Taking the Train-Help w/tickets please!
 

We plan on taking the train from Paris to Bayeux roundtrip (staying overnight). We get into Paris late on a Sunday night (taking the chunnel from London) and plan on taking a Monday morning train to Bayeux.

• Should we buy the Bayeux tickets at the train station when we arrive on Sunday night? Or are we safe to get them the next morning?
• Also, do you have to commit to a return time?
• What if we miss a train and have to take the next one-do we have to buy NEW tickets? HELP!

You probably don't need to buy the tickets ahead of time, but since you'll be at the station Sunday night, why nt? That will save you time the next morning, which because it's a Monday morning could mean busy train station with long lines at the windows. Then all you'd have to do on Monday is punch your tickets before boarding.

You don't have to commit to a return time if you don't buy a RT ticket. If you do buy a RT ticket and you miss the train, you'll have to pay for a new ticket. You might possibly get a break, but it would probably involve pleading with a ticket agent.

The only time you are committed to a specific train/time is if that route is a specialty train (TGV, THALYS..) that requires you to reserve a specific seat assignment.
Otherwise, a regular ticket (SNCF) is good for the day and route. In France, you should stick those tickets into the orange quayside machines and punch them before boarding the train.
You can prepay for your tickets on www.sncf.com and indicate that you will pick them up at the station. It doesn't matter which station, any can print the tickets for you. You must show them the same credit card used to book tickets and the email confirmation they will send to you.

Hi StCirq,

>You don't have to commit to a return time if you don't buy a RT ticket. If you do buy a RT ticket and you miss the train, you'll have to pay for a new ticket.<

Do you mean that if I buy 2 one-ways I can use them anytime, but that if I buy a RT it is good only for the specific trains, even if I don't have seat reservations and its a full fare ticket?

Hi, ira:

Given what TravelNut just posted (The only time you are committed to a specific train/time is if that route is a specialty train (TGV, THALYS..) that requires you to reserve a specific seat assignment.
Otherwise, a regular ticket (SNCF) is good for the day and route.), I'm not sure.

All I know is I once (maybe 5 years ago) bought a RT ticket and missed the returning train and had to buy a replacement ticket.

But TravelNut seems to be saying on the non-specialty trains if you buy a ticket, whether one-way or RT, you can use any train, with no penalty if you don't get on the one(s) you've requested. Somehow that seems like it would pose a scheduling nightmare for SNCF. Also, I was under the impression that there were different rates for trains going the same routes, depending, for example, on how many stops the train takes or whether you have to change trains.

TravelNut: can you explain this further?

I've taken plenty of trains in France without a reservation and no special ticket, just as Travelnet says. I thought that was the norm except for TGVs (or now PREMs), and for any ticket that isn't reserved. If there is no reservation, you just get on anywhere you want, within the right class.

The tickets pretty much say all that, as I recall -- that it is good for that route for that day or something.

I do that all the time -- buy a RT ticket and then just decide when to return based on when I get done doing stuff (for touristic day trips). A lot of smaller regional trains won't even take reservations, so it poses no scheduling nightmare for SNCF at all. I don't think the ticket even has a time on it.

Does one still have a ticket validated before getting on the train?

Yes, you do.

I don't think I've ever actually <i>missed</i> a train in France, but I have formed my belief from various readings... (I was told in Holland that this rule applied to their regular trains, but that's another system.)

