I will be traveling mostly in France this summer with a side trip to Belgium.
What cities do TGV (high spedd trains)go tp from Paris?
Is there a map somewhere shouing just the highspeed routs.
I take that high speed trains cost mor than the slower trains.
What a big difference in between Raileurope and the French site. I see no advantage using RailEurope.
thanks
Eurail Map Network - Zoom to 125% to see detail. Green and purple lines are high speed.
Rail Map of France - Colored lines are high speed.
As stated before, RailEurope is almost always more expensive than any native train site. Buy tickets for France at TGV Europe. If you have trouble booking on the French site, consult my SNCF Guide (shameless self-promotion ;) ).
You can find details of the TGV network here:
http://tinyurl.com/2z7pac
You're right there is no advantage using Rail Europe. Advance/non-refundable fares at the SNCF site can often be cheaper than the slower intercity trains.
Using your search engine, such as Google, Yahoo, enter sncf.com. It is the French national rail site. It has a link to tvg which also has a map of the tgv cities as well as the main line trains, called "train" in French. There are regional systems such as "corail" also. You can get to any significantly sized city in France via tgv. Tgv does not cost more than the mainliners. It often costs less because SNCF offers special prices for 2 or more travelling together to the same destination, seniors, age 60 and over, and "cartes" which are for heavy and/or extensive travel by certain groups of persons. The site explains them. Note also the bons plans section, which offers exceptional discounts to selection cities, and the so-called prems. These are discounts to selected cities at certain times and advanced dates. Check these first for it can shorten your search. These are all point-to-point tickets. You can order over the internet using a major credit card but you will be switched from English to a French version. You will be offered an option or two concerning insurance, which you may decline, and you can opt to have your tickets sent free to a French address or you can print out your tickets. You will get a confirmation via your e-mail, which includes a print option link using Adobe. Adobe downloads are free. The print option is also offered at the SNCF site.
