Cheap French Tickets

[atillathehunn]

Hello,

France isn't my area of expertise, so I was hoping someone might be able to help!

My brother and I are looking at travelling by train from Lille to Avignon, to meet our parents to carry on to Italy.

There are some reasonable fares (ish) available on the TGV, but time isn't necessarily a vital factor - we have all day to complete the journey. Is there a French equivalent of the Go-Pass from Belgium??

I am looking to travel on the 1st August.

Thank you!

 

[Oscar]

Is this the Belgian pass you are referring to: Dutch link / English link? It looks excellent.
The closest thing I am aware of for France is the InterRail France One Country Pass:
English - http://www.interrailnet.com/interrail-passes/one-country-pass/france
Dutch - http://nederlands.interrailnet.com/ennl/interrail-passes/one-country-pass/france

reiseauskunft.bahn.de (choose Nur Nahverkehr) is good for getting a schedule avoiding TGV services.

TGV services usually have very cheap Prem's fares available 2-3 months before travel but later do become relatively expensive.

 

[atillathehunn]

Yes, that's the one. These are a life saver, with the nearest cities and airports to me are in Belgium!

I had hoped there would be a French equivalent! I've taken a quick look at the InterRail One-Country Pass and they are quite pricey - it's still cheaper to get on the TGV. How can I find out the price of the local trains around the country? I only ever seem to be able to get TGV prices...

Thanks for the reply!

 

[Oscar]

Unfortunately France doesn't have a dense network of non-TGV Intercity services. Regional rail services are generally far more limited than in the UK, the Netherlands or Belgium and they tend not to duplicate TGV routes.
Look here at the Lille - Avignon connection offered here departing at 08:02 at search for the four trains separately. If you were going straight to Italy, you could use the Quer-durchs-Land Ticket to get to the Austrian border and then continue on local trains via for example Innsbruck and Brenner. That isn't such a good option when travelling via France though.

 

[Pen Mill]

The cheapest rate I can get on SNCF for 1st August is 80 Euros single Lille Europe -Avignon TGV. It's a prems ticket , first class.
Depart 18:26 Arrive 22:43.
These tickets are like advance tickets so won't be around for long.

I don't know how this compares with the passes , sorry.

http://www.voyages-sncf.com/billet-train/resultats?hid=JMO#anchor_false_18h26_22h43_80.0_5124

Actually sounds excellent value at 80 Euros for 563 miles !