We will be traveling to Paris in September. We are looking to purchase train tickets from Paris to Dijon and the prices are exorbitant for the fast train ($98 and up) for one way. Is this normal? Do we wait a little longer to book or do it now?
Posted by
Uppsala, Sweden
7552 posts
Are you looking at SNCF or some 3rd party reseller?
Posted by
Surrey, UK
398 posts
Using Trainline I'm seeing direct trains from £33 on 4 September.
Posted by
OP
14 posts
We were looking at it thru Rail and Omio
Posted by
Uppsala, Sweden
7552 posts
Never heard of Thru Rail. But they and Omio are both resellers whose business model is reselling train tickets at a higher price.
Using SNCF, www.sncf-connect.com, I see tickets for €15 in September.
Posted by
London
472 posts
It is my experience that the TGV (high speed) trains are that expensive, even when booked months ahead. I'm not sure if the other prices being quoted here are for the high speed train or the slower service? I wouldn't wait long to book as these trains do sell out.
Posted by
Uppsala, Sweden
7552 posts
I saw TGV inoui tickets for as little as €15 in September.
Posted by
London
472 posts
Really? I tried looking at Saturday 13 September and the cheapest high speed was €50. I suppose it depends on the day of the week. But again, I have always found TGV to be quite expensive. I suppose the main takeaway to answer Kelly's question is to book directly with SNCF. The prices are unlikely to go down but they will go up (and sell out).
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
11128 posts
On SNCF Connect I see 30, 36, and up on September 13. Add 20% because I have a discount card in my app.
Posted by
Uppsala, Sweden
7552 posts
Yes, it depends a lot on the day of the week and also time of the day. A lot of the €15 tickets are an early morning departure, 6.49 from Gare de Lyon.
Posted by
Long Beach, Ca, usa
2129 posts
Because we usually rent a car and drive everywhere in France, I found that TGV prices (even if not purchased at the earliest, cheapest price) are worth it in time saved and money not spent on car rental, gas and tolls (when a train is our choice). To see what works best for you, figure out the cost of other means of transportation between locations. You may find the time saved on a TGV is worth the higher cost.
Posted by
Florida (previously California)
4205 posts
Tickets typically go on sale 90 days before travel date and the less expensive tickets tend to sell out sooner so you may want to buy sooner rather than later while recognizing that the lower cost tickets may have refund and exchange restrictions. Buy from the official site: sncf-connect.com or thetrainline.com.