Trying to book train tickets in advance. Since we're combining train and car travel, we thought buying the train tickets for the dates we'll be using them more economical than a pass. Beginning to have some doubts now that I'm trying to book train travel from Bordeaux to Versailles. Ticket sites show NO TICKETS AVAILABLE. I'm not sure if that means every train is full, or no one has ever wanted to make this direct/indirect booking from Bordeaux to Versailles, so they don't offer it.
Option 1-book thru to Paris Montparnasse then Metro D line to Sevres Babylone onto C line to Gare d'Austerlitz then on to Versailles
Option 2-book thru to Massy, with transfer there but trying to book onward to Versailles not showing up. One description claims it takes 3 hours to go 7 miles? And there are 3 train stations in Massy...
Option 3-rent a car in Massy and drive to Versailles.
Am I missing the magic website which will give the info I need to book this? Yes, we are going from Versailles to Paris, but I'd prefer to do that trip only once. This is all happening in June, so hopefully the strikes will have receded and whatever tickets I come up with; I won't find out, if ONLY I'd known about THAT site.
ANY suggestions welcome!!!
Merci!
Posted by
Used to be Steilacoom, now it’s Las Vegas
2181 posts
Would you mind sharing the dates? In addition to the strike issue, there is some maintenance work being done on the lines that impact particular dates and when SNCF is selling tickets for the route. I know this because I was trying to book tickets from Paris to Bordeaux in May. I “knew” that route went out of Gare Montparnasse, but I couldn’t get a reasonable route and then it was only 2 departures. A poster on the forum told me there was maintenance work on that line, and then SNCF weren’t selling tickets for it yet ( same message you got). I put an alert for the route on SNCF and two days later the tickets came up, but the departure is out of Gare Austerlitz, but just for that date. That’s why I asked about specific dates.
Posted by
Florida (previously California)
3683 posts
How about option 1B? TGV to Gare Montparnasse and then from Gare Montparnasse take Transilien Train N to Versailles Chantiers station.
Posted by
OP
15 posts
To Patty: The date we want to go Bordeaux to Versailles is 6/15. I wrote to Trainline and they responded. Their explanation was SNCF has not yet given them “permission” or sent them the schedules for trains to issue tickets for that date at this time.
To JHK: Nothing I read told me it was possible to go from Gare Montparnasse directly to Versailles. I thought (update the getting to Versailles paragraph Rick) that was possible only from Gare Austerlitz(the closest station to Gare Montparnasse).
Since I posted BtoV, my husband showed me it was possible. We are still waiting and hoping to NOT have to go from Bordeaux to Paris to Versailles only to go to Paris again in a day or so. So I’m checking Trainline daily, also SNCF.
Thank you both Patty and JHK for responding.
Posted by
Paris
6868 posts
We are still waiting and hoping to NOT have to go from Bordeaux to Paris to Versailles only to go to Paris again in a day or so.
Versailles is basically a suburb of Paris. Trains from Bordeaux to Paris arrive at Montparnasse station. Trains from Montparnasse station to Versailles Chantiers take 12-20 minutes and leave every 5-20 minutes: that's less time than what you would need to reach some Parisian neighborhoods.
Any other option, like finding a train to Massy, is slower and more cumbersome.