I have spent several hours looking at the Deutschbahn website for travel within France. I plug in my dates and get info, however I also get "not available for purchase on the Internet". Is this because my dates of travel are October/16 and its to far away? Is it better to try to purchase on the French train website? This is in regard to a previous inquiry of travel between Paris- Aix en Provence. I'm also struggling with understanding the dates that the train does not run....I know, I may need more study time..
Posted by
shingle springs, CA, USA
782 posts
You will have better luck at 90 days out and I would also look at Capatain Train where you can get French train schedules and also buy your tickets,I have used them for the last three years,very easy to use.
Mike
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23626 posts
Simply - on the bahn site you can only purchase tickets for trains starting or ending in Germany. There web site is very handy for all of Europe's schedules but you need to purchase the tickets from the national rail site within the country you are traveling.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32352 posts
Judy,
As previously mentioned, the Bahn.de website mostly sells tickets just for trains originating in Germany. Aside from that, the Bahn website is about the best source for rail schedules all over Europe. I can't remember if they also revise their schedules in mid-June? If you search the route you'll be travelling using a date in the next week or so and on the same day-of-the-week that you'll be travelling, that will provide a good indicator of the details.
If you want to buy advance tickets, the Captain Train website is a good choice for tickets in Germany, Italy or France (and a few other areas).
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
You're too early to find exact times or fares, although you can get an idea by trying a date three months or so in advance. Most French train tickets go on sale around 90 days before travel date, although some people here have reported seeing long-distance advance fares before that on resellers like Capitaine Train and the official SNCF site.
Posted by
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
4088 posts
You can sign up on the SNCF website for advance warnings of sales and promotions. One service that can cause confusion at first is the iDTGV tickets on certain busy routes. These are extra cars attached to the regular trains and offering such choices as a quiet car. They can be cheap if bought early. As always, www.seat61.com is a reassuring guide to the intricacies of the system.