To cross France, the train is the most ecological means of transport, often the fastest, but sometimes also the most expensive. During busy periods (holidays, school holidays, etc.) the price of a TGV ticket is sometimes unbelievable. Beyond common-sense air travel practices (travel off-peak, wait for reservations, etc.), here are our seven tips for traveling by train without breaking the bank.
Limited rates with Avantage card
Tired of spending €300 for a round trip from Paris to Marseille? SNCF Avantage card holders, in addition to enjoying a 30% discount on their tickets, benefit from limited prices for first and second class travel on the TGV inOui from June 2021. It is the guarantee that you will never pay more than €39 for less than 1h30 of travel, €59 for 1h30 to 3 hours and €79 for more than 3 hours, regardless of the departure date and the time of booking. A particularly welcome perk during times of high affluence, especially on major holiday getaways. Valid for one year and available in three profiles (Youth, Adult and Senior), this card retails for €49 (or €25 on Black Friday at the end of November).
Book when the sale opens
Only one solution to profit from call prices (promised by advertising) is to predict. Better yet, reserve the day the sale opens. SNCF opens trains several times a year for booking for the coming months. For example, sales for the holiday season generally begin in October. Subscribing to the newsletter of the railway companies (SNCF, Eurostar, Thalys, etc.) is a good way to stay informed. This “first come, first served” principle greatly increases your chances of finding the lowest price ticket, for example a trip to Vigo for €10, Paris-Brussels for €29 on Thalys or Paris-London for €44. with Eurostar.
Travel more slowly with the TER or Ouigo Classic train
If the price of TGV tickets varies according to several criteria (occupancy level, departure day, etc.), this is not the case with TER. Whether you book a few weeks or a few minutes before departure, the price (based on distance traveled) remains the same. Handy if you’re leaving at the last minute or during busy times. Also, TER tickets can usually be used during the day and not on a specific train. Downside: Reservations are not required, seats are not guaranteed.
In some hubs, regional trains offer a slower but sometimes cheaper alternative to TGVs. From Paris you can reach Lille (2h10), Le Mans (2h15), Dijon (3h), Lyon (5h) and Strasbourg (5h) without changing. Regional discount cards allow you to use these TER trains at discounts of up to 60%. And in addition, some companions can enjoy the same benefits.
Some regions offer packages including TER travel and activities for your vacation. Hauts-de-France, for example, offers a Baie de Somme package for €27 (or €11 for children under 12), including a tour on the TER (including from Paris) and a ticket valid for two days on historic trains. the Baie de Somme. The Centre-Val-de-Loire region offers a Château de Chambord package including train, shuttle and entry to the estate (€45 from Paris).
Another solution on the Paris-Lyon and Paris-Nantes axes. ride the classic Ouigo train that launched in April. These trains, which use old Corail carriages, use normal tracks where the speed is limited to 160 km/h. Therefore, the journey is twice as long as by TGV. allow four hours Paris-Nantes or five hours Paris-Lyon. Set between €10 and €30 depending on the day and distance, prices are fixed regardless of the booking date so that all passengers on the same train pay the same price, even at the last minute.
For young and old, unlimited travel with Max offer
Offered to 16- to 27-year-olds inclusive since 2017, the Max offer is available to over-60s from April. For €79 per month, this subscription, subject to a minimum commitment of three months, allows unlimited travel on the TGV inOui and Intercités with a mandatory reservation. Suffice it to say, it can be beneficial from the very first trip. But you have to be very flexible as the offer is only valid from Monday to Friday, outside of peak periods. In addition, the number of seats allocated to Max subscribers is limited on each train.
Play with ticket flexibility
Are you vacillating between several travel dates? One solution is to book multiple tickets on different dates, even if it means canceling them later to keep just one. This practice trip stacking (literally “travel backlog”) emerged at the height of the Covid-19 crisis thanks to flexible cancellation policies set by transport companies, including SNCF. Travelers who have purchased a TGV inOui or Intercités ticket can actually be refunded for free or with proof up to three days before departure, regardless of the fare chosen. On Eurostar, tickets can be exchanged for free up to D-7. Conditions on Thalys eased on June 28, 2022. from then on, all fares are eligible for a free exchange or refund up to 7 days before departure. Something to appease the most undecided.
In Europe, book on foreign websites or use Interrail
The SNCF Connect website offers quite a few international journeys in addition to the trains that the company operates itself. Best if you plan to travel abroad to/from abroad to book directly with foreign companies (Deutsche Bahn, Renfe, SNCB, CFF…). On the Deutsche Bahn website, you can find trips between Paris and any German city from around sixty euros. To take the Paris-Vienna night train, use the official website of Nightjet, where the offer and different fares are better detailed.
Other solutions for your international travels: go to booking platforms such as Trainline or Omio, which compare the offers of hundreds of public or private rail (and also car) companies across Europe. Or choose the Interrail pass, a ticket that allows you to travel on trains and some ferries from 33 countries. Beware, however, of mandatory night and high-speed train reservation fees. This ticket really pays if you are traveling in northern and western Europe where the train is the most expensive.
Use the price calendar
Get the best fares for the entire month and the cheapest date to travel at a glance. this will soon be possible again thanks to the price calendar. Offered on the old Oui.SNCF website, it has disappeared from SNCF Connect, much to the chagrin of users demanding its return. This feature (currently only available on Ouigo and Eurostar) should reappear in future app updates.
[Initialement publié en mai 2022, cet article a fait l’objet d’une mise à jour.]
Source: Le Figaro
