fabsam

I am planning on going from Paris to Geneva via TGV. Can I buy tickets online from voyages-sncf.com and not Rail Europe (since they are more expensive). How would I buy tickets from the SNCF web site since I am unable to type the US as the country where the tickets will be mailed to.

Underhill

Type France as the country of purchase and pick your tickets up in Paris at any mail-line station or SNCF office.

fabsam

Underhill: Thank you for your reply. Do you know if the paris to geneva TGV "experience" is worth ir rather than flying easyjet? Is the TGV route scenic?

socialworker

we just bougt tkts from sncf online and one of the options is to print them out on your own computer--which we did. they are completely safe b/c you still have to show a passport for the person named on the tkt, so no concern about losing them. in fact, they say you can print out others if you lose them. one funny aspect of the whole experience is that within one day, we were receiving spam (in french!) from the sncf.

Underhill

TGV routes may be scenic, but you don't see much of the scenery because of the train's speed. It's like watching a movie on fast forward.

Underhill

I forgot to tell you that you will need to show the credit card you used to pay for the tickets when you pick them up.

alan64

The SNCF site states "If you make your Booking between eleven (11) and sixty-two (62) days before the departure date, you must collect your ticket within seven (7) days of the Booking date." I wanted to book now for a trip in mid-May, but can't pick up my ticket there in the next 7 days.

Is printing out the tickets (Paris/Amboise RT) the best way to get around this? Can all their tickets be printed out, or only certain fares/classes?

jamikins

I am trying to book a seat from Paris to Beaune and I keep getting : Technical Error Please try again....any idea why I cant do this? Its for April???

Underhill

That's strange--you usually get that message when trying to book too far in advance. You could try calling; the line in English is 011-33- 8 92 35 35 39. It's a toll call, BTW, but shouldn't take very long.

Steveboy

fabsam:

We just returned from Paris and I faced the same dilemma as you. I purchased my train tickets from Paris to Caen on the SNCF site, and then realized that the US was not listed as an option for mailing. I typed in my U.S. address anyway, and then followed up with an email to the contact address on the site, requesting that the tickets be mailed to my address in the U.S. I received a response a couple of days later that they do not mail tickets to the U.S., and that I should pick the tickets up at the train station on my day of departure. Guess what? About a week later the tickets showed up in the mail. Go figure.