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Getting to Brest by train

... anyway, even at the last minute: a survival guide

Some higher executives at the SNCF and consorts are apparently working very hard to make train travel as inconvenient as air travel is nowadays: mandatory booking for almost all long-distance lines (which means named tickets and travelling with valid ID documents, and mandatory additional booking fees), yield management (resulting in sold out and/or more expensive travels), exchange and refund restrictions, luggage restrictions, a low-cost offer with even more restrictions, fees and voluntary inconveniences, and websites and apps that have reliably qualified as industrial disasters for about as long as the SNCF has published websites and apps. So far these policies seem to have mostly benefited on one side to coach operators, which are not exactly ideally convenient either, and low-cost airlines on the other side, no wonder one of them is now the 3rd world-wide airline in number of passengers, 7th in fleet size and 5th in number of daily flights.

So let's beat these awful guys. The guide below will help you to plan your train travel to Brest via alternative routes in case of traffic disruptions, or if the mainline trains are all sold out, or if you miss a train and can't change your mandatory reservation to a later one because they are all sold out, or if you would like to avoid a transfer through Paris. Now you have no excuse.

Always double-check with informations from official sources as the data below may contain errors, get out-of-date or temporary disruptions may be scheduled.

Planning your trip

For planning your trip the interrail/eurail trip planner is a convenient tool even if you are not an interrail/eurail pass holder, as they show all trains and allow you to exclude trains with mandatory booking from the results. Just keep in mind that their schedules are only updated weekly, so the latest changes or cancellations may not show up.

https://www.interrail.eu/en/tripplanner

Map of the european passenger trains network (note that some regional routes are missing from that map)

Another useful but untranslated tool that doesn't need JS (excepted for the OSM-based maps): https://signal.eu.org/rail/ though some schedules (typically regional trains in some areas) can be missing or out of date.

• Search for trains by itineraries: https://www.sncf-voyageurs.com/en/travel-with-us/timetables-and-itineraries/itineraries/

• Search for train by train number and date: https://www.sncf-voyageurs.com/en/travel-with-us/booking-and-itinerary/search-by-train-number/

Within Île-de-France (Paris and surrounding area): https://www.transilien.com/en

Within Paris: https://www.ratp.fr/en

Rest of France: https://www.sncf-voyageurs.com/en/travel-with-us/in-france/ter/ter-map/

Map of IC and night trains routes

When planning a connection, keep in mind that according to historical data your first train has about 1 out of 4 chances of arriving more than 5 minutes late, with an average delay that is around 10 minutes.

Alternative booking websites

1.2.Train

This vintage-looking website (and future app) is run by a single guy and already sells almost 12000 tickets a month. Although it is not yet translated it has a very simple interface that makes it easy to search and buy French (excepted ?OuiGo) and Eurostar train tickets. There is no shopping cart (yet?), so one needs to complete a payment transaction for each trip. There is, notably, no additional booking fee (which is why OuiGo trains are not sold there). Some promotional offers can be found on its mastodon feed.

railfinder.eu

railfinder.eu opened very recently and is still in beta. See their how it works page for current features and caveats. Basically they use a custom search algorithm that prioritizes comfort and night trains. They typically add a 10% booking fee.

Estimating and limiting the cost

Maximum fares

Here are the estimated maximum fares to Brest, one-way, one person, 2nd class, transfer through Paris, from:

• Paris (including from CDG, Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy, Massy-TGV) 118 €
• Lille 173 €

• Strasbourg 240 € 05-02

• Basel-SBB 309 € 05-04

• Lyon 231 €
• Nice 263 € (05-25)

• Perpignan 262 € 05-02

• Toulouse 258 €
• Hendaye 266.20 €
• Bordeaux 245 €

Eurail/Interrail passes

If you're not a French resident, an interrail or eurail single-country or global pass is likely to be the best deal you can get. One downside is that there is a limited amount of places available to pass holders in French trains, and most long-distance French trains travelling even in week days in July tend to be full weeks before departure date. Another downside is that it won't give you access to Transilien (Paris area) and Ouigo trains, you will have to buy tickets separately if you wish to travel with these.

