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Booking train tickets - is 'Trainline' ok to use?

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Gumba

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About to take the plunge and book our train tickets from Paris (Garre Montparnesse) to SJPDP. 4 people. The 'Trainline' website has the tickets for considerably cheaper 2nd class AUD$238 or 1st AUD$287. Whereas Rail Europe is 2nd class AUD$324. That's a difference of approx 60 Euros. I cannot tell if there are any hidden extras on Trainline - fee-wise.

I have read some poor reviews of Trainline, so I am after your experiences please...

Also, is there much difference between 1st and 2nc class carriages?

thanks
 
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My advice is try the sncf website - put in dates just under 2 months in advance (as they do not book tickets prior to 2 months). This will give you an idea of the price.

If I remember correctly my tickets in ‘13 were much cheaper. All I did was book & pay over the Net, get the boarding pass from the SNCF office upstairs from Paris Airport Train Station on the day, remember to validate use, and travel.

Buen Camino!
 
Day and time of day the prices vary. 44 euros one way to Biarritz from Paris.Beware SNCF travel insurance on their booking site.Not worth the paper it's written on.I know,took me 6 months to get money from them for cancellation because of stike action(not covered on their insurance)Try Capitain Train for tickets
 
OOps Capitaine train has been taken over by Trainline.However I use trainline in UK and have never had problems they charge commission,though it's usually small cost.
 
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For each of the last 2-3 years I have used Capitaine Train and then its successor, Trainline, without problems of any kind. Before that I had used the SNCF site, but several years ago I found I could no longer use my U.S. credit card to pay for my tickets on the SNCF site. This prompted me to shift to Capitaine Train which, as another poster mentioned, was taken over by Trainline. The single time I contacted customer service at Capitaine Train the service was prompt and thorough.

1st Class seats are wider and more comfortable. All passengers use the same cafeteria-like dining car - at least that was my experience last May on the route you are looking at. We took a train that departed from Gare Montparnasse about 7:25 AM.

As someone correctly stated, Rail Europe's price is much more expensive than the price offered by SNCF and Trainline.

Yet another site has been mentioned on this forum, BETS, but I haven't used them.

Buen Camino.

Tom
 
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238 Aus dollars is approx €155. SNCF are offering one way tickets from Paris to SJPDP for €84.10 standard class, €98 1st class for Monday 27 March, which is about as far ahead as it is possible to book at the moment. Prices usually remain the same all year. Over-60s get an automatic discount!

I always use the SNCF website http://www.sncf.com/

It's in French, but readily translates into English via, say Google Chrome. You book your seat (I'd go for first class, given the relatively small difference, but note that this only applies to the TGV from Paris to Bayonne - the train from Bayonne to SJPDP is classless) and print out your ticket, or simply carry it on your phone. I've been doing it for years without any problems. Let us know how you get on.
 
Both positions are right. Using the local country's rail site may give you better prices than trainline. But in using both approaches, I still favor trainline due to the fact that their commissions are low and service is good (unlike raileurope). They also have a very good app to check schedules (both on PCs and phones). If you want to play it safe just get quotes from the two sources on different windows on your browser and then decide.
 
Thanks, All.

I went to the SNCF site as suggested and purchased 4 x first class tickets for 190 euros. We decided on first class as my husband is very tall plus we will have flown for 24 hours in economy, a few hours before the train trip.
 
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As stated earlier, use seat61.com as a resource guide! Explains the ins and outs of purchasing train tickets from different websites. NEVER book a point to point ticket from Raileurope!
 
Make sure to validate your ticket in the Compostage device before you board the train. There are numerous options for seating in first class, a good option for four passengers would be 2x2 seats with table facing each other.
 
I have used them multiple times and never had a problem. Travelled in Germany, France and Spain.
Sometimes booked first class when there was very little price difference between the 2. First class a bit more luxurious and less crowded.
 
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Gumba said:
Thanks, All.

I went to the SNCF site as suggested and purchased 4 x first class tickets for 190 euros. We decided on first class as my husband is very tall plus we will have flown for 24 hours in economy, a few hours before the train trip.
Click to expand...

Brilliant! Was that all the way to SJPDP from Paris? Can't quite get it down to €190 for four, but I suppose it depends which day of the week you're travelling. Buon Camino.
 
Gumba said:
I have read some poor reviews of Trainline, so I am after your experiences please...

Also, is there much difference between 1st and 2nc class carriages?
Click to expand...
Have used Trainline and its predecessor, Capitainetrain, quite a bit over the past four years and never had any problem. Last summer, for a trip we took, the site listed a first class ticket at a lower price than second class. Somewhat skeptically, I booked the cheaper, 1st class tickets, and they were accepted on the train without any problem.

The Man in Seat Sixty-One is a terrific resource; the site has all the information you could ever want. It has maps locating the stations, photos of the halls and platforms and even advice on where to eat.

