I am planning to purchase Swiss Pass (Saver, 2nd class, 4 consecutive days) and Swiss Family Card (free) for travelling in Switzerland for my family and son (6 yrs).
While searching to book TGV train ticket from Geneva to Paris on June 10, starting Geneva at 10:00 and reaching Paris at 13:31, I can see different rates and offers from different websites.
1. www.voyages-sncf.com - Prem%26#39;s ofer is cheapest at Euro 55 per person (adult and child same fare)
2. www.eurorailways.com - No need to buy ticket for TGV. With Swiss Pass, I just need to buy reservation only @ US$11 per person (same for adult and child). But Swiss Pass must buy from them.
Swiss Pass (Saver, 2nd class, 4 days) - US$ 158
Shipping - US$ 29 (per order)
TGV reservation - US$ 11 (per person)
Premier Train handling fee - US$ 7 (per order)
3. www.sbb.ch - with Swiss Pass, TGV fare is
CHF 93.00 (adult)
CHF 50.00 (child)
CHF 73.00 (Famille Plus) - per adult
Pls suggest whether all the above info are correct. Looks, the best bet will be through EuroRailways.com
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pappu -
I would urge caution here. It%26#39;s been a long time since I travelled on a rail pass of any kind. When I did my understanding was that a rail pass must be valid for both the country you are travelling from and the country you are travelling to.
Clearly the Swiss rail system does not consider your Swiss pass valid for travel to Paris as it is charging you for a lot more than a simple reservation.
What you are being told by eurorailways just somehow doesn%26#39;t make sense to me.
My suggestion would be that you telephone SNCF to ask them. If you search in the France forums for MorganB%26#39;s excellent explanation of how to use the SNCF site to book tickets, you will find the phone number there.
Good luck!
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If you have a FRENCH pass, the TGV trip between Paris/Geneva would have been free and you only have to pay for the 3 Euro reservation (although a small portion, ~30 minutes of that trip is within Switzerland). With a Swiss pass, you will have to pay, as the Swiss Rail website indicated.
So eurailways overcharges on the reservation, and provides wrong information.
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That%26#39;s pretty much what I thought, bob -
Another good reason for booking your travel at the source whenever possible -
www.voyages-sncf.com
www.sbb.ch
www.trenitalia.it
www.bahn.de
www.renfe.es
and so on...
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Thanks for all your replies.
2) I got mail from eurorailways. They said %26quot;Once you have the swiss pass you can only purchase a seat reservation to
travel between Geneva and Paris, which one cost US$11%26quot; What should I assume from this. The link they%26#39;ve given is http://www.eurorailways.com/ptp/genpar.htm
3) This info also I got in an email from sbb.ch, as website don%26#39;t provide fare. They also mentioned %26quot;As the offer Famille Plus and Swiss Pass are limited an early booking is required%26quot;.
Any further comments/updates. Do I need to look/enquire for more details. From where can I confirm that what eurorailways is saying is correct.
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If indeed you only have to pay reservation , the same deal should still be available once you are in Switzerland(which costs much less than 11USD and no shipping charges). It%26#39;s extremely unlikely that this offer will be sold out, unless you *must* travel on a specific day at a specific time.
But then, 11USD might be worthwhile if it is really an exclusive deal only available from euro railways.
There are other railpass companies you can inquire about this, you know.
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Nowhere on the web site that Eurorailoways has given you do I see any confirmation of their statement that you can travel to Paris with a Swiss rail pass and a reserved seat without buying a ticket.
Since you appear to have already contacted Swiss Rail by email, I would suggest you email them again, telling them that Eurorailways has given you this information, but that they insist that you MUST buy your Swiss rail pass from them in order to take advantage of this offer.
Ask Swiss rail if it is possible to travel to Paris with a Swiss rail pass and no ticket.
And I would suggest that you contact French Rail (SNCF) either by phone or email to ask them the same question.
Ultimately they are the only people who can tell you reliably whether Eurorailways is correct nor not.
But, as I said at the beginning, I would still urge caution.
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Thanks. I enquired again from EuroRailways, and this is what got in reply. Origanal mail.
The link they%26#39;ve given also mention under Bonuses / Special Offers for Swiss passholders
Passholder fares on:
Elipsos (Zurich/Geneva - Barcelona), TGV France-Switzerland
This is the email reply:
=================================================
Rail Passes Suggestions
=================================================
Swiss Pass - all Switzerland
From 3 until 9 trip days within 1 month
Special fares when travel 2 persons together
More information and booking:
http://www.eurorailways.com/swiss/index.htm
Note: Yes, you may purchase the TGV ticket from Geneva to Paris with discount.
The ticket would cost US$ 11.00 per person, one way (there is a US$ 7 premier train fee per order).
Railways Timetable - Schedules/Itineraries:
www.eurorailways.com/timetable/index.htm
Brochure Collection (Adobe Acrobat Reader required)
www.eurorailways.com/brochure/index.htm
Useful Information and Frequently Asked Questions:
http://www.eurorailways.com/info/index.htm
=================================================
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Well, again, it%26#39;s only $11. If it works out, you save a bundle. If it doesn%26#39;t you just buy the ticket at the station, and you only lose $6 (markup EuroRailways charge for the reservation).
Why spend so much effort on $6(12 for a return)? :)
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Well bibimbob, my effort is not about $^. It is about correct information. The three website (or locations) SCCF, SBB and EuroRailways - all are giving different information. None of them matches. That%26#39;s my concern. Not to burn my trip.
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You will almost always find different prices on the Swiss and French sites. They use different marketing and pricing strategies and different yield management algorithms.
But since THEY are the authorities in this case, and since THEY will make the ultimate decision as to whether you do or do not have a valid ticket, you need to approach them, not us, to help you decide whether EuroRailways is giving you a straight story or not.
Naturally EuroRailways will tell you that their story is the correct one. They want to make the sale.
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