So much for trains
Jan. 7th, 2007 05:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bellinghmanI 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![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
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
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
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Re: Actually from purplecthulhu, busy on another line
Date: 2007-01-07 08:56 pm (UTC)If you talk to someone at Eurostar UK they are now advising people to book and pay in dollars since their own native currency prices are so high. When we lived in france and travelled the other way it was much cheaper since we benefitted from the SNCF subsidies. That's another possibility in fact - book a return from Paris through the french site, and throw away the return.
Re: Actually from purplecthulhu, busy on another line
Date: 2007-01-07 09:16 pm (UTC)I think I need a professional travel wrangler. I'm beginning to think the train companies are deliberately trying to confuse their passengers. At the moment, I think they're winning. And thereby losing my custom.
(And I'd been to Seat61 earlier.)
Re: Actually from purplecthulhu, busy on another line
Date: 2007-01-07 09:39 pm (UTC)More research underway...
Re: Actually from purplecthulhu, busy on another line
Date: 2007-01-07 09:52 pm (UTC)Clear out all cookies your browser has stored from Eurostar, and when you connect to them you get a page that asks which country you are a resident of. Choose US at this point (or I guess Canada) and all your prices are in dollars and are, I think, cheaper. Select 'collect at station' for your way of getting tickets, and nobody will know you don't live in the USA (or wherever).
Re: Actually from purplecthulhu, busy on another line
Date: 2007-01-07 10:19 pm (UTC)