Children aged 4 to 11 may travel with a free Child Pass. A child must be accompanied at all times by at least one person with an Adult Pass. Up to 2 children can travel with 1 adult.

• EU (excepted France) residents: https://www.interrail.eu/en

• Non-EU residents: https://www.eurail.com/en

Costs, as of 2025-04-20:

• 2-days France Flexi Pass, 2nd class, young/adult USD 108/144 (eurail only).
  • for 2 adults (28-59) and 2 children (4-11) the cost would be USD 288.
• 3-days France Flexi Pass, 2nd class, young/adult EUR 124/165 or USD 135/180.
• 4-days Global Pass, 2nd class, young/adult EUR 212/283 or USD 231/308.

SNCF cards and subscriptions

https://www.sncf-connect.com/app/catalogue

An Avantage card costs 49 €, is valid for one year and will give you an immediate 30% rebate on return trips including at least one week-end night (friday, saturday or sunday), so the break-even point for buying one is reached at 163.34 €. With that card prices are also capped depending on travel time so the final rebate may end up being more than 30%.

An additional adult traveling together with the card holder may also benefit from the 30% rebate, as well as up to 3 children (less than 12 years old).

Examples:

• one way, one person, 2nd class:
  • Strasbourg to Brest full fare 240 €; with an Avantage card 151 € (saving 40 € overall)
  • Basel-SBB to Brest full fare 309 €; with an Avantage card 215.70 € (saving 44.30 € overall)
• return trip, 2 adults, 2 children below 12, 2nd class:
  • Roissy-CDG to/from Brest, close to max fare 873 €; with an Avantage card 560.20 € (saving 263.80 € overall)

Applicability on regional (TER) networks is ... complicated. Assuming the card holder is an adult over 30, regions Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Centre-Val-de-Loire, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Occitanie, Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur do not offer reduced fares for these card holders. Other regions offer up to 50% (but typically 25% or 30%) rebates to the card holder and another (optional) adult travelling together, no additional reduced fares for children excepted for Pays-de-la-Loire. In addition, the reduced fare is only offered for a return trip including a week-end day or night, excepted for the regions Grand-Est, Haut-de-France (no constraints) or Normandie (no constraints in non-bookable TER). An overview of the situation (possibly outdated) is available by following this link (PDF, french only).

Ouigo trains

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouigo

This is a third-class "low-cost" service with additional voluntary inconveniences and increased passenger density. Not part of the interrail/eurail network. Tickets can only be bought online (not in the stations) or through some travel agencies (additional booking fees may apply).

Ouigo trains are labelled OGV (Ouigo Grande Vitesse) or OTC (Ouigo Train Classique) in the timetables below.

Timetables

Updated: 2025-04-20

0123456789abcd - day code, 0=Sunday 2025-07-06
00001111111111 - day of month
67890123456789
SMTWTFSSMTWTFS - day of week
uouehrauouehra

Paris-Montparnasse → Rennes → Brest

Timetable:

Quimper → Brest

06:08 07:23 -1
07:09 08:35 -1
09:10 10:17 -1
10:31 11:42 0-
12:09 13:24 -1
13:10 14:27 -1
14:08 15:20 0-
16:06 17:17 0-
17:02 18:13 0-
17:03 18:23 -1
18:10 19:28 -1
19:15 20:31 -1
19:17 20:20 0-
20:22 21:24 -1
21:35 22:46 0-

Paris-Montparnasse → Nantes

Up to 20 departures/day. From Nantes you can continue with regional trains to either Rennes then Brest, or to Quimper then Brest. On weekdays you may ride TER 858289 (Nantes 17:57, Quimper 20:15, Brest 21:24).

Paris-Austerlitz → Massy-TGV/Palaiseau → Rennes

Schedule for 2025-07-07, as of 2025-04-20.