We normally use 2nd class but my wife and I are not very tall or very large; we'd go 1st class if we were bigger as the seats are larger and there is more legroom, but for us 2nd class is fine.
 
biarritzdon said:
Make sure to validate your ticket in the Compostage device before you board the train. There are numerous options for seating in first class, a good option for four passengers would be 2x2 seats with table facing each other.
Click to expand...

What exactly is this process?
I never did this before and never had a problem?

OK, I found instructions here:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/validating-train-tickets-in-france
And pictures of the machines.
 
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Now that you have booked your tickets, one more tip. Buy your food and drinks at the station or, depending on the time of your departure, somewhere near your hotel. You'll be on the train for 5+ hours and the food and drinks available in the cafeteria-like dining car are unimpressive and a little expensive.

Tom
 
Robo said:
What exactly is this process?
I never did this before and never had a problem?

OK, I found instructions here:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/validating-train-tickets-in-france
And pictures of the machines.
Click to expand...

IF you purchase printable tickets on line - etickets..these do NOT require you to use the yellow machines. Conductor will scan your PNR no. From the ticket. See https://faq.trainline.eu/article/210-validate-tickets
If you are buying local or regional tickets then the yellow boxes come into play. or, if you are picking your tickets up at a local station in France then they need to be validated.
 
And if you don't follow the correct protocol, you are in violation upon boarding and conductor may think you are trying to use your ticket for a second trip and will throw you off the train at the next stop, even though you are a bumbling idiot who doesn't speak a word of French and very obviously a tourist who doesn't understand what that "little yellow box" is for as you walked onto the platform.
 
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Seat61 should always be your first port of call for any questions about train travel. You will find all you need to know there including best places to buy your tickets.
Ultreïa
 
I used Captain Train and now.... Trainline many times.
Never a hint of problem. Solves all of the sometimes mystery and U.S. Credit Card from French and Spanish train companies.
I recommend them.
 
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jsalt said:
Hi, for train travel in Europe I first check out The Man in Seat Sixty-One:

https://www.seat61.com/

His website is brilliant and always up-to-date. This is a direct link to the France section:

https://www.seat61.com/France.htm

Jill
Click to expand...
Thanks Jill and all who recommended Seat sixty-one. I had a good read and found it very useful.


biarritzdon said:
Make sure to validate your ticket in the Compostage device before you board the train. There are numerous options for seating in first class, a good option for four passengers would be 2x2 seats with table facing each other.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I couldn't find the option to print out the tickets so I will have to collect them from the station beforehand. Hopefully I will remember to validate. I got caught out last year on the train in Rome - did not realise I had to validate and ended up with a fine x 3 Lesson (hopefully) learnt! And yes, I was able to book seats - 2x2 facing each other.


Glenshiro said:
Brilliant! Was that all the way to SJPDP from Paris? Can't quite get it down to €190 for four, but I suppose it depends which day of the week you're travelling. Buon Camino.
Click to expand...
Yes, Paris to sjpdp with one change. There is 14 minutes between trains so I hope that wont be an issue - I assume it is just changing platforms, and all that I have read indicates that the local train will wait a bit if the fast train is running behind. 2 adults and 2 under 25. I kept getting different prices and price combinations - sometimes we were all the same price, sometimes more for adults. Then the price jumped by 30 euros, grrr. When I bit the bullet and eventually started to book, it said the tickets I wanted (for 235 euro) were no longer available and offered me the cheaper tickets!

Thanks Tom. There is a supermarket around the corner so I will stock up with food and drinks for the journey. We depart just before 8am so will have a cheap (supermarket food) breakfast on the train. We arrive at sjpdp at 1pm, just in time for lunch

Thanks again
 
I have used "Trainline" and their predecessor "Capitainetrain" for several years and always found them satisfactory.
Tickets are available from 90 days in advance of travel and it is right then that they are at their cheapest.
I've never paid more than 40 Euro for a secondclass seat Paris Montparnasse to Bayonne.
But you do need to put a reminder in your diary to go check on that 90 day deadline.
Note that new 'faster' TGVs do the trip even faster than the 5hrs previously.
Also check the time for the connecting train to SJPdP as you won't want to be having lunch as it departs.
Regards and good travelling,
Gerard
 
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Trainline is fine. I use it all the time in the UK, where it charges a £1 booking fee.
 
I also used Trainline to book 2 rides. Paris to Lourdes, and Lourdes to St Jean pied de port. The booking process and prices were both good for me. Happy/safe travels!!! (We arrive in SJPdP the afternoon of 18 March)
Buen Camino!!!
 
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I have used Trainline (and it's earlier name CaptainTrain) several time with perfect experience.

The biggest advantage is the simple use of U.S based credit cards and the simple print out of the ticket voucher. No need to used complicated ticket retrieval in foreign train depots or machines.
 
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