I can find these comments on www.sncf.com in the Passenger Guide:
&quot;If you have missed your train, and want to take a different train to the train shown on your ticket. Before boarding, ensure that your ticket is valid for travel on the service you've chosen. The train you wish to take, and/or the fare you have paid, may be subject to special conditions of use.
To avoid any difficulty, ask the ticket inspector or service staff on duty for advice. In some cases, you may have to change your ticket or choose another train on which your ticket is valid.&quot;
&quot;TGV services
You may take a different TGV to the train for which you have reserved, when travelling on the same day and via the same route as per your reservation. This more flexible service, does not offer guaranteed seating, is available subject to the conditions shown in the below table.&quot;
&quot;If you do not have a reservation, you may travel via another train on the same route on condition that the fare you have paid entitles you to do so and subject to the conditions for access for the train you wish to take.&quot;

However, there is another section that indicates you must EXCHANGE the ticket and possibly pay a surcharge in order to take a different train:

<u>Exchanging a ticket without reservation</u>:

When ?
Any time up to the final date of validity indicated on the ticket.

Where ?
At any SNCF train station or ticket outlet. If you have purchased your ticket from an accredited travel agency, you may also exchange your ticket at the same agency.

Under what conditions ?
There is no charge for exchanging tickets to obtain:
a seating reservation,
a lower fare reduction, or
service upgrade,
over all or part of the ticketed journey.
In all other cases, you will have to pay a charge equivalent to 10% of the ticketed fare (1).
-------------------------------------------------------------
<u>http://www.bugeurope.com/transport/railfr.html</u>
&quot;Regular tickets are valid until midnight on the day after you have validated your ticket. You may make a stop-over of less than 24 hours during your journey as long as you reach your destination before your ticket expires.&quot;

<u>A Fodors post:</u>
&quot;Author: goatee &lt;threadselect.jsp?screen_name=goatee&amp;fid=2& gt;
Date: 10/18/2004, 03:11 pm
Message: I had actually originally bought an unreserved ticket for one portion of my trip, as I was unsure whether I'd be able to meet up with a friend in the town I would be changing trains. The ticket was good for a range of dates ...&quot;

Well, that's weird, because I take the train from Paris to P&eacute;rigueux a lot, sometimes with a stop in Limoges, and every single ticket I've gotten has had the times on it.

I'm looking at an SNCF ticket right now. It lists the time the train leaves Austerlitz, the time it arrives in Limoges, the time it departs Limoges, and the time it arrives in P&eacute;rigueux. It lists the number of the train, the number of the voiture, and the seat number. It's a ticket my daughter used, so it indicates that she got a special fare and she will be asked to justify it. This was a ticket she bought in Paris the morning of her train trip, not something bought over the internet.

The trains from Paris to P&eacute;rigueux are not specialty trains. Are you saying I could use this ticket on any train that same day going from Paris to P&eacute;rigueux? I don't think so. If that's true, why would it have all this specific information on it?

I think the &quot;specialty fare&quot; is the distinction...

It's just the standard reduction for someone her age and being a student.

Maybe you ask for an 'open' ticket or something...although Christina doesn't recall it requiring anything special...

I wonder if it has to do with the type of tickets?

Except for a few Prems I always end up buying full fare tickets as I don't qualify for any discounts.

The full fare tickets seem to be very flexible when seat reservations are not involved. In December I delayed my trip to St Emilion by a day due to rain. When I handed my Thursday's ticket to the agent on Friday to exchange it, he gave it right back to me. He said to validate it and use it. The conductor didn't mind. He checked that I'd &quot;composted&quot; it and punched it like he always does.

How do you know what kind of train it is (PREM, local, etc.)? Is that located on the SNCF website?

Also, is there any advantage to buying roundtrip tickets instead of point-to-point each way?

I think it probably is because of the reductions, etc. The tickets I'm referring to are just full-fare tickets I've bought a couple days before departure. I believe this is because those reductions are specific to certain times and trains and may depend on seat availability.

I don't think I've kept one of those tickets around to look at it, but it's the kind I've always gotten for short day trips as I never reserve those in advance. I really can't recall the details, that's funny when you are used to things -- maybe it has a time when you buy it and it's good for that time or any time after that for the day? I really don't think it has a time on it, but can't swear.

