Train from Basel to Paris
 

Hi!

I will be in Basel and wanted to take a train to Paris. Can anyone direct me to the best train to take? Also, can you give me some description about the train (ie, do you have your own cart? can i book tickets on a website?)

Thank you in advance for your advice!!

>I will be in Basel and wanted to take a train to Paris. Can anyone direct me to the best train to take?

Nobody but you can answer this question - after all it depends on how you plan the day. Go to the www.voyages-sncf.com and look for which trains cheaper tickets still are available.

> Also, can you give me some description about the train (ie, do you have your own cart?

An own cart??? What do you mean?

>can i book tickets on a website?)

Yes - www.voyages-sncf.com, the French Railways.

One unusual thing about the Basel-Paris line is that it is the last major non-electrified line in France -- the train is pulled by a diesel engine. All of this will change next year when the TGV-Est goes into service.

PREM'S (discount) fares, when available, are as low as E20 on the SNCF site. Tickets can be booked up to 90 days in advance. One peculiarity about this route is that initially you will be told you can print your PREM'S ticket; but because this is an international route, when you actually get to the payment step, your only choice is to have the ticket mailed to you (like to your hotel in Basel). If you buy a regular fare ticket, then you can choose to pick it up at the station.

You can also book this ticket on the Swiss Rail site, www.rail.ch. Use the timetable feature at either rail.ch or bahn.de to quickly see all of your route options.

>but because this is an international route, when you actually get to the payment step, your only choice is to have the ticket mailed to you (like to your hotel in Basel)

You are surely right, but it sound strange, because for all legal purposes the tracks where trains leave from Basel to France are considered French territory and a part of the SNCF network.

Thank you everyone for your responses. My friend had told me that he had his own room on a train when he went. (He wasnt seated with other passengers.) Thats what I meant by "own cart".

Also, I tried looking for a ticket on rail.ch but they didnt have any available for the first week of October. I guess they arent available yet?

Thank you again for your help everyone.

I rode this route last March. We didn't book until two days before leaving. Second class was quite empty for most of the trip. We paid about $70 for the trip each.

>Thank you everyone for your responses. My friend had told me that he had his own room on a train when he went. (He wasnt seated with other passengers.) Thats what I meant by "own cart".

If you want to take a night train you can get a private compartment, but it will cost you an arm and a leg. On day trains some carriages have compartmens with 6 seats each rather than open seating. If you find an empty one and sit in it, good for you. But there is nothing to stop anybody from sitting down in the same compartment as you.
On the other hand, mid-day trains are usually rather empty anyway.

>Also, I tried looking for a ticket on rail.ch but they didnt have any available for the first week of October. I guess they arent available yet?

No wonder - rail.ch (is actually sbb.ch, english variant) is the Swiss rail website. If you want a ticket for a train in France you would need the french rail website, www.voyages-sncf.com. Some special cheap offers (called PREM) should be available right now. But you should know that they are non-changeable and non-refundable for the most part.

In 2002 we bought our train tickets from SBB. We traveled from Paris to Bern and I liked dealing with SBB more than with SNCF which doesn't have as good a customer service department as SBB's. SBB also mailed our tickets to us in the US. I think nowadays you're able to print your tickets online.

I don't know what steps you took that led you to the conclusion that tickets aren't available for the first week of October, but I think that you must be mistaken. Did you register on the SBB site? Did you see this message?: "Direct online price information for international train journeys is not possible due to the extensive range on offer. However, orders/enquiries can be made here in the shop."

Did you see a "click here" link that led you to this message?: "Select the desired journey from the online timetable and then enter the required information. The SBB Contact Centre will inform you as soon as possible via e-mail. Afterwards you can view the offers and order your ticket. You can also summarise several connections in one enquiry (e.g. for single and return journeys). However these connections cannot be ordered individually. Otherwise you need to create an indivdual enquiry for every connection. First search for the desired journey in the timetable. After clicking on 'Booking' you will be taken to the order/price enquiry form. For orders/information the SBB Contact Center is available every day round the clock at 0900 300 300 (CHF 1.19/minute)."

Everyone, thank you. Tim, I registered with the site and was able to pick the dates I wanted now. Whats the difference between the seat choices: table, reclining, and panaoramic? Thanks!