We arrive at CDG at 7:00 am and want to take a train from CDG to Avignon. I've checked, and there are several trains to Avignon through out the morning and early afternoon. Would we be OK to wait and buy our tickets at the CDG TGV station - I think it would be cheaper than going through RailEurope, and the sncf site is so complicated.
Advice would be appreciated.

If the trains are not full with the discount type tickets sold online then yes you can buy a full-fare ticket. But if you buy two full-fare tickets to Avignon and back then the France Railpass i would think surely would be cheaper and give you a third day of unlimited travel to boot - from Avignon to Aix for example or a day trip from Paris if going there - like to Chartres or Reims or Normandy.

The problem with getting the discounted online PREM fares and arriving by plane is that you either must build in a big fudge factor in case plane is late as these tickets i think are train specific and can't be changed. Miss the train from the plane and then you'd have to buy a full fare ticket.

Consider the France Railpass which can be used on any train upon arrival but you do need to make the mandated reservation fee on TGV trains.

Have you bought your plane ticket already? Some airlines sell tix to France with a train leg included, such as American Airlines. 2 years ago I bought tickets from Dallas - Tours (st pierre des corp) on AA, which of course, DALLAS-CDG was on American but CDG-Tours was on SNCF. The flight +train combo was the same price as the flight alone, and the bonus was I earned miles on the TGV leg. Also, since it was one ticket for both legs all the way to Tours, it means I'm protected in case my flight was delayed.

One important point you do not mention is when you are traveling, this could make a big difference with seat availability. Not to mention you'll be purchasing the most expensive fares offered in France (those offered through Raileurope are probably the most expensive offered anywhere in the world).

Advance purchase TGV tickets to Avignon are so cheap (often under 25€) why would you not purchase them? True the www.voyages-sncf.com website can be difficult to use but I believe it's worth the effort. There is plenty of advice on this forum offering step by step purchasing instructions.

Additionally, what may not be generally known is that your TGV ticket is good for passage on both the preceding and following trains to the same destination as you were originally ticketed. You are not guaranteed a seat but at least you'll have transportation in the event of a late CDG arrival.

Ultimately, you'll simply need to:

1. Purchase on the SNCF website

2. Pay the price and hope seats are available

I routinely arrive at CDG in the morning and get on a TGV, and I would never wait until arrival to purchase a ticket. I always buy PREM tickets in advance (thereby saving heaps of money). All you have to do is pick a train that you will almost certainly make. I usually opt for the 10:10 to Bordeaux, for example, when I arrive at 7 am. I actually love the time sitting in the station having a coffee and reading the French news.

You are not guaranteed a seat but at least you'll have transportation in the event of a late CDG arrival.>

Is standing allowed on TGVs - say if the train is full?

Are you saying the 29 euro tickets can be used on the earlier and later train - very good news. thanks

Thanks to all for your responses. We already have our plane tickets, arriving Saturday, April 26. yk, I had no idea that some airlines have a train leg included. Nice to know - I will check into that next trip. Palenque, we have looked into rail passes, but don't think we need them this trip. We will rent a car in Avignon, drive to our rental in Lourmarin, and take day trips from there, then train back to Paris. I know that I have seen help for purchasing tickets on this forum, but I have done several searches and can't find the thread. Can someone help? St.Cirq, do you buy your PREM tickets online? Can you then pick them up at the TGV station at CDG? Again, thanks for all help!

I thought PREM'S tickets are non-exchangable and non-refundable, and only valid for the specific train it is booked on.

For Loisir tickets (Leisure tickets):
<i>The Leisure tickets are exchangeable and refundable until the day before departure - free of charge.

On the day of travel, they are exchangeable and refundable with a fee per person per journey: 10€ for tickets of a value lower than 20€.-, this fee is 50% of the ticket value) for tickets at the Leisure tariff. This fee is only applied once for journeys including one or more connections.

<u>After the departure</u> of the train the tickets are non-exchangeable and non-refundable.</i>

Hi roam,

What is it that you find so terribly complex about www.voyages-sncf.com?

