Best train travel option?

I%26#39;m needing help deciding what our best options are for train travel through France. In 2006 we used a 4 day France pass which I purchased here in Australia, and had all our seats booked here before leaving. Everything went well, although I wasn%26#39;t aware at the time of purchasing that there would be reservation costs as well.

This year we are planning to train travel again through France. After reviewing many sites and TA forums, it appears to be cheaper to purchase tickets on www.voyages-sncf.com. Can you just purchase a ticket on the day of travel, day before, or do you need to book in advance? Can you purchase on-line from Australia, or only at a train station in France?

We will be coming from Italy to Nice, then visiting Avignon, Carcassonne, Bordeaux, Loire Valley, and Paris.

Comments please.

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I%26#39;ll address one thing first: you can buy tickets at the station in most cases, but you will be paying full fare. By purchasing tickets ahead of time on voyages-sncf.fr you may be able to cut the ticket price by 50% or more, if you know what your days of travel will be. Generally it%26#39;s an issue of flexibility (which a rail pass or day of trip purchase provides) vs. cost.

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%26quot;you can buy tickets at the station in most cases, but you will be paying full fare.%26quot;

Not necessarily. Discounts are available from the ticket booths--some passes, the discounts for travelling two together, weekends, etc.

But, yes. Super-duper discounts, if available, can be purchased only in advance on the website.

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Thanks for the feedback, we would love to be able to travel with great flexibility on dates, but have to have things fairly organised/booked before we go. I%26#39;ll look at a france pass again.

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SNCF:

www.voyages-sncf.com/dynamic/_SvHomePage…

You can purchase tickets up to 90 days in advance--sooner the better for low [%26quot;prem%26quot;] fares. Indicate ticket pickup in France, decline any insurance, and you can print your tickets.

Schedules and rail map:

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

…raileurope.com/map_of_europe/france.html

Note that bahn.de gives you intermediate stops.

Bordeaux to Loire--you may wish to go to St Pierre des Corps [outside of Tours].

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Thanks Francophool, I have been investigating the www.voyages-sncf.com a lot, selecting the english version, entering some data but then it reverts back to the french site. So sorry but I at a loss as to how to use the site in french. I can kind of muddle my way through how to select and purchase a ticket, selecting France as the country of collection, but how do you specify the collection point? Are you given a reference number and just collect from say your first station(for us, Nice)? Will a seat be reserved using this method?

I would really appreciate your input/patience,

K :)

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