Last time I did this was last year RT Paris Reims for the day. Just a regular last-minute fare -- I know I could return to Paris anytime I wanted so I checked the schedules upon arrival to see when I'd have to be back to the station under various scenarios. Isn't this what everyone does who goes to Giverny? Just takes note of the return train schedule on the board at the station and makes sure they get back on time?

I've never bought a train ticket for a specific time in France except for TGVs. If I did, such as Reims (which isn't a TGV), I know it could be used at different return times.

It isn't really a RT ticket or two one-ways, any RT ticket I've had has consisted of two separate tickets and the price was the same as if you bought two one-ways--it's just buying two tickets at the same time.

Maybe it's because that ticket was a discounted ticket and because she had a reservation for a specific time. In any case, I believe the ticket does state the rules, or the folder you get with it, I remember that as I read it. The routes I usually do this on are shorter than Paris to Perigeux, and maybe that's a special run of some kind where they really keep track, and the ones I've done never were.

I don't really remember what I tell them when I buy these tickets -- I just don't think they really care what time you come back from Reims or Giverny or any of these small towns.

You know, I'm beginning to think I'm getting senile -- maybe they do have times on them, but the fine print says you can use them any time from then to midnight.

Of course you have to punch them, Ira, to show you've used them.

Someone on here must know this really well who lives in France, I'll bet. I think I have one at home I can check.

I shouldn't have used my daughter's ticket as an example. I've got three more tickets here for the same type of trips (non-specialty trains)that I purchased at the station and that have no discounts of any kind associated with them. They all say Plein Tariff and they all have all the detailed information on them, including times of departure and arrival and number of the train. Nowhere, not even in fine print, does it say they are valid for any period other than the one specified on the ticket.

I'm flummoxed! (I love that word).

Yes, ira, you have to run the ticket through the orange composteur box. Plan to spend 4-5 minutes there running it through every which way possible until it punches. I guarantee you won't get it right the first time unless you're exceptionally lucky;)

Hi all,

French trains operate the same way they always have.

You buy a ticket.

It is good for at least 30 days.

You punch it before you get on the train. This prevents you from using the ticket more than once.

If you buy a ticket on a high speed train, it comes with a seat reservation.

The ticket is good only for that train. If you miss your train, or if you wish to take an earlier train, you turn in your ticket and pay a fee.

If you buy a ticket with a seat reservation on another train, you can always use the ticket, but must pay for a new seat reservation.

If you have a discount ticket, you have to read the fine print. Some are partially refundable and some are not.

It's just like everywhere else in Europe.

((I))

ira:

My tickets from Paris to P&eacute;rigueux always come with a specific seat reservation,and they are definitely not high-speed trains.

If you are reserving a seat, that would definitely cause the ticket to reflect a specific date and time.
Do you ever buy a ticket -without- also reserving a seat? Those should be the ones we're batting around here...

I've never asked to reserve a sedat. I just go up to the window, typically, and say I want a ticket on the next train (or the 10:15 train or whatever) to P&eacute;rigueux. We never ever discuss a reserved seat or anything like that. And EVERYONE on the trains I take has a reserved seat. I know that because I've had someone sitting in my seat and once sat in someone else's seat by mistake.

It seems to me that maybe people getting on at stops between Paris and P&eacute;rigueux can just choose an open seat, but I have no way to verify that.

Hi StCirq,

I looked up Paris/P&eacute;rigueux at www.sncf.com.

The trains via Bordeaux and Libourne are TGV. Thus, reserved seats.

The train via Limoges is a Corail; reservation not required.

Does this explain it?

((I))

well, I'm not as forgetful as I thought, as I have the Reims tickets right in front of me. Not only don't they have a specific train time, they don't even have a specific date -- they can be used on any train between Paris and Reims in a two-month period from purchase date. The tickets clearly say that. These are tickets without seat reservations and the normal kinds of tickets I have always bought in France other than TGVs. They are just regular, full-fare adult tickets, second class.

