train travel need help booking
 

we are wanting to take a train from paris to bordeaux. should i book from snfc website. also which country should i choose to pick up my tickets. do i print them out or pickup in france. also is there a charge for our 4 yr old daughter. thanks

Yes, book on SNCF and simply print them out on your own home computer. My most recent experience with this was with PREMs - - I think it generally works just as well for "regular" tickets.

I don't know about pricing for a 4 year old.

Best wishes,

Rex

Not all SNCF tickets are printable. There are many discussion on this subject.

I have been able to print PREM tickets provided I did not combine the order with other non-printable tickets.

On routes I had to buy non PREM tickets, I had to pick up tickets in France.

thanks it looks like i will book a train from cdg instead of going into town. the price is the same. Although i am surprised it take 1 hr longer. Anyways i am still not sure if a 4 yr old child needs to pay.

Hello, If I admit to being incapable can someone tell me if there is a phone number I can call to book tickets on SNCF. Have already wasted a couple of hours trying to navigate in French and being from Canada keep getting lost as I don't fit in categories. My lonely planet guide doesn't mention a phone number but the Eyewitness book says there is an English speaking information line but when I call the number they give it is out of order. Anyone know a number?

You'd but the country for pickup where you intended to pick up the tickets. If you intend to only print them (which is really only possible with certain kinds), you'd still put France, not the physical location of your printer. If you do put Canada for pickup, though, you won't be able to get them through SNCF as they won't deliver to Canada.

I book tickets online and I'm American, there aren't really any special categories to be concerned with if you simply intend to pay for them online and pickup in France (or print them, but you find out if you can do that after paying for them and saying pickup in France). You just pay for the tickets, that's all, online with a credit card and give them your email address (and name, of course).

I believe the English-speaking SNCF number, at least in Paris, is really the Eurostar number, which sort of makes sense (train going to/from London). That's the number listed in the French phonebook that is English-speaking. I think people have said they will book tickets other than Eurostar, though. Their phone no. is 08-92-35-35-39

It is a pay per minute number, though (the "08" prefix indicates that). I don't think it's too expensive, though.