Massy TGV/Palaiseau → Rennes

OTC 4091 / 0826 1151 / via Chartres; origin Paris-Austerlitz 0758
TGV 5380 / 0842 1030 / origin Lyon Part Dieu 0630
TGV 5210 / 0942 1117 / origin Lille-Europe 0752
TGV 5470 / 1312 1447 / origin Strasbourg 1001
OTC 4093 / 1355 1718 / origin Paris-Austerlitz 1315
TGV 5382 / 1359 1540 / origin Lyon Part Dieu 1151
TGV 5386 / 1841 2030 / origin Lyon Part Dieu 1630
OTC 4097 / 1925 2305 / origin Paris-Austerlitz 1858
TGB 9838 / 1942 2129 / origin Brussels 1655 via Lille Europe 1742

Massy TGV/Palaiseau → Le Mans

TGV 8911 / 0637 0733 / origin Paris-Montparnasse 0626; dest Le Croisic
TGV 5354 / 1238 1329 / origin Lyon Part Dieu 1030
OTC 4089 / 1339 1538 / origin Paris-Austerlitz 1258; dest Nantes
TGV 9832 / 1742 1829 / origin Bruxelles-Midi 1503; dest Nantes
TGV 5488 / 2012 2100 / origin Strasbourg 1701; dest Nantes

From Le Mans you can go to Brest (via Rennes), or to Rennes, or to Laval then Rennes, or to Angers then Rennes, or to Nantes (see above).

Night trains

To Paris-Austerlitz from France

https://www.sncf-connect.com/article/5-destinations-desservies-par-le-train-de-nuit

With possible connections from Spain

• IC 3750: 2216 Toulouse, 0703 Paris-Austerlitz; 135 € or less
• IC 3754: 2050 Albi-Ville, 0831 Paris-Austerlitz; 141 € or less
• IC 3970: 1848 Latour-de-Carol, 0703 Paris-Austerlitz; 155 € or less
• IC 3740: 1900 Tarbes, 2058 Bayonne, 0610 Orléans-Les-Aubrais, 0732 Paris-Austerlitz;

With possible connections from Spain or Italy

• IC 5744: 1900 Cerbère, 2038 Narbonne, 2145 Montpellier-St-Roch, 2209 Nîmes-Centre, 0653 Paris-Austerlitz; 159 € or less
• IC 5772: 1909 Nice, 2202 Marseille-Blancarde, 0753 Paris-Austerlitz; 166 € or less

International night trains

To Offenburg and Basel

Connections to Strasbourg and Paris.

• EN 40458: 1828 Prague, 2345 Leipzig-Hbf, 0748 Basel-SBB
• NJ 403: 1915 Amsterdam-Centraal, 0645 Basel-SBB
• NJ 408: 2013 Berlin-Hbf, 0548 Offenburg, 0748 Basel-SBB
• NJ 471: 2152 Hamburg-Altona, 0643 Offenburg, 0835 Basel-SBB

To Brussels-Midi

Connections to Lille and Paris.

• NJ 40468: 1813 Wien-Hbf, 2118 Salzburg-Hbf, 2316 München-Ost, 0955 Brussels-Midi
• ES 452: 1802 Prague, 2256 Berlin-Hbf, 0927 Bruxelles-Midi
• note: the ES Venice-Brussels route via Innsbruck and München announced on Eurail apparently only runs in winter

To Strasbourg and Paris-Est

• NJ 468: 1813 Wien-Hbf, 2118 Salzburg-Hbf, 2316 München-Ost, 0500 Strasbourg, 0938 Paris-Est

To Irún/Hendaye

Unfortunately the convenient international night train service between Lisbon and Hendaye is still "suspended" while there are ongoing modernization works on the track (see https://www.cp.pt/passageiros/pt/descontos-vantagens/em-destaque/beira-alta); there is currently no passenger train service between Portugal and Spain on that line.

From the UK or IE

There is no Eurostar night service planned in July.

Ferry services to Roscoff (no train service there), St Malo, Cherbourg or Caen are worth considering as they are usually overnight.

