Newsgroups: rec.travel

I wish I were going with you.  Ahhh, how I love the trains in Europe!

> 2) How is 2nd class train travel in France -- is this what most locals
> use?  Can one take a TGV on 2nd class?  I heard one can only make
> reservations on 1st class -- is this true?  What about overnite trains?

Second class is fine.  First really is like business class, and is used
mostly by business people and wealthier tourists.  It is generally about
50% more.  The only time you might want to do first class would be if you
were taking a long day trip and you knew the train was going to be gozzle
crowded and you felt like you could afford the difference.  I've done this
on occasion, but I wouldn't pay the extra for a first class pass.  Besides,
you meet more interesting and more talkative people in second class.

You absolutely need a reservation for the TGV, always.  And the TGV
requires a supplement (a surcharge).  The pass may cover supplements, so
ask when you buy it, and read the fine print.  If the pass does not cover
supplements, you can always buy one on the train, but you will pay a
penalty, usually about $5.  The big yellow train schedule posters in the
train station will tell you if you need a supplement, or you can ask at the
rail information desk at any large station.  (People in the ticket booths
can also tell you, although if you don't speak French, the information desk
is a better bet.)

> 3) The city of Luxembourg is very close to the French border.  Can I
> use the French railpass in the city, or somewhere easily (and cheaply)
> reached from Luxembourg?

You can buy SNCF rail passes through travel brokers (call one that
specializes in student travel), and they may be able to find out for you.
I've bought a French travel pass, and I don't recall it being good anywhere
outside of France, but I didn't go to Luxembourg on that trip.  Luxembourg
is small, though, and so you won't have to pay much to travel in it.  You
can always purchase passage on the train from the conductor.  Unlike with
supplements, there is no penalty for this.  (Very useful when there are
long lines at the ticket counter and your train is pulling out.  Just dive
on!)  So, just ride any train into Luxembourg you want, ride your pass to
the border, and when the Lux conductor asks for your ticket, tell him where
you want to go and he'll sell you a ticket.  I would bet that you could buy
it in French Franc, but I'm not positive.

The only downside to buying tickets on the train is that the conductor
cannot give you any special fares.  For example, if you're travelling with
a couple of people and you're going to make some round-trip, there may be
some special fare.  The various countries' train systems offer different
sorts of special fares to entice local families and groups to take trips,
usually on off-peak days.  These rarely apply to solitary travellers (so
that business people can't use them).

> 4) On a related note, I will want to also go to Italy.  Can I go
> directly from, say, Paris to Venice and only be charged extra for the
> portion in Italy, or must I change trains near the border and buy a
> separate ticket for the Italian portion?

There will be direct trains if you'd like to not change.  Again, you can
just buy your ticket from the Italian conductor.  You might want to get
some Lira beforehand.  You could buy a Eurail pass, as someone suggested,
but the SNCF pass will be a lot cheaper (especially if you are older than
the Eurail student age cutoff), and if you're just going to go to Venice,
I'd bet you'd be better off just buying point-to-point tickets in Italy.


Enjoy!

Dale Morris
morris@iag.hp.com