RailEurope’s website “duo”?

SNCF is the state owned company in France that runs the trains (Ouigo and iDTGV also operate some trains).

RailEurope is a reseller and has two disadvantages

• they don't show all the trains
• their prices may be higher than purchasing directly from the railroad

At the very least you should look at other resellers such as thetrainline.com which tells you what their surcharge is for buying thru them. Many people book direct from SNCF but sometimes they have problems getting their credit card to go thru.

I actually booked them through rail europe via Rick Steves link. I did notice there were not as many trains to choose from and higher prices also via the Other website but I was worried I might actually grab the cheaper trains (I think it’s called oui oui) and we do not want to have to worry about our luggage weight or dimensions. I mean we both just have one bag and one not so big backpack but I just didn’t want the hassle. Do you know if the restrictions in this regard are quite rigid?

I think duo means side by side; we failed to specify on our trip to Annecy and ended up in a four seat 'family' configuration which we hated. It might be great with 3 friends or family but is the worst with strangers whose legs you have to contend with.

The problem of the Ouigo is not so much luggage but the really really uncomfortable seats which are molded plastic and don't adjust at all. Nightmarishly uncomfortable.

The SNCF operates almost all train service in France: TGV INOUI, OUIGO (the low cost option), Intercite, TER, TGV Lyria, Eurostar, and Thalys, among others. Their website is https://www.sncf-connect.com/ There are no surcharges to pay, and all trains are shown. The Raileurope website does not show all trains, and those that it does are generally the most expensive. Personally, I avoid Raileurope.

In reference to your original question, there are generally at least three seat options when purchasing a ticket: Solo, Duo vis-à-vis/Duo côte à côte. These choices are: single seats, two seats facing one another or two seats side by side respectively. The choice most people want to avoid is Club 4 which are two side-by-side seats facing two side-by-side seats with everyone sharing legroom.

Thank you so much!! Exactly what I needed to know! I have quite a few reservations to book so I will definitely look into this more carefully.

For future bookings, avoid Raileurope and buy your tickets from the actual railway company.

Raileurope is actually owned by SNCF. It uses the systems developed by the former Loco2 acquired in 2017 which is why it doesn't give the full level coverage of any specific rail operator when these aren't operating open data access.