Booking SNCF from home

[Margaret Pilgrim]

33.08.36.35.35.39 is the telephone number for an English-speaking SNCF reservationist. (From outside France, the number should be dialed 33.8.36.35.35.39.)  Bookings can be made up to two months ahead of your return date. If you pay by credit card over the phone and if there is enough lead-time, tickets will be mailed to your home address.  If not, they will be issued at the station.  For those who prefer to deal with a real person rather than book online, this is a really simple, easy and inexpensive way to book from home.  Your phone charge will be the only additional cost.

(Edited by Margaret Pilgrim at 2:41 pm on Jan. 31, 2002)

[Bux]

I'm surprised to learn they will mail the tickets. I suppose that's great for those who can't bear the anxiety of not having that ticket in hand. Having gone through the process of booking via a credit card and picking up my tickets in France, I have to say that I trust the SNCF system more than I trust the combinined post offices. I'm also told that they will repsond in English to e-mails sent in English from users of the web site. Needless to say, there's no reason to suffer the excessive surcharge and limited choice offered by Rail Europe.

One comment. I know the 33 is the code for France and the 08 the French equivalent of our 800 system-if you are calling from within France, but I thought you dropped the zero after the country code and only use that zero within France. Am I mistaken?

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Bux, as usual ;) you are absolutely correct.  Official numbers in France are 10 digit.  However, when calling or faxing France from without France you drop the initial zero. Thanks for the "heads up".  I will add this point to my original post.  

We have also always picked up our tickets in France, and were surprised when the rep said that they would be sent out immediately to our credit card address, supposedly arriving next week.  Besides the added potential glitches between the two mail systems, we will now also have to keep track of the paper tickets.  Perhaps not the best way to go, but we'll give it a try this one time.

[FriedaL]

You can also book sncf on line: www.sncf.com and pick up your ticket at a station or have it sent home (not in the US, I believe).

I don't think you can access an 08 number outside France, just as you cannot access an 800 in the US from abroad.

Frieda

http://www.aboutprovence.com

[Bux]

Welcome to eGullet.com Frieda. I hope you can offer us great suggestions regarding Provence. I realize that I didn't empasize the http://www.sncf.com site enough. We've had no trouble picking up our tickets in France and found it all went smoothly. It appears from Margaret's experience that you can access the 08 phone number for the SNCF, but it's not toll free from the US. The SNCF will not mail tickets reserved on their site to the US, but will mail those ordered on the phone.

Nevertheless, many people are reluctant to book via a web site and I've heard reports that the site can be difficult to use at times. Apparently it's not getting easier to use as it's "imporved" either. Finally there are those travelers who just need to have the ticket in their hand to avoid needless anxiety and there's no reason to pay the exorbitant charges imposed by RailEurope which also doesn't offer access to the complete schedule. Personally, I'd much rather upgrade my wines at dinner for the price.

[FriedaL]

Thanks Robert for your welcome. I found this forum searching for Le Bistrot Latin in Aix. I haven't been there yet, but hope soon. I'll be happy to answer questions about provence (I live in a village 20 km n. of Saint-Tropez). My answers might be a bit delayed, since I don't check this forum on a regular basis. France Télécom is charging by the minute.

Frieda

www.aboutprovence.com