Please sign in to post.

Current Train Travel

Posted by (Darmouth, MA, USA) on

My husband and I are scheduled for a barge and bike trip in September. The trip provider will decided 45 days before whether to cancel, if so, all is refundable. For the reason, I am preferring the trip provider arrange my airfare, less hassle for me if canceled. Traditionally we extend the trip by 10-15 days, traveling on our own, but this year we are canceling due to all the unknowns accessing sites. It will be easier to allow the trip provider to cover the details.

My one question and concern is we want to make one deviation from the trip provider arriving a day earlier and training to Metz on our own. Has train travel continued in France on a regular schedule? Arriving by plane, I assume though vaccinated, we may still need a test for the plane. Will we need a test for the train? Will the previous test suffice? An local knowledge or insight would be appreciated. Many thanks.

Posted by
10189 posts

As of today, April 24th, you do not need a test for the trains. Yes, trains are running. Next, your PCR is required by France but it is the airline that does the screening to be sure your have the test result from within the previous 72 hours and that it is a PCR test, not a quick antigen test. So, the airline is not creating the restriction, just enforcing it. The French government has created the restriction.

Posted by
6113 posts

From the SNCF website - France is currently subject to daily curfews from 7pm to 6am and train travel between regions is currently prohibited. In addition, train travel within some regions with high infection rates is also prohibited at present.

EU travellers using French trains need to present a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of the start of the train journey. Of course at present, no one from outside the EU can enter France. No one knows what will happen once the international French borders reopen or the curfews are relaxed.

I don’t know how long private PCR tests take in France - in the U.K., it’s a 48 hour turn around (and not guaranteed to be back within this timescale).

Posted by
2267 posts

I'd triple check (in writing) that, if the trip operator books your flights, the airfare has the same flexible refundable terms as the cruise portion. Many times these diverge.

Posted by
7357 posts

Adding to Scudder’s good advice, many reports on this Forum over the past year described situations where if the airline cancelled the flight, they’d issue a refund. But if the would-be passenger made the cancellation, that was their choice, and the airline owed them no refund. Is your tour operator able to cancel, and not make you eat the airfare cost?

Posted by
352 posts

If we include airfare in our trip (it is optional) our trip provider refunds everything. This is our 8th biking trip (first barge) with this organization and I have complete confidence in them. We have already had a refund from 2020. Also, this barge is only 20 of us, not a large group. Thank you for your concerns and comments.

Posted by
2545 posts

The 10 km restriction on travel ends May 3rd. While train travel continues, schedules have been reduced. However, frequencies should resume as restrictions ease. There has been no announcement about ending the 19h to 06h curfew, but I think it reasonable to assume that the curfew will not extend much into spring/summer.

PCR testing is for those arriving from trains originating outside France. It should not be a factor for you (other than testing required for your flight), but you might watch for any required quarantines. 7 day quarantines are currently in place for those arriving CDG from countries outside the EU.

The situation changes every week, government updates are made every Thursday. This website is constantly updated by the government and should be able to guide you with any special requirements or restrictions.

Coronavirus - Advice for Foreign Nationals in France

This topic has been automatically closed due to a period of inactivity.