frankgold

We are arriving at Charles de Gaulle airport on Saturday, 8/27, and want to take a train to Avignon. I know one can buy tickets in advance, but our US Airways flight has a history of being late, and if we miss the train we forfeit the tickets. Does anyone know our chances of just being able to buy a ticket on the spot once we arrive at CDG? Merci mille fois.

Flem04

I made reservations on the TGV out of CDG and it only cost $9 for the ticket to be fully changeable even if I miss the train. Have you checked into that?

Sarastro

This is the perpetual dilemma.

If you purchase discount fares such as PREMs or iDTGV tickets, they are neither refundable nor transferable. I recommend giving your self at least a 3 hour time window at CDG to lessen the changes of missing your train due to a late aircraft arrival.

If you have full fare tickets, there are rules for exchanging them but you are arriving on a very busy travel date and it is possible that available space will be very limited.

Expect walk up fares to approach 150€.

StCirq

Buy it online in advance and just give yourself plenty of time - 2.5 hours at minimum, especially if you're arriving in aérogare 1. Otherwise, you will pay an exorbitant rate and risk not getting on your preferred train.

Christina

I do what StCirq suggests, buy the PREM but allow about 2 hrs. I don't fly airlines with histories of being late, though, I fly Air France.

YOu can always buy a full fare ticket in advance on the internet, there is that option -- so you don't have to worry about not getting on your train, and it is refundable or changeable. I don't think regular fares are exorbitant, I just think PREMs are an amazing bargain. It's up to you as to which way you want to gamble. There are various pricing options, also, which give you more flexibility as someone mentioned about flexibility (I don't know that option, they don't price in dollars so I don't understand that). There are various fare options, though, they are all shown you when searching on the SNCF website.

Right now I see an idTGV fare at 8:21 am for 55 euro, but you can get changeable options for 10-15 euro but I think you have to change it in advance of the departure (5 hrs ahead). YOu also can only change to another idTGV, not a regular TGV. YOu can get a "TGV PRO 2NDE" for 91 euro on the same train, and some other option for 78 euro but that is only changeable the day before or up until departure, so you couldn't get a refund on that fare if you didn't try until after you missed the train. I think that 91 euro is basically the regular fare. These are all second class.

So it's 55 vs 91 euro, I think, with the possibility of losing that 55 euro ticket.

Michel_Paris

I had very good luck the time I took US Air and caught TGV at CDG to Lyon. I could have been at station 30 minutes after landing (no checked luggage).

Pvoyageuse

I would not wait until I am at CDG to buy tickets. The week-end of august 27 is one of the worst in the year and trains will be full.

Sarastro

<i>I think that 91 euro is basically the regular fare.</i>

I agree with your pricing Christina if you are purchasing a month in advance. To understand what a walk-up fare might be, take a look at tomorrow´s fares, then add in travel on the last weekend of August to the equation.

It´s very possible that purchasing a ticket on the 27th of August for travel that same date will cost a bit more than 91€; if tickets are available for sale at all.

PalenQ

I have seen horrendously long lines at TGV booking windows at CDG TGV station - I had to wait in one not long ago and it was about an hour wait - just to make a reservation with my railpass to go to St-Pierre-des-Corps - lots of briefcase-toting French folk were frustrated by the long wait - only a few windows out of many were open - why the French did not do the automatic ticketing machines I do not know why so I would buy a full fare ticket ahead of time and then just head to the train - or do as others above suggest and buy the cheap non-changeble ones but leave 3 hours or so for the plane to be late, etc. You may be twiddling your thumbs for some time if plane is on time but you will not be out the ticket fare and then have to wait in line and buy another ticket at full fare IF any remain - even though at times of affluent travel SNCf can put on many extra trains that may not always show up in schedules far in advance.

frankgold

You folks are all very helpful. Thanks so much for the prompt and informative responses!