In article <[email protected] .com>,
[email protected] () wrote:

    > Can I buy the tickets at the train station in Geneva?

Unless it is absolutely crucial that you travel on a train that departs at
a particular time, I wouldn't bother ordering them in advance.

----------------------------------------------
The poster formerly known as [email protected].

I guess the problem is that SNCF is France-based, so you cannot pick up
sncf tickets at a Swiss station. When you choose France as your
residence on the sncf web site, you do have the option to pick up the
tickets at a French station (warning for non-French credit card holders:
you'll have to pick the tickets at the booth, only French credit cards
can be used in the sncf machines)

Since you're leaving from Geneva, I guess you should try the Swiss
railways although ordering on line does not seem straightforward:
https://www.sbb.ch/mct/wi/shop/b2c/adw.do?2669
"For international price inquiries: answering time 3–4 days. We
apologize for any inconveniences."
"Ordering / Price information for an international journey

Select the desired journey from the online timetable and then enter the
required information. The SBB Contact Centre will inform you as soon as
possible via e-mail. Afterwards you can view the offers and order your
ticket. You can also summarise several connections in one enquiry (e.g.
for single and return journeys). However these connections cannot be
ordered individually. Otherwise you need to create an indivdual enquiry
for every connection.
First search for the desired journey in the timetable. After clicking on
"Booking" you will be taken to the order/price enquiry form"

Good luck
/mld
Mara a écrit :
    > "Mara" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    >
    >>First one is the one you'll need. Then just fill the name and address and
    >
    > on
    >
    >>the last page you'll pay the order.
    >
    >
    > Maybe your destination is not valid for the printed ticket option. SNCF web
    > page has this notice:
    >
    > "Le Billet Imprimé® n'est pas disponible sur certaines destinations : seul
    > l'envoi par courrier est alors proposé sur la page de confirmation. "
    >
    >

"Magda" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Of course you can buy tickets at the station! You only need to book/buy
them in advance if
    > you need a berth or if the train is like the Thalys or other TGVs.

Or if you want to have a lot cheaper price. Of course this depends about the
connection but at least TGVs departing from Geneva are lot cheaper if you
buy the tickets in advance from SNCF.

"Martin Theodor Ludwig" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > On Sat, 24 Sep 2005 16:20:12 +0200, "Mara" <[email protected]>
    > wrote:
    > Are you sure that this was not French Francs (i.e. around 22 Euros)? It
    > is still pretty common in France that prices are shown in EUR *and* FF.

I'm absolutely sure that the price was in Swiss Francs.

I decided to prove it to you but just noticed that SNCF has removed that
option. At the moment you can only get the tickets by mail or print them
yourself. That makes sense because it didn't make any sense to choose the
pick up option because it was more expensive and requires that you'll go to
the train station to get the tickets.

Where did you see them give you an option? Is there a box to check? I
did not see one.

Drew

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] oups.com...
    > Where did you see them give you an option? Is there a box to check? I
    > did not see one.

I choose Spain as a country of residence.

There are five phases: Recherche, Résultats, Votre choix, Commande and
Confirmation.

Fourth page (Commande) gives these options:
Confirmez votre commande en payant en ligne et choisissez de :
Imprimez votre billet vous-même pour gagner du temps et gagner 35
points
Recevoir votre billet gratuitement par courrier
et gagner 35 points



First one is the one you'll need. Then just fill the name and address and on
the last page you'll pay the order.

"Mara" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > First one is the one you'll need. Then just fill the name and address and
on
    > the last page you'll pay the order.

Maybe your destination is not valid for the printed ticket option. SNCF web
page has this notice:

"Le Billet Imprimé® n'est pas disponible sur certaines destinations : seul
l'envoi par courrier est alors proposé sur la page de confirmation. "

On 24 Sep 2005 13:08:05 -0700, [email protected] wrote:

    >My only reason for not having them sent to my house is becuase I don't
    >think they will arrive in time. Today is the 24th and I am departing
    >for Geneva on the 4th (I live in Barcelona).
    >Can I buy the tickets at the train station in Geneva? Or do I have to
    >buy them ahead of time. I do not understand the system.

