Questions about rail trip from Bayeux to Amboise

It is not unusual for your trip to call for a connection in Paris and in your case you will have to change train stations. The train from Bayeux arrives at Gare St. Lazare and the train to Amboise leaves from either Gare d'Austerlitz or Gare Montparnasse. You should be able to find a route that will bypass Paris but that might depend on the date of travel. As to the Eurail pass, I believe that you should make reservations for trains that require reservations not less than 2 months before your travel date and you do that at https://www.eurail.com/en/book-reservations#/. The Eurail pass can be a bad idea in France because there are limited seats available for pass holders on certain trains but it should not be so bad for you though because you might be or could be taking TER trains for your trips and those trains do not require reservations. You can definitely take a TER train that does not require reservations from Paris to Amboise. I am not so sure about the train from Bayeux to Paris but you can check it all at the link above as well as find routes that bypass Paris.

The SNCF search engine is bad. There are direct TER trains from Caen to Tours that are free for pass holders. They would be my choice. Search for Caen-Saint Pierre des Corps, look at times, then look at corresponding times for Bayeux - Caen and St Pierre des Corps - Amboise.

You do not have to go through Paris to go from Bayeux to Amboise, it involves 2 train changes in Caen then Tours but it is cheaper than through Paris. Seats on these regional trains cannot be reserved. You sit wherever you want

TER: Bayeux → Caen

TER: Caen → Tours

TER: Tours → Amboise

To search and check timetables and prices:

https://www.sncf-connect.com/en-en/

" I believe that you should make reservations for trains that require reservations not less than 2 months "

Some TER trains in Normandie do indeed require seat reservatons. The "TER NOMAD" trains to St. Lazare certainly do.
But it should be possible to just get these at a station. There is no need to do this months in advance. You can arrange them earlier, when you are in Paris, together with your Paris - Bayeux reservation. You can even do this on the ticket vending machine. Doing it like that the reservation only costs 1,70, and not the 12,- euro that Eurail charges you for it.

That most routes go via Paris is not a surprise. The SNCF exists almost exclusively for the benefit of Parisians... Provincials are expected to get around by car.

I've been looking at this route also. Foolishly, I booked accommodations such that I will need to travel on a Sunday. Track works in process and routes are not all available. Info for me is going to be available only closer to my dates. What day of the week do you need?

As noted above, I have found looking for Caen (or Bayeux) to Tours, then Tours to Amboise to give better answers than searching Bayeux to Amboise.

Thank you for all the great information! We are leaving Bayeux on August 8th for Amboise. I knew there had to be smaller, regional trains that ran a more direct route. Using the Bayeux-->Caen-->Tours--> Amboise route, can we use a rail pass day for that? And do we just jump on a train and go or do we need to register or do a reservation. Thank you for the information about reservations via the machine for a lower cost. Great information. We used a rail pass before, but mostly from big city to big city and not smaller routes. We are about to buy the rail pass, does anyone have suggestions for the best/cheapest place to buy? I saw EuroRail was having a sale and the sale price was more than another site's regular price.

Cynthia, before you buy the rail pass: could you share your route around France?
Passes are rarely a good idea for France due to reservation constraints.

To answer the question in your last post: yes, Eurail is valid on that avoid-Paris route, and no reservation needed except if you take a Paris-bound "NOMAD" train for the Bayeux-Caen leg (but you can buy this reservation at the station in Bayeux, it's no big deal).

On August 8 there is a train departure at 7:13 a.m. from Bayeux to Amboise with 2 connections.
A 17-minute connection at Caen station and a second 21-minute connection at Tours station.

Arrival in Amboise at 11:27 a.m.

The price: 46.70€

Seats cannot be reserved on these trains.

I would be surprised if you find a better deal with a pass

Thank you all for all the great advice. Our itinerary is to arrive in Paris on July 28. We will be in Paris for 8 days, for 2 Olympic events and then some time seeing the city. On August 4th we are doing a full day trip to Giverny and Rouen, going back to Paris. On August 5th we leave Paris for Bayeux. We will stay there, leaving on August 8th for Amboise. We will stay in Amboise for two days, leaving August 11th for Avignon. We will leave Avignon on the 13th for Nice. We will stay in Nice until August 18th, when we will leave for Paris and our flight home on August 19. I'm open to any ideas, except my traveling companion insists on first class tickets. The rail passes I've found have been around 300 dollars for five days. I appreciate all the collective knowledge you have shared with us.

