Many of you will wake up earlier than usual tomorrow morning to buy train tickets at the best price.
This Wednesday, January 23, SNCF is opening reservations for its TGV inOui and Intercités for the period from March 25 to May 22, 2024, while those for Ouigo are already open until July 5.
Enough to already plan your Easter school holidays and the May bridges.
But who says opening of sales means high attendance on the site and the SNCF Connect application which are not safe from being saturated and therefore inaccessible, as was the case during the opening of sales in October last.
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Suffice to say that such a situation, if it occurs again, risks annoying travelers who anticipate more and more to take advantage of the best offers.
This means forgetting the existence of multimodal comparators which allow you to reserve train tickets, but also bus and carpooling tickets, both in France and abroad.
Prices and after-sales conditions (exchange, refund, etc.) are the same as those in the official channels of the railway company, and national discount cards are accepted.
Also read: TGV to Berlin, “Lent Ouigo” in Bordeaux and Rennes... Here are the new train lines expected in 2024
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Trainline
It is the main independent distributor of train tickets in Europe.
With 40 million users, Trainline (thetrainline.com) markets journeys for more than 270 rail and bus companies in 45 countries.
The site, in addition to selling SNCF tickets, integrates the routes of competing railway companies (Trenitalia and Renfe) and coach operators, such as Flixbus and BlaBlaCar Bus.
The little extra?
In the event of a delay, thanks to the “Delay recovery” service, Trainline helps you obtain compensation by automatically completing the G30 SNCF form.
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Kombo
Kombo (kombo.co) is the only retailer to display the number of seats remaining on the inOui and Ouigo TGVs.
Useful for estimating their occupancy rate and thus anticipating when prices will rise.
Beyond the train and bus, this French platform also integrates airlines and thus offers the journeys of some 400 transport operators in Europe, but also in the United States.
Also read: In 2024, what days off should you take to have maximum vacation time?
Tictactrip
Tictactrip (tictactrip.eu) plays the low-carbon transport card.
This French site has the advantage of suggesting carpooling (with Blablacar) and “combined” (train/car + carpooling) journeys.
Practical if you are looking to reach a destination not served by train.
Another strong point: Tictactrip also allows you to reserve certain seasonal shuttles between train stations and ski resorts in the Alps and the Pyrenees.
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Ouigo
The SNCF low-cost trains have their own site and application (ouigo.com) where only journeys on board these blue and pink trains are sold, in the TGV or Classic Train version.
Useful if your journey does not include any connection with, for example, TER.
Read alsoSchool holidays 2023-2024: what are the dates of the February holidays?
The complete 2024 calendar by zone
Eurostar
A trip planned between Paris and London, Brussels, Amsterdam or Cologne?
The official Eurostar site and application (eurostar.com) offer functionalities not found elsewhere: choice of seat, access to the loyalty program, price calendar... Note that since the absorption of Thalys by Eurostar, the Reservations are made on this one and only platform for high-speed journeys between France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Germany.
Also read: Destinations, comfort, prices... Everything that the Eurostar-Thalys merger changes for travelers
Towards abroad, the official websites of the companies
Renfe in Spain, Trenitalia in Italy, Deutsche Bahn in Germany... To travel to a neighboring country or within it, the best is to book directly on the official website of the railway companies.
In addition to the national operator, also think about private operators, such as Italo in Italy or Flixtrain in Germany.
Booking directly has many advantages, such as access to options (bike, animal, etc.), the entire price range or the choice of seat.
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