When I ordered tickets from sncf, I got them in about a week, although
I suppose there's no guarantee of that.
--
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup

[email protected] wrote:

    > Hello,
    >
    > I live in Barcelona and I am planning to fly into Geneva on October 4th
    > and would like to take the train to Grenoble.
    >
    > I do not understand the website. I do not want tickets delivered to my
    > home in Barcelona but would like to pick them up at station in Geneva.
    > The website will not let me move forward in my online booking unless I
    > give them my mailing address for sending the tickets to my home.

Ordering tickets from SNCF and picking them up at the station only works for
French stations AFAIK.

For Geneva - Grenoble there is no real reason to buy the tickets in advance.
The ticket will cost the same wether you buy it a week, a day or ten
seconds before departure.

--
/<rist

I just want to make sure I get on the train. So, you're suggesting
that I can buy the tickets by the station at the Geneva Airport? I
have never used this system before but I assumed it was like buying a
plane ticket and you had to order ahead and could do it online.

Drew

On 25 Sep 2005 13:17:00 -0700, in rec.travel.europe, [email protected] arranged some
electrons, so they looked like this :

... I just want to make sure I get on the train. So, you're suggesting
... that I can buy the tickets by the station at the Geneva Airport? I
... have never used this system before but I assumed it was like buying a
... plane ticket and you had to order ahead and could do it online.

You can *board the train* and buy the tickets in there, even.

Why don't you ask a travel agent near you? There must be one who will give you all the
info and reassurance you need.

I see your point and appreciate your help. The problem is I don't
speak Spanish or Catalan (I've only been here a month or two).
Barcelona is a cosmopolitan city but people here do not in general
speak english. Not that I mind but it makes doing some basic tasks
very prohibitive.

Drew

On Sun, 25 Sep 2005, dab722 wrote:

    > I just want to make sure I get on the train. So, you're suggesting
    > that I can buy the tickets by the station at the Geneva Airport? I
    > have never used this system before but I assumed it was like buying a
    > plane ticket and you had to order ahead and could do it online.

Trains in Europe are like inter-city buses in Canada. You buy a ticket and
go in. Tickets are not for a specific departure, but for a journey in
general.

Some trains require reservations, and you should have a reservation if you
absolutely must be in a seat on a specific train. (You can stand even if
the train is full.) I don't usually bother with reservations.

You might get a rebate if you buy in advance, however.

--
Yves Bellefeuille
<[email protected]>
"mi dau're g'enas vin, sed kiun alian mi g'enu?" -- Renato Corsetti

On 25 Sep 2005 15:06:11 -0700, in rec.travel.europe, [email protected] arranged some
electrons, so they looked like this :

... I see your point and appreciate your help. The problem is I don't
... speak Spanish or Catalan (I've only been here a month or two).
... Barcelona is a cosmopolitan city but people here do not in general
... speak english. Not that I mind but it makes doing some basic tasks
... very prohibitive.

Who are the people you don't expect to speak English? People working at train stations?
Those working in travel agencies? Controllers?

<[email protected]> a écrit dans le message de
news:[email protected] oups.com...
    > I just want to make sure I get on the train. So, you're suggesting
    > that I can buy the tickets by the station at the Geneva Airport? I
    > have never used this system before but I assumed it was like buying a
    > plane ticket and you had to order ahead and could do it online.
No, only tickets for very fast or very long/overnight journeys need to be
bought in advance. The rest can and usually are bought at the departure
station shortly (15 - 20mins) before starting the journey.

But note in the case of Geneva the big rail station underneath the airport
is the terminus for trains heading for/arriving from elsewhere in
Switzerland via Geneva Cornavin station, but NOT for trains to/from stations
in France. Most of the latter terminate in Geneva Cornavin station, a few
minutes' ride from the Airport station. And IIRC for most travellers to/from
France, Cornavin station can be regarded as a SNCF station (with a separate
SNCF ticket/reservation office). To reach the SNCF trains, you have to
perform the customs/immigration formalities (now usually, but not always,
pretty cursory), so allow at least 15 minutes for the connection there.

Regards,

- Alan (in Brussels)