FIP Spain - London

[Rodolfini]

Hi there! This Will be my first time using the FIP, as well as the discount card for my wife. We’re planning to do Badajoz - Madrid - Narbone - Toulouse on the 1st leg. I think we’ll have no issues on getting the tickets at the origin RENFE counter and then the Narbonne Toulouse on SNCF counter. 2nd leg will be Toulouse - Paris - London. Can we get the reservations up to London in Toulouse, or are we supposed to get the eurostar tickets in Paris?
After that we will be Back to Paris for a couple of days and then we need to get Back to Badajoz. How do you think it suits better for this? Direct TGV from Paris to Barcelona and then connection to Madrid/Badajoz, or are we supposed to do it differently in order to avoid overcharge on the leg París - Barcelona?

Thank you very much for your help and sugestions nice people.

 

[rvdborgt]

FIP Eurostar fares have a quota, so you'll want to book that in advance. Depending on the date, a few weeks or even longer in advance. IIRC Interrail availability is the same and availability on the day can be non-existent.

 

[185143]

FIP Eurostar fares have a quota, so you'll want to book that in advance. Depending on the date, a few weeks or even longer in advance. IIRC Interrail availability is the same and availability on the day can be non-existent.

Last time I used Eurostar from London (early June IIRC), there were signs up at the travel centre advising all services to Paris were fully booked that day. So it's not just Interrail availability that runs out!

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

FIP Coupons are not valid on the TGV Paris - Barcelona service for international journeys , but you are permitted to travel on it within France as far as Perpignan with a SNCF Coupon.

Another option for Paris - Madrid, of course, is via Hendaye / Irun.

 

[EuxtonNeutral]

Hi there! This Will be my first time using the FIP, as well as the discount card for my wife. We’re planning to do Badajoz - Madrid - Narbone - Toulouse on the 1st leg. I think we’ll have no issues on getting the tickets at the origin RENFE counter and then the Narbonne Toulouse on SNCF counter. 2nd leg will be Toulouse - Paris - London. Can we get the reservations up to London in Toulouse, or are we supposed to get the eurostar tickets in Paris?
After that we will be Back to Paris for a couple of days and then we need to get Back to Badajoz. How do you think it suits better for this? Direct TGV from Paris to Barcelona and then connection to Madrid/Badajoz, or are we supposed to do it differently in order to avoid overcharge on the leg París - Barcelona?

Thank you very much for your help and sugestions nice people.

In my experience you’re best off booking Eurostar via the Journey Request Form @ https://www.bookmyrst.co.uk/

Earlier the better.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Thursday at 20:16 ==

In my experience you’re best off booking Eurostar via the Journey Request Form @ https://www.bookmyrst.co.uk/

Earlier the better.

Although I don’t know if this is just a site for brits!

 

[TheWierdOne]

For booking Eurostar and TGV journeys on FIP I have found the SNCF phone line to be the easiest way, although it will cost you somewhat to call as it is a French number. There is an option for an English speaker to take your call if you press #85, although the staff do appreciate it if you can speak French and it sped up the process immensely when I started speaking French.

+33 1 84 94 36 35

They don’t accept Mastercard, visa or Amex only when I booked a couple of weeks ago.

 

[ricohallo]

Hi there! This Will be my first time using the FIP, as well as the discount card for my wife. We’re planning to do Badajoz - Madrid - Narbone - Toulouse on the 1st leg. I think we’ll have no issues on getting the tickets at the origin RENFE counter and then the Narbonne Toulouse on SNCF counter. 2nd leg will be Toulouse - Paris - London. Can we get the reservations up to London in Toulouse, or are we supposed to get the eurostar tickets in Paris?
After that we will be Back to Paris for a couple of days and then we need to get Back to Badajoz. How do you think it suits better for this? Direct TGV from Paris to Barcelona and then connection to Madrid/Badajoz, or are we supposed to do it differently in order to avoid overcharge on the leg París - Barcelona?

Thank you very much for your help and sugestions nice people.

I suggest taking a look on this website, which has a lot of information about travelling with FIP and how to obtain reservations: https://www.fipguide.org/en/

You should be able to get reservations for Badajoz - Madrid and the Madrid - Narbonne AVE at the counter in Badajoz, provided the trains are not fully booked. From Narbonne to Toulouse there are both local TER trains with no reservation required and cannot sell out or slightly faster Intercités trains which require a reservation that usually costs €2, obtainable at the counter in Narbonne or by calling SNCF, again provided the train is not fully booked.

