Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
»First class costs 20% to 30% more.
»Ticket prices rise with demand: book early.
»Children under four travel free, or €8.50 to anywhere if they need seats. Ages four to 11
travel half-price.
»Travellers aged 12 to 25, and those over 60, receive discounts.
»Choose your seat type when you buy your ticket by clicking '
placement
': '
couloir
' is
aisle, '
fenêtre
' window. '
Voitures silences
' are quiet - no mobile phones.
»If plans change, be sure to cancel (
annuler
) your ticket; otherwise you can't collect po-
tential refunds (
remboursements
), assuming your fare type permits refunds.
»
Prem's
are lowest-fare tickets: no changes, no refunds. Limited inventory. Purchase 14
to 90 days ahead.
Bons plans
are last-minute specials; see the '
Dernière Minute
' heading
»
IDTGV
('Idée TGV';
www.idtgv.com
)
offers discounted TGV travel, bookable only on-
line; two carriage types: IDZen and IDZap, the former silent, latter loud.
Loisir Week-end
offers discounts for round-trip travel on weekends, or round trips with a Saturday-night
stayover.
Découverte
fares are low-demand 'blue period' trains for people aged 12 to 25,
seniors, and adults accompanying children under 12.
Mini-groupe
fares are ideal for three
to six travelers on the same booking; requires Saturday-night stayover.
Guaranteed discounts of 25% (last-minute booking) to 50% (advance bookings for low-
volume 'blue periods') are available with several cards:
Carte 12-25
(
www.12-25-sncf.com
; €50)
Carte Enfant Plus
(
www.enfantplus-sncf.com
; €71)
Carte Escapades
(
www.escapades-sncf.com
;
€76)
Carte Sénior
(
www.senior-sncf.com
; €56)
You must travel significant distance before the following rail passes yield savings:
France Railpass
(
www.francerailpass.com
; 1st/2nd class US$299/242)
Rail One Country Pass
(
www.interrailnet.com
; 5/10/15 days €267/381/422, 12-25yr
€175/257/298)