Getting out of Paris without a reservation

From Montparnasse station

This is the most direct route to Brest:

paris-montparnasse → le mans 37.40 €
le mans → rennes 30.00 €
le mans → laval → rennes
rennes → brest 29.00 €

Other routes may be interesting if you would like to stop on the way to visit some touristical landmarks:

paris-montparnasse → granville
paris-montparnasse → argentan
argentan → le mans → rennes
argentan → granville
granville → rennes
granville → villedieu-les-poeles → pontorson-mont-st-michel
granville → pontorson-mont-st-michel

paris montparnasse → pontorson-mont-st-michel
pontorson-mont-st-michel → dol-de-bretagne → dinan → st brieuc → brest

From Austerlitz station

paris-austerlitz → orleans → angers → rennes → brest
orleans → nantes → quimper → brest

From St Lazare station

Booking (1.50€/1.70€) is required on TNO (TER Nomad) trains when travelling with interrail/eurail passes.

paris st lazare → caen
caen → rennes
caen → granville
caen → argentan → granville

then see above for routes between granville and brest.

Transferring through Paris

Use the RATP website to route your transfer with up-to-date traffic information, then take into account the following:

• walk times are calculated from station entrance to station entrance; getting from the entrance to any platform is an additional 3 to 5 minutes walk
• TGV trains are 200m long each; that's an additional 3-5 minutes to get to the other end of the platform should you need to
• if you don't already know your way and can't walk at the Parisian rush hour pace, you may want to add a few minutes
• on TGV or IC trains, boarding may be closed 2 to 5 minutes before departure time (depending on the train)
• your train to Paris has 25% chances being late 10 minutes in average (so allowing for 15-20 minutes slack on that account alone is advised).

So definitely don't trust any of the SNCF Connect FAQ pages like this one https://www.sncf-connect.com/aide/correspondances-depuis-gare-du-nord that says it only takes 18 minutes to go from Gare du Nord to Montparnasse. That's only the subway ride time, not including the average wait time and walking time.

In Paris bus-only tickets are a bit less expensive than subway tickets; it's also usually more convenient with luggage (less stairs, as most subway stations don't have elevators) and the view is a bit more pleasant.

To Gare Montparnasse

From Gare du Nord or Gare de l'Est:

• metro 4 + a long walk (7 minutes and about 4 stories worth of stairs up and down) through tunnels or outside: 35 min best case, 1h or more recommended Until July 15th, metro 4 only goes as far south as ''Les Halles'', so ask RATP website for a route.

• or bus 39 and much less tunnels and walking: 45 min best case, 1h10 or more recommended (+5 min from Gare de l'Est), departure every 20 min or so
• or bus 91 to Montparnasse-2-TGV (bonus: from there you can go down to the middle of the train platforms): 70 min best case, 1h30 or more recommended, departure every 10 min or so

From Gare de Lyon:

• metro 14 (or walk) to Bercy then metro 6: 30 min best case, 55 min or more recommended
• or walk a few min then bus 91 to Montparnasse-2-TGV, 45 min best case, 1h10 or more recommended, departure every 10 min or so

From Gare d'Austerlitz:

• metro 5 to Place d'Italie then metro 6: 30 min best case, 55 min or more recommended
• or bus 91 to Montparnasse-2-TGV: 40 min best case, 1h05 or more recommended, departure every 10 min or so

where to eat near Gare Montparnasse?

There is a lot of choice in the station and around, but if you are a bit short (but not too short either) in time, the bistro “L’Express 27” (27 boulevard de Vaugirard, a few steps away to the left from the northeast exit of the station) offers a decent (and typically Parisian bistro-style) plat du jour at a reasonable price, with an all-day and reasonably fast service, and good beers.

Avoiding a transfer through Paris

Below are some suggestions for same-day trips avoiding a transfer through Paris.

