We, a family of 4, are going to Paris in December, a week before Christmas. We bought a 3-day Flexipass to take a few day-trips on the TGV. Should we purchase the reservation fees (11 Euros one way according to RailEurope) now in the US or wait until we get to Paris?
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Here are some factors to consider: Train companies reserve the right to limit the number of seats they allocate to passholders. There are four of you traveling together. Train travel probably will be heavy just before Christmas so some trains may sell out. Those are all reasons to buy reservations in advance.
If you buy reservations through Rail Europe, you will pay $11/reservation plus a shipping fee. If you buy reservations through Euraide, you'll pay €3/reservation plus a processing fee of $45. For more information on buying through Euraide, go here: http://tinyurl.com/27oz95. If you wait until you get to Europe, you will pay €3/reservation.
So to sum it up, you'll save money if you wait and buy your reservations in Europe, but you'll run the risk of not being able to get four of them on the same train.
Posted by
OP
Charleston
4 posts
Thanks for the tip, Tim. I'll probably go ahead and buy now since I'd rather be sure to get the seats even though it may cost me more.