SNCF, the French national train operator, seem to have taken a leaf out of the book of the UK railway companies in having a pricing structure that is almost incomprehensible, even to the French!

Does it make sense to book at the last minute, or is it best to book well in advance? Would if be cheaper to buy a rail pass, or simply travel using promotional offers?

You can never be quite sure, although the general principle to apply is that the best offers can be found by paying in advance. However, as SNCF seek to optimise the number of passengers on each train, you also need to take into account the time and day of your departure.

To help you through the maze of tariffs and cards, here is a brief explanation of just what there is available.

Tarif Loisir

This is that standard SNCF ticket tariff that applies irrespective of age.

The tickets can be purchased 90 days in advance, or right at the last moment.

They are also fully reimbursable right to the day of departure, although there is a charge of €10 per ticket (or 50% of ticket price if less than €20) if you seek reimbursement on the day of departure itself.

The nearer the date of departure, the more expensive the tickets become, in some case up to 50% more expensive for those tickets purchased at least one month in advance.

‘Les Prem’s’

These are tickets purchased in advance for departure on a particular date, at a particular time.

They offer a reduction in price on the Tariffs Loisir of up to 70%.

They are not always available to all destinations in France, but most are direct trains.

There are different types of Prem’s:

i. Standard Prem’s – These tickets are available between 3 months and 14 days before departure, costing between €22 and €33 for journeys throughout France. Around 10% of all seats on French trains are reserved for such tickets.

ii. Prem’s Weekend – Provided you are happy to arrive around 0100 hours at your destination and arrival points, these tickets are also very good value. The cost is between €25 and €45 per ticket.

iii. Prem’s Dernier Minute – Last minute tickets sold only over the Internet, provided places are available, up to 60% cheaper than the standard rate. They are normally available three to ten days prior to departure.

iv.Prem’s Vente Flash – These are promotional tickets that are available from time to time.

iDTGV

The iDTGV is a low cost high speed train tariff, aimed mainly at young people, but available to anyone!

The main aim of the tariff is to compete with the low cost airlines.

The service offers a choice of comfort, whether in a coach for relaxation, or one for disco dancing!

There are also DVD rentals and other high tec offers available.

The train takes the same routes as the normal TGVs, and, indeed, most are part of the regular TGV service.

There are both day and night trains, with departures from most main stations in France.

Tickets can be had for a little as €15 one way for many journeys between the major cities of France. A return train ticket to Paris from Bordeaux can be purchased for €38! The earlier you book, and the more flexible you are on the times and dates, the cheaper is the ticket.

Tickets can be booked up to six months in advance, and go on sale from a specified date every three months.

The tickets are non-reimbursable, although they can be exchanged.

The tickets can only be purchased and printed on-line on the site of iDTGV.

French Rail Passes

There are a range of different rail passes available that offer price reductions of a minimum of 25% on standard fares.

They are normally valid for a year, and the tickets are reimbursable.

The cards also offer ‘S Miles’ that are convertible into tickets or presents.

i. Carte 12-25 – The most interesting of all the cards, offering reductions of up to 60% off the standard fare. The card costs €49.

ii. Carte Enfant + – Available for children under 12 years old with one card that offers price reductions for up to four other people accompanying the child. Price reductions of a minimum of 25% on the standard fare are offered. The cost of the card is €70 per year.

iii. Carte Senior – Available to those aged 60+ it costs €56 and offers price reductions of up to 50% on the standard fare.

iv. Carte Escapades – Available to those aged 26-59 it costs €85 per year and offers reductions of up to 40% for return tickets, which must include a Saturday night.

v. Forfait Bambin – A child under 4 years old can travel free of charge on the lap of an adult on a French train, but by using this card they get their own seat. The cost is €8.20.

vi. Carte Familles Nombreuses – Available to families with at least three children. It costs €18 and offers reductions of between 30% and 75%.

