We are flying to Toulouse via Paris and then want to travel by train to Albi. (September 2016) The train is SNCF, not the TGV. I am wondering if we should buy the train ticket online in advance or take our chances with buying a ticket at the station and would appreciate some advice on this.
It looks like there are 5 evening trains departing Toulouse but am leery of locking ourselves into a tight schedule in case one of our flights is delayed that day.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16894 posts
These regional trains don't require reservations and don't offer advance-purchase discounts. Your plan to buy the tickets at the station is the best way to go, 14 euros per person. They cannot sell out.
Posted by
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
4054 posts
Allow yourself some time in the big Toulouse station in case of a line-up for ticket agents. I did the ride a decade ago and then the regional trains offered a stark contrast to the TGV -- not fast, not sleek, in fact rather rattletrap, but sort of fun. Seating is first-come and the train departure platform is announced on the central schedule board about 20 minutes before departure. The cathedral in Albi is brick and the covered market nearby sometimes spills out around the church.
http://www.albi-tourisme.fr/us/discover/historic-centre/the-covered-market.html