In evaluating our upcoming trip, my wife and I are undecided on how to set up our travel options. Earlier, we'd considered doing Paris to Luzern to Rome and back to Paris, but the travel times there are quite long, and the night train from Rome to Paris appears to be booked (and flights from Rome to Paris are a hassle and are getting to be almost as expensive).
So, we're now considering Paris, Alps, Avignon, London and back to Paris (where we're flying out). If I buy railpasses, it seems we are stuck with taking the slowest trains (e.g. not high-speed TGV, etc.), and the railpass doesn't get us onto the speedy Avignon-->Lille-->London trains, either. Or does it? From what I understand, we'll have to pay a premium to take the high-speed Chunnel trains (which we will probably have to do to get back to Paris on time).
It appears that having a railpass isn't doing us that much good when it comes to getting between London and Paris. Arrgh! Why is this so difficult? (I mean, if one does not consider my total procrastination regarding planning and the higher costs associated with it.)
Posted by
OP
USA
6 posts
I guess I'm not clear on exactly what the railpass does and doesn't get. My assumption is that the fastest route fees are partially offset by a railpass, and that the slower routes are fully covered? I had thought the fast trains got a premium over and above the railpass for accomodations, i.e. I can be on the train, but I can't sit down unless I pay the premium.
Prices for Paris-Luzern (226.4 E), Luzern-Avignon (154.8 E), Avignon-London (226 E), and London-Paris (160 E) totals 767.2 Euros.
That's total price without a railpass. If I hold a railpass, where's the discount on trains within the range of the pass, and when is it discounted?
BTW: The fare-->info schedule at Eurostar.com shows 100 pounds price for railpass holders.
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
Ben...give us some idea as to your travelling dates, and we can give you a better idea as to options. If you've been checking RailEurope for tickets, your train(s) may not be sold out at all.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19092 posts
Eurail passes do not cover the Eurostar trains from London to Paris. But if you do have an active pass, you can get a discount on the London-Paris fare. See www.eurostar.com. Click on "travel information" > "Fares".
Posted by
OP
USA
6 posts
Hello everyone (and thanks for the help)!
Travel dates: We're arriving CDG 8 May, leaving CDG 18 May. We're currently booked at a hotel in Paris 8-11 May, and then it's open.
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
Rail passes certainly are good on the TGV trains. You have to reserve a seat for a small supplement, which you can do in Paris.
Even so, you might find that plain vanilla tickets are better, and cheaper, if you haven;t bought a pass yet.
You'd have more and simple options if you planned to fly out of a different city than you fly in, but I'm guessing that's not an option for you any more. (Still, you could inquire politely about changing your ticket.)
Good luck--sorry it's so confusing.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
As Adam said, with a railpass you'll have to buy seat reservations for all trains that require them (like TGVs). The bought-in-Europe price should be around €5. For trains that don't require reservations all you'll need is your pass.
As you've noted yourself, the passholder fare for a return (round trip) ticket on the Eurostar for Paris-London-Paris is £100.
Again as you've noted, you've waited way too long to get the lowest discount fares for point-to-point tickets. Since standard fare tickets for your proposed routes are fairly high, your best option at this late date probably is to buy France-Switzerland Saver passes plus passholder fare tickets for the Eurostar from Paris to London and back.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16278 posts
Ben,where are you looking for these fares? The Swiss rail site shows 169 CHF for Paris to Luzern (that's if you missed the special offer price of 31 CHf between Paris and Basel). And 153 CHF for the fastest train from Luzern to Avignon (using the TGV from Geneva).
Posted by
OP
USA
6 posts
I've been using TGV-europe.com (as a Great Britain resident) to find those fares. I'm only now figuring out that it's probably cheaper to 1) check prices at the main rail sites of each country, and 2) check prices from the main hubs of each area. What surprises me is that someone hasn't plugged in the major destinations in Europe into a database, and then created a webpage that says, "what is your exact itinerary?". The database could then spit out the relative value of a railpass vs. point to point tickets, and where to buy the tickets if needed.
But then, I'm a little delusional like that.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16278 posts
But I think the website has trouble including all the various discount fares available, so it's not all that accurate.
FWIW, it says you should buy a 3-day Flex pass for France, but that doesn't take into account the seat reservation fees, etc., nor the cost of travel in Switzerland.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Ben,
You've been looking in the right place. tgv-europe.com is a SNCF (French National Rail) site. It will show you the best current fares from Paris into some points in Switzerland--or the reverse. You could compare prices for the same routes on the Swiss Rail site.
railsaver.com only compares the price of full fare tickets to the price of a railpass. It doesn't account for discount fares at all.