Buying Tickets for Trains in France

Tickets for trains can be purchased either from a local SNCF rail or travel office, or over the internet at www.voyages-sncf.com

Colour coding of the tickets gives you an idea of the price range: the orange band is the cheapest, with blue for normal, and grey for the most expensive.

Remember, however, that iDTGV trains need to be purchased direct from their site.

In addition, there are other sites where you can buy unwanted tickets, or where you can sell your own.

The main sites are KelBillet.com, Trocdestrains.com and Zepass.com

Enjoy your journey!

Learn more at http://www.french-property.com/news/

But my first trips, years ago, were by train: to the countryside of my homeland, to the seaside, and then to other countries. And there was something special in those trips. Maybe even romantic…

It was cheaper, quicker and more reliable. No traffic jams and I was still on the ground. One could watch views, walk a bit or play cards, visit restaurant, socialize with fellow travellers or just sleep. Very convenient. It used to take some time, although today trains are quite fast and on some medium distance routes it is quicker to travel just by train not by plane – if we count the time we have to spend in the airport and to get to the airport.

I carried out my longest train travel due to false believe in hitch-hiking. It was from old Polish city of Krakow, to Epernaise, France. As a poor student, I was planning with my friend to go to Champagne, to pick up grapes. We hadn’t too much money – actually we planned to work and earn – so we chose hitch-hiking.

One thing we were sure about – no hitch-hiking in Poland, as train was relatively cheap, so it was senseless to loose time on waiting by the road. Same in Czech. So we wanted to start our hitch-hiking from German border.

Our first part of travel was from Krakow to Kotlina Klodzka, a place in Sudety Mountains on Polish-Czech border. We spent the night in a second class carriage without compartments, but quite comfortable. For that pleasure we paid several pounds. Today Polish trains are more expensive, but not as much as British.

We crossed the border on foot. In that way we didn’t have to be charged for international ticket and on the other side of the frontier we could catch local train to Prague. Well, actually there was some temporary problem with tracks and part of the trip was arranged by coach. Finally, we got to Prague when we spent several hours drinking good and cheap beer. However, Prague on its own is a place worth spending longer time.

But we were heading towards German border. So we caught another night train and on early morning we were 2,5 miles from Bavaria. That was the point where we were suppose to start our hitch-hiking. First of truck drivers dropped us to a bypass of Regensburg. And that was the end of easy travel. We waited for 8 hours, until somebody stopped and took us further, but only to the downtown. Here, we decided to take another train. After a night spent at Regensburg railway station, we bought tickets to Nurnberg. The cashier accepted our students’ ID’s and sold us cheaper tickets.

German trains appeared to be very comfortable and clean (“ordnung muss sein”). A carriage comprised of various types of compartments. Ours contained five seats for adults and one for a child. Of course the train came exactly on time.

In Nurnberg, very quickly, we decided to give up hitch-hiking again. Instead, we did a short sightseeing tour and bought tickets to Karlsruhe. We hoped to get to another border this way and count on French drivers, who should be more friendly then their German colleagues.

When we got there, we began to walk towards France then. Finally someone took us to the other side of the border. Again we found ourselves at the railway station – this time in Wissembourg. We left the village and tried to stop cars with hope that one of them would take us to Champagne. And again, after hours of fruitless waving hands, we came back to the station and bought railway tickets. It was local train to Strasbourg, where we waited for few hours and decided to catch another train going to Paris – however we had money only for a ticket to Toul. We traveled to Toul then, in a very comfortable and modern express train. On the morning we saw another city during our quite a long trip and again repeated whole procedure, it means gave up hitch-hiking and turned back to railway. However this time we had no money so traveled only until railway officials removed us from the train in Bar le Duc. It was our last stop, before we finally reached Epernay, using a night train.

And it was my longest and most crazy travel by train, in times when I was traveling like a tramp, without family, without responsibility, without money… But during that trip I managed to recognize railways of four countries and confirmed that railway can be the most reliable and convenient mean of transport.

Jack Stanislawski

http://www.onmyisland.com/