Hi everyone. I%26#39;m going to Paris from 1/12-1/20 and want to take the Eurostar to stay overnight with a friend in London during my stay. I just went online to get my ticket, but there%26#39;s a section at the bottom that says this:
Collecting tickets from a French Station
If you wish to collect your Eurostar ticket(s) from the Automatic Ticket Machines / APV at a French station, please note the following conditions:
*A French credit or debit card must be used for payment.*
I%26#39;m a little confused how the Eurostar station works. Is there both a person in a box issuing tickets as well as an automatic ticket booth, or do you have to use the automatic booth to collect your tickets? Would there be any way I could just buy the ticket online with my Visa and collect it from a ticket attendant at the Gare du Nord? Any help would be much appreciated.
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%26gt;%26gt; I%26#39;m a little confused how the Eurostar station works. Is there both a person in a box issuing tickets as well as an automatic ticket booth, or do you have to use the automatic booth to collect your tickets? Would there be any way I could just buy the ticket online with my Visa and collect it from a ticket attendant at the Gare du Nord? Any help would be much appreciated. %26lt;%26lt;
Actually, this is SNCF - specific and applies for all French train tickets : almost all stations, and ALL major stations, have both automated machines and manned issuing desks. So do %26quot;Boutiques%26quot; (SNCF shops outside train stations). Once paid for online with a credit card, your ticket must be withdrawn up to 30minutes before the scheduled departure time of the train. Whatever you choose to withdraw - you%26#39;ll need the reference # of your ticket (six letters) AND the credit card you charged the ticket onto for checking purposes.
If - and only IF - this credit card is a French one, then you can process the withdrawal at the automated machines. This is because our CCs embed a smart chip besides the magnetic strip.
If it is a foreign-issued card, you will have to go to a ticket desk. The drawback is, of course, that there are less desks than automated machines, there may be lines, and that desks are closed are various times (early morning, etc...).
The good point is that you can collect your ticket anytime, at any SNCF desk in France up to the 30 minute limit referenced to hereabove).
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This post lists all the SNCF boutiques in Paris. You may well find one of them more convenient that the mainline stations, and with shorter lines.
http://tinyurl.com/y97we9
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Please note that my recent experience has been that you cannot pick up Eurostar tickets at the SNCF boutiques. I had to go to the Gare du Nord to get them. I am not sure if you can pick them up at the international counter of other stations or not. At the Gare du Nord, there was a special counter for picking up tickets ordered by internet.
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For Eurostar you have to withdraw your ticket at gare du Nord on the first floor at the Eurostar terminal, you will need, as previously stated, the ref number and the Credit card (VISA/MASTERCARD/AMEX) that you paid with. That is not a major issue though since you have to pass by this terminal anyway to get to London, so allow yourself 1hr prior to the departure of the train, withdraw your tickets at the booth, check into the secured area, have a drink and relax!
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If you%26#39;re leaving really early in the morning, go to Gare du Nord the day before and get your tickets. That way if there%26#39;s a problem, you%26#39;ll have time to fix it.
And this is just a general question: We just did the Eurostar from London to Paris. As previously stated, we had to have the credit card that we used to purchase the ticket. What if the credit card is lost or stolen before you pick up your Eurostar tickets? I don%26#39;t mean lost or stolen necessarily in Europe, but anywhere...what happens then? It may something good to know in case it does happen.
One more Eurostar suggestion (well...two)
First - if you%26#39;re at all hungry, buy some yogurt! It%26#39;s delicious there on the train and comes in the cutest little terra cotta pot.
Secondly, we changed seats after the train started so that we could each have two seats and stretch out. I don%26#39;t know if this is allowed, but no one said anything.
Although we didn%26#39;t have them, I really liked the seats with 2 seats facing each other with the table in between. You can write all kinds of stuff for your trip report for when you come home!
Another suggestion - I am not a museum person (I know...why do I love Paris anyway?). But this past trip we went to the Musee Rodin and it was absolutely awesome. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It%26#39;s small enough not to be overwhelming, and you need to buy the ticket that will get you not only into the courtyard to see the Thinker, but inside as well. Too many people only buy the courtyard ticket and they miss so much inside! Trust me on this...don%26#39;t miss the Musee Rodin; out of all of our trips to Paris, this one is definitely my favorite.
Have a great trip!
Vicki
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Contrary to normal trains, the conductors on the Eurostar do not check your tickets, that had to go through the check in machines to let you through. So you can sit wherever you want (also valid on normal TGVs BTW). The only limitation is when there are intermediate stops, at Ashford and/or Calais, where other passengers might get on the train with THEIR own seat that is numbered and booked... and that might be the seat you moved to for your convenience.
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Thanks, Bob. That%26#39;s good to know. I%26#39;m glad we didn%26#39;t do anything that would have caused a problem. Thanks again for your excellent advice!
Vicki
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That is incorrect, BobS.
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Sigh... And why so?
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In theory everyone has preassigned seats, in practice nobody cares, unless someone gets on as you mentionned in Lille or Ashford and insits on having %26quot;his%26quot; seat.
Mais à mon avis c%26#39;est plus pour te contredire!
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