Rail Europe

Wanted to pass on a very bad experience I had this past week by booking my Eurostar tickets (Paris to London) with Rail Europe on the internet prior to my trip to Paris. I paid $300 inadvance but when I got to the train in Paris they would not accept the Rail Europe reservation code. I had to repurchase the tickets again at the gate for another $300. Now home, Rail Europe will not refund any portion of my orignal $300 charge. I don%26#39;t recommend anyone use this service but book directly with Euro Star and get a confirmation code from them which is recognized at the gate.

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Did you get a ticket or simply a code from RailEurope? I got a ticket, but perhaps you%26#39;re alluding to the code on the ticket. I%26#39;m worried now as I%26#39;m leaving in less than two weeks.... Do you or does anyone know of a number one could call to ensure that my tickets will work?

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Tenveux - I only had the reservation code with me in Paris and Eurostar did not honor the reservation.

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I never had problems with Rail Europe and I used their services 3 times so far. Furthermore the last time I bought a pass through them I goofed by 1st buying single tickets then found out I could use a Saver Pass. I emailed them, they called me and they cancelled the 1st order at no extra charge.

Dnorthi: you did not receive any tickets at your place?

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Sorry about your unfortunate experience. RailEurope is the US train ticket booking agency for different trains such as Eurostar and the French rail, SNCF for example. However, RailEurope inflates its prices. If you book directly online with the rail company you need it%26#39;s much cheaper. These days you can pay online and it%26#39;s many times possible to print your tickets online too. I used RE once four years ago but have not used them since. I booked my train tickets online instead.

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Everybody knows Rail Europe must make profit and they make it on individual tickets. If you want train passes like France Saver pass for instance you must get it through them.

I was told by my travel agent that they buy through them anyway and I would save the 35$ service charge she would charge me if I would get the pass myself on Rail Europ website. So now that%26#39;s what I do and I don%26#39;t even bother to ask my travel agent anymore...

Like any website read all the tiny characters, especially the sales conditions part.

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I actually did this exact same trip about 6 months ago and bought my tickets through Rail Europe and didn%26#39;t have any problem. The thing is that I had physical paper tickets delivered to me, and I definitely needed that to board the train. I know what your talking about when you say %26quot;confirmation code%26quot; but I think what you are refering to is just Rail Europe%26#39;s booking ID. Just as an FYI to anyone doing train travel in Europe (I do this a lot), they haven%26#39;t really started doing e-ticketing yet and almost every train requires some kind of paper ticket still.

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I was wondering what the advantage is to buying the train ticket ahead of time from the US over the internet? It seems there are all kinds of snags. Would it be recommended to purchase the ticket when in Paris rather than online?

Thanks,

Deb

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Deb, many times you really should book in advance because trains sell out (especially at busy times of the year).

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Well of course if you forgot your Eurostar tkt at home and needed to buy new tkt , It%26#39;s your fault not RailEurope%26#39;s... Next time buy a refundable tkt...

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Another bad story about Rail Europe. Quelle surprise!

Book tickets direct with the train company, not a third party who%26#39;s not only going to take a chunk of your Dollars for sending an email, then mess up.