I have come to know many people booking very cheap train tickets (i.e 56 CHF Zurich to Paris - one way) to Paris. I have been checking rail-europe and TGV websites ( www.rail-europe.ch and www.tgv-europe.ch ) and see cheap promotional fares to paris but don't know how to buy them at this promotional fare.
I believe I need to book 3 months in advance to get cheap fares and I tried booking them 3 months in advance with no luck. Is there something I am not doing correctly ? When I click on promotion, it directs me to reservation page and I try to reserve (3 months in advance) and try to look at fare for trains departing switzerland mid day. I still do not get that promotional fare.
I would appreciate if someone can provide there feedback on how they managed to obtain cheap tickets in the past at promotional fares ?
try to get to the travel office at Zurich HB and explain the issue. I never bought them but I got them off someone else on the forum who couldn't travel on that day, so they definitely exist and are available
I'm living in Basel. We (husband and myself) travelled to Paris last month at the cost of 60CHF to and 80CHF fro, per person.
What we did is, used to check online for the cheapest cost for a day to Paris (2 months advance). Once when finalized the date, went to SBB and booked directly in the counter.
So, if you are looking 3 months in advance, for sure you will have a good deal. Just note the date and go to booking counter directly. They will do the reservation for you.
I know that I've tried to book over tgv-europe before and always get an error message. This is because the trains can only be booked a certain time in advance and I think that 3 months may be too far in advance. I would just go to a SBB and book: much easier!
If my husband and I have the yearly half-fare card with SBB and all the kids have the "kids ride free with adult" card, what is the cheapest way to get to Paris? Do I ride a SBB train to the border and then switch over to a French rail line for the rest of the way?
Can I apply the discounts from these cards if I want to take the fast train to Paris from lausanne (3 hour train)? It's a TGV train, which has no affliation with SBB, right?
you have some direct and some changing trains. It's possible to buy tickets for the whole journey even if there is a change along the way.
80 sounds really low for a one way ticket.
There is a special fare thing in France called "prems"(meaning premier, first) tickets that are sold at extremely low prices during special sales, months in advance from travel day.
Often people buy tickets and end up not using them. Many of these people end up selling the tickets on a website called http://www.trocdestrains.com/ .
Now these are mostly single tickets(for one person).
I just checked and there are some every other day leaving from Lausanne for 40 to 50 euros. May be a good way to save a little bit.
Some of these tickets are e-tickets and others are "real" tickets which will need to be picked up in person or mailed to you. There's an evaluation system for sellers, so you can see if someone has already sold many tickets and if previous buyers have been satisfied.
I'm trying to get from Basel to Belgium with the train, via Paris.
Sbb quoted me 540 Chf, DB quoted me 370 Chf (280 Euro) ..
I kept googling and found out that via TGV.com i can have a good price (170 Euro) for a retour ticket, great times but.. tickets to be collected at Tgv desk in Geneva.
I have emailed them now to see is there any way they can post the tickets or when i book, can i print them as surely, driving from Basel to Geneva will cost me as much as one way to Paris or Belgium.
Does anyone have experience booking to Paris or Belgium with Tgv directly?
I 've never had my TGV tickets delivered overseas. When I book on their French website, my tickets are delivered to my mum in lyon and she then post them to me .
I believe there's an automated sncf booth in the Basel station(there's a french and a swiss side in the station). It's on the right side of the train station right before the so called border crossing.
After searching online it appears the booth is only good for local trains
you may be able to get an e-ticket online that you print out and will be as good as a real ticket. (that's what I just read online on the official help forum for the sncf). I do believe I've gotten e-tickets before from the sncf. No hassle no fuss...but are they possible to get from Switzerland
Great..i am not the only one struggling with the rocket science that is called booking a train ticket
I have done a test run, tried to book it on Tgv.com, i ticked the option for "E-Ticket ", yet before i had to pay it said " you have chosen to collect your tickets in Geneva " .. i didn't , i ticked e-ticket..this only concludes that you can't print E-tickets in Switzerland i guess.
But as said in the previous post, i emailed Tgv directly with the question , as soon as i have an update, i will let you know.
I find the personal touch is best. I go to my local station outside peak hours (yes I know, not all can do that) exactly 90 days in advance. Then I speak very nicely to the very nice man and explain I'd be really grateful if he could find me the very very best rate - and explain I can be a bit flexible with dates. He smiles and takes it as a challenge - after about 15 mins he finds me a cracking price. In fact the guy is so nice he's offered me one of his family and friends discounted tickets for next time. Hurray.
In the UK, I always went to the station and did the same - and it worked wonders every time. Much better than the internet.
Hi Odile, I have tried the personal touch, only to be told they would check it out, but i was better of ( cheaper ) to book online.
When you cut out the little man, you get cheaper prices.
By all means, if Tgv had a desk in Basel , i would go, book ,pay and receive my tickets but i won't go from Basel to Geneva , the money saved not going by SBB or DB would be wasted on the trip to collect the ticket
Sadly enough this is the way its going, book online, get cheaper, cut out the personal contacts
Each to their own - perhaps a generational thing, and also a question of language. I've always found the best prices with the personal approach - and you haven't. No problem here. But I bet no computer has ever offered to give you it's 'family and friends' heavily discounted tickets, hey!
Exactly, and i respect your approach, what ever works best but i agree, try both of them,no you have, yes you can get..and with that some discounted tickets
If you want tickets delivered to a Swiss address, use http://www.tgv-europe.ch/en/ . The prices are the same as on the French site but quoted in Francs.
We have been buying tickets this way for years and never had any problems.
Sometimes cheaper fares (e.g. the idTGV offer) are available if you buy a ticket from Mulhouse to Paris and purchase your ticket from Switzerland to Mulhouse separately.
We acknowledge receipt of your message concerning the Printed Ticket® and thank you for your interest in our services.
Please note that the Printed Ticket® is available only for the below fares:
- Prem's
- Heavy Traveller Frequency Printed Ticket®
- Thalys: Smilys and Print & GO
- ®iDTGV
This option will be proposed on our website only if you book one of these fares.
We hope this information will be useful and we wish you a pleasant day.
* this however is not an answer on my question .. when i book, the only option i get is
"Retrieval in GENEVA at the Rail Europe boutique : Retrieve your ticket in Geneva at the Rail Europe Boutique with the bank card that was used to pay for it.
Boutique Rail Europe Rue de Lausanne 11 "
The first reply from tgv was " please check our website "..customer service to the top i must say .. i hate companies who don't answer a question from the first time on, saves both parties loads of time..
Might dress up in a skirt, hope my hairy legs attracts some truck driver that can drop me of in Belgium