Train Ticket Clarification

Please do not compare what Italy does with what France does. These are two completely different train systems.

If you are scheduled to arrive CDG at 07h58, I would not even consider booking anything other than the 11h58 to Lyon. Depending upon the type of SNCF ticket you have, it may be non-exchangeable.

I purchase all of my train tickets ahead of time except for the one for the day I arrive from a flight. There’s too many unknowns, and I would much rather open the app and purchase the ticket for the next train when I’m at the station.

I’m curious how much your increased fare was in addition to your original ticket to Salerno. Was the total still much cheaper than a same-day purchase?

I do purchase my Regionale Italian tickets for the earliest time I could want to leave on regular travel days since that same ticket can be used for the next Regionale train without stopping at the ticket counter.

And, as Tocard said, there is no comparison between an Italion Régionale train and a French TGV.

In France, if you buy the earlier ticket and don't make it (and don't arrive at CDG with cell service before the train departs so that you can do some exchanging --- which will still normally cost you an exchange fee plus the difference for the walk-up ticket), you will just lose the ticket.

If you buy the later one and arrive and want to take the earlier one, you will have to pay the change fee plus whatever is the difference between the advance ticket you bought and what the walk-up ticket is costing at that minute.

Neither are likely to be very cheap options; you might make the two-hour-later train if everything goes just right, but the four-hour time is probably the wisest.

If you have unlimited money to throw at the problem , it's a whole different ballgame of course !

Thank you all, I totally failed to realize I was comparing Italian and French trains.