At the top of the ticket (which is for Paris Est to Reims) it says &quot;utilisable du 30/06 au 29/08/2003&quot;. I bought these on June 30th. There is no departure time on them anywhere. Also at the top it says &quot;a composter avant l'acces au train&quot;. This is an adult 2nd class &quot;plein tarif&quot; of 19.70 euro. I believe Plain Tarif is the term SNCF uses for those that are exchangeable and reimbursable. The return ticket has exactly the same info on it, just reverses the depart and arrivee gare names. Both are good for 60 days from purchase on any train between Paris Est/Reims and Reims/Paris Est.

And to clarify one point which I think could be confusing to kimberly--I have never seen a RT ticket that consisted of one ticket in France. I wasn't aware there was such a thing, if so. Any time I have purchased a RT or &quot;aller-retour&quot;, it's simply just buying the two tickets at the same time for convenience. There is no discount for doing so.

In short, for RT Paris-Bayeux, one does not have to commit to any times or dates, I imagine, either going or returning. Just buy the tickets when most convenient. I don't see any fare differences at any time periods between Bayeux and Paris, which could make a difference in these rules, I suppose. On shorter runs, there usually aren't any.

One of the main reasons for the entire composting thing is because of this.

Ok...here's the deal :

Assuming that you're not riding a train with a mandatory reservation, like for instance the TGV *and* you're not using a ticket at a reduced price (for instance tickets bought well in advance)that are only valid for a specific train :

Your ticket, if not punched at the machines, is valid for something like two months. You can use it for the same route on any train (see my &quot;however&quot; below, though) within this 2 months period (except of course for trains with a mandatory reservation. For instance, if you bought a regular train ticket, you can't use it to ride the TGV on the same route instead. I assume it's obvious. And anyway few people are going to buy a ticket for a regular train on a TGV route)

If you punched your ticket at the machine, it's still valid on any train on the same route until the end of the following day or somesuch (I'm not sure for how long exactly it's valid since I never waited that much time to use a ticket when I had missed my train).

If you didn't use your ticket and did not punch it, and once again it's not one of these reduced fare ticket like PREMs valid only for a specific train, you can exchange it, or, last time I checked have it reimbursed (if it's a TGV ticket, or if you bought a reservation, the cost of the reservation won't be reimbursed, though).

*HOWEVER* there are some (not many) regular trains with a supplement, generally long distance trains with few stops leaving on peak hours. Since St Cirq mentionned Limoges, for instance, there's every day such a train called &quot;Capitole&quot; between Paris and Toulouse stopping at Limoges. If you bought a ticket for a train without supplement and use it to ride a train with supplement, you'll be fined (doing the reverse is of course a non-issue). So, if you miss your train and ride the next one, you might want to make sure it's not a train with a supplement. Just ask at the station (for instance ask a conductor on the platform before boarding).

Your ticket might indeed have a day, hour, train number, etc... printed on it, as St Cirq mentionned, if you bought it for a specific train. But you still can use it to ride another train. You're only losing the cost of your reservation.

Concerning RT, they normally give you two tickets, say one Paris ---&gt; Limoges ticket and one Limoges ---&gt; Paris ticket. So, you can for instance use one ticket one way and have the other one reimbursed or exchanged.

Once again, this is *NOT* true for reduced fare tickets like the PREMs, valid only for a specific train. These are only reimbursed partially or not at all.

Christina,

Actually, you might get a discount when you buy a RT, if you reserved for specific days, and your stay include a full week end day. For instance, if you reserved for a Paris----&gt;Limoges train on saturday and the Limoges---&gt;Paris part is reserved for monday. Or at least, it used to be the case. .

It's intended to offer a reduced fares for vacationners as opposed to business travellers. Since I never bought such a ticket, I'm not quite sure of the details. I don't even how these reduced fares are called. I don't know how it works re. exchange/reimbursment/reuse of these tickets, either.

great information thanks ... so much to learn