Aashild81
Traveller
0 comments
Posted 5 years ago
We look at the possibility of traveling interrail this summer and wondering how it works with tickets and seating reservations. Can you use interrail tickets on all trains, even on the local trains? We are going from Nice to La Rochelle and along the coast of Normandy, maybe to the UK and taking fast trains from London to Paris. + a few days at Disneyland before we fly from Paris to Norway.
We want to see much of the coastline in Normandy, is it better with rental car?
Quenzon
Traveller
97 comments
Hi Aashild81,
"We look at the possibility of traveling interrail this summer and wondering how it works with tickets and seating reservations".
Great! Cool plan!
"Can you use interrail tickets on all trains, even on the local trains?"
Yes. Interrail is valid on all trains throughout France. However, it is NOT valid on urban transport/busses/metros and on the Paris "RER" rapid transit system. Reservations (cost: 10 Euros per train and person) must be purchased only for long-distance trains (TGV, Intercités) if traveling with an Interrail pass. Regional "TER" trains do not require a reservation, they can be used for free with a valid Interrail pass. TER/regional trains serve all major cities, including Nice, La Rochelle and the coast of Normandy. Expect to cover about a maximum of 300 to 400 km per day if you are using regional trains exclusively, as they are slower than TGV and Intercité trains.
The London-Paris Eurostar trains also require a reservation is traveling with an Interrail pass (cost: 30 Euros). Interrail is also valid on (nearly) all trains in the UK (with some minor exceptions like some airport trains). Only overnight sleeper trains within the UK require a reservation. See here for details: [ux]https://rail.cc/en/interrail-night-train/united-kingdom/uk[/ux]
Unfortunately, I don\'t drive, so I can\'t give you tips on road vs. rail along the coast of Normandy.
Have a nice trip!
Quenzon
Flo
Traveller
10723 comments
Hi and welcome to railcc!
There are very few trains to and along the coast of Normandy, going by rental car or local bus is much better. Using Interrail makes only sense for getting there and moving on to the next destination, not so much for local travel in Normandy.
Check out the map (some lines might have no service anymore): [ux]http://www.bueker.net/trainspotting/map.php?file=maps/france/france.gif[/ux]
Flo