Train Schedules, Prices

We will be in France in a few months and would like to go (from Paris) to
several historical towns, including some of the more interesting cathedral
towns. I see lots of information about rail passes, etc., but can someone
suggest a book or website that would have relatively detailed information
about train schedules in France? One issue I'm considering is whether it
would be better to pay for one of the French RR passes, for three days or
so, or to buy individual tickets. To figure this out, I need to find out
what the ticket prices are. Regarding the pass: is it good for travel on
the TGV? Are reservations required on local and regional trains as they are
on the TGV?

I would prefer not to have to buy the schedules for all of Europe, but
that may be the only choice.

Thanks,
Jim Cate

"Jim Cate" wrote:
We will be in France in a few months and would like to go (from Paris)
to
several historical towns, including some of the more interesting
cathedral
towns. I see lots of information about rail passes, etc., but can
someone
suggest a book or website that would have relatively detailed
information
about train schedules in France? One issue I'm considering is whether
it
would be better to pay for one of the French RR passes, for three days
or
so, or to buy individual tickets. To figure this out, I need to find
out
what the ticket prices are. Regarding the pass: is it good for travel
on
the TGV? Are reservations required on local and regional trains as
they are
on the TGV?

I would prefer not to have to buy the schedules for all of Europe,
but
that may be the only choice.

Is France so backward that this info is noy on a website? I can find
out all this and more for Gernany, Switzerland, or Austria.


--
Erilar, biblioholic medievalist

On Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:03:01 -0500, Jim Cate wroteÂ*:

We will be in France in a few months and would like to go (from Paris)
to several historical towns, including some of the more interesting
cathedral towns. I see lots of information about rail passes, etc., but
can someone suggest a book or website that would have relatively
detailed information about train schedules in France? One issue I'm
considering is whether it would be better to pay for one of the French
RR passes, for three days or so, or to buy individual tickets. To
figure this out, I need to find out what the ticket prices are.
Regarding the pass: is it good for travel on the TGV? Are reservations
required on local and regional trains as they are on the TGV?

For towns without high speed trains, you can still book your seat, but it
is generally useless. Many nice cathedrals are within one or two train
hours from Paris in towns reached by local trains. Chartres is even
reachable by commuters' trains (1 hour, 1 train every half hour). Reims,
Amiens, Soissons, Rouen are reached by local trains too. You reach
Quimper (Brittany) by TGV.

TGV are frequently full and booking is compulsory anyway. It can be
arranged up to the last hour in the train station. You will have better
fares if you book one or two months in advance, don't use business hour
trains (those that reach their destination around 9 o'clock or leave near
18), and avoid school children holidays periods.

The main reservation web site for french trains is voyages-sncf :

http://www.tgv-europe.com/en/?rfrr=H...ited%20Kingdom

http://www.voyages-sncf.com/

Another web site were you can book TGV tickets for trains you can book on
internet only is IDTGV

http://www.idtgv.com/en/

On TGV trains, the fares vary widely with the affluence and the time you
book. Some very good deals if you can book on low affluence period and
some weeks in advance.



The IDTGV appear on the voyages-sncf web site too. You just print
yourself your (PDF) IDTGV ticket, They are mostly non refundable.




I would prefer not to have to buy the schedules for all of Europe, but
that may be the only choice.

Thanks,
Jim Cate

Some posters are backward so it seems :
www.tgv-europe.com
www.voyages-sncf.com


"Erilar" a écrit dans le message de groupe de
discussion :
...
"Jim Cate" wrote:
We will be in France in a few months and would like to go (from Paris)
to
several historical towns, including some of the more interesting
cathedral
towns. I see lots of information about rail passes, etc., but can
someone
suggest a book or website that would have relatively detailed
information
about train schedules in France? One issue I'm considering is whether
it
would be better to pay for one of the French RR passes, for three days
or
so, or to buy individual tickets. To figure this out, I need to find
out
what the ticket prices are. Regarding the pass: is it good for travel
on
the TGV? Are reservations required on local and regional trains as
they are
on the TGV?

I would prefer not to have to buy the schedules for all of Europe,
but
that may be the only choice.

Is France so backward that this info is noy on a website? I can find
out all this and more for Gernany, Switzerland, or Austria.


--
Erilar, biblioholic medievalist

On Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:03:01 -0500, Jim Cate wroteÂ*:


I would prefer not to have to buy the schedules for all of Europe, but
that may be the only choice.

Local Paris suburbs train schedules here, includes Chartres, Saint-Denis,
Poissy, Mantes-la-Jolie.

http://www.transilien.com/web/site


Cathedral list :
Sens, Noyon, Laon, Amiens, Saint-Denis, Le Mans, Paris, Rouen, Chartes,
Bourges, Meaux, Arras, Cambrai, Evreux, Sées, Bayeux, Coutances, Le Mans,
Angers, Poitiers, Tours, Autun, Langres, Perigueux, Angoulême, Limoges,
Tulle, Cahors, Agen, Auxerre, Nevers, Montpellier, Carcassonne, Narbonne,
Lyon, Albi.

Look on the tourists' office web site for more details :
http://www.tourisme.fr/
http://www.office-tourisme.fr/

Whithout traveling so much, you have a lot of X.-XII. century churches inside
Paris (Saint Germain des Prés, Saint-Severin, Saint Merry, Notre Dame des
blancs manteaux, Saint Julien le Pauvre, Saint Leu, Saint Germain
l'auxerrois, etc...)

