my wife and I plan on flying into Paris (CDG) and taking a train to Aix Provence. Has anyone used the French rail passes and is there anything I should know? It looks like the passes are good for a month after being activated and for a set number of days depending how many days have been purchased. I assume the passes don't have to be used in the same calendar month but rather 30 days after activation even if that means carrying it into the next month. Am I correct in this?
Thanks,
John F.
John, the price of the pass depends on how many days you intend to travel by train. I suspect that the cost of your pass is close to $300. If you are certain of the day you will travel and you are willing to accept a non-refundable ticket, are you aware that you can travel from Paris to Aix-en-Provence in 2hrs35min for 25Euro? You need to book close to 120 days in advance to get these fares but here's what they look like. These low fares go fast. http://gyazo.com/043618fb01d23cc96ca9eb453b69b02e Depending on your train travel in France, you may not need a pass.
The website is the French http://en.voyages-sncf.com/en/ train website. Just don't pick USA as your Ticket Collection Country. If you do, the website will try and switch you to RailEurope which does not offer these special fares. Select France, Great Britain or any other country. After you purchase your tickets, you will receive an email with the tickets within a minute or two. You print out the ticket at home,
Yes, the France Rail Pass is a flexi-style of pass, allowing you to spread out your travel days within a one-month window that starts when you activate the pass in France, such as from May 15 - June 14. Advance TGV reservations are important with a pass, since the number of places for passholders is limited. You can add these reservations to your railpass order online. The 1st-class version of the pass is currently on sale for purchase before April 19, which makes it cheaper than 2nd-class passes. However, the pass won't save money unless you do have at least 3 significant days of train travel, which you have not listed. See all the info you need at http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/france-rail-passes, including more about the point-to-point ticket prices.
