Booking Train tickets for France trip

the_syco

Yo all,

I'm trying to find out where I can book a train ticket for France? I'd love a site that would accept Maestro-Laser, but that failing, a site that accepts Ireland as a billing address for Visa would also be good.

Have tried www.raileuropetrade.co.uk but that doesn't allow you to set Ireland on the billing address section.

kaki

http://www.sncf.com/en_EN/flash/

You can buy direct from SNCF on this site, and choose to either pick up the tickets from a machine at the train station or they will post them to you free, even in Ireland (word of warning, if you're gonna do this I'd advise booking at least a month in advance, it took 3 weeks for them to arrive to me in Italy).

Unfortunately Maestro isn't accepted, but Mastercard/Visa/Visa Debit are.

Dinkie

kaki wrote: »

http://www.sncf.com/en_EN/flash/

You can buy direct from SNCF on this site, and choose to either pick up the tickets from a machine at the train station or they will post them to you free, even in Ireland (word of warning, if you're gonna do this I'd advise booking at least a month in advance, it took 3 weeks for them to arrive to me in Italy).

Unfortunately Maestro isn't accepted, but Mastercard/Visa/Visa Debit are.

This is how I got mine... and then just collected them from the station. It was very easy.

the_syco

kaki wrote: »

Unfortunately Maestro isn't accepted, but Mastercard/Visa/Visa Debit are.

As we don't have Visa persoanlly, it'll probably be best that we get them deilvered. Flights over to there is the 18th, so hoping we get them by then.

Seems it's from Tours Loire Valley (TUF) to Clisson which will take about two hours.

Stinicker

Irish Rail's European Travel Centre can book you on trains throughout Europe and accept Laser Cards also!

munchkin_utd

you can also choose to print out your tickets yourself.
They are personalised with the names of the travelling people so non transferable.

I got tickets sent once from France, and i dont remember them being sent by registered post, so maybe as well go for the self print option.

another thing.
Sometimes the international site for SNCF acts the maggot and simply doesnt work as it should and will not allow certain connections, find certain towns and whatnot.
If have any french at all, the solution for this is to simply state you are a french resident and do the booking through the domestic site.

kaki

What is the e-ticket?

You print your train tickets via a computer with an internet connection on a normal printer (A4 format; black and white or colour), at home, at work or wherever else.

You may then board the train with your e-ticket!

You will be requested to prove your ID when your ticket is checked on the train.

This service is available for the following routes:

* Paris Est<>Strasbourg
* Paris Gare de Lyon<>Clermont Ferrand
* Paris Austerlitz<> Limoges
* Paris Austerlitz<> Châteauroux
* Paris Montparnasse<> Poitiers
* Paris Montparnasse<>Bordeaux St Jean
* Paris Montparnasse<>St Pierre des Corps
* Paris Montparnasse<> Nantes
* Paris Montparnasse<> Rennes
* Paris Est<>Reims
* ParisEst<>Champagne TGV
* Paris Montparnasse<> Le Mans
* Paris Montparnasse<> Vendôme TGV
* Paris Montparnasse<> Angoulême

The Printed Ticket is only offered with the following tariffs:

* Prem’s, tarif Fréquence Grand Voyageur

* Smilys, Print & Go (only for France and Germany)

* ®iDTGV

* ®iDNIGHT

Speaking from personal research (I had to travel from Turin to Nice by train to fly home to Cork for Easter, and how I wished the e-ticket had been an option)

munchkin_utd made a good point about trying to use the French version of the site if you're in any way proficient, sometimes there's pages/functions missing in the English version.

Eurostar will let you do it.

http://www.eurostar.com/dynamic/_SvBoAvailabilityTravelCriteriaTerm?_TMS=1274962253809&_DLG=SvBoAvailabilityTravelCriteriaTerm&_LANG=UK&_AGENCY=ESTAR