Make reservations for Paris - London as soon as possible because Eurostar has a FIP quota and this can run out sometimes weeks in advance. You can book these at Eurostar ticket office at London St. Pancras or through one of the other options which are listed on the FIP guide website. It is advisable to book Toulouse - Paris in advance too by calling SNCF, there is no quota but trains do sell out.

For the return journey it is probably much cheaper to use the RENFE AVE train from Lyon to Madrid, as the SNCF TGV FIP reservations to Barcelona are very expensive (unless that has changed recently). Book Eurostar and a TGV to Lyon in advance, and book the AVE train from Lyon to Madrid before you leave Spain (e.g. at the counter in Badajoz), as there is no way to obtain reservations outside of Spain. You can buy them on the train when you board in France however, card payment accepted. Though if it's fully booked you might not have a seat or might not be able to travel at all (according to FIP guide you can generally still travel though even if it's fully booked).
An alternative is to take the TGV as far as Perpignan for the much lower domestic reservation fee and continue to Barcelona by regional trains changing in Port Bou, however I would recommend taking a TGV/AVE train.
You might also be able to save money by buying a FIP reservation to Perpignan and a public rate ticket from Perpignan to Barcelona, but this will probably require a change of seats and possibly trainset in Perpignan. Book the Madrid - Badajoz leg (and Barcelona - Madrid in case you take the TGV to Barcelona) in Badajoz if you can, you can do it too when you return to Spain but trains can sell out.

Hope this helps and have a great trip!

 

[Rodolfini]

I suggest taking a look on this website, which has a lot of information about travelling with FIP and how to obtain reservations: https://www.fipguide.org/en/

You should be able to get reservations for Badajoz - Madrid and the Madrid - Narbonne AVE at the counter in Badajoz, provided the trains are not fully booked. From Narbonne to Toulouse there are both local TER trains with no reservation required and cannot sell out or slightly faster Intercités trains which require a reservation that usually costs €2, obtainable at the counter in Narbonne or by calling SNCF, again provided the train is not fully booked.

Make reservations for Paris - London as soon as possible because Eurostar has a FIP quota and this can run out sometimes weeks in advance. You can book these at Eurostar ticket office at London St. Pancras or through one of the other options which are listed on the FIP guide website. It is advisable to book Toulouse - Paris in advance too by calling SNCF, there is no quota but trains do sell out.

For the return journey it is probably much cheaper to use the RENFE AVE train from Lyon to Madrid, as the SNCF TGV FIP reservations to Barcelona are very expensive (unless that has changed recently). Book Eurostar and a TGV to Lyon in advance, and book the AVE train from Lyon to Madrid before you leave Spain (e.g. at the counter in Badajoz), as there is no way to obtain reservations outside of Spain. You can buy them on the train when you board in France however, card payment accepted. Though if it's fully booked you might not have a seat or might not be able to travel at all (according to FIP guide you can generally still travel though even if it's fully booked).
An alternative is to take the TGV as far as Perpignan for the much lower domestic reservation fee and continue to Barcelona by regional trains changing in Port Bou, however I would recommend taking a TGV/AVE train.
You might also be able to save money by buying a FIP reservation to Perpignan and a public rate ticket from Perpignan to Barcelona, but this will probably require a change of seats and possibly trainset in Perpignan. Book the Madrid - Badajoz leg (and Barcelona - Madrid in case you take the TGV to Barcelona) in Badajoz if you can, you can do it too when you return to Spain but trains can sell out.

Hope this helps and have a great trip!

Thank you very much for all your tips. The website is very good and as I’ve found this fórum I took a chance to see also different ideas and opinions. i couldn’t find the Lyon Madrid at Renfe app, but I’ve found an Intercite de nuit from Paris to Toulouse and then a normal one to Narbonne and from there the connection to Madrid with the AVE from Marseille. I’m still waiting for the card and the couppons, do you know if I can make the reservations with sncf and for the Eurostar without a card number?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Thursday at 21:37 ==

In my experience you’re best off booking Eurostar via the Journey Request Form @ https://www.bookmyrst.co.uk/

Earlier the better.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Thursday at 20:16 ==


Although I don’t know if this is just a site for brits!

Thank you. I had a view but you’re right, it is for UK colleagues.

