So much for trains

[bellinghman]

I was just attempting to get train fares for a journey from Sierre (Swiss Alps) to London.

Holy crap! How do they expect anyone to use trains? I can get from Sierre to Paris at a reasonable price - a very reasonable price for a direct TGV that takes 5:20. But that's no use whatsoever, if it then costs THREE TIMES AS MUCH for the Paris to London link, which is only 2:40.

</rant>

EDIT: Many thanks for the purpletigron/purplecthulhu's advice on getting round Eurostar.

EDIT: OK, I can do Sierre to Paris-Lyon for 113 CHF, if I buy it from the Swiss, and using the halbtax card. That's just under £48. And going via the "I am American" part of the Eurostar site allows me to buy the single/non-flexible fare at $89 each - which is roughly £45. That's compared to the insane £300+ it was trying to do me for originally for the Paris to London leg!

So, Swiss Alps to central London for £93 isn't too bad. I just wish it wasn't such an incredible hassle finding this all out. If I was a PA doing this, and factoring in the cost of my time, it'd be another matter.

EDIT: Ooops, forgot time zone differences. That was 2:40, not 1:40

Comments

[bellinghman.livejournal.com]

Naughty, naughty Feorag.

I assume you're flying to P-Con? (Says the man who booked the ferry tickets today.)

[feorag.livejournal.com]

Going by boat to P-Con isn't practical until I have a full driving licence. I did tell you my tale of woe when I tried to get to David Stewart's funeral by train, didn't I?

[bellinghman.livejournal.com]

Not yet.

My tale of woe was the fact that, though I had the car there, it had gone and died on me. Hence no going out with Diane and Peter for a meal down in Newbridge on Saturday, no taking ephiriel and slovobooks along to David's funeral on Monday.

Since a quarter of the car's total mileage was involved in getting to another funeral, I'm thinking there's a link there.

(Ah, new cars. If something is going to go wrong, it'll break either in the first few miles, or it should hold off for years. It's really rather annoying that it held off till we got to Co. Kildare.)

[feorag.livejournal.com]

Well, these three posts on the 14th October detail the saga as it unfolded.

[bellinghman.livejournal.com]

Ah, that was at the point when I was mainly using the web to try to work out how the hell to get an oversized mobile phone from Maynooth to Royston.

(Yes, the vehicle has its own phone SIM in it, for talking to the sat nav traffic computers. No, I have no idea of the number. Yes, I can use it to talk to someone. No, there's no option of who I talk to. Very weird. Go see Smartnav for more details, if you're really bored.)