I’m trying to book a train from Paris to Strasbourg on December 11th. I was told I was too early. I received an email from SNCF that October 4 would open up year end tickets. I assume that if its the 4th in France even if its not here, I would be able to book. Well…. I’ve tried both SNCF and Trainline with no luck. I’m only concerned because of Christmas Markets. Any advice or just keep trying?
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
4905 posts
Today is the 3rd. It's only 3 am in France. Why not wait until business hours before trying again. Its unlikely that every seat on every train to Strasbourg that day is going to sell out the first day they're available. Relax.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10223 posts
It's now 8am in France. Reports are that tickets are now selling ...and selling fast.
FYI, future reference and personal experience, they don't come on line at midnight French time but around 4-5 in the morning, which is better for you.
Posted by
Wengen
1758 posts
If trains really sold out days in advance they would be useless. I have never booked a train ticket for France more than a week in advance. Of course booking very early may lead to significant savings, but that is the only reason to book that early.
Posted by
Loire Valley
773 posts
I doubt if even the cheapest of tickets for the 11 December will sell out, except for maybe the most popular of travel times.
Posted by
Paris
6919 posts
The booking system is a mess today. Platform is overloaded; not all trains have been released... try, and try again!
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10223 posts
News reports millions of hits on the system causing problems. Sales exceeding last year's, which were already record breaking. But, in these circumstances, SNCF adds more trains or cars, so there will be more
Posted by
Seattle, WA & Bordeaux, France
224 posts
I got on and bought my Dec. 19th SNCF tickets around 9:00pm PDT last night (Oct. 3) as I figured they would go on sale around 6:00am CET. And, they did! Hopefully you were able to get on and purchase.
Posted by
OP
Portland, OR, USA
268 posts
Thank you! Yes I was just too impatient! However that said, there were only about 6 seats left in First for the time I wanted!
Posted by
Wengen
1758 posts
That there were only 6 seats available in 1st for a train months for now is simple not going to be the case. Trains do not sell out months in advance. They would be utterly and totally useless if they would. Most people in Europe do not plan their train trips that far ahead. Having to plan far this far in advance would not be considered acceptable.
What you were really seeing is an effect of different fare buckets. When booking opens there will be for example 20tickets at 19,- euro, another 20 tickets at 29,- euro and so on.
What you were seeing was not "only 6 seats left" but "only 6 seats left at this price". The French version of the SNCF website is quite explicit in this even. It is modelled after what airlines do. So after these 6 would have been gone (probably somewhere in November) the site starts selling from the next fare bucket.
Looking at prices for dec 11 now I even see a message that more trains will become available for booking.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10223 posts
For 1st class the buyer has access to the seating chart. So the OP is seeing in real time.
If this was to and from Strasbourg in December, it's possible that tourists worldwide are wiping out the 1st class tickets. Also, families buy early for school vacation dates. SNCF said they were getting up to a million hits a minute, a 260% increase over last year. SNCF publicized heavily and has learned how to create a buyer frenzy.
I don't plan far in advance because I'm retired and live in Europe, but when I bought round trip to Paris a month out recently, some 1st class cars were completely full, others had a seat in duo, but no solos anywhere. First fills despite the propaganda SNCF put on the news recently to justify cutting back 1st to add more 2nd cars.
I couldn't get a 1st class Lyon--South of France coming home from Switzerland in August and was lucky to find one 2nd class, but I bought only a week ahead for an August Saturday because we hadn't planned when or how we were getting home.
During school vacation time, I can't get a Marseille -Nice TGV in any class unless I book way in advance due to all the Parisians filling the trains coming south. Have to use local trains, Flixbus, or BlaBlaCar. C'est la vie.
Posted by
Wengen
1758 posts
I know that it unfortunately does happen sometimes in France that trains do sell out. Shows indeed that SNCF does not care about wether it provides a useful service. But it is rare. And as someone who is often on the Strasbourg - Paris route: I have never been unable to get tickets last minute.
I doubt also that Andrea base her "there were only 6 seats left" on the seating map. I just had a look myself, and for a train that shows "only 4 seats left at this price" the seating map showed that only 10 seats had been reserved so far in 1st class. I expect that there is indeed a bit of a mini rush caused by non Europeans suffering from seat anxiety, and that not a lot will move until November...