I have found the cost of a France train pass for 2 of us is about the same as the tickets for Paris-Bordeau RT and Bordeax-Sarlat RT.
Would it be cheaper to wait until we get to Paris to buy ticket and make reservation? We will be in Paris 4 days before we go to Bordeaux and Sarlat in early July.
John
Booked far enough in advance (up to 90 days allowed) at www.voyages-sncf.com, you can get Prem's (discount) fares as low as 17€ for Paris-Bordeaux TGVs. The standard 2nd class fare ranges from 68.20€ to 80.10€ and will be the same at the station as it is today.
Service for Bordeaux-Sarlat is on regional trains for which neither discounts nor reservations are possible. The fare--in this case 22.30€--is always the same.
Thanks Tim.
My daughter is a French teacher so she can help me navigate my way through the SNCF website -- http://www.voyages-sncf.com -- where the fares are indeed far cheaper than through raileurope -- http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/fares_schedules/index.htm
Now I know.
It looks like I do not have to make an additional reservation if I book a specific train and pay for it now. Is that right?
John
Yes, John, that's right. If you book a ticket for a train that requires a reservation, the reservation is included in the price of the ticket.
Bon voyage et bonne chance!
Thanks again Tim.
Another question?
I'm planning to rent a car in Libourne rather than Bordeaux or Sarlat.
Will we be missing a good train trip from Bordeaux to Sarlat if I do that?
It looks like it's a little cheaper to rent in Libourne than Bordeaux. And I avoid driving in a city for the first time I'm renting in a foreign country (except the UK). Renting in Sarlat would require a longer train ride plus a taxi ride from station to the town center. This makes up for any savings in gas or cost of rental.
John
You're welcome, John.
I haven't traveled between Bordeaux and Sarlat so I can't comment on the train ride.
I don't want to put your daughter out of a job, but there is a "sneaky" way to get to a booking page in English on the SNCF site. Go to www.voyages-sncf.com. Click on the "Train" tab at the top of the page. Click on the browser window and find "LANG=FR" in the string. Change it to "LANG=UK" (no quotation marks, of course) and, voila!, everything will be in English. Do NOT choose cancellation insurance. If you can get a Prem's fare, print the ticket yourself.
