My husband and I will be traveling from Paris to Perpignan and then back again a few days later (April 22 - April 25). I have looked at many, many sites and it from what I can tell the price is about the same whether we purchase the France Saver Pass ($446 total) or point to point tickets ($450).
The only other factor to this whole issue, is that we want to leave out of a station near our hotel (3rd) and return into CDG since we are staying at a hotel there for our last night. I am guessing we are better off with the rail pass, but thought some of you may have an opinion otherwise.
thank you!!
linster
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I don%26#39;t understand your question. If you are only doing Paris/Perpigan and back, you don%26#39;t need a France Saver Pass at §446
You%26#39;ll leave Paris from Gare de Lyon - there are several TGV a day.
To go back to Paris, see www.sncf.com and enter Perpignan (departure) and Roissy (arrival at CGD airport).
There is a direct train at 1.53 pm arriving CDG at 6.45pm and the prem%26#39;s price today is €55.
There are others (change trains in Montpellier or Valence). There is no need to go into Paris at all or to buy a Pass.
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Hi -
This is the link to MorganB’s step by step instructions on ordering French rail tickets online. The link is too long for the forum in one line, so I had to split it - add the Paris...html segment to the hypen at the end of the top line without a space.
Read this posting carefully and you%26#39;ll get the full benefit of buying directly from French Rail, rather than paying the preium to purchase from RailEurope, or Eurail.
tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187147-i14-k58793…
Paris_Ile_de_France.html
Generally speaking, second class gets to the destination as quickly as first class, and it can be a good deal cheaper, but not really less comfortable. I only travel first when I%26#39;m travelling internationally overnight. Then I want the first class sleeping accommodation.
If second class gets severly overcrowded you can always move up to first, and pay the coductor the difference in fare.
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First and before you do anything else plase read this handy %26quot;how to%26quot; guide by MorganB: http://tinyurl.com/qpdef
Now go to www.voyages-sncf.com and, following the guide, book your tickets. The object of the exercise is to end up with tickets that you printed (preferable) or pick up in person in Paris from a station or SNCF %26quot;boutique%26quot; a list of which you will find here: http://tinyurl.com/y97we9
If you are comfortable with non-refundable PREMS tickets, those will be your least expensive option. If you want greater flexibility you will have to pay full fare and you will still save substantially vs, the $450 price you are quoting. There is a discount available for two peoiple travelling together on a round-trip journey. Travelling from Paris to Perpignan and returning to CDG *does* qualify as a round trip. However in order to get the discount you will have to use the phone number for the SNCF English language reservations desk. You will find it in MorganB%26#39;s excellent guide. (I have yet to find anything of significance that is *not* in the guide!)
Just as a matter of interest I assume it was RailEurope that quoted the price-gouging fare of $450. Am I right?
Good luck!
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Irish -
Yes, they were the culprits. I even called them just to make sure the pass what the best way to go vs. point to point and they assured me it was. My local AAA office even told me to buy the pass. The only reason I wanted the pass was that through Amex I could get save $100 on each ticket and my out of pocket would only be $250 and that I wanted to return through a different part of France so that I was able to see more of the country.
I have already started the process everyone so graciously referred to and my total is around $150. This is booking it as two one-way%26#39;s though since I was not able to figure out how to leave out of Gare de Lyon and return into Roissy. I may try calling, as you suggested and see what the RT fare would be. Of course that $150 is booking second class - is it worth the extra $$ to go first? The trip is only about 5-6 hours.
thanks to all for your help!! I just knew this process could not be as difficult as I was making it.
Linster
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If, as i suspect, the $150 you are quoting is all PREMs fares then there is no need to call about he RT option. PREMs are ALWAYS cheaper than any other option. The disadvantage, if there is one, is that PREMs tickets are non-refundable and cannot be changed once booked. In that they are similar to advance purchase air fares.
First class will give you somewhat more comfortable and wider seating (not much), wider alsles as the seating is 2 + 1 not 2 + 2, and *possibly* a less crowded compartment. However in late April I doubt the trins you are using wil be terribly crowded. Sometimes first class PREMs fares are not much more expensive than second class. if that is the case here I would suggest you go for it. If the fare difference is substantial then I wouldn%26#39;t bother.
BTW when you do finalize your booking the %26quot;Options%26quot; button (assuming you are using the English language version of the booking engine — otherwise %26quot;Placement%26quot;) will allow you some choice over the type of seating.
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The only reason I wanted the pass was that through Amex I could get save $100 on each ticket and my out of pocket would only be $250 and that I wanted to return through a different part of France so that I was able to see more of the country.
No, you will be following exactly the same route whether you go Perpignan/Gare de Lyon or Perpignan/Roissy-CDG, except for the last few miles.
If you do a round-trip Gare de Lyon/Perpignan, you%26#39;ll have to pay for metro/RER/taxi/bus to CDG. This will offset possible savings on the round-trip fare.
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Irish - Neither of the fares I have pre-selected are Prems - they are listed as Sales Flash prices. I am not too concerned about them being non-refundable. I can not imagine what could happen to change our plans. My sister is picking us up in Perpignan and taking us to her house in Spain - so we are pretty much set.
Thank you everyone for your kind advice.
Linster
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%26quot;FLASH%26quot; tickets are essentially PREMs fares for two people travelling together. I%26#39;m pretty sure they will be less expensive than the discounted refundable RT fares. If I were you I would go ahead and book them ASAP. You never know from one day — even one hour — to the next when the last of the lowest fares will be sold. It%26#39;s just like booking plane tickets. If you see a good fare, grab it!
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All purchased and printed!! After all the good advice and MorganB%26#39;s great walkthru, I found a fare for two there and back for 120 Euro. It sounded like a good deal to me considering what I had thought I would be paying
Thanks again. Only 39 days until I reach the City of Light!
Linster
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