sncf confusion
 

I am trying to purchase PREM tickets on the sncf site but it does not offer the option to print the tickets. For the mailing option, the US is not listed as an option.
Then when I went on the US site for RailEurope, it does not offer the option to depart from CDG Roissy...
Please help! Thanks.

If you selected the insurance, that will block the 'print your own' option.

yeah, I think almost all the time sometimes can't print them it is because they bought insurance (the terms say that option is not available for insurance, but people miss that).

However, you can buy such a ticket from Raileurope, you just have to put "aeroport cdg tgv" in the departure box.

Another possible reason is buying non PREM sncf tickets at same time.

Here is a great thread on "mysteries" of buying tickets at SNCF:

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

Thank you all soooooooo much! Wow. Such an easy solution. I really appreciate all you travelors who keep checking into this site...

We had quite a bear of a time buying our tickets through the sncf site last year and, to top it all off, not all of our tickets arrived prior to our departure (while my husband and i didn't have complete tickets, fortunately our 11 month old daughter was free to travel our complete itinerary on her own). That said, much to my surprise and contrary to the original impressions given by the clerk in the sncf ticket office, they gave us new tickets on site (without our having to go through the rigamarole of purchasing new tickets and returning our late ones to Paris once we returned home to receive a refund) and, to top it all off, discounted the tickets 30%. Not bad for 2 return seats on the TGV from Paris to Toulouse. While I don't think they want the word getting out, the French can be extremely helpful when they want to be. Good luck!

Hi Claude,

>While I don't think they want the word getting out, the French can be extremely helpful when they want to be.<

Oh dear. You've let the cat out of the bag. :)

((I))

It's nice that you had a good experience, Claude, but it may not happen that way for others -- and many French clerks can be very obstinate and make up a lot of rules on the spot.

However, one thing in your post doesn't make sense to me -- you said you didn't have to buy new tickets and wait for a refund, they gave you new tickets, but then say they were discounted 30 pct. Well, if you didn't have to buy them, how could they be discounted?

Hi Christina,

I appreciate that everyone's experience will be different, but i thought it important to highlight that it is possible to have a very accomodating experience. We were warned time and again before going to France that we could expect the typical rude behaviour, blah, blah, blah, and nowhere was this our experience. Expecting frustration is stressful - i thought 808 might like to know it's not always that way.

When the sncf gave us replacement tickets, they refunded 30% of our original ticket cost to our credit card.

Hi all - I just wanted to let everyone know that I recently spoke to someone at SNCF about not being able to print tickets. If you are traveling from somewhere within France to somewhere outside of France, you cannot print your tickets. I was having a similar problem going from Paris to Milan, but now I'll just have to have my tickets mailed to me. 808adventurer, I don't know if you were trying to book an international trip or not, but I hope this info is helpful!

Thats only partially true. They should have told you on certain international routes you cannot print your tickets. For example , you can print them between Paris and Brussels.