In there it says there will be more trains from Switzerland to Paris.
It also says the prices (one way) are prices I like to see.
I don't have any exact plans to go to Paris, but if the price is right - then I'd love to go.
So I decided to look into this and see if the price was right for a handful of dates ( I checked about 15 dates)
Here's my question:
1) I don't see any prices close to the prices they mention in the article
2) I go to both the Swiss and the French train webpages and it appears I have to check each travel date AND time to see what the price is. It's not like the airlines website where I see "all" the flight times and the price on the same page. So my question is - what am I doing wrong, there has to be a simpler page/communication to be more user friendly - does anyone know what it is?
Again - I don't have any specific dates lined up, but for a good price I'd love to get to Paris and do some touring.
It’s not you, it’s them. The railroads have never had the sophistication systems that the airlines, particularly the network airlines, have.
The SNCF supposedly has the best in Europe, but thing may get lost in a joint operation like Lyria as it needs to be compatible with the CFF site as well.
The European Commission has been pressuring the railroads to offer a single ticket for multiple sectors, in multiple countries, in a single currency for years. But the railroads see a big expense for a low return.
If you scroll down a bit you'll see "With TGV Lyria, if you reserve your ticket 6 months before departure, you could benefit from the lowest prices, from €29. In short - plan ahead!"
Who the heck knows what travelling will be like in 2 months, much less 6!?
Thanks for sharing, though, it was a nice thought while it lasted.
When I've needed to buy inter European train tickets which are not available via the SBB app, I've used DB (bahn.de) as well as Omio and the "thetrainline". All allow online purchases and electronic tickets. They are sometimes cheaper than SBB or have offers you can't see on the SBB app. It's worth looking at them.
Also look to see if split ticketing is better, for example in Switzerland using a supersaver fare, and then a ticket for the French part.
I bought one way tickets from zurich to paris for 20 euros in autum last year.
They have been sold to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of the TGV connection to switzerland.
They have been sold for one day only.
The last cheap ticket i heard about ,was an offer of 44 euros one way in first class from zurich to paris or the other way, but that offer was valid in january and feburary this year.
You have to keep looking , try sncf, tgv lyria, sbb or deutsche bahn.
Try to widen your search (timewise) or look for different departure points (like mulhouse or strasbourg) to save money.
There are tickets from strasbourg to paris starting at around 16 euros one way.
Don't know what kind of concession cards you got (like bahncard or halftax)