Are you planning to go home for the Christmas holidays? Or to visit your family somewhere in France? Since this morning, the reservation of SNCF train tickets for the Christmas and New Year holidays is open.
The rail group has just announced that reservations for TGC inOui and Intercités are now possible until January 2, 2023. For the low-cost Ouigo range, French people can reserve their place even until July 7, 2023. As for TGVs international (United Kingdom, Spain, Switzerland…), they can always be booked up to 6 months in advance.
Since this Wednesday, October 5, 2023 at 5:45 a.m., it is therefore possible to put an option or buy a train ticket for the end of the year period. If you had planned a return during the month of January, you will have to wait for the next sales opening next November.
From now on, book your train tickets to spend the holidays with your loved ones 😍🎄
➡️ https://t.co/Euh8phsmtK pic.twitter.com/89bbYNcjyB— SNCF Connect (@SNCFConnect) October 5, 2022
Strong demand, rising prices
Every year, the SNCF trains that run during the Christmas holidays are taken by storm… and prices soar. While the price of train tickets has increased by 15% since January according to INSEE (study published in July), it would not be surprising to see at least a similar increase for the end of the year.
Luckily, all inOui train tickets are exchangeable and refundable free of charge up to 3 days before departure. In the two days preceding the trip, a deduction of 15 euros per person applies. If you are planning to leave for Christmas or New Year, it is in your best interest to reserve your place now. The SNCF reservation service (SNCF Connect) is experiencing some slowness this morning, without being interrupted.
Besides, you should also know that the SNCF is known for offering dynamic pricing (yield). This automated system allows him to vary the price of train tickets in real time according to criteria such as supply and demand, anticipation, etc. If you reload the same search page several times, it is very likely that the price will increase by a few euros.
The great advantage of TGV Ouigo is that they are cheaper. On a Paris – Strasbourg journey, the seat costs 69 euros for a departure at 10.08 a.m. on Friday December 23 in the morning. Its equivalent by TGV inOui at 9:25 a.m. (or 10:55 a.m.) is displayed at 107 euros. On the other hand, it will be necessary to know how to be satisfied with a more limited comfort with in particular the absence of car bar, a single class or even luggage in supplement.
The other disadvantage of the Ouigo TGVs is that they cannot be canceled or refunded: you must therefore aim straight to avoid regretting your purchase. However, the SNCF group allows you to modify certain parameters (date, station, name, etc.) for an additional fee.
Source: Presse-Citron
I am a technology author with 8 years of experience in journalism. My writing covers the latest technology advancements and trends, drawing on my expertise in news journalism and social media platforms. I have contributed to major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Reuters.