From the north

From the north (BE, UK) and flights arriving at LFPG/CDG:

• TGV 5210 (0752 Lille-Europe, 0849 CDG-2-TGV, 1117 Rennes) then TGV 8615 (1233 Rennes, 1449 Brest) or TER 8?55825 (1335 Rennes, 1552 Brest)
• TGV 5470 (1217 CDG, 1447 Rennes) then TGV 8623 (1631 Rennes, 1839 Brest) or TER 8?55867 (1735 Rennes, 1953 Brest)
• TER 848900 (0653 Lille-Flandres, 0936 Rouen) then TER 852054 (1003 Rouen, 1142 Caen) then TER 16558 (1248 Caen, 1454 Le Mans) then TER 57433 (1506 Le Mans, 1606 Angers) then TER 57523 (1643 Angers, 1738 Nantes) then TER 58289 (1757 Nantes, 2022 Quimper, 2124 Brest)
• only on sundays: TGB 9838 (1655 Brussels, 1742 Lille-Europe, 1850 CDG-2-TGV, 2129 Rennes) then TER 855897 2139 Rennes, 2359 Brest (that last one runs only on sundays)

You may also go from CDG-2-TGV to Massy-Palaiseau with the RER B, about 1h10 ride, interval between departures usually less than 10 min, 13 €. This is actually almost fast as the TGV ride around Paris, with similar reliability, but less comfortable, costs an extra ticket (not covered with interrail/eurail passes) and carries more pickpockets.

From the northeast (DE, LX, CH)

• TGV 5450 (0619 Strasbourg, 0830 Marne-la-Vallée, 0904 Massy TGV) then TGV 5210 (0942 Massy, 1117 Rennes) then TGV 8615 (1233 Rennes, 1449 Brest) or TER 855825 (1335 Rennes, 1552 Brest)
• TGV 5470 (1001 Strasbourg, 1447 Rennes) then TGV 8623 (1631 Rennes, 1839 Brest) or TER 8?55867 (1735 Rennes, 1953 Brest)
• TGV 5454 (1401 Strasbourg, 1556-1613 CDG, 1623-1631 Marne-la-Vallée, 1704 Massy) then TGV 5386 (1841 Massy, 2030 Rennes) then if you are lucky TGV 8641 (2033 Rennes, 2255 Brest) or on sundays only TER 855897 2139 Rennes, 2359 Brest

Note 1: trains from Strasbourg to Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy that stop at Roissy-CDG will reverse direction there.

Note 2: although this is a less than 10 minutes TGV ride, there is actually no really convenient way to go from Massy to Paris-Montparnasse. Boarding a TGV going that way is not allowed (and nowadays very few of those going there stop at Massy anyway) and the other public transportation options take around 40 to 50 minutes and include a transfer or walking 20 min.

From the east and southeast (CH, IT, SP)

• TGV 5380 (0612 Lyon-Perrache, 0630 Lyon-Part-Dieu, 0834 Massy-TGV, 1030 Rennes) then TGV 8605 (1033 Rennes, 1244 Brest) or TER 855821 (1041 Rennes, 1258 Brest)
• TGV 5376 (0734 Marseille, 0930 Lyon-Part-Dieu, 1141 Massy-TGV) then TGV 5382 (1359 Massy-TGV, 1540 Rennes) then TGV 8623 (1631 Rennes, 1839 Brest) or TER 855867 (1735 Rennes, 1954 Brest)
• TGV 5382 (1136 Lyon-Perrache, 1151 Lyon-Part-Dieu, 1359 Massy-TGV, 1540 Rennes) then TGV 8623 as above
• TGV 5386 (1436 Marseille, 1630 Lyon-Part-Dieu, 1841 Massy-TGV, 2030 Rennes) then see above "if you are lucky"

From the southwest (SP)

