Just bought my France Saverpass for my trip March 27 and will be using it for TGV from CDG to Avignon and then back to Paris.

I'm just a bit confused regarding the TGV reservations though. What's the easiest way to get them? Are they physical items I show when getting on the train? Re my return from Avignon to Paris, can I get the reservation in Avignon, or should I get them from here in the states? Finally, raileurope.com sells them for $11/ea. Is that about right, pricewise?

Any tips and advice appreciated!

JF

Hi jf,

Because you have a railpass, you have to pay a surcharge for travel on the TGV.

You can purchase them at the train station.

If you know what trains you wish to take you could buy them now from raileurope.

jfilla:

You may have researched this in advance and come to the conclusion that a France Saverpass was the best option for you, but did you know that in all likelihood you culd have purchased TGV PREM tickets right from the SNCF website for about 20 euros each way? The RailEurope options are usually very overpriced.

Of course if you are doing a lot of traveling by rail in France, your choice may have been the right one.

Regardless, as ira says, I wouldn't pay RailEurope $11 just for a TGV reservation. Buy them at the station and I bet you'll pay considerably less.

YOu never show anything when you get on a train, you just walk on. This is true of every train I've ever been on in any country. YOu show things when the conductor comes around to check your tickets and reservations. You will have to show your pass (and it better be validated), and the reservation form which is like a ticket. YOu should be able to get a reservation in Avignon for your return. $11 isn't as bad as it used to be with the value of the dollar so low, but that's a little more than it would be in France.

StCirq,

Well, I went to www.voyages-sncf.com and the cost of a CDG->Avignon is 130 Euros. So maybe you know something I don't.

If you were me, would you just land at CDG and purchase the reservations there? How likely is it that the train would be full? Is there any web site (besides raileurope.com) I could purchase and print reservations only?

Thanks for your assistance!

JF

Hi jf,

Unfortunately, you are too late for the PREMS fare (35E), which is why I didn't bring it up, since you said that you had already bought your railpass.

Easter Sunday could be very crowded. I suggest that, before you leave, you get your seat reservation on the train that leaves about 2 - 2 1/2 hr after your scheduled arrival.

PS,

To find the PREMS fares, go to www.sncf.com, click "reservez...", click "prems".

If that is Easter, I definitely would get them ahead of time. As I said, that price is really not too bad, I think they are probably around 5 euro if bought in France. I remember paying about US$4-5 for one a long time ago, and the value of the dollar is probably worse right now.

Ira is mistaken that you need to pay a surcharge with that railpass for TGVs, however. There is no surcharge, you just need a reservation. I think there are surcharges for some trains in other countries, but not France.

If you are taking several long TGV trips, those passes are actually pretty good deals and give you more flexibility.

Hi Christina,

>Ira is mistaken that you need to pay a surcharge with that railpass for TGVs, however. There is no surcharge, you just need a reservation.<

Is there a fee for the reservation? That is what I meant by a surcharge.

jfilla:

ira's correct - it's too late for you to get the deeply discounted PREM fares, but if there's another trip to France in the making, do check for them, as they're a great deal and the CDG-Avignon route is almost always one of the ones offered.

Train travel over Easter can definitely be very crowded, so I would agree you should just pay the $11 and get it over with.

Have a great trip!

Wow! This information has been extremely helpful to me. There are so many different rail pass options that I've looked at, and now I'm thinking that I can skip them entirely.

Just like jfilla, I am looking at the same CDG to Avignon trip for my family (2 adults, 1 teen, 2 children). Even though I don't read French, it looked like I could get a PREM fare for 195E that would cover all 5 of us on a Saturday in June.

Are the PREM fares offered consistently? Are they discounted trips for off-peak travel times?

We will also be traveling by train from Avignon or Aix to Nice, + some small day trips -- maybe into Monaco.

Should I quite looking at railpasses and discount cards?

Saratoga:

I don't know if the PREM fares are for off-peak travel - I don't think so. I think they are just seats the SNCF decides it may not sell unless it reduces prices.

They are almost always available for the Paris-Avignon run, but for lots of others, too. The trick is to keepchecking your dates. Sometimes they'll be 35€ one day and 20€ the next, and then not available at all.

It's often cheaper, and sometimes a alot cheaper, to buy point-to-point tickets than some sort of pass, but you need to do the research and compare prices.

The SNCF web sites (www.voyages-sncf.com) indicates that tickets can be sent to many countries but the USA are not on the list. Any reason why not?
PREMS fares are not refundable. So if the plane is late arriving at CDG it is 'good bye' money. Or are there any known ways to get a refund under such circumstances?
Fred

No, you can't get a refund for your PREM ticket.

For other non-discounted tickets, just leave France as the country and continue with your reservation. There's no need to type in an address. You'll get a confirmation number by email, which you take with you to the train station (actually, any train station or SNCF boutique) to pick up your tickets. Make sure you have the same credit card with you that you used to buy the tickets online.

Thanks StCirq!
I went ahead an bought the tickets but decided to select the (bit more expensive) Senior option. At least that gives us the chance to cancel before train departure in case that plane is delayed taking off.
Fred