Train from Paris to Avignon
 

We are travelling by train from Paris to Avignon. We took a look and found tickets for 300 euros, round trip for 2 people. Is that reasonable? I found it on the site: http://www.idtgv.com/. I read some posts about people using http://www.voyages-sncf.com but the rates were higher on that site. I also kept reading people saying they have paid 30-40 euros/person for a round trip which I can't find anywhere and that seems super low.

When are you traveling? The really cheap fares are available 90 days or so ahead.

Travelling May 23rd to May 29th

When are you wanting to travel? Fares are higher, generally, closer to the date of travel, but just looking at a random date, March 31, there's a morning iDTGV for €36 in 2nd class and only €39.90 in 1st. The seats in the TGV cars on that same train are €73 and €82. Fares on the next TGV less than an hour later are €89 and €103. So there's a wide range of prices possible. A lot of people like to use capitainetrain.com which has the same availability and prices as the SNCF/iDTGV sites but may be easier to use.

The 30-40E fares are for one-way PREM (super discount) tickets available 3 months before travel, or iDTGV tickets that can be purchased earlier. For peak season - these fares sell out fast.

Here is something I posted last year:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...gv-tickets.cfm

Stu Dudley

Looking at your dates, May 23 shows no low fares. All around €100 or more per person in 2nd class. There's one train in the afternoon that is a little less.

On May 29, however, there are two iDTGV trains available for €57 per person in 1st class. 2nd class is €45 or €50. I'd grab one of those if the times work for you. They probably won't last long.

I found these fares at capitainetrain.com .

I am traveling same route on June 11 and booked my tickets exactly 3 months before online using the www.voyages-sncf.com and got 3 one way 1st class tickets for 26 euros each; 2nd class was available for 19 euros each. As others have stated these tickets sell out fast and at this point remaining tickets will be more expensive. I would book through capitainetrain.com if the fares that MaineGG found are still available. It will only get worse if you wait to buy when in Europe.

My unerstanding is the ID TGV trains are old TGVs and less comfy with smaller seats - is any of that true or are those tickets on regular TGV trains and not separate trains as some say? Are first-class ID TGV tickets as amenable as regular 1st-class IDTGV tickets for example?

Just wishing to learn the nuances. Thanks. www.seat61.com has great info on discounted tickets in France - he recommends using www.capitainetrain.com to book any SNCF site ticket as the former site is a snap to use and the voyages-sncf.com seems to flummox many.

May 25th is a National Holiday. http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/france/ That makes May 23rd the beginning of a long weekend = bad choice for a travel day. :-(

The 24th however will be a real slack travel day IME - try a day later perhaps!

PalenQ - If you want to know more about the iDTGV trains, go to their site, http://www.idtgv.com/en , and explore. There's a lot of information there. My experiences have been good, but varied.

The iDTGV train we took from Paris to Lyon (1st class) was a few cars attached to a TGV train. There was a separate check-in on the platform where the printed e-tickets were scanned prior to boarding. The cars were duplex and we had single seats across from each other on the upper level. The decor was clean and bright and the seats were comfortable. We had chosen the Zen ambiance (quiet) and it was respected.

Another time we took the iDTGV from Toulouse to Paris. There was no separate check-in on the platform. The car (1st class) was a single level and appeared identical to the TGV car we had been in a week previously from Paris to Angoulême. Our printed tickets were scanned by a conductor who came through the car. The people seated across from us had tickets that did not appear to be home-printed on a large sheet of paper, so I think that possibly iDTGV passengers had been mixed in with TGV passengers in that car.

Both these trains were combination TGV/iDTGV trains. In looking up fares/schedules, I don't remember seeing an iDTGV train that wasn't also listed as a TGV, so perhaps they only exist as add-ons to TGVs.

Whenever I've checked, iDTGV fares have been lower than the TGV fares, especially for 1st class. Of course that won't always be the case, but I've been lucky.

I recommend capitainetrain.com. Website easy to use, customer service is great. Used them last year, then had to get refund because of French Rail strike. Taken care of immediately.

always get a seat if possible on the 2nd level of TGV Duo trains - great views and if you are down below you at times see little more than wind blocks amnd guardrails and hill slopes.