets in the mail. Asking your hotel in France to accept your ticket works well. Again as francophile03 says, I've read that ordering tickets over the phone allows you to have them sent to a US address. You might want to call SNCF Direct at 0892 353 535.

Johnmango

Thanks Tim.

I called the direct phone number you gave me - got through, but I couldn't understand a word they said. It sounded like press 1 for something, press 2 for something. I waited and waited hoping some live person would come on the phone and then I got disconnected.

I have a brother who has a (second) home in London. UK is on the Appendex 2 list, and my brother said I could use his address and he will have someone mail the tickets to me. Thanks for all the help!

Heavens

I am going to have my TA get them for me and let her figure it out. Is that a good plan?

Johnmango

Heavens:

I don't know how, according to posts here, some people could manage to enter the US address.

When I went through the on-line booking, there is NO WAY one can enter the US address, because you can only pick the country from a pick list, and US is not on the list.

Anyways I also heard that the reason why US and Canada (andmaybe some other countires as well) are not on the list because over here, Eurostar is represented by "Rail Europe". I checked the Rail Europe website and there is no prem tickets being offered.

I just booked mine using my brother's address in London, and fortunately for us to act so quickly .. there were only 3 discount tickets left after I bought ours.

MorganB

You might want to do a search for my name. I did a long and detailed post about reserving tickets which explains most of the nuances.

MorganB

Heavens your travel agent will book through raileurope. Easier yes and more costly.

TimS

John - I'm glad you worked something out with your brother. I just found the number for SNCF in English. For future reference it is 08 92 35 35 39.

Heavens

OK, now I am a little more than confused. You are saying that there are two ways to book? One through one site which offers discounts, and another that doesn't, and that is the one that my TA would be using? Am I getting this or confusing myself. Thanks again.

kerouac

Canadians, Americans and Australians are all screwed by a rail deal agreement in those countries.

francophile03

I don't know your TA but I will not trust a TA to book SNCF tickets unless the person is familiar with not only the booking process but also the nuances as MorganB related. As stated also, most likely the TA will just book your tickets via Rail Europe which is SNCF's American agent and the cost will be much more expensive than booking directly with SNCF.

MorganB

Heavens,

Read this thread for alot of answers:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34752919

Heavens

Thanks all, I will check it all out when I get back from work(gotta pay for these trips, ya know...). I did go on the discount site. I think I will email the hotel and ask if it is OK to have train tickets sent there...what do you think? I think my TA is not familiar with this system. Is it mainly for locals? Thanks again and have a good day.