More details here http://en.parisinfo.com/
and here

http://www.catholique-paris.cef.fr/D...-de-Paris.html
(use babelfish or equivalent to translate)

Use géoportail (map site) to locate the towns :

http://www.geoportail.fr/changeLangue.do?lang=en&cty=UK

or the mappy web site

http://fr.mappy.com/





Thanks,
Jim Cate

Runge 124 wrote:
"Erilar" a écrit dans le message de
groupe de discussion :
...
"Jim Cate" wrote:
We will be in France in a few months and would like to go (from
Paris) to
several historical towns, including some of the more interesting
cathedral
towns. I see lots of information about rail passes, etc., but can
someone
suggest a book or website that would have relatively detailed
information
about train schedules in France? One issue I'm considering is
whether it
would be better to pay for one of the French RR passes, for three
days or
so, or to buy individual tickets. To figure this out, I need to
find out
what the ticket prices are. Regarding the pass: is it good for
travel on
the TGV? Are reservations required on local and regional trains as
they are
on the TGV?

I would prefer not to have to buy the schedules for all of Europe,
but
that may be the only choice.

Is France so backward that this info is noy on a website? I can find
out all this and more for Gernany, Switzerland, or Austria.


--
Erilar, biblioholic medievalist

Some posters are backward so it seems :
www.tgv-europe.com
www.voyages-sncf.com

Especially top-posters.

Thanks all for the information.

I understand that we will have to get to the correct station for each trip.
Except, perhaps for the RER trains, going to Chartres?. - Does anyone know
whether local trains leave from the station at Charles DeGaulle airport? (We
caught the TGV there on a previous trip, but I didn't notice any local
trains.) Also, are there still books with such information, such as the
Cooks train schedules? (The web sources, other than the many ads for travel
services, are helpful, but they don't seem to lay out all the options and
routes very clearly. They seem to want to know exactly when and on what date
I will be travelling to where. - That's precisely what I'm trying to
figure out!)

Jim





"Magda" wrote in message
...
On 3 Sep 2010 19:03:01 -0500, in rec.travel.europe, "Jim Cate"

arranged some electrons, so they looked like this:

... We will be in France in a few months and would like to go (from Paris)
to
... several historical towns, including some of the more interesting
cathedral
... towns. I see lots of information about rail passes, etc., but can
someone
... suggest a book or website that would have relatively detailed
information
... about train schedules in France? One issue I'm considering is whether
it
... would be better to pay for one of the French RR passes, for three days
or
... so, or to buy individual tickets. To figure this out, I need to find
out
... what the ticket prices are. Regarding the pass: is it good for travel
on
... the TGV? Are reservations required on local and regional trains as they
are
... on the TGV?
...
... I would prefer not to have to buy the schedules for all of Europe,
but
... that may be the only choice.
...
... Thanks,
... Jim Cate
...

Here, Jim, try these:

http://parisbytrain.com/france-train...erary-builder/
http://www.bonjourlafrance.com/franc...n-schedule.htm
http://www.french-at-a-touch.com/Travel/trains.htm
http://www.europeonrail.com/timetable.asp

Don't listen to Erilar. She is a notorious hater of anything remotely
French, given that
she is totally unable to learn the language and is too stubborn to recognise
a good thing
when she sees it.


======
Where are we going to and why are we in a handbasket?

In answer to two of my own questions, apparently the train to Chartres
leaves from Gare Montparnasse, and the Thomas Cook timetable is available
on-line at www.thomascookpublishing.com .

Jim



"Jim Cate" wrote in message
...

Thanks all for the information.

I understand that we will have to get to the correct station for each
trip. Except, perhaps for the RER trains, going to Chartres?. - Does
anyone know whether local trains leave from the station at Charles
DeGaulle airport? (We caught the TGV there on a previous trip, but I
didn't notice any local trains.) Also, are there still books with such
information, such as the Cooks train schedules? (The web sources, other
than the many ads for travel services, are helpful, but they don't seem to
lay out all the options and routes very clearly. They seem to want to know
exactly when and on what date I will be travelling to where. - That's
precisely what I'm trying to figure out!)

Jim
----




"Magda" wrote in message
...
On 3 Sep 2010 19:03:01 -0500, in rec.travel.europe, "Jim Cate"

"Jim Cate" wrote in message
...

Thanks all for the information.

I understand that we will have to get to the correct station for each
trip. Except, perhaps for the RER trains, going to Chartres?. - Does
anyone know whether local trains leave from the station at Charles
DeGaulle airport? (We caught the TGV there on a previous trip, but I
didn't notice any local trains.) Also, are there still books with such
information, such as the Cooks train schedules? (The web sources, other
than the many ads for travel services, are helpful, but they don't seem to
lay out all the options and routes very clearly. They seem to want to know
exactly when and on what date I will be travelling to where. - That's
precisely what I'm trying to figure out!)

Jim

RER trains run from the same position, different level at CDG

Magda wrote:
Don't listen to Erilar. She is a notorious hater of anything remotely
French, given that
she is totally unable to learn the language and is too stubborn to
recognise a good thing
when she sees it.

Oh, I can learn a language when I have a good reason to do so; Magda
just can't see why some people don't adore all things French no matter
what kind of experiences they might have had there compared with
experiences in other countries where they were not fluent speakers of
the native language. I am not a fluent speaker of Danish, Norwegian,
Swedish, Icelandic, Italian, Spanish, or Portugese, but had much more
pleasant experiences with citizens there than in France.


--
Erilar, biblioholic medievalist