 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm afraid I may have mislead people about the price of going to Bourg St Maurice by this service (changing in Paris). But this is only because RailEurope mislead me.
I was quoted £59 for Eurostar so long as I booked quickly when the tickets became available (120 days before).
The thing they don't tell you is that, since you must book 120 days before the return journey to get the return price, the cheap tickets get snapped up by people staying less than a week. The full price is £150 for a return. I only got the cheap seats for coming back (which had only just become available) so I paid £109. I am, to say the least, annoyed.
However the cheap seats (or rather, beds) for the couchette to Bourg from Paris you can book separately for going and returning (90 days before the journey), and those really are cheap. I think it is safer to do that - I don't want to have the small number of cheap seats get sold before I can get them.... Again.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Sun 25-11-07 13:49; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Good point, wierd that you cant book each leg seperately. having to take a punt on the eurostar tickets a month before the overnight service comes available seems a bit risky and makes the non stop eurostar a bit more attractive...
how much do you recon it is all in including the sleeper? i couldnt even see the timetable let alone prices on the sncf site.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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When the various rail companies get their acts together and make it as easy to book train tickets as it is to book airfares then I'll be a regular user of the train. But snowball's experience is typical of why I very rarely take the train. It's too much hassle to book the tickets, and you can't plan far enough in advance.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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skimottaret, you can book each leg separately: you just don't get the £29.50 fare unless you book a return.
If you book now for Monday 3rd March one-way the cheapest fare (2nd class) is £44.
If you then book the same day, but now enter you intend to return the following day (March 4th), the fare is £29.50.
So if you want to book a return journey at a peak time you have a tricky decision to make: grab the £44 fare and accept it will be £88 return.
Or wait and gamble there will still be some cheap seats available for the outward journey when the seats for the return journey become available. At low season (January or April), when I usually go, I have always managed to get to the cheap fare both ways. At peak season i would accept the £44 single.
I agree with snowball this is annoying and does not do Eurostar any favours at all.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Jonpim, thanks but it all seems very complicated and then you have to worry about getting the sleeper as well. How much is it all in to the alps ?
for instance i paid 164 for a return on eurostar london to moutier and it was a one stop shop... the only reason i would hassle with the couchette service is a better sleeping arrangement.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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The man I dealt with quoted £ 23 each way for the French train, but he may not have added the extra for the couchette, since I was previously (a few months ago) quoted £67 for both ways. It would be good to be told the same thing twice!
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skimottaret, I have found booking trains no more complicated than booking planes.
You can do it for £111: £59 return on Eurostar, £52 return sleeper to Bourg St Maurice (or Moutiers).
snowball, the fares vary from train to train. The cheapest day fare I've seen this £16.50 single, Paris to Bourg, Thursday January 3rd 2008.
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It all sounded very simple (I have been offered the same train every time). The £59 Eurostar you are unlikely to get as I found out on Friday and detailed above. There are only a few on each train. If you go early on the Friday morning you could pay that much, but you would then need to spend the whole day in Paris (no problem if you have the day free, of course). The afternoon trains had all had their cheap tickets sold already.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Jonpim, I would like the cheapest possible combination for 5th April return 12th or 13th April 2008
Ashford - Aime Daytime if poss. Cheapest 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Ah . . .
Teensy weensy error in previous post.
I forgot to mention my commission
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Jonpim, yes, I come back on Sunday, 2nd March.
Good idea for anyone going later though.
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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snowball, thanks for the update, sounds to me that you should only book Eurostar and the sleeper at the same time 90 days before or who knows..
how much was the full fare out of curiousity... Dont mean to get you even angrier 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Clever solution Jonpim. Only problem I think may be that the ticket has to be used by the named traveller.
Incidentally, I travel regularly to Canada, and do something similar. My preferred travel is outbound Sunday evening; home Friday evening. That means no Saturday night away, so the airlines assume you are going on business and try to rip you off with a fare of around £1400 (economy!).
I've now started planning two trips at a time and book 2 tickets as follows:
Heathrow to Toronto: Outbound at start of trip 1; return at end of trip 2
Toronto to Heathrow: Outbound (i.e. back to heathrow) at end of trip 1; Return (i.e. outbound from Heathrow) at start of Trip 2.
I now have 2 tickets that each look like several weeks' duration to the airline, and include the critical Saturday night away to get into leisure fares. Cost for 2 tickets: around £850.
There's always a way!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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snowball, sorry to break it to you but Raileurope have always been rather rubbish at French tickets - which is ironic given that it's their main job and they are part owned by SNCF.
SNCF always release all the Feb tickets in one shot because it's the holiday season (they do the same with Xmas tickets) and let's face it, as their UK agents, it really oughtn't to take Raileurope by surprise.
I always by my French tickets direct from SNCF but some people find their site difficult to negotiate so I made a form specifically to book the French snowtrain.
It defaults to the dates of the EoSB but, naturally you can choose what you like.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| PaulClark wrote: |
I think may be that the ticket has to be used by the named traveller
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No, it's OK. That concerned me when buying tickets for Frau Admin to come down to the PSB because the tickets have the name of the person who purchased them printed on them. However that person doesn't have to be present when the ticket is used.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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skimottaret, The cut price return fare for Eurostar (300 tickets I think) is £59 return - full price is £150.
Cut price couchettes (return) is £67, full price is £127.50 (this is each for a group of 6 - not sure if there was any reduction for a group)
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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snowball, thanks, 278 is pretty steep but 126 very good if you can get it, tough call to book up early....
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FAQ
