Our group of 6 is traveling from Paris to Avignon on May 1st.
A question I could use help with: when I go to look at times/fares (www.thetrainline.com) it shows many trains as already "sold out" and others as "not yet available" or just "not available". Am I missing something? Is there a better way to book?
Thank you!
Posted by
Surrey, UK
734 posts
On Trainline, It looks like the Frecciarossa trains are sold out, but Ouigo have not yet loaded their data. It's worth reading about Ouigo:
https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-routes/ouigo.htm
The SNCF site also has non-direct trains (7 hrs incl changes) wh1ch it says will be available soon.
1st May is a Friday and a public holiday, so there may just be great demand. Keep looking.
Posted by
OP
Pennsylvania USA
15 posts
Thank you both - super helpful information. I see tickets generally don't go on sale until 4 months prior. And May Day - yikes! I think we will plan on heading to Provence a day early and backfill the extra day in Paris at the end of our trip.
Posted by
Belgium
233 posts
For TGV INOUI, train tickets are available 4 months in advance. So you will just have to wait!
Posted by
Paris
7719 posts
Actually, tickets for the Paris-Lyon-Avignon-Marseille-Nice line have been released until end May. It happened discreetly in November (I was able to buy some for May 8), and yes, some trains seem to be already sold out for that extremely highly prized travel date. But the search results look weird to me, it does look like more trains will open for sale at some point.
Just to be sure, I'd also have a look at alternatives just in case, such as Trenitalia trains on the same route.
The "4 months in advance" guideline is no longer true, SNCF now opens 3-4 months' worth of ticket sales on a given set date.
Posted by
Washington DC
29908 posts
I arrived in Nice by air on May 1, 2017, to find zero public transportation available. I was extremely fortunate to be able to share the only-available taxi with another traveler heading into the center of town. The sidewalks in Nice were virtually empty. I was jetlagged and sleep-deprived, so I wasn't at all interested in the availability of museums that day. I suggest checking to be sure there will be something open for you to do on May 1. You may well be fine; I know a lot of museums are open on holidays--I'm just not sure about Avignon.
Do you plan to rent a car? I don't know about car-rental agency operating hours around holiday weekends. Folks report French agencies often close early on Saturday and don't open at on Sunday.
Posted by
Wengen
3569 posts
No trains are sold out. Trains selling out months in advance does not happen. Railways like to make money.
But booking systems see that there is no seat inventory for a train and often give unhelpful messages.
May is ages away. Don’t worry. No need to book until March.