taconictraveler

The price for tickets : Paris/Bordeaux seem to be going up, I suppose because of capacity. Or do they ever go down??
I am going to get tickets independent of my friends, as suggested for September 23 trip, and I've already waited too long I think, and missed some decent prices.

ready to book later tonight - so any help would be appreciated.

jamikins

I dont think they go up - I think its a case of first come first serve...

Sarastro

Ticket prices only increase as seats are sold. Waiting almost always means that you will pay more.

PREM or discount tickets become available 90 days before any given travel date, often are first available for around 25€ and increase as tickets are sold. Unsold PREM tickets are withdrawn from sale about one week before any given travel date.

iDTGV tickets are available 4-6 months before any given travel date. Prices start at 19€ and increase as tickets are sold.

On the French language website www.voyages-sncf.com deeply discounted tickets may be available for a short period just a few days before departure. Look for offerings under the title <i>Dernière minute</i>

jamikins

DOH - sorry I meant to say I THINK they go up, like Sarastro said! Brain clearly wasnt work!

dreamon

Piggy backing on this post...

For routes which don't offer PREMS tickets, do you know if the price varies much over time? It seems that sometimes shorter journeys are more expensive and not sure whether to wait or buy now. Or even buy when we arrive in town?

Christina

Why would you buy a ticket in advance for some short trip that isn't a special APEX rate? I don't see the point of that at all. The ticket price isn't going to vary, it isn't like all railroad tickets have random prices that vary all over the place, most do not.

Actually, I have seen ticket prices on a PREM/idTGV route go down over time once, as I bought it when it was cheaper than a few weeks before. NOt a lot, I certainly don't buy based on things like when I expect prices to change, I buy when my plans are set and I know what I want.

kerouac

For real gamblers, there are "last minute Prem's" that go on sale 48 hours before departure... or not, if the load factor of all available trains is sufficient.

dreamon

Christina, the journey we want to take is relatively short in distance (compared with the long distance TGV journeys) but takes nearly 5 hours due to multiple changes. The current cheapest price is 40euro. It sound like, in your experience, we could buy at any time and get the same price if it's not a PREMS or other discounted ticket?

ardithl

Dreamon, is the 40€ price the regular full fare? In my experience, you won't be able to print your ticket at home unless it's a prems ticket. In that case, it doesn't make sense to purchase in advance because you'll have to use the kiosk (if you have a chip and PIN card) or the ticket window or sncf boutique to pick up the ticket, so you might as well just buy the ticket there. And you can't reserve a seat on an intercite train online, so there's no benefit there either.

StCirq

If it's not a PREM, you can't print it yourself, so just go to the ticket office and buy it.

What is this short journey you're taking, anyway, that takes 5 hours and involves multiple changes?

dreamon

Thanks for the info. It's Annecy to Orange. Not too many changes but still takes some time. It's only short compared to the long distance TGV journeys.

TimS

Annecy-Orange is all on regional trains. No discount fares are possible. Depending upon the route, the 2nd class fare ranges from €40.90 to €45.70.