French train tickets: purchase in advance from U.S.?

Is it possible? Yes. Is it recommended? Absolutely, if you want to save money, but the discounts come with restriction, like you must travel on the train shown on the ticket or it becomes worthless if you miss it.

How are you getting from La Rochelle to Chartres? The exception would be Chartres to Paris which would be a TER train that is always the same price, although there are 25% discounts if you are over 60 at certain times.

Being a midget-minded traveller, I'd say "YES" do it if you are certain of your travel dates/itinerary because you can get a substantial discount on many routes if you book ahead - I even snagged first class for the second class price on a TGV route once. Booking one to two months ahead of your travel date gets you the best deals - sometimes half the price of what you would pay if you booked closer to your travel date. For me, a savings like that is worth giving up a little bit of spontaneity in my itinerary; others will prefer spontaneity over savings.

You can book tickets through SCNF.com; it's very simple and very straightforward (I don't recommend Eurorail because SCNF is more user friendly). Simply go to "Reservations" and plug in your cities and dates (just like booking a flight). In most cases, you will be issued an e-ticket which you can print out (or send to your phone, if you prefer). I say most cases, because some routes still give you a confirmation number, then you pick up your ticket from a machine at the station.

Again, to get the discounts, you will give up a certain amount of flexibility, but not all. I booked several tickets several months ahead of time once and then had to cancel them. I received most of my money back - some tickets refunded 100%, others a little less. Under each result for the cities/dates you enter, you'll see a link that tells you the terms for refunds and exchanges. These vary quite a lot depending on the route, but many let you make changes on the day of departure for a small fee.

Go to www.seat61.com for all the advice and tips about train tickets throughout Europe. High speed (TGV) trains and local trains are all explained as to how, when, and why in every country. You can opt to print French train tickets at home and take them with you. Seats go on sale around 90 days prior to your travel date for the best selection and best prices. I have no experience with Spanish trains but seat61 will guide you to the right choices.

There are some French TGV trains starting in Barcelona on the way to Paris that stop in Montpellier.

oh the auto-correct that has made Tammie a midget-minded traveler!!!

P.s. I recommend trainline.eu for buying train tickets, it's so easy to use and doesn't give the same difficulties with American credits cards that the official SNCF site does (while selling at the same price!).

@Kim, I was wondering about the politically incorrect reference to the vertically challenged.

I got an email today, March 24, from SNCF (www.trainline.eu) that the third segment of their summer sales starts March 30 for all destinations in France.

That's funny. My mind autocorrected all by itself. I didn't notice that it didn't say "budget-minded" until it was pointed out.

Oops, while I do try to be mindful of midgets (or little people, or dwarves or leprechauns), I'm more of a BUDGET-minded traveller.

You can save some serious money buying train tickets in advance. Of course, you need to be committed to specific dates, which doesn't work for all travelers. I use the Trainline app to purchase our tickets because it's so user friendly, and I start checking my preferred itineraries months ahead. Well before booking, I will research the options (departure times, number of changes, duration, price) and have written down exactly what I want. Departures will come available for purchase at different times (often many days apart) and I want to wait for my best option.

oh Tammie, SURE you do!!!!

You can't escape now, your prejudice has been expressed here for all to see!! : )