hdoan

Please help; we bought 4 days France Saverpass thru. internet, it didn't ask day or time or seat at purchase. Do we have to make a reservation before the trip, how much does it cost to make a reservation?

I try to make a reservation, check box "I have a Rail Pass" but the system did not have choice for seated, it have 2 prices items that i don't know which one i have to choose. If someone already did this please explain. Thank you

PalQ

For the fastest trains, TGV high-speed trains yes you need a reservation before boarding - at stations in France 3 euros a seat with a pass. When you activate your pass simply make your required reservations at the same time and the same window. You know you have to activate the pass for the one-month period by having it date stamped by a railway official before using it. TOEZ Corail trains, a recent new creature, also require reservations so more and more trains in France require them even if they are not full. I've known folks who had problems making reservations with passes on some TGVs even though the agent said they could buy full priced tickets for that train so railpass seats are apparently in limited allotments on some TGV routes. The Nice-Paris trains seem to pose the most problems and at peak periods. I've also had the same problem on Bordeaux-Paris trains. You alterantively could make reservations, at a much higher price, thru whoever sold you the pass. ($11 a seat and a $15 handling and or mailing fee).

hdoan

Is that mean that if i make a reservation at stations in France i will pay 3 euros a seat with a pass. if i do it in internet i have to pay 11$/seat. In this case, if the train is full, i have to wait till it availabe. am i correct? Thank you
If i make reservation in internet, how my reservation relate to my Saverpass.
because it only give me date and time, and no seated assign.

ira

Hi hd,

>if the train is full, i have to wait till it availabe. am i correct?<

Yes.

>.. my Saverpass....only give me date and time, and no seated assign.<

I'm confused by this. A saver pass does not usually specify a date and time. You are allowed 4 days of train travel in a one-month period.

You may travel on any train that does not require reservations.

You may buy seat reservations in France or pay the extra fee over the internet from the people who sold you the pass.

PalQ

Well if you pay $11 for a reservation you get a seat reservation number - an assigned seat for a specific train same as you would at the station in France for 3 euros. You cannot stand on TGV trains. You can make reservations, if you have a pass already, thru RailEurope - www.raileurope.com - check you have a pass already and just want a seat reservation. They will charge a $15 handling and a mailing fee. If you are going to be in Paris a few days before your trip i don't think you should have a problem reserving there and save a lot of money.

hdoan

Sorry, i mean i already have Saverpass,when making a reservation, it give me a date and time but did not assign seat, and we want 4 of us seat together. Are they going to assign seat?

ira

Hi HD,

Yes. When you make a reservation they assign you a seat in a specific car on the train.

If you make all the reservations at the same time you will, most likely, sit together.

I agree with PalQ; buy your reservations when you get to Paris at any train station, SNCF boutique or travel agent.

hdoan

Thank you for your help.What do you think if i do this:

i will mail my savepass ticket to my cousin in France, my cousin will bring my pass to France station for reservation, then i will have a better chance for my time and date picked.

Travelnut

topping for hdoan...

PalQ

Your cousin can probably call and just say he has a railpass and they'll make reservations probably over the phone and he'll receive them at his home or can pick them up at station. Could try this first before mailing valuable pass.

Carlux

No one has asked why you want to go to Lourdes. I personally would never recommend it. Too commercial and if you are expecting any religious/devotional aspect, I didnt find any. In fact, as a former Catholic I found the whole experience very disturbing. Rows and rows of plastic madonnas, banks of souvenir/holy medal/junk shops, and a great sense of a lot of people being exploited. I much prefer any quiet Romanesque church in the countryside, and find it infinitely more moving than anything I saw at Lourdes.

PalQ

Carlux, the recovering Catholic:
You have well put in words why i am glad I visited Lourdes - all the macabre things - the daily Parade of Malades - very ill and debilitated folks being pushed around the parade ground in desperate hopes that their prayers would be answered. Seeing the baths - don't take me wrong i felt deeply sorry for these malades who paid a lot of money in many cases to come here - but witnessing such fervent devotion to murky things that happened to some poor peasant girls, one of whom was likely Schizophrenic in my opinion, was like going back to medieval times for me.
I can see a thousand

PalQ

Carlux, the recovering Catholic:
You have well put in words why i am glad I visited Lourdes - all the macabre things - the daily Parade of Malades - very ill and debilitated folks being pushed around the parade ground in desperate hopes that their prayers would be answered. Seeing the baths - don't take me wrong i felt deeply sorry for these malades who paid a lot of money in many cases to come here - but witnessing such fervent devotion to murky things that happened to some poor peasant girls, one of whom was likely Schizophrenic in my opinion, was like going back to medieval times for me.
I can see a thousand Romanesque churches in France and they are neat, but there is only one Lourdes, thank God!

Intrepid1

I'm sorry but I have never seen anyone in the grotto area itself "exploiting" anyone...at least not for money. Even the waters, miraculous or not, are free. When I visited it was quite evident that many of the people who visit do so because their faith and devotion are so strong.

There are always the commercial aspects to any shrine site.