ValitateTrain Ticket in Paris & Changing Trains in Milano Central
 

Hello.

We are leaving Paris Gare Lyon on May 1, 2014 for Milano Central where we will change trains to continue on to Zurich. I have 2 questions I hope you can help me with.

1. I have read somewhere that in French stations only you need to validate your train tickets in the orange compostez at the the entrance to each platform; is that correct? If I understand correctly you just go to the train station otherwise and find the platform for your train and board? Then will they check ticket on board?? I would feel more comfortable if I knew how it worked for sure.

2. We have 15 minutes to change trains in Milano Central. So, we would just exit and find our other train and board correct? I was thinking a local may be able to help us out on the train also.

Thanks in advance for all of your help!!

Leisa

If you have reserve seats you need to find the correct car number and the seat inside.

You need to exit and walk to the head of the platform, there will be large overhead boards, know your train number, find it and the platform number will be indicated. Head to that platform. Unless it is a Regional train in Milano, there will be a car and seat number on your ticket. All trains except Regional in Italy have seat reservations. I doubt if a local will be of much assistance.

Excuse me, but there are direct services between Paris and Zürich. Why are you going through Milan? It is a much longer itinerary. Zürich is closer to Paris than Milan.

1. Only regional train tickets need validation as these can be used any date or time. If you have dated and timed tickets for the TGV the you don't need to validate. The train conductor will look at your tickets during the trip.

2. Follow the directions above. You have plenty of time to get to your next train. The car numbers are marked on the outside of the train but you'll already be familiar with this after boarding the train in Paris.

Don't spend your 15 minutes trying to find someone who lives in Milan to help you.

I could not find a train from Paris to Zurich that connected in Milan. Are you sure you have the correct tickets?

The only connections I see from Gare de Lyon are for Dijon, Basel, or Neuchatel.

"Only regional train tickets need validation as these can be used any date or time. If you have dated and timed tickets for the TGV the you don't need to validate."

This is not correct. All tickets must be validated except e-tickets and tickets bought, exchanged or retrieved at the machine one hour before departure.

What's the difference between buying a ticket and retrieving it at the machine?

"What's the difference between buying a ticket and retrieving it at the machine?"

You can book your ticket in advance and retrieve it at the last minute:
http://uk.voyages-sncf.com/en/train-...cket-retrieval

http://uk.voyages-sncf.com/media/pdf...ns_PDF-TOD.PDF

Good information - thanks!

There exists only 1 train from Paris L to Milano C. It arrives at Milano C at 6.00am and the next train to Zurich starts at 7.10am. Do you mean that?

>>>>"Only regional train tickets need validation as these can be used any date or time. If you have dated and timed tickets for the TGV the you don't need to validate."

This is not correct. All tickets must be validated except e-tickets and tickets bought, exchanged or retrieved at the machine one hour before departure.<<<

Perhaps French tickets are different, but the EC train from Milan to Zurich does not require validating before boarding. It will be checked/validated on board. It doesn't matter whether you bought the ticket online or at the station.

The problem with this trip is you are going out of your way. You should not be going through Milan to reach Zurich from Paris. It doesn't make sense.

It takes almost as long to get to Zurich from Milano as it does from Paris (20 minutes difference). So the Paris to Milan portion of the trip is 8 hours of needless sitting on a train. Plus possibly more money spent for train fares.

I am so sorry, I went back and looked and I did type my agenda incorrectly. :( Thanks for making sure I wasn't a complete idiot with my plans. Our train is a direct train to Zurich. The Milano stop is leaving Zurich on our way to Munich.

Thank you all for all the information you have shared on tickets and not too worry about not making the train transfer. It is all so appreciated!

Are you sure you need to go to Milan to get from Zurich to Munich? (t;s in the opposite direction.) There's at least one EC train from Zurich directly to Munich - with no changes - in 4 hours.

Have you looked at the schdules on bahn.de - you seem to have some odd routings.

nytraveler thanks!!! My bad AGAIN only excuse is 5 hrs of sleep in 3 days. I checked my schedule again; we go from Zurich to Milano on to Venice. That's makes much more sense. Then Venice to Munich. At this point I think it is me that is odd!

If you have a print-at-home ticket for Paris-Zurich it doesn't need validating. If you have a proper ATB-sized train ticket, yes, it'll say something like 'En France, a composter avant l'access au train...' and you just stick it in the little yellow/orange machines at the entrance to the platform.

15 Minutes is loads to physically change trains in Zurich, this will take only 2 minutes, but doesn't leave much room for any delay (though these TGVs run to over 90% within 15 min of right time). But in the unfortunate event the TGV does run late and you miss it, ask to be rebooked on a later train at no charge under the CIV international conditions of carriage.

Sorry, I see it's 15 mins in Milan.

Again plenty if the train is on time, but the Zurich-Milan EuroCity trains are currently timed to use their tilt facility (yes, the trains tilt into the curves) to save over half an hour on the journey, and the ETR470 trains have been notoriously unreliable. A 45 min delay is not impossible if they have trouble with the tilt, I always recommend a 45-60 min interchange for this reason in Milan.

But Milan-Venice trains run every hour, insist on your rights under the CIV.

kybourbon : I was referring to trains in France, not in Italy.

>>>I checked my schedule again; we go from Zurich to Milano on to Venice. <<<

That makes much more sense. Did you mean you have 15 minutes to change in Milan? That is not enough IMO. It can take that long to get between tracks. My last EC train Zurich/Milan was easily 45 minutes late.

Thanks Man_in_seat_61 and kybourbon. Yes, we would have 15 minutes to transfer in Milan. SO, if we were to miss our connection then we could catch the next train?

>>>>15 Minutes is loads to physically change trains in Zurich, this will take only 2 minutes, but doesn't leave much room for any delay (though these TGVs run to over 90% within 15 min of right time). But in the unfortunate event the TGV does run late and you miss it, ask to be rebooked on a later train at no charge under the CIV international conditions of carriage.<<<<<<

When you say no charge under the CIV international conditions of carriage, what exactly is that??

Thanks again for all of the help!!!!!