Barb

I have never been to France, but I have taken the train all over Italy and have never made reservations for train tickets in the U.S. It was very easy to just pick up tickets at the stations when needed. Is this different in France because I've seen so many posts about buying tickets before you go. What is the difference? Price, convenience? I hate to tie myself down to a certain day and time, who knows what might happen once I get there. What are the disadvantages of just buying tickets when needed.

StCirq

It's very easy to purchase train tickets on the spot in France, too, as long as you are aware of public holidays and, e.g., schoolchildren's vacation schedules. But the reason to reserve them online in advance is to take advantage of numerous SNCF discounts.

Barb

Are the discounts considerable, and how do public holidays impact travel - just more crowded, or trains not running?

StCirq

Yes, the discounts are considerable, starting from 25% off for booking at least 8 days before the trip. There are family discounts and group discounts and frequent traveler discounts, too. There's even a kind of &quot;mileage program&quot; you can join, and every time you book on line you get points usable for future trips and other goodies.<BR>On public holidays there are fewer trains running, and there may be more people traveling just before and just after them.

Barb

Thanks, that certainly answers the question. Do you recommend this for just long trips, or short ones as well. I will be in Paris for a week next fall and then training to Avignon and then to Nice. I am hoping to use the train for short trips from Avignon and Nice as well as using the bus.

StCirq

Barb:<BR><BR>A discount is a discount, whether it's on a short, inexpensive trip or a longer, more expensive one. That's money you can spend on food, wine, and souvenirs, n'est-ce pas?<BR>It's fairly easy to navigate the SNCF website (though it had some problems earlier this week). Just be sure to print out your ticket confirmation and take it with you - and get to the train station early enough to stand in line to pick up the ticket (no longer than it would take you to stand in line to buy a ticket).

Barb

Thanks for your help StCirq. I will definitely look into this before next fall.