• transfers in Paris are in the same station (Paris Montparnasse); there are up to 12 possible departures/day from Hendaye, 31/day from Bordeaux, 11/day from Toulouse, that may connect to up to 18 departures/day from Montparnasse to Brest (see timetables above); e.g. TGV 8540 (1312 Hendaye, 1546 Bordeaux, 1759 Paris-Montparnasse) then TGV 8641 (1859 Paris-Montparnasse, 2255 Brest)
• other routes transferring at Massy-TGV are possible and left as an exercise for the reader
• TER 66462 (0554 Hendaye, 0838 Bordeaux) 43.20 € then IC 3854 (0947 Bordeaux, 1400 Nantes) 56.00 € then TER 858356 (1405 Nantes, 1521 Rennes) 20.00 € or TER 58374 (1605 Nantes, 1721 Rennes) same price then TER 55867 (1735 Rennes, 1953 Brest) 29.00 €; total 148.20 €
• TER 66404 (1010 Hendaye, 1242 Bordeaux) then TGV 5444 (1257 Bordeaux, 1452 St-Pierre-des-Corps) then either TER 60223 (1554 St-Pierre-des-Corps, 1559 Tours) or TER 107284 (1457 St-Pierre-des-Corps, 1502 Tours) or walk about 3 km then TER 60125 (1559 Tours, 1746 Nantes) then TER 58289 (1757 Nantes, 2022 Quimper, 2124 Brest)

In case of missed connection

If (and only if) a single train ticket (or eventually multiple tickets paid with the same single transaction, see links below for conditions) involves connection(s) to reach the final destination of that ticket, and one of the trains being late make you miss a connection then the train operator (SNCF) has to offer you to continue your travel, eventually through an alternative route, at no additional cost. If that delay or missed connection would make you at least 60 minutes late on your final destination you have additional assistance and accomodation rights, see EU rail passenger rights below.

Note that normally you can't just hop onboard some next mandatory-booking train with your original ticket: you have to exchange it first, and you probably won't get a guaranteed seat if the next train is already full. However if you are short in time you may try to negotiate access with a ticket inspector on the platform of the departing train.

Also note that non-pass holders travelling with a TGV or IC ticket normally can't board a TER (or any other train) with that ticket even if it's the same route. Same as above, though you are more likely to find a seat, and less likely to find the ticket inspector on the platform (but reach for them as soon as you see them, as you risk getting fined otherwise).

https://www.sncf-voyageurs.com/en/contact-us/in-case-of-delay/billet-direct/

https://www.ouigo.com/faq?question=ai-rate-ma-correspondance-cause-retard-mon-ouigo-que-prevoit-ougo

Stranded without accomodation in Rennes?

A popular option is to spend the night in nightclubs until the train service resumes, but that might not be workable on weekdays with luggage.

There are daily night coach services:

• by FlixBus, leaving Rennes at 03:20 and arriving in Brest at 08:05

• by BlaBlaCar Bus, leaving Rennes at 04:00 and arriving in Brest at 09:00

You can also search for a ride on the BlaBlaCar carpooling service, this is a popular route and there are usually many departures. A less capitalistic alternative (with AGPL3-licensed source code) is https://www.mobicoop.fr/ but it is also much less popular. If you are travelling with luggage, ask the driver if there will be enough room before booking the trip.

EU rail passenger rights and SNCF Travel Guarantee

Practical informations on Your Europe: https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/passenger-rights/rail/index_en.htm

SNCF commercial guarantee: https://www.sncf-voyageurs.com/en/contact-us/questions-and-answers/travel-guarantee/

Reference links:

• https://transport.ec.europa.eu/transport-themes/passenger-rights/rail-passenger-rights_en

• SNCF terms, conditions and fares:

  • in french (PDF, 172 pages)

  • in english (PDF, 166 pages, translation not legally binding)

  • Terms of Garantie Voyage SNCF (PDF, 6 pages, only available in french)