"I'm open to any ideas, except my traveling companion insists on first class tickets."
Are there first class seats in the TER trains that you would take for the trip from Bayeux to Amboise described above? I thought that there was only one class of seats on some TER trains. You have a little bit of competing wishes here because if I am correct the route that takes you from Bayeux to Amboise while bypassing Paris trains will not have the option for first class seats. Perhaps a train expert can clarify.
Amboise to Avignon is going to be a trek that will probably require going back to Paris as well as getting a reservation for the Paris to Avignon train. If you train pass is indeed $300, it will be a better price than buying individual tickets because of the price of this trip assuming that you can get reservations for seats. Same for the trip from Nice to Paris.

I just looked at Eurail and the five-day, first class pass could be a bargain for you. Based on the current prices for first class seats for each trip except the one from Bayeux to Amboise and the pass would save you a decent amount of money (at least $250) before accounting for the cost of reservations. And, yes I did price all the tickets and did the math. Bt you have to be sure that you can reserve a seat. the last time I used a pass, we missed the train that we had reservations for and no seats for pass holders were available on the next train and we had to buy four full price tickets. The train was at best half full.

Are there first class seats in the TER trains that you would take for the trip from Bayeux to Amboise described above?

That is a common misconception. Many but not TER trains do have 1st class. It looks as if all the Bayeux to Tours/St Pierre trains do have. Some of the Tours/St Pierre to Amboise trains do, and some don't. The one on the connection described does, but that is only a short 15 to 20 minute ride anyway. If you absolutely require 1st class then Tours to Amboise is a fairly frequent service (essentially hourly, just not 'clock face' hourly)- so take the next one that does have 1st class.

I think I can convince a non first class ticket for a short ride. I think the main concern is less noise and children. I can be flexible if it means getting where we need to go. So my next question is, do I go ahead and buy the pass and pay the larger fee to get the reservations now? And how does one do the segments like Bayeaux-Caen-Tours-Amboise with a reservation and a pass? I don't want to risk getting to Paris and making the reservations in person at an office and missing out on trains. We do have some flexibility on train times but we don't want to spend all day waiting for a train. Thanks!

I have no idea how you can book with a Pass, all I know is that the 7:11am Bayeux → Amboise via Caen and Tour that I mentioned does not exist in 1st class, only in 2nd class.

You can find it (and buy it for €46.70) here on the SNCF website by entering the departure and arrival cities and the date.

https://www.sncf-connect.com/app/en-en/home/search/od

You will receive your ticket by email. No need to go to an office or train station.

I don't like to disagree with Jo-Lui but if you look on SNCF connect at the 3 sections of that Bayeux to Amboise train it emphatically does convey 1st class. I have now checked it 3 times.

For a longer connection at Caen there is an earlier TER 20 minute earlier from Bayeux. In fact on that journey you are adding complexity to a simple journey by changing trains at St Pierre des Corps. You actually change trains at Tours.

On the TER journeys as I understand it you can't reserve. And catching the earlier train from Bayeux ensures not only more time to change at a station you don't know, but also that you get on the Tours train first.

Likewise for Giverny and Rouen half the service is TER (no reservations) and half is NOMAD (reservations required) so if NOMAD is booked just use the TER trains.

On the long leg Lyon to Paris that needs to be booked.

From Amboise to Avignon TGV station (not Avignon Centre) there is a 0935 TGV train which is change at Marne la Vallee (Disneyland), better than changing across Central Paris. When you get your Eurail pass there is a website through which to make your reservations (at a higher price than with SNCF, but so be it).

Although slower, there is a lunchtime cross country TER train from St Pierre des Corps to Lyon, for a TER to Avignon (which has 1st class).

From Avignon (Centre) to Lyon there are still TER services - so does not have to be done on a reservation only TGV train (from the TGV station at Avignon which is well out of town).

If nothing is available on a TGV from Lyon to Paris that journey can still be made on TER trains, changing at Dijon.

So bottom line is that if you can't get TGV reservations from Amboise to Avignon and Lyon to Paris there are alternatives where no reservations are needed. If you got into that position have a good play with SNCF Connect.

Sorry to contradict isn31c, but I persist in asserting that it is not possible to select 1st class on the train I am talking about (the 7:13 a.m. one)

Screenshot below

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HrBo0OljzrXFmr9Suh8WHpDUgF5UYpm9/view?usp=sharing

I have checked this again. Given that you are planning to travel on a rail pass the fares shown don't matter, I have broken this down into the three legs of the journey (as I did earlier tonight and previously) to find the 1st class trains. (why SNCF does not show 1st class for the through journey is a mystery). But this is how you would ticket it if you needed first class. Maybe their ticketing system can't cope if not every train in a connecting journey has 1st class.

