train to Paris

[chocccie]

I'm looking to book a ticket from Limoges to Paris .. I guess the sooner I do it the cheaper it will be?

I can get an upgrade to first class for not too much more money ... is it worth it?  If anybody has travelled first class on this line (if indeed it differs from any other line) how does first class differ?  Is it just a slightly more comfy seat or is there anything else on offer?

Thanks

[babcock]

You must book at least one month in advance and not more than three. Ist class return is €60. The comfort is well worth it. You can do 2nd class for a bit less but the 1st class is much better.

[valB]

We took the train to Paris last  July and we travelled 2nd. class. Yes, the seats were there but it was very crowded and  not that comfy. It was a very quick journey though and I just slept most of they way. If we have to go again for any reason I will try 1st. class just to see what it is like as it does not appear to cost that much more as I think I paid around  40 euros.

[splishsplash]

[quote user="chocccie"]I'm looking to book a ticket from Limoges to Paris .. I guess the sooner I do it the cheaper it will be?

I can get an upgrade to first class for not too much more money ... is it worth it?  If anybody has travelled first class on this line (if indeed it differs from any other line) how does first class differ?  Is it just a slightly more comfy seat or is there anything else on offer?

Thanks

[/quote]

We have done this trip several times from Limoges to paris. As the previous posters have said, if you book it in advance (we do it on the net on the SNCF site) & then put our credit card in the yellow machine at Limoges station to get the tickets. you will get the Ist class seats at the same price of the second. It is well worth it, very comfortable, reclining seats, footrests etc. The trolley does the rounds with the drinks, food etc a couple of times during the three hour journey.

You have to cancel your ticket  in the special machine before you board the train & again at Austerlitz station for the return journey.

If you are sightseeing, it's well worth turning right out of Austerlitz station & walking down to the Seine. If you then turn left & walk along the river bank, you will come to the ticket office for the Bateau Bus. You can jump on & off the boat all day long for twelve euros & it stops at all the most popular places.

Have a good trip.

[Belle]

Sounds quite interesting this Paris trip, can you recommend somewhere to stay there, or did you come back later the same day.

[splishsplash]

[quote user="Belle"]Sounds quite interesting this Paris trip, can you recommend somewhere to stay there, or did you come back later the same day.[/quote]

We always return early evening. We do however get the early morning train at sixish, so that we can be in Paris for 9am & get a good day's sightseeing in.

We plan what we want to see on each trip, last time it was Les Invalides & the Tomb of Napoleon. Sometimes we take a picnic & sit in the gardens under the Eiffel Tower or on the banks of the Seine. If the weather's not good, we have a walk into the back streets & find a small brasserie to have lunch.

I would highly recommend the Batobus though as it's so convenient. It travels up & down the same stretch of the Seine all day & if your feet get tired, you can just hop back on at the nearest river stop & sit there until you are ready to go again.

We generally book the return train for around 5.30pm which gets us back into Limoges around 8pm & then we pick up our car from the station car park & are back home by 9pm.

I would like to do a Sunday trip & go & see the big flea market in Paris, but I reckon it will be heaving with people on that day & we really want to go to Orleans for a day as we passed through it but didn't have time to stop & it looks fabulous.

Our next trip in early Spring will be to the Louvre, but as it usually has long queues for the tickets, I will be booking them online first.

Should you want to stay over though, you'll find loads of small hotels online.