A couple notes for those booking train travel from Paris-SJPDP (or anywhere in France) from outside of Europe:
- going directly to the SNCF (French railway) site, rather than raileurope.com, will get you much better rates. You will need to pick up the ticket at a SNCF station, however, if you buy online...more on that...
- I saw mention of the senior discount, but if you're a young person who is combining your Camino with other travel in Europe, it may be worth your while to get a Carte 12-27 from the SNCF (you need to be between the ages of 12 and 27 to get it), which costs less than 50 euros and gets you up to half off ticket fares. You need to apply in person with an ugly photobooth photo, but, as far as I remember, you don't need to prove residency.
- some credit cards issued in North America/Australia do not have the metallic chip on the side (called a "puce" in French). When you get to Gare Austerlitz (like me, a little tired and dazed with the fact that you've actually made your connection from the Eurostar through the Paris metro with your backpack and all) at 9 pm, there will be no customer service staff to help you out when the yellow machine refuses to issue your paper ticket because your credit card is, for whatever reason, puce-less (thanks, *bank name redacted*). You will line up for the train with any number of other pilgrims and explain your plight to the conductor, who will send you to another conductor, who will sigh at your puce-less card and your incomprehensible Anglo-Quebecois accent, and issue another ticket to you for whatever the going rate is that day (118 euros, for me). The next morning at Bayonne, after you've shared a car with a snore-y French retiree (did you know that once you've retired from the SNCF, you ride free for the rest of your life?) you and the rest of the North American/Australian puce-less pilgrims will line up at the customer service desk to show proof that you did buy a ticket at a reduced rate. With hardly a hiccup, you will get the more expensive rate refunded! However heart-racing and good for pilgrim bonding this all is, if you can get ahold of a credit card with a chip from your bank before leaving home, it will save a lot of trouble. Indeed, when I got back home, in my pile of mail was a new card from *bank name redacted*, complete with...you guessed it...a shiny gold puce!