Where Should Hand Luggage Be Placed on a French Train

SNCF says:

Your hand luggage or other small bags should be stored at your feet, under the seat in front of you or above your seat.

Thanks. That is what I thought but this guy was so insistent that I thought maybe the "real life" practice is different than what the rules said. I've take taken a lot of trains in France and funny enough, this was the only time I had something that I wanted to put under the seat in front of me. I was carrying a tote that was a little too big to fit on the rack above the seat and for me to have comfortably in my lap for four hours.

People aren't always aware of specific regulations in other countries. Perhaps the person in question was a Belgian or German citizen whose country requires you to place this luggage under your own seat.

His French was such that I doubt he was German but one never knows. Belgian though is a real possibility and that would explain why he was so adamant.

Neither my husband nor I have ever put anything under any seat in the train here in France; it's always tangled up with our feet on the floor. We didn't know it was done. Thanks. Learn something new all the time.

I learned something here; I thought luggage always went under the seat in front of you. That way, you have a better view of the bag. I definitely didn't do the right thing during my recent trip to Belgium. I guess no one sitting in front of me needed that space.

@acraven - it is supposed to go under the seat in front of you. that's exactly what the 2nd poster said.

Windyram is from Belgium, and (s)he said it's different there.

I don't believe they do it differently in Belgium -- it makes o sense to go behind you and futz around at the feet of the person behind you. The foot space in your row belongs to you, not to the person in front of you.

I don't believe they do it differently in Belgium'

I feel sorry for you, Janet https://www.belgiantrain.be/en/travel-info/services-in-the-train/luggage-and-pets

And in case you also have doubts about Germany, read this 'How do I stow my luggage on the train?' here https://int.bahn.de/en/trains/luggage

It is interesting how differently each country explains where hand luggage is to be stored. In france (as another poster already posted) hand lugagge is under the seat in front of you or in the overhead rack. I (wrongly) assumed that was how luggage is stored on all trains throughout Europe. Seems I learned something new! Thank you for all the clarification posts!

Kimberly,
but there are also things that are the same everywhere in Europe... you will not get a fine anywhere because your luggage is under the wrong seat 😉

It sure looks like the Belgians do it weirdly if the site is accurate. So If I need something from my bag during the trip I need to crawl over the feet of the people behind me and snork around in their space to retrieve my bag? Insane. Unless the under seats are open from the front and not the back which would mean no foot space for the people behind. I arrive later than the people behind me and now I need to kneel down and futz around their foot space cramming stuff in front of them? Seriously? But probably swell for foot fetishists.

Janet, seats are open from the front, so no crawling over the feet of the person behind you. As Belgians, we also sit down and don't lay down. There is no need to put your legs underneath the seat of somebody else, although I should admit doing it also if nobody is sitting there.