Day Trip - Train Tickets

I thought all of the Steves tours were by bus so you would not need a train ticket unless you were doing something on your own. It really depends on what you are intending to do. The Rail Europe site may not be the best source for advance tickets but it depends on what you are doing. Sometimes there are less expensive sources. Rail Europe is a travel agency that sells rail tickets for nearly all railroads in Europe. Need a clearer explanation of what your question is?

I agree with Frank. Many European rail websites offer advanced purchase discounts on most routes. Rail Europe shows some of them but not all. They sell what they have available to sell. Some of the European websites are not user friendly and we have received feedback from folks who were charged but didn't get a ticket. I know that the French website (SNCF) will sell tickets to Americans if they have a Paypal account. Rail Europe is a wholesaler of tickets and passes in the US. although they may not always be the cheapest, sometimes they are the easiest. If you plan on just a few, short day trips, it's usually cheaper to just buy tickets when you are there.

If you are signed up for RS tour already, you won't need to get train tickets. Are you planning on going early and staying after?

I hope this helps some.

I am taking a RS tour and plan to arrive 3 days early. I'm trying to plan those 3 days on my own and asking the best way to do this from seasoned travelers since I have no idea what I'm doing. One day trip will be to Versailles. Another day trip will be to Pierrefonds. I understand both these locations are accessible by train.

If you are getting a train to local locations, and Versailles from Paris is certainly that, then you cannot buy tickets in advance. Versailles is on the RER (express suburban train) network, and you just buy a ticket on the day at your local métro station which is valid from the métro station all the way to Versailles. The ticket will be valid on any train. Same procedure on the way back.

I had to look up Pierrefonds. It has a Château which is presumably your destination. It is a lot further away from Paris and does not appear to have a railway station, the nearest one is Compiègne, about 12 Km away. Have you worked out how to get here?

There was a question about Pierrefonds a while back, and it turned out there is a limited bus service from Compiegne. The local bus company website (French only) is at http://www.oise-mobilite.fr. There is one reasonable morning bus you can take as a day trip, route 27, which leaves Compiegne station at 1130 and takes around half an hour. The bus back leaves around 1730. If you miss either of those buses you're boned.

Versailles is easy, Chateau Pierrefonds not so much.
Assuming you are in Paris, you get to Versailles Rive Gauche on the RER C line. Tickets can be bought at any Paris Metro ticket window for about 6.75 euro each way. Trains are very frequent. Make sure you specify Rive Gauche, as there are several rail lines and stations in Versailles, and Rive Gauche gets you within a 10 minute walk to the main entrance.
Pierrefonds is 10 miles from the nearest railway stations in Compeigne, Crepy-en-Valois, or Villers-Cotterets. I'd probably choose Compeigne as it is a fair sized town with taxi cabs (probably) available. Their website only gives driving directions, which indicates no public transport. You might see if there are any day tour bus trips out of Paris.

Because you mentioned you were new to this, I'll chime in.

As the posters have said, Versailles is a slam-dunk, as independent travel goes.

I think a few of the more experienced replies here are hinting, asking, about how badly you really want to go to this location, Pierrefonds? It sounds like it's a bit on the outskirts, a hop-skip-and-jump from the main routes, and in my experience, it could really help to have some Europe travel skills learned on this one, should things not work out exactly as planned. I've been there, with stories to tell. And every independent trip I've done, there's always something that doesn't work. With more travel skills under your belt, you'll have several "plan Bs" that you can execute when plan "A" flops.

I don't mean to dampen your dreams - it may work out just fine, but if you research some more, you may find another place that is just as interesting - and is also easier to get to/from. You may even find something better! That's been the case with my wife and I. Europe has so much to see and do that you can always find fun things nearby.

For your first trip, you may want to stick to places well-documented in Rick's guidebooks - you'll still have a great time!

Just a thought.

The bus service probably isn't mentioned on the website due to its limited nature, but the chateau isn't a long way from the village centre where the bus stops.

It is called and adventure, and if you are an adventurous sort, do it! Have a blast, no doubt you will come home with great stories to tell.

Thank you everyone! This is exactly the kind of information I was hoping to get! Now I know to wait and get Versailles train tickets the day of. And, while Pierrefonds is a little harder to get to, it WILL be an adventure and, to be honest, one of the biggest reasons I wanted to come to France being a huge Merlin fan. So, one way or another, I will make it to Pierrefonds! Train to Compiegne and then a bus to the chateau. Just have to make sure everything is timed right. Thanks again!