ourstar

Traveling from Paris to Avignon on TGV. What's the difference between 1st and 2nd class?

kerouac

Almost no difference for a trip that lasts 2h45. When the price difference is no more than 20€, I choose 1st class anyway, just to be with fewer people.

Sarastro

Seat width, some 1st class compartments have 220vac connections for personal electronic devices. Often 1st class is quieter.

I have seen 1st class PREMs costing less than the available 2nd class tickets.

If you check here, prices start (4-6 months in advance) at 19€ and rise as tickets are sold:

www.idtgv.com

ira

t

TPAYT

We always choose first class for the above reasons, but also choose to sit upstairs for the view. Some of the TGV track is lowered, so on the bottom floor of the train you're sort of riding in a hole with no view.

This is fine if you're working or reading, but we do like to look at the countryside.

PalenQ

Almost no difference for a trip that lasts 2h45. When the price difference is no more than 20€, I choose 1st class anyway, just to be with fewer people>

Such a contradictory post - 'almost no difference' but then tells a big part of the difference - fewer people - a key aspect to first class no matter how long the train ride is IMO

And for all the reasons others list above - 3 seats in the exact same space that are 4 seats in 2nd class. And only in first class IME on TGVs do you have the so-called isolated seats - with both an aisle and a window - rows of just one seat - for couples you can get these facing each other with a table in between - fewer seats and fewer of those seats that are full also means easier baggage storage - I usually have an empty seat nearby to put my bags on - in 2nd class seats are much more likely to be all full and the overhead luggage racks more full too.

2 hr 45 mins may seem short to some but for most it is a long ride - first class is well worth the extra cost for the average tourist on the trip of a lifetime - if you were riding a lot then the cost savings for lots of travel may mean you'd have to go second class - but for a one-time trip go in relaxed style - there is a world of difference between the classes (and not to say 2nd class is a cattle car, not a'tal) even on modern TGV trains.

For some great sites that will further explain the difference between classes and a wealth of other info on French trains check out these fantastic sites - www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.

PalenQ

Some of the TGV track is lowered, so on the bottom floor of the train you're sort of riding in a hole with no view>

and it seems that there are lots of windblocks along the tracks - fences that allow little view at all at many times from the lower level - part of the joy of train travel in France is to see the lovely French countryside - amongst the most bucolic in all of Europe IMO - hilly with lots of tiny villages punctuated by soaring steeples of the local parish church, etc. So definitely try to get a seat in the upper level of TGV duplex trains IMO.

gwan

I don't know - PalenQ is entitled to his/her opinion, but even on "a trip of a lifetime" (and we have no evidence that this is in fact a one-off much-anticipated trip for the OP) not everyone has the money to pay extra, and the 2nd class on a TGV (the horrors of being with other human beings aside) is really perfectly fine (as PalenQ does acknowledge). I myself wouldn't pay even 20 euros extra for first class on a trip of a couple of hours, but everyone has different priorities of course!

The luggage storage thing can be a problem, it's true. If the train's starting from your stop, you can just try to get there before the last minute so you have time to get your luggage in first, otherwise if you're not willing to pay for 1st class you'll just have to take your chances of course. I usually find it easier with small suitcases or backpacks that can go overhead, large suitcases are more tricky.

PalenQ

Yes most folks will find 2nd class perfectly fine - especially if not carrying a ton of luggage - but will find first class even finer - the difference is not nearly like on an airplane but still there are significant differences that make IMO a first-class trip much more enjoyable for the average traveler who is typically hauling around more luggage than one can imagine.

grandmere

For a trip of that length, I would choose the least expensive fare. That being said, we found first class tickets for less than the available second class seats for Paris-Lyon-Paris in a couple of weeks so we took those, naturally!

Christina

sure, 2nd class "is perfectly fine", but why wouldn't it be? This isn't some third world country, I presume the OP wouldn't have even asked in the first place if they were willing to settle for something that is just okay, why would they think a seat on a French train would not be. No one should be asking about first class seats on trains if that is a big expenditure to them because the difference in France is not great and can be close to or zero, actually, due to various promotions.

I book first class for long trips, I never would for short trips, so my philosophy is the reverse of grandmere's. It doesn't make any different if you are on a short trip, but on a long trip it is just nicer to have a slightly more comfortable seat, and usually more space and less crowds. That's why I pay for it.

Anyone who thinks paying 20 euros more for a nicer seat and car for a trip of a couple hours never should have asked the question in the first place.

dugi_otok

In first class-can you store luggage on the upper level? We have 26" and a 22"(air line carry on size)suitcases.We are a family of 5 and will have quad +1 seating.

gwan

Um, maybe they asked because they really *don't* want to spend an extra 20 euros if they can get a reasonable degree of comfort in 2nd class. Sorry, but you guys seem a bit judgemental of the idea that people might actually want to save some money or not have the budget for unnecessary indulgences.

grandmere

Christina, I think we are saying the same thing although I don't think that 2h45 is a "long" trip; I guess long trip to me would begin around 3+ hr., etc. We took first class for Paris-Lyon-Paris because it was less expensive than what was available in 2nd class when we booked; otherwise we would certainly have gone 2nd class for our 2 hr. trip.

apersuader65

I just took the 2 hour Paris-Caen trip. First Class going, second class returning. We had a four seat bank with a table in first class, all kinds of room and the seats were very comfortable. Only the luggage rack at the front of the car had luggage in it, the rear one had none. 2nd class on the way back, the seats were noticeably smaller, every seat was taken, and every luggage rack was full. Oh, there was zero chance of sleeping in 2nd (unless you can sleep in a regular airline seat) the rest of my group all were able to sleep in 1st class.

tenaya

Families in France get extremely good deals on train travel which enables them to travel first class. I once took a TGV from CDG to LYON first class. It stopped to pick up at Disney!
Thought I'd mention this given references above to "fewer people" and "quiet".
The train was packed. It was neither school holidays nor weekend.
The (very spoilt) little girl sitting opposite me spent most of the journey thumping a collection of unbreakable dolls on the table rendering business man sitting next to me apoplectic. I was merely in shock.
Morale of the story ... avoid trains that stop at Disney!

kerouac

The best thing about the Paris-Avignon TGV route is that the trains are non stop -- this eliminates about 90% of the baggage paranoia, since most people don't keep their real valuables in the big bags, and nobody can suddenly get off the train with them at a random stop.

Bags can be stored on either level, and the stairs are not a problem.