 

[rvdborgt]

Thank you very much for all your tips. The website is very good and as I’ve found this fórum I took a chance to see also different ideas and opinions. i couldn’t find the Lyon Madrid at Renfe app [...]

It's 1 daily AVE Lyon-Barcelona, leaving at 14:35.
There's another AVE Marseille-Madrid, with several stops in France and Spain.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

There is also a Paris (Austerlitz) to Cerbère 'Intercité de Nuit' service running on Friday nights only, calling at Narbonne if that is of any use.

 

[jack31439]

The earlier you can book the Renfe Badajoz - Madrid sections the better, as those trains of course can sell out too, to anyone wishing to travel, not just FIP. I found that out the hard way a couple of summers ago rocking up at the Counter in Badajoz intending to get on the next train available, which was 2 days away!

Looks like you'll be able to get all the sections you need however in advance though, so much simpler. Echo the previous comments too about cross border TGVs being expensive, was quoted north of €120 for Barcelona Madrid. Intercite Nuit or AVE are good options.

 

[ricohallo]

Thank you very much for all your tips. The website is very good and as I’ve found this fórum I took a chance to see also different ideas and opinions. i couldn’t find the Lyon Madrid at Renfe app, but I’ve found an Intercite de nuit from Paris to Toulouse and then a normal one to Narbonne and from there the connection to Madrid with the AVE from Marseille. I’m still waiting for the card and the couppons, do you know if I can make the reservations with sncf and for the Eurostar without a card number?

Yes you can, they don't need the number but you need to be able to show the card or coupons at the ticket check.

I thought the AVE from Lyon ran through to Madrid, but as @rvdborgt pointed out it actually only runs to Barcelona so you'd need to take another train from there to Madrid. Though if the night train works for you and you don't mind sharing the compartment then I'd say go for it! The FIP reservation fees are very reasonable for Intercités de Nuit and it saves you a hotel night. First class couchette compartments are shared by 4 people and second class is 6 people, on top of that I believe the first class compartments are slightly bigger/more comfortable. Private compartments are not offered at FIP rates as far as I know.

 

[AndrewE]

In my experience you’re best off booking Eurostar via the Journey Request Form @ https://www.bookmyrst.co.uk/

Although I don’t know if this is just a site for brits!

I just looked at that website - hadn't seen it before. It says 2 significant things:

We are experiencing unprecedented demand for booking enquiries. Although the service requires 3 weeks’ notice for any booking enquiry, over the last two years whilst booking volumes were low, booking enquiry requests have been responded with less than 3 weeks’ notice. The current volume means that it is no longer possible to respond to enquiries at short notice, so booking enquiries will only be responded to where the travel date is more than 3 weeks ahead.

and right at the bottom:

We'd like to specify that this site is only for the booking of your FIP train journeys. For anything related to your entitlement to book FIP Fares or administration thereof, please go to the Rail Staff Travel site by clicking here. https://www.raildeliverygroup.com/rst.html
...
PLEASE NOTE: we only issue FIP fares for active and retired members of UK rail staff.

 

[Rodolfini]

The earlier you can book the Renfe Badajoz - Madrid sections the better, as those trains of course can sell out too, to anyone wishing to travel, not just FIP. I found that out the hard way a couple of summers ago rocking up at the Counter in Badajoz intending to get on the next train available, which was 2 days away!

Looks like you'll be able to get all the sections you need however in advance though, so much simpler. Echo the previous comments too about cross border TGVs being expensive, was quoted north of €120 for Barcelona Madrid. Intercite Nuit or AVE are good options.

The Renfe bookings will have to get it on the day as we’re driving from Lisbon. Hope we can get it but it’s October, we will be lucky . I’ve found out the night train to be the best in our case because if we were leaving París in the morning we would lose the connection to the AVE from marseille for about 10m.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Friday at 10:34 ==

Yes you can, they don't need the number but you need to be able to show the card or coupons at the ticket check.

I thought the AVE from Lyon ran through to Madrid, but as @rvdborgt pointed out it actually only runs to Barcelona so you'd need to take another train from there to Madrid. Though if the night train works for you and you don't mind sharing the compartment then I'd say go for it! The FIP reservation fees are very reasonable for Intercités de Nuit and it saves you a hotel night. First class couchette compartments are shared by 4 people and second class is 6 people, on top of that I believe the first class compartments are slightly bigger/more comfortable. Private compartments are not offered at FIP rates as far as I know.

