TGV Lyria FIP Fares

[The Colonel]

Has anyone any experience of these please? I will qualify for FIP fares next year and am thinking of a trip to Switzerland by train. I see from the ATOC site that Lyria TGV services between France & Switzerland have FIP leisure fares which include travel and seating reservations and that international coupon tickets are not valid. Does anyone know roughly how much these would be for Paris – Zurich/Lucerne please?

Where as both my wife and myself would qualify for coupons from France I can see these special fares making the trip uneconomic if we both have to pay for the French leg of the journey.

Any assistance gratefully received.

The Colonel

 

[158801]

I made a recent enquiry

Paris - Lausanne as £36

Zurich to Paris was £51.20

 

[The Colonel]

Thank you for the gen - much appreciated.

 

[Oscar]

You could alternatively travel (for example) by TGV to Strasbourg and then by TER (local service) from there to Basel to avoid TGV Lyria. How much is the (normal) TGV supplement?

 

[reb0118]

You could alternatively travel (for example) by TGV to Strasbourg and then by TER (local service) from there to Basel to avoid TGV Lyria.

I have done this in the reverse direction when travelling from Feldkirch (Austria) to Paris. I was quoted £52 single (FIP rate) for the TGV Lyria fare (Zürich - Paris). I therefore left earlier and travelled via local trains along the Boddensee & Schwartzwaldbahn to Strassburg via Offenburg & Kehl (Gr.). I was able to board the same TGV at Strassburg that I had rejected at Zürich sans reservation by envoking the Auld Alliance. I was therefore able to use free coupons for the whole trip.

Some TGV services from Paris terminate at Mülhausen in Alsace and you can use your free coupons on these (and most internal TGVs also)

An example follows:-

1) dep Cobham & Stoke D'Abernon @ 07:24; arr London Waterloo @ 08:11
2) dep London St. Pancras Int. @ 09:17; arr Paris Gare du Nord @ 12:59
3) dep Paris Gare de Lyon @ 14:23; arr Mülhausen Hbf. @ 17:04
4) dep Mülhausen Hbf. @ 17:30; arr Basel SNCF @ 18:01
5) dep Basel SBB @ 18:31; arr Bern @ 19:27

You could also travel via Strassburg to connect there into the frequent local trains to Basel. These trains run from the Gare D'Est which is a short walk from the Gare du Nord - saves using le metro or RER to cross Paris.

Consider, whilst staying in Switzerland, staying in BLS land. BLS (Bern, Lötchberg, & Simplon Bahn) offer free coupons to wifelets & dependents too. You can also use their lake steamers on the Thunersee & Brienzersee aswell as their local bus links. That way you would only be looking at one 50% fare from Basel to Bern on the Swiss State Railway (SBB)

How much is the (normal) TGV supplement?

I believe the TGV reservation/supplement is variable depending on time/day?

The cheapest I have paid is 1.50€ however a colleague recently paid about 8.00€ for a peak hour trip on a Friday.

 

[toerist]

Another option is travelling Eurostar to Brussels, and catch the classic International Service to Switzerland there, comfortable Swiss coaches, and free with FIP tickets and no reservations necessary

 

[The Colonel]

Thank you all for your replies – they are much appreciated. I used to do quite a bit of bashing in Benelux & Germany up to about 20 years ago and am a bit out of touch with all the modern developments – seems there aren’t any 103’s in the Fatherland any more and no big diesels in Belgium

The intended destination is probably Luzern, but I advised Zurich as I’d seen a TGV goes there from Paris. I’ve obtained sample fared from DB in Surbiton who deal with staff travel and their prices tie in with those quoted by 158801. They also advised about going to Geneve, as FIP coupons would be valid on those TGV’s then I’d just pay from Geneve to Luzern, which was £23.44 for the Memsahib, as she doesn’t get a coupon for Switzerland. This is the only TGV which accepts coupons for the routes to Switzerland.

I’d considered Oscars dodge to go to Mulhouse and then cross the border but I can’t inflict too many changes on the wife, and we’d also have luggage as well. The travel requirements of the Memsahib are many and varied and not as straightforward as I’d do from my old bashing days . . . Whereas I’d think nothing of taking half a dozen trains to get from A to B it would have to be a bit more sedate and reasonable times as well. I have seen the option quoted by Toerist in the recently acquired Cooks Timetable and will consider that as well. This would have the benefit of being on coupons for us both till the Swiss border, where I suspect my wife would have a Swiss pass of some form.

The trip is still in the early days of planning, esp. as I’m not too sure when my leave allocation is yet, and it also depends on getting a particular hotel booked.

Thank you all again for your input.

The Colonel