Buying SNCF Tickets

Hello,

I am going to france(metz) for an exchange for a few months. I will be landing in paris at degaulle, and will be taking the SNCF to Metz.

I just have a concern about buying the SNCF tickets. I plan on buying them in paris after i land. I am not sure if this is smart, as i dont know how busy trains get, or if there is a minimum amount of time between when you %26quot;check in%26quot; for a train and when it departs. Can you buy a ticket like 5 minutes before the train leaves? or is it more like planes where you have to check in and stuff. Should i buy them at de gaulle, or at gare de l%26#39;est? I hope to arrive at gare de l%26#39;est about an hour before the train i would like to catch leaves. I am in canada, so i dont know if i could buy tickets online.

Also, i will be taking the shuttle bus from de gaulle do gare du nord, and am thinking walking is the easiest way to get from gare du nord to gare de l%26#39;est. Is it an easy walk with one suitcase and a backpack? Is it safe, i will be there during the day, probably around 11 am.

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This is what I know ( or think I know ;):

1. you can buy tickets online at www.sncf.com

-you leave the country as %26#39;France%26#39;

-you put in all the pertinent information for the route, time, date, etc

-be sure to leave plenty of time between your arrival at CDG and getting to Gare de l%26#39;Est (I presume you are not stopping over in Paris?) - I%26#39;d guess at least 2 hours to be safe

- the sncf screen may offer several choices for your trip to Metz. Choose the best price (some tickets are discount fares with limited seating)

- if you managed to buy a discount ticket, you will be given the option to print out the ticket yourself; if you had to pay full-fare, the choice will be to pick up at a station or mail. I don%26#39;t think they will mail the ticket to Canada, so choose to pick up the ticket.

- finish making the transaction with your credit card

- you will then get an email with a confirmation number

- when you get to Gare de l%26#39;Est, go to the ticket window with the EMAIL + the SAME CREDIT CARD you used to pay.

- go to the track (quai/voie) to wait for your train; there is no %26#39;checking in%26#39; like at the airport, you%26#39;re in charge of your bags yourself and no security to pass through

- if you have tickets, look on the quai for an orange box on a post - you need to %26#39;compost%26#39; your ticket by sticking one end into the machine so it can be stamped with the date/time.

- you board the train, find your seat and settle in; eventually a conductor will come around to see your ticket, and maybe your passport

- that%26#39;s it for the train

2. The two stations are practically next door, maybe two-three blocks apart, so you can walk it. Maybe someone has done just that and will post about it

3. you will be perfectly safe from dangerous types, ie no mugging or anything - however: do be careful with your belongings and be aware of pickpockets; do not accept help from anyone who walks up to you - they will be a scam artist for sure; other than that, it is fine.

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i believe my flight lands at about 9:40 am, and the train i would like to catch is around 1pm. I think this should be sufficient time. I am just worried about purchasing a ticket online and my flight getting delayed. Can i %26quot;return%26quot; the ticket in exchange for one later in the day or the next day?

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If this is a concern than be sure to pay full-fare for your ticket; discounted tickets have limited or no allowance for exchanges or refunds.

There is a Passenger Guide on the website - read thru it to see if your questions are answered...

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Just buy the ticket at the CDG airport or at the station. It%26#39;s not that difficult. There might be a line-up at the airport but it shouldn%26#39;t take more than 15 minutes, and you get to talk face to face with the muti-lingual staff, and they can answer all your questions. But you are taking the shuttle bus, so you might have to buy the ticket in town, where the staff might not be as helpful.

There is no check-in, no security check. When the train shows up, verfify that you are boarding the right train by looking at the destination sign posted next to the door.

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i%26#39;m sorry, i think i was wrong about the shuttle bus. It is nothing organized yet, so i still have options. It looks like the metro would be the quickest way from CDG to Gare du nord, btu i also see that the RER runs fairly often as well. Which is easiest with some luggage?

thanks so much for all your help.

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As usual, travelnutty%26#39;s advice is outstanding !

I have just purchased 2 tickets from Gare de Lyon to

Lyon Part Dieu for September 21st on line through the SNCF website using my Visa Card. Printed the tickets out on my

computer; it to all of 5 minutes.

I would say it was a piece of cake but then I remembered

what happened to Marie Antoinette.

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%26quot;...It looks like the metro would be the quickest way from CDG to Gare du nord, btu i also see that the RER runs fairly often as well....%26quot;

CORRECTION:

The Metro does -not- reach the airport; only the RER-B line connects CDG to Paris.

Randy-S-P: :) good one

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Bus number 350 from CDG (multiple pickup points around terminal building) takes you directly to Gare de L%26#39;Est. Very cheap and easy. If all else fails, you can just buy your SNCF ticket to Metz at the station up until time of departure (there is a special queue for departures within next 60 mins).

I went to Metz last May and loved it! Hope you do too.

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haha, i went stayed there for three months and am back home in canada now. but thanks for the info anyways!!

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Perhaps the quickest (30 mins. to Gare du Nord) and least expensive (8 €uro fare) mode of transfer from CDG into Gare d%26#39;Est will be the BER %26#39;B-3%26#39; ligne train from one of the two RER stations located within CDG. From Gare du Nord it%26#39;s only a three or four block walk to Gare d%26#39;Est.

You can wait until you arrive in Paris at Gare d%26#39;Est to purchase your ticket to METZ, but if you do, you will probably spend twice as much for the same ticket that you can order on-line through the SNCF web site (use FRANCE--since Canada isn%26#39;t on the list--for on-line ticket delivery/collection) and then either print out on your own home computer or collect at Gare d

Est in Paris (as has been described above).

There is no required check-in for SNCF trains. If you already have a paper-ticket in your possession, you simply find the departure platform and board the train anytime prior to departure. If you are collecting your ticket at the station then you should probably allow 30 minutes prior to departure to collect the ticket, and find the daparture platform (just to be on the safe side).

Two hours from the arrival of your flight at CDG until departure time for your train from Gare d%26#39;Est would be the absolute minimum amout of time that I%26#39;d suggest. Three(3) hours would be much safer...and allow for delays, contingencies and allow time to get lost....or pick up a snack/picnic to carry aboard the train for the approx. 3 hour train ride to Metz.

If you are in average shape/health, making your way through the RER system from CDG to Gare du Nord and then the short walk down to Gare d%26#39;Est (rolling a normal sized suitcase and carrying a small backpack) shouldn%26#39;t be a problem. If there is a %26#39;..trick..%26#39; to using this RER mode of transfer, it is simply to have your %26#39;..act together..%26#39; BEFORE you leave the CDG luggage collection area. Once you pass through the French Customs check-point after luggage collection, all you will need is your 8 €uro RER fare--and any notes, diagrams or maps to aid you along the way. So make certian that BEFORE you make your departure that everything that you need is readily at hand and everything else is SECURE on your person--wallet/purse, passport, tickets, etc. Take a few moments to make sure before you rush out into a totally %26#39;foreign%26#39; enviornment. I suspect that the %26#39;mistake%26#39; that many people make when they use this mode of airport transfer is that in the excitement and %26#39;adrenaline rush%26#39; of %26#39;..ARRIVING..%26#39; they charge off into a strange airport in a burst of %26#39;..I%26#39;m in PARIS !!..%26#39; enthusiasm and then forget all of the details they%26#39;ve researched beforehand (odds are the notes they made are buried deep their suitcase , beneath underwear and socks). When they find themselves lost or confused, they blame it on %26#39;..jetlag..%26#39; or poor airport conditions....or anything but their own latent capacity for %26#39;..dumb..%26#39;.