Thank you for the tips. Yes, I guess we will give it a try as we are also making this with out 4 year kid so by getting a comprtment it will be the full experience. I’ll try to call SNCF straight away. Thank you very much.

 

[ricohallo]

The Renfe bookings will have to get it on the day as we’re driving from Lisbon. Hope we can get it but it’s October, we will be lucky . I’ve found out the night train to be the best in our case because if we were leaving París in the morning we would lose the connection to the AVE from marseille for about 10m.

It is possible to pre-reserve seats by calling RENFE, where you get a booking code with which you can pay for and pick up your tickets at the counter within 72 hours after calling, but at least 24 hours before the train's departure. So I'd recommend calling RENFE about 72 hours before departure so you can make sure to get seats or have some time to make alternative travel plans in case the train is already sold out by then. I've personally tried this with the AVE from Figueres to Lyon and it worked fine, the only thing was that the price they quoted to me on the phone was wrong and I had to pay the higher (and correct) price at the counter in Lleida when picking up my tickets.

 

[Giugiaro]

FIP Coupons are not valid on the TGV Paris - Barcelona service for international journeys , but you are permitted to travel on it within France as far as Perpignan with a SNCF Coupon.

Another option for Paris - Madrid, of course, is via Hendaye / Irun.

Another option is to use FIP Coupons with Renfe, as AVE International to and from France accepts coupons.

 

[ricohallo]

Another option is to use FIP Coupons with Renfe, as AVE International to and from France accepts coupons.

The fares charged are usually the same for FIP card and FIP coupons though.

 

[Rodolfini]

I suggest taking a look on this website, which has a lot of information about travelling with FIP and how to obtain reservations: https://www.fipguide.org/en/

You should be able to get reservations for Badajoz - Madrid and the Madrid - Narbonne AVE at the counter in Badajoz, provided the trains are not fully booked. From Narbonne to Toulouse there are both local TER trains with no reservation required and cannot sell out or slightly faster Intercités trains which require a reservation that usually costs €2, obtainable at the counter in Narbonne or by calling SNCF, again provided the train is not fully booked.

Make reservations for Paris - London as soon as possible because Eurostar has a FIP quota and this can run out sometimes weeks in advance. You can book these at Eurostar ticket office at London St. Pancras or through one of the other options which are listed on the FIP guide website. It is advisable to book Toulouse - Paris in advance too by calling SNCF, there is no quota but trains do sell out.

For the return journey it is probably much cheaper to use the RENFE AVE train from Lyon to Madrid, as the SNCF TGV FIP reservations to Barcelona are very expensive (unless that has changed recently). Book Eurostar and a TGV to Lyon in advance, and book the AVE train from Lyon to Madrid before you leave Spain (e.g. at the counter in Badajoz), as there is no way to obtain reservations outside of Spain. You can buy them on the train when you board in France however, card payment accepted. Though if it's fully booked you might not have a seat or might not be able to travel at all (according to FIP guide you can generally still travel though even if it's fully booked).
An alternative is to take the TGV as far as Perpignan for the much lower domestic reservation fee and continue to Barcelona by regional trains changing in Port Bou, however I would recommend taking a TGV/AVE train.
You might also be able to save money by buying a FIP reservation to Perpignan and a public rate ticket from Perpignan to Barcelona, but this will probably require a change of seats and possibly trainset in Perpignan. Book the Madrid - Badajoz leg (and Barcelona - Madrid in case you take the TGV to Barcelona) in Badajoz if you can, you can do it too when you return to Spain but trains can sell out.

Hope this helps and have a great trip!

Hi again. I’ve got all the SNCF tickets but they don’t sell the Eurostar. Been surfing the FIPguide website upside down, contacted Eurostar, they gave me a contact for bookmyrst but they’re not answering, so left an email with the bookings we need. Also sent an email to trainseurope but as is Saturday I guess I’ll have to wait. Do you have any other idea on how to get the Eurostar tickets?

 

[TheWierdOne]

Hi again. I’ve got all the SNCF tickets but they don’t sell the Eurostar. Been surfing the FIPguide website upside down, contacted Eurostar, they gave me a contact for bookmyrst but they’re not answering, so left an email with the bookings we need. Also sent an email to trainseurope but as is Saturday I guess I’ll have to wait. Do you have any other idea on how to get the Eurostar tickets?