Bayeux to Caen (15 minute or so ride) at 0653 or 0713- 5 Euro 2nd class (no 1st class offered);
Caen to St Pierre 40.20 Euro 2nd class, 60.30 1st class
St Pierre to Amboise 6.40 Euro 2nd class, 9.60 1st class

By split ticketing like this 2nd class is 4.90 Euro more than the through fare of 46.70 Euro, and 1st class costs a total of 74.90 Euro.

For whatever reason it won't even give me a Caen to Amboise through 2nd class fare on that train!!

When you used to do paper continental ticketing many, many moons ago, before public websites, this is how such fares were computed.

"the main concern is less noise and children"

You can take separate 1st class tickets, but if the first class seats are wider and more comfortable than those in 2nd, it doesn't mean less noise and no children.

You are all font of knowledge. I can see that we have a lot of options and if we have to take segments that aren't first class, we will do so. It's not a something I'm willing to focus on, over getting to my destination. One last question, to gauge if I am crazy. We have time and love trains. Are we silly for wanting to take a longer trip through the south of France to get to Avignon, rather than go back to Paris and down that way? I'm thinking from Amboise to Poitiers toward Bordeaux and Toulouse? We've never seen that part of the country before and I know we could use the down time to write postcards and update our travel journals. We enjoy looking out the window and watching the countryside go by, and we have an entire day for travel, no plans. Is this a foolish idea?

If you have a rail pass you can take any route you want.

The issue with this route is that for the part of the way down to Bordeaux you will have to use a TGV (with reservations)-
eg- Amboise 0836, a 1105

Then depart Bordeaux at 1228 on an InterCities to Nimes, change onto a TER to Avignon arrive at 1826. The TER for the last 30 minutes from Nimes has no 1st class.

Rather than routing via Poitiers you could route via Orleans and Limoges to Toulouse. That is meant to be a scenic route

Amboise 0800, Orleans 0858 (no 1st class, TER), Orleans 0907 Vierzon 0958 TER, no 1st class, Vierzon 1010 Toulouse 1529 (Intercities with 1st class), Toulouse 1643 Intercities Nimes arrive 1925, depart 1952 on a TER with no 1st class Avignon arrive 2029.

No reservation issues on that route, and the two Intercities routes have 'restauration ambulante' [a food and drink trolley service], but brink your own food and wine in case.

For a train lover who likes long trips those should be 2 great routes, I've not done the 1st beyond Bordeaux or the second route at all so don't know the scenery but as two long train rides on non TGV stock ring all the right bells to me. (I did Paris to Hendaye via Bordeaux for Irun, then Amsterdam once on my way back from Budapest[ex Venice via Vienna] to London, for the ride when on Interrail. The diversion from Paris to Amsterdam was for a Wurlitzer Organ concert at the Tuschinski Theatre. And the side trip to Budapest was merely to pick up the real Orient Express- the then daily service train, not the luxury train.

So long train rides are in the blood for me.

EDIT- On looking into the issue more the 3 Intercity trains DO require reservations (Bordeaux to Nimes, Vierzon to Toulouse and Toulouse to Nimes), but there will be no difficulty in doing that when you are in France.

You can take separate 1st class tickets, but if the first class seats are wider and more comfortable than those in 2nd, it doesn't mean less noise and no children.

There's no guarantee, certainly, but we've found that first class carriages in trains throughout Europe are typically quieter and more relaxing. Large groups of children are uncommon in first class, one reason we prefer to be there. :o)

Thank you, isn31c, for the detailed route. We love riding trains and enjoying the journey. Having spent past trips racing around and packing as much into the trip as possible, we are trying to relax and enjoy the journey. I'm writing down the Orleans route and thinking that may be the way to go, especially if it's scenic.

You can take separate 1st class tickets, but if the first class seats are wider and more comfortable than those in 2nd, it doesn't mean less noise and no children.
There's no guarantee, certainly, but we've found that first class carriages in trains throughout Europe are typically quieter and more relaxing. Large groups of children are uncommon in first class, one reason we prefer to be there. :o)

I tend to agree. More leg room, fewer families, just less noise in general, but not always. Great for relaxing and watching the world go by!