RE"your TGV ticket is good for passage on both the preceding and following trains to the same destination as you were originally ticketed".

That's a full fare ticket, I believe, and you have to buy a seat reservation for any train but the one on which you are ticketed..

TTBOMK the TGV are reserved seating only.

roamer -

How to buy your ticket via sncf online:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...to-english.cfm

PREM'S tix are ones you can print at home, so no need to pick-up at any station/airport.

okay, PREMs are nonrefundable and only for a certain train, of course. And full fare ones are refundable.

Okay, I'll wager on the original question -- I would say that if it's not a holiday or something unusual, you probalby should have no trouble getting a walk-up ticket on the exact TGV you want to Avignon, as you will be there mid-day. The ones that really get full can be early morning or late afternoon/early evening for folks who are going somewhere for business or holiday.

I've taken the TGV a couple times to Avignon from CDG, and there were always empty seats -- at least in first class.

roamer: you buy the PREM tickets online and print them out and take them with you. You'll need to show a picture ID to the conductor to confirm you're the ticket holder. You don't need to composte your tickets. I usually print out two and keep them in different places in case I lose something.

not only is there a thread about purchasing these tickets on this site, but also one on Trip Advisor. You can search by
MorganB on trip advisor or here is the link.
ROAMER, where are you staying in Lourmarin? We're still figuring out for our July visit.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic...de_France.html

Thanks for everyone's help. Ira, apparently the sncf site is having some problem, as when I go there (if I read the French correctly!) train reservations can not be made on the site until March 6. There is no space to click for "train," just "vol" and "voituer."
Alison, thanks for the helpful info. We are staying in a rental we found on www.RentOurHomeinProvence.com. It looks great, and the owner has been most helpful. We stayed several times near Vaison-la-Romaine, but this is our first in Lourmarin. Can't wait!

roamer: When is your trip? You can't buy PREM tickets until 90 days before your departure date.

The SNCF site is down at the moment, so I checked fares for 26 April on the tgv-europe site. (It's operated by SNCF.)

The first TGV you could catch at CDG that goes directly to Avignon departs at 11:43. The best fare at this moment is €77 (Loisir, 2nd class).

If you go into Paris and depart from Gare de Lyon, the first TGV you would have any chance of catching departs at 09:42. If your plane is on time, you'll be OK; but unless you're willing to pay full fare, you shouldn't risk it. You need to allow up to an hour to clear immigration/passport control and retrieve your luggage and another hour to get to Gare de Lyon. Then you'll have to stand in line to pick up your ticket. The best 2nd class fare is a Loisir for €47. There is a 1st class Prem's fare available for €47. If you print that ticket, you won't have to stand in line; but if your plane is late you'll be out the price of the ticket.

If you depart from Gare de Lyon at 11:16, you can get a 2nd class Loisir fare for €62 and a 1st class Prem's fare for €55.

If I were making this decision, I'd book the 11:16 from Gare de Lyon, choose the 1st class Prem's fare, and print my own ticket. You could take Air France bus #4 directly from CDG to Gare de Lyon (€16.50 with service every 30 minutes). Or take the RER B to Gare du Nord and transfer to the RER D and take it to Gare de Lyon. More frequent service and the fare is €8.40.

<i>your TGV ticket is good for passage on both the preceding and following trains to the same destination as you were originally ticketed.</i>

I read this in the fine print on the conditions of ticket sales on the SNCF webiste (unfortunately the site has been down but I shall find this reference and post the quote). I am not saying that you can exchange your PREM ticket nor that they are refundable but there were conditions which allowed you passage on the following train (within certain stipulations) without the guarantee of a seat and I read nowhere that PREMs were excluded from this provision.

The question arose from the common occurrence of a late arriving flight into CDG and its implications on TGV reservations.

TGVs - if you find that a TGV train has no seats remaining ask about a Sur Reservation ticket - a certain number of these i believe are issued in expectation of no show ticket holders - or you then just sit in the fold out seats by the exit/entry area.

I have not read about 'sur reservation' tickets recently but for years they were available if you plead your case - the conductor usually would find you a no-show seat.