Calling the SNCF number I posted should work. I can confirm they will book Eurostar tickets on FIP fares on that line, as I did just that about a week ago.

 

[ricohallo]

Calling the SNCF number I posted should work. I can confirm they will book Eurostar tickets on FIP fares on that line, as I did just that about a week ago.

I've seen mixed reports about it, maybe it depends on the customer service agent. I'd suggest trying to call SNCF again and if they still won't book it then try calling NS International (+31 30 23 000 23) or CFL (+352 2489 2489).
NS charges €7.50 per person but they do state that they do not charge for tickets not available online or in the ticket machine (https://www.nsinternational.com/en/where-to-buy/telephone-nsinternational-service-center), so if they want to charge it kindly remind them of that and they may waive it after.
CFL charges €5 per booking, but you have to email them a photo of your FIP card during the call. NS International does not ask for any of that, just mention you have a FIP International Reduced Rate Card or a FIP coupon.

 

[TheWierdOne]

I've seen mixed reports about it, maybe it depends on the customer service agent. I'd suggest trying to call SNCF again and if they still won't book it then try calling NS International (+31 30 23 000 23) or CFL (+352 2489 2489).
NS charges €7.50 per person but they do state that they do not charge for tickets not available online or in the ticket machine (https://www.nsinternational.com/en/where-to-buy/telephone-nsinternational-service-center), so if they want to charge it kindly remind them of that and they may waive it after.
CFL charges €5 per booking, but you have to email them a photo of your FIP card during the call. NS International does not ask for any of that, just mention you have a FIP International Reduced Rate Card or a FIP coupon.

I didn’t have any issues with using the SNCF line, although it did help that I speak fluent French which made things move a bit faster. That said the English skill of the person I spoke to would be more than sufficient had I not spoken French.

 

[Rodolfini]

Calling the SNCF number I posted should work. I can confirm they will book Eurostar tickets on FIP fares on that line, as I did just that about a week ago.

I’ll try again on Monday, the lady was pretty helpful and we could manage everything in English but to Eurostar she gave me that number I told before and they also were unable to sell and gave me another contact which was not responding today. Also I think there is something wrong as the final tickets from Toulouse to narbonne, are costing me 29€ on a lio train while the o one on the first day to Toulouse was 2€. I’ll check again on Monday and pray for the Eurostar as we already have the hotels . Thank you very very much once again

 

[ricohallo]

I’ll try again on Monday, the lady was pretty helpful and we could manage everything in English but to Eurostar she gave me that number I told before and they also were unable to sell and gave me another contact which was not responding today. Also I think there is something wrong as the final tickets from Toulouse to narbonne, are costing me 29€ on a lio train while the o one on the first day to Toulouse was 2€. I’ll check again on Monday and pray for the Eurostar as we already have the hotels . Thank you very very much once again

If the €29 ticket is for you, and you're travelling on a FIP coupon, then you don't need a seperate ticket for it and you should cancel it. You only need a ticket for the Lio train (which is a regional TER train) if you are travelling with the FIP discount card in which case you get a ticket with 50% or 75% off (depending on what you're entitled to with your FIP card), unless there are cheaper promotional tickets which have no additional discount.

The €2 ticket is a reservation only which you need in addition to a FIP coupon when you travel on an Intercités train. For travel with a FIP card you need a 50% or 75% discounted ticket (which has the reservation included) instead of just the reservation.

 

[Rodolfini]

If the €29 ticket is for you, and you're travelling on a FIP coupon, then you don't need a seperate ticket for it and you should cancel it. You only need a ticket for the Lio train (which is a regional TER train) if you are travelling with the FIP discount card in which case you get a ticket with 50% or 75% off (depending on what you're entitled to with your FIP card), unless there are cheaper promotional tickets which have no additional discount.

The €2 ticket is a reservation only which you need in addition to a FIP coupon when you travel on an Intercités train. For travel with a FIP card you need a 50% or 75% discounted ticket (which has the reservation included) instead of just the reservation.

Sure, I guess with was a mistake and I’ll try to manage it on Monday when I call them for the Eurostar, I have only noticed when the tickets were already at the app. Thank you very much for all the helpful advices

 

[ricohallo]

Sure, I guess with was a mistake and I’ll try to manage it on Monday when I call them for the Eurostar, I have only noticed when the tickets were already at the app. Thank you very much for all the helpful advices

You're welcome! Hopefully you'll be able to get it all sorted on Monday.