Hi can anyone tell me anything about the rail system please, there is a train station in my town of Ruffec and was thinking instead of driving for a change catching the train, but want to know the schedule and price of tickets, say from there to la Rochelle, not sure what to look for thanks Helen

http://www.voyages-sncf.com/ is the sncf website for finding times and fares, it is a very good website.

French trains tend to run on time and be comfortable and generally better value than British rail, IMHO.

.... all SNCF stations have leaflets giving time-tables covering their particular network. The counter-clerk will tell you the price of tickets depending on time of year/week/day. If you are over 60 you can buy a Carte Sénior which gives about 50% reduction for a year.
The above link will also give the prices if you click on Rechercher rather than simply Horaires seuls, but you must enter a date and time as prices are different. You can have an idea of the price range, you aren't obliged to book on-line....
P.S. Remembering that you have two dogs and might want to take them with you, you pay half-price for each of them if they weigh over 5 kg (I believe).
P.P.S. Out of interest, I looked on the SNCF site and you'd do better to drive to La Rochelle! There's at least one change between Ruffec and la Rochelle, and the computer even suggests going up to Paris and back down again!

First find your counter clerk - more and more stations have the automated ticket machines now, where you can find trains, buy your ticket or pick up tickets you have pre-booked online.

Last time I asked a counter clerk she gave me wrong information - I'd worked out online that I could set off from Lisieux at about 2pm and get to Paris by about 5.30pm, so I turned up at the station just before 2 but unfortunately I hadn't written down the exact times, expecting the people at the station to know. She swore blind it wasn't possible and I would have to wait for the direct train at 4.30 - which meant I would miss my connection in Paris etc etc etc. Like a fool I believed her and had a nightmare journey as a result, but later on I checked online again and I had been right - I could have got a train to Caen to connect with the Caen-Paris express.

So I suggest, if you get info from a human, check it for yourself online.

Good afternoon Helen

If you wish to go to La Rochelle from Ruffec, you will have to change train in Poitiers station.

The first train to depart from Ruffec will be the 06.57 which will arrive in Poitiers at 07.44 then change for the 07.55 train and you will arrive in La Rochelle at 09.40am.

The following options are :

Depart Ruffec 08.02 / arrives Poitiers 08.45 -départs Poitiers 08.55 / arrives La Rochelle 10.34

Depart Ruffec 09.06 / arrives Poitiers 09.52 - départs Poitiers 11.55 / arrives La Rochelle 13.35

And for your return :

Depart La Rochelle 16.44 / arrives Poitiers 18.29 - départs Poitiers 19.16 / arrives Ruffec 19.53

A normal return ticket from Ruffec to La Rochelle will cost you 63.60 Euros.

And if you take the train quite regularly, I highly recommend the TER Poitou Charente Pass Loisir ( Leisure Rail Pass on the all trains circulating in the Poitou Charente area to the exception of the TGVs ) which costs 35 Euros for the year and will allow you to make great savings on train tickets throughout the year but also on shows and local attractions.

Here is a link to the TER Train Poitou Charente Leisure Pass :

http://www.ter-sncf.com/Regions/poit...tcm%3a30-43757

Bon voyage and do not hesitate to ring my bell if I can be of any further help !

Ruffec is also the station I travel to and from when I visit my home in the Poitou Charentes...

Karim

thank you for your most compehensive guide to the trains, did not realise it was so expensive though, we went to La Rochelle in the car but just thought it may be moe enjoyable by train,

I too am shocked at the cost of rail travel. For two travellers rail travel is uneconomical compared to driving. for one person it's just about a break even price.

One of the advantages of being over 60 (or under 30)! Béziers-Paris return at less than 100€ for example....

...but don't you have to purchase a card?
There is a budget TGV with limited routes at, for instance, Montpellier-Paris €10 euros on advance bookings. The Paris destination is at the Disneyworld station

Because I am not on any of the routes I cannot remember the name of the new service. It was a short word like Go or something similar.


Ah ha, found it
http://www.eurocheapo.com/blog/paris...n-service.html

Yes, the Carte Sénior costs about 50€ per year, but it pays for itself after the first trip. I'll have to look into the Ouigo thing, but we always go to the Gare de Lyon, not the Disney station.