SNCF vs Euro Rail vs Trainline,

If its not on the SNCF website, then they are issuing tickets for trains that haven't been formally scheduled yet, based on history. And there is no guarantee that their listing will be complete once the schedules are announced. There is no need to book tickets several months in advance, especially before the train companies have released the schedule. It's not like trying to get Colosseum tickets that are snapped up as soon as they appear. Why do you need to book more than 2 months in advance? By the way, both Eurail and Trainline, being 3rd party resellers, charge a booking fee per ticket.

If you feel a need to compare, just pick a date a month or so from now and look at the price. But compare apples to apples: the exact same train at the exact same time with the exact same connections.

SNCF is buying straight from the source. Their app is user friendly. The rest are 3rd party sellers.

Booking direct from the source (air, hotel, train, etc) is always the cheapest.

However, trainline is a good service. I used trainline in Spain because Renfe's site was frustratingly difficult to use. Some tickets may have a small commission, but it was worth avoiding the hassle with Renfe. I did find that many tickets were the same price as the source companies; I believe that trainline earns a % from the ticket price on some tickets instead of an added commission.

Another benefit of using trainline is that they sell all of the tickets for the different train companies. It makes it easier to shop and compare times and prices of the different lines. So, it's still not a bad idea to use trainline for research and then going directly to the source to buy the ticket, assuming the source is not like Renfe.

Thank you all, very helpful. The reason I need to book early is that I’ve already booked a Thalasso hotel in Provence. I want to ensure that there’s a train from Paris that can make it on time to check in by 3pm. I have to book the Thalasso hotel three months in advance.

Nobody can sell tickets that SNCF themselves does not sell[1]. So it is possible that Trainline et. all show you tickets for a date, but they will not be able to sell you one, as you will find it when you try.

Regarding your fear of not having a ticket unless you book sufficiently in advance: That fear is unwarranted. Trains do not sell out months in advance. If they did they would be useless. You book in advance for the reduction, but not because you are afraid to be left standing.

You can safely wait a bit with booking. Where are you going?

[1] well there are exceptions, as I recently found out, but they are only due to SNCF's booking system.

Francois
Just call, email or message the hotel if you need late check-in. Good luck.

The SNCF site is not exactly easy to use and does not always show all the trains on a route. For example, I put in for Paris Gare de Lyon to Lyon and it did not show the cheaper Frecciarossa train (Italian bullet train) that was using the same lines as it went from Paris to Italy.

I suggest that Trainline is the best site to use and it clearly marks ALL the trains linking the start and end points of your journey.

SNCF will only show trains operated by SNCF.

I use either Deutche Bahn or Trainline to find what trains are operating on a particular line and then buy from the operator of that train. I try not to use third party sites.

@WngenK, we’re going Paris to La Rochelle April 9, return on the 12, Paris to Montpellier April 15, and Avignon to Paris April 28.

On 15 April you can reserve the 10:42 and 10:56 at the moment. That close to Easter it appears that some trains are indeed selling out. SNCF is getting worse every year...

Thank you, I just did. I still cannot book the La Rochelle for Apr-9. We're six travelers, this is perhaps the issue

You should be able to set an alert with SNCF and be notified when the tickets you need become available. At least, that worked for me when I wanted to book a train not released in the ordinary time frame as track works were expected. When that schedule was finalized, I received an alert that I could book.

Good luck - it was obvious as I was monitoring on how to set the alert. Your situation may be different, but it might be worth checking into.