Appendix - France 2014 - page 1549

Intercité: ComparedtotheTGV,thesetrainsarethenextbestintermsofspeedand
comfort.
TER (Trains Express Régionale): Thesetrainsservesmallerstopswithinaregion.
For example, you'll find trains called TER de Bourgogne (trains operating only in
Burgundy) and TER Provence (Provence-only trains).
Paris Region Only
For more on Paris transit, see “Getting Around Paris” on here .
RATP (Réseau Autonome de Transport Parisienne): This organization operates
subways and buses within Paris.
Le Métro: This network of subway lines serves central Paris.
RER (Réseau Express Régional): This commuter rail and subway system links
central Paris with suburban destinations.
Transilien: It's similar to the RER system, but travels farther afield, serving the Ile
de France region around Paris. Railpasses cover these lines.
Bigger stations may have helpful information agents roaming the station and at Ac-
cueil offices or booths. They can answer schedule questions more quickly than staff at the
ticket windows. Make use of their help; don't stand in a ticket line if all you need is a train
schedule.
Railpasses
Long-distance travelers can save money with a France Railpass, sold only outside Europe
(through travel agents or Europe Through the Back Door). For roughly the cost of a full-
fare Paris-Avignon-Paris ticket, the France Railpass offers three days of travel (within a
month) anywhere in France. You can add up to six more days, each for the cost of a two-
hour ride. You can save money by getting the second-class instead of the first-class ver-
sion, but first class gives you more options when reserving popular TGV routes (seats are
verylimitedforpassholders,soreservingthesefasttrainsatleastseveralweeksinadvance
is recommended). The saverpass version gives two or more people traveling together a 15
percent discount.
Coping with Strikes