Ira, thank you very much for reminding me about how PREMS work. My angst with you is that you have continually advised folks over the past months about these 25 Euro PREMS fares for Bordeaux from Paris. Unfortunately, as you have pointed out, those fares are variable but since so many people here obviosuly depend on your good advice i am always concerned they will feel they are doing something wrong when they don't find those fares you keep saying are out there.

St. Cirq, you may think it unnecessary to go into the city to catch a train. OTOH I think it is prudent to spend my money on a ticket I can be assured of using.

Hi, Dukey:

Well, since it's rare to find a PREM fare from CDG to Bordeaux, I'm usually holding a refundable/exchangable ticket - which means I don't have to worry about missing a train and losing money.

And I do agree that the Paris (Montparnasse) - Bordeaux route is one of the most frequent PREM offerings, so ira's advice isn't all bad. Not always at 25 euro, though.

As for buying a ticket on the day of departure, this causes you to pay double or triple or quadruple of the internet fares. You can certainly do so, if you don't mind the difference in price.

Fairway - The Air France bus #4 departs every 30 minutes. No need to pre-book your ticket.

My quick check at sncf.com showed PREM'S for Montparnasse-Bordeaux ranging from 25 to 48 EUR. The standard 2nd class fare ranged from 65.10 to 76.70 EUR. So long as I allowed plenty of time to get from CDG to Montparnasse, factoring the possibiliy of a late arrival and a delay in getting through immigration/passport control, it would certainly be worth it to me to go from the airport to the train station.

You can book up to 90 days in advance at sncf.com. To have the best chance of getting a PREM'S, book as soon as the 90-day window opens. Leave France as teh default country and print your own ticket.

TimS - In the "Leaving From" portion of the scnf site, I used PARIS MONTPARNASSE 1 ET 2 (75). I have BORDEAUX ST JEAN (33) as the "Going to" block.

Also, I am assuming I put the word "PREMS" on one of the pages for special code fare. Is this correct? Or do I enter another code somewhere?

I am not getting the fare you found for 2nd class of 65-75 euro.

So allowing for arrival delays, customs, etc. what if train is missed anyway?

Will a rail pass accomplish the same task but allow for delays?

Sorry for all the questions but I really do appreciate your help.

You do not need to specify the fare you are looking for. The listing for departures times will indicate which ones are more likely to have specials. Click on a departure and it will list the various fares that are available.

Do NOT enter a code. Click on "Search now" and you will be given all the fare choices still available for the date and time you want. If PREM'S are still available, that will be one of your choices.

PREM'S are non-exchangeable and non-refundable. If you miss the train, you eat the cost of the ticket. If you book a PREM'S, allow lots of extra time between your arrival at CDG and your departure from Montparnasse. Or book a regular ticket on an earlier train that you think you can catch if you have no delays. Those are fully exchangeable.

That special code thing is for some other kind of discounts, not for a special fare ticket. I'm not sure as it doesn't apply to me, but I think if you have a special yearly train fare card of some kind, for seniors or students, or something like that.

In any case, it doesn't apply to you.

The results page will be very clear that some discount fares are labelled PREMs (and they are different colors).

Fairway, if you are still having difficulty I have just topped MorganB's excellent instructions for booking tickets on the SNCF website in case you need it.