Just back from a holiday in Marseille 133 Euros lighter. That is what I paid for 3 adult fares (my wife and I, 50 Euros each, my son got a discount being a student and paid 33 Euros) for a day return train journey from Marseille to San Raphael - 3 hour round trip.
I got home and checked on the internet - Eurotrains.com and discovered if I had booked online the exact same journey would have cost me a total of 67.20 Euros.
Could I have got a better deal at Marseille station ticket office by asking for a different type of ticket, and if so what type of ticket should I have requested?
We experienced a similar railtravel cost in Geneva earlier this year.
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It seems a lot. Did you travel on a peak hour TGV? On that route TER trains and particularly Corail Interregional trains dont require a seat reservation fee and it can also be cheaper by travelling in the Periode Bleue.
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The normal walk-up TGV fare would be about €50 RT so I don%26#39;t think the €133 is way out of line. If you travelled without a reservation on a Corail or Ter train I think the RT fare would still have been over €40. I%26#39;m guessing your son gets a one-third discount.
If you booked your travel in advance you could get discounts but you would have fewer options for changing or cancelling your tickets. That may be what you are seeing whren you look online and get that €67.20 total. I%26#39;m not sure where you found that fare so I can%26#39;t check it. The site you mention, eurotrains.com, would only be useful for travelling by rail if you had just taken a dose of Incredible Shrinking Potion... :-)
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BTW there is no real advantage to taking the TGV on this route. The Corail and Ter trains are only a few minutes slower.
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In France, walk-up fares are almost always more expensive than booking in advance.
To see the difference, go to the French railways site at www.tgv-europe.com and compare prices for tomorrow and for December.
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