I am trying to research travel from Paris to Avignon for April 17th. After I go through and choose my route, date, passengers, etc., and which specific route/ticket I want, it responds with the following message in red and there is no option to proceed,

"To consult the next day's trains, plaese change your search opposite and enter the new date of the journey." (copied and pasted)

Does this mean it is sold out? Too early to book it? If I choose other days or schedules I am getting the same response. What is wrong?

A second question... This is a Saturday, is train travel heavier on Saturday vs a weekday? Would we be better off going on a weekday instead for less confusion? Is a weekday less money?
Thanks!

You might have hit the site when it was being revised. Also, I have also noticed in the past that browsers like Netscape and Opera don't always work well with the SNCF site. I have my best success with Explorer.

I am looking at the site right now on a second window, and the screens have been jazzed up since I last visited the site for timetable information.

Just in case you are still having trouble gaining acceses, here are the departure times to Avignon from Gare de Lyon.

6:54, 7:20, 9:34, 10:44, 11:20, 13:20, 14:20, 16:20, 17:20, 17:53, 18:20 and 19:20


There were two destinations listed:
Avigon TGV and Avignon Center. There is a train change to get to Avignon Center for some of the connections. Others are listed as going to Avignon Center.

Travel time to the TGV station is about 2 hours and 40 minutes.

If you have neve ridden a TGV before, get ready for a whooosh and a change in air pressure when two trains pass in opposite directions. Out on the flat country side, the scenery is going by so fast you need to focus on objects about 500 yards away from the train, or turn your head as closer ones whiz by. Small stations go by so fast they are just a blur. I believe it when I am told that cruising speed is 300 kph, or about 180 mph. I have also heard that top speed is 500 kph but that speed wears out the equipment too fast.

Good luck.

Hi mda,

I think that you are booking too early. I tried a random city and Avignon for that date and got a message saying that it's too early.

I played with it some more and got put in that circulatory trap, too, for April 17. I do believe that it does not like the date.

And in typical sncf fashion rather than straight out telling you that the date is too early, you get to play round-about games.

I tried it again with a March date, I d was getting the usual screens about selecting the trip, and filling in names and what not.

I did notice that there are now two ticket options: refundable and non refundable.

The non refundable one is of course cheaper. Sounds like the airlines.

You can't reserve online more than 60 days in advance. It tells you the rules on the web site in the "help" section, including this one and there is lots of other info there, also.

Thanks for looking into this for me. I wasn't actually trying to reserve, I was trying to just find out exact times, locations, and prices. I did find the times, but not prices. This is my first trip to France, so I am trying to familiarize myself just a little, because I am utterly clueless!

Brookwood, I noticed that you got two options for Avignon. Do you or anyone else know which location I would want, we want to pick up a rental car after we arrive in Avignon.

Any advice on Saturday travel vs weekday?

I don't know about the rental cars.
Someone more familiar with Avignon than I will have to answer. I am not much more ahead of the game than you are.
I have used the site three times to reserve tickets, but each time I left the country.

I hope the rental car company you select will give you some clues as to where it is located. I do know that Avis offices are usually located near a station, if not in the station itself.
But again, my experience is limited to about 6 Avis locations.

I don't believe it's been mentioned, yet, but prices and schedules aren't likely to change much from one month to another.

If you just want an idea, you can check for a date that's closer, and the info you get will be very close, if not identical to what you will see on the real date as it gets closer.