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SNCF March Tickets to the Alps
Hello!
I am going to Val D'Isere in March and was planning on beginning and ending my trip in Paris. I am likely going to take the TGV down and back on the twin Saturday's that bookend my trips. I've heard that these TGVs are very crowded, expensive, and difficult to get tickets for, so a few questions: (1) When does SNCF makes these tickets available for public sale? The website currently only allows you to purchase tickets until January. (2) Is it cheaper/better to buy them from SNCF in France or from RailEurope here in NYC? (3) Any other tips? Thanks for your help! John Saroff |
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SNCF March Tickets to the Alps
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SNCF March Tickets to the Alps
I've heard that these TGVs are very crowded, expensive, and difficult
to get tickets for, so a few questions: Not my experience at all! Crowded? If you consider a full car crowded, sure, all seats may be taken, but as far as I know, they don't allow non-seated riders (no standing-room-only situations). Expensive? There are a number of options available that reduce the cost, such as 4-day railpasses that often cost less than two round-trips. Even at regular price they seem fairly reasonable to me. Difficult to get tickets for? Not my experience at all... you just go into any SNCF station for standard tickets... (1) When does SNCF makes these tickets available for public sale? The website currently only allows you to purchase tickets until January. I believe they offer tickets only 90 days in advance. (2) Is it cheaper/better to buy them from SNCF in France or from RailEurope here in NYC? Yes, it's cheaper, but unlike another poster, I found the difference to be more on the order of 20%, not 2-3 times as much. And you do *not* need to make your reservations through RailEurope, just purchase the ticket from them and make the actual reservation when you get to France. On that you *will* save about half the cost. For what it's worth, I ran your trip on SNCF's website in French, and came up with 81.80 Euros each way, with a TGV leg from Paris to Chambery, and a standard train from there to Bourg St. Maurice (which is apparently 32km from Val D'Isere). At that price, a 4-day RailPass will likely save you a fair amount of money. (3) Any other tips? Learn a small amount of practical French, and do *not* go to the help (Accueil) booth! They are most unhelpful, while the agents at the normal ticketing booths are very pleasant and will either take care of your there or let you know where you need to go. --Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles http://www.ChainReactionBicycles.com "Saroff" wrote in message om... Hello! I am going to Val D'Isere in March and was planning on beginning and ending my trip in Paris. I am likely going to take the TGV down and back on the twin Saturday's that bookend my trips. I've heard that these TGVs are very crowded, expensive, and difficult to get tickets for, so a few questions: (1) When does SNCF makes these tickets available for public sale? The website currently only allows you to purchase tickets until January. (2) Is it cheaper/better to buy them from SNCF in France or from RailEurope here in NYC? (3) Any other tips? Thanks for your help! John Saroff |
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SNCF March Tickets to the Alps
Saroff wrote:
Hello! I am going to Val D'Isere in March and was planning on beginning and ending my trip in Paris. I am likely going to take the TGV down and back on the twin Saturday's that bookend my trips. March is high season in the alps. On saturday many people travel to/from the area as for a skiing holiday. For that purpose the SNCF runs many direct TGV from all over France (and even Belgium and the Netherlands) to the Alpine valleys, arriving there in the morning, and returning in the afternoon. But tickets on these trains are often hard to get, as travel agents usually buy them up in whole blocks, to sell them as part of skiing holiday packages. So only couple of expensive fares might be available when the train opens for booking... (two months in advance, if I'm not mistaken...) Krist |
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SNCF March Tickets to the Alps
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SNCF March Tickets to the Alps
Saroff schrieb:
I am going to Val D'Isere in March and was planning on beginning and ending my trip in Paris. I am likely going to take the TGV down and back on the twin Saturday's that bookend my trips. I've heard that these TGVs are very crowded, expensive, and difficult to get tickets for, so a few questions: (1) When does SNCF makes these tickets available for public sale? The website currently only allows you to purchase tickets until January. They can add TGVs to the schedule. I found for 27th of December departures for Bourg-St. Maurice direct from Paris at 7:50 (double-deck) 8:50 9:14 (double-deck) 10:14 11:10 12:47 13:40 (double-deck) 15:30 This is not bad for a holiday destination. Most but not all of these trains should also run in March, maybe with alterated schedules. Avoid changes to regional trains as they might get crowded, indeed. Regards & X-post, ULF |
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SNCF March Tickets to the Alps
Ian Spare wrote:
On 12/11/2003 09:47, in article , "Krist" wrote: Saroff wrote: Hello! I am going to Val D'Isere in March and was planning on beginning and ending my trip in Paris. I am likely going to take the TGV down and back on the twin Saturday's that bookend my trips. March is high season in the alps. On saturday many people travel to/from No it's not. Is it? I've been skiing in the French alps in march, and it didn't exactly feel as being anything but high season, which, in my experience, runs from January till March at least. The railways seem to disagree with you too, as the special ski trains run wel into april. Krist |
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SNCF March Tickets to the Alps
On Wed, 12 Nov 2003 11:10:38 +0100, Krist wrote:
Ian Spare wrote: On 12/11/2003 09:47, in article , "Krist" wrote: March is high season in the alps. On saturday many people travel to/from No it's not. Is it? I've been skiing in the French alps in march, and it didn't exactly feel as being anything but high season, which, in my experience, runs from January till March at least. No, the ski season runs from Dec to April - high season is that part of it around xmas & new year, plus the weeks of the school holidays (normally three weeks in February) and occasionally (if it's early) easter. Low season is usually the weeks before christmas, early Jan and late March/April. The rest is 'normal' season. Obviously these vary between resorts, but you get the idea. The railways seem to disagree with you too, as the special ski trains run wel into april. Yes, for the entire season, not just the 'high' part of it. -- Ace (bruce dot rogers at roche dot com) Ski Club of Great Britain - http://www.skiclub.co.uk All opinions expressed are personal and in no way represent those of the Ski Club. |
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SNCF March Tickets to the Alps
On 12/11/2003 11:10, in article , "Krist"
wrote: Ian Spare wrote: On 12/11/2003 09:47, in article , "Krist" wrote: Saroff wrote: Hello! I am going to Val D'Isere in March and was planning on beginning and ending my trip in Paris. I am likely going to take the TGV down and back on the twin Saturday's that bookend my trips. March is high season in the alps. On saturday many people travel to/from No it's not. Is it? I've been skiing in the French alps in march, and it didn't exactly feel as being anything but high season, which, in my experience, runs from January till March at least. Well, I've been skiing in the French Alpes (and for that matter the rest of the Alpes) in Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr and May and I can assure you that March is not high season unless there's some inflation and you're going to describe Feb or New Year as ultra high season. In fact March is great time in the Alpes because it's not high season and it's a bit quieter. The railways seem to disagree with you too, as the special ski trains run wel into april. I can't see that's relevant unless they operate marginal pricing and are charging more at one time than another. |
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