Travel tips

• sometimes (and actually fairly often with the trains that have more stops) you may manage to find places in "sold out" trains by booking separately successive legs in the same train, though you will pay more in booking fees. Note that you risk getting fined (though it's not clear how much for pass holders) for remaining onboard on a leg that you couldn't book.
• as part of the "we do like airlines" policies, sometimes the reverse happens: a shorter leg will appear as fully booked, but you might be able to find places for longer legs in the same train; whether you would be allowed to board at a later stop with such a booking is a research subject
• the (fairly terrible) SNCF Connect app has a notification feature that puts you on a waiting list and notifies you when places become available in a train (the feature is not available when the waiting list is full); once notified you will have a limited delay (2 hours down to 10 minutes as the departure date approachs) to buy a ticket

• the BreizhGo (Britanny) regional network has unlimited 2-days (55 €) and 7-days (110 €) passes that can be used by up to 5 persons (+2 children below 12) travelling together on the same pass; only the pass holder is named on the pass so any other person may join on any travel

• in the stations or onboard, in case you are witnessing incivilities (e.g. smoking onboard, noise disturbances, quarrels, threats, harassment) or health/safety incidents (e.g. abandoned item, medical emergency) call the 3117 or more discreetely send a SMS to 31117 (note the extra "1"); you may also download the "Alerte 3117" SNCF application that can send you current location along your messages but is not really stealthy with its large red banners and icons (though that may be an advantage in some situations); the SNCF has security staff on duty 24/7 that is trained to handle such cases and can work efficiently with law enforcement and emergency services (calling directly the 112, 17 or 15 is probably not going to be as efficient as you are literally a "moving target")
• keep an eye on your belongings, especially at or near stops, especially in or around Paris. Pickpocketing and stealing luggage are popular activities around some locations.
• to talk to a human representative of the SNCF customer service, normally available 7 days/08h-20h, call the IVR +33 1 8494 3635 (or short number 3635 from French networks only) then

  • to continue in english dial #85 then 1 and hope it doesn't hang up on you saying "the service is exceptionally closed"

  • to continue in french dial 2 1 3 1 * #

SNCF ticket machines tips and caveats

• interrail/eurail pass holders can buy reservations on the machines (se below); beware of rates as (1) the machine will show options for full fare tickets in addition to interrail/eurail booking fees and (2) if a regional train is part of the trip then the machine will add the cost of a regular ticket for that leg even though that's covered by interrail/eurail passes; in that case just change your origin/destination stations to only match the leg(s) with mandatory reservation(s).
• the ticket machines have a much more convenient and faster UI than most apps/websites (especially the terrible SNCF ones) to search for non-sold-out trains or legs.
• as part of the "voluntary inconveniences" policies SNCF ticket machines won't sell Ouigo (OTC/OGV) trains tickets

how to buy an interrail reservation at a SNCF vending machine

• At the main scren, change the language to English then tap “buy a ticket”
• tap “leave later” (unless you are looking for a reservation to travel now)
• tap “without logging”
• proceed with the choices (date and time, itinerary, number of passengers etc)
• when the machine asks “do you have a reduction or pass?” select “other” then pick “interrail or eurail”
• then pick the 3rd column “Alterable” fare and complete your transaction.

SNCF caveats

• onboard ticket inspectors cannot sell reservations or find a free seat for you (unless you have special needs); they can only fine you for not having a reservation in a mandatory reservation train
• especially in sold-out trains, you may lose the right to the place you booked if you are not sitting there/claiming it at the latest 15 minutes after boarding
• there is currently no known way to know which seats are not reserved in French trains

• on some SNCF websites, real-time schedules are displayed using browser time zone (which may be different from French legal time) and are not properly refreshed even when the page claims they are; Ctrl+F5 may be necessary

• all SNCF websites are walled by Cloudflare and/or others, and not accessible through tor and probably some locations. Captchas/JS/PoW may be required, and then required again.
• the SNCF Connect app will stop showing you prices and availability as a list after a few searches, which is extremely inconvenient when searching for a bookable train.
• the min/max trip cost feature on the SNCF Connect website is not available for all trips and can be inaccurate (e.g. it will display a max fare of 142 € for Lyon-Brest though the actual max is at least 231 €)

• more SNCF fun: https://www.sncf-connect.com/train/horaires/paris/massy (completely absurd itineraries)

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