Intercites de Nuit + Espace Privatif + Bikes?

[4COR]

Looking at booking a cycle break with my wife down in the south of France.

To save days of holiday, we'd like to get to Paris Austerlitz -> Toulouse sleeper (the Intercites de Nuit), ideally with the "Espace Privatif" option (so to get the whole compartment to ourselves). This option means you need to book 1st class: Great, except: if you book 1st class, you can't also book the mandatory cycle reservation for the journey (we'd be travelling with bikes in boxes as per Eurostar requirements).

Anyone any idea on how on earth you'd book such a ticket? I can't see anything on any website on how you'd do this...?

 

[monxton]

It's so frustrating trying to travel with bikes. Are you saying that you will have somehow crossed Paris with your bikes still boxed? Because it looks like if you buy your tickets on the SNCF site, then it will let you book 1st class with a boxed bike, though you still can't with a fully-assembled bike.

I don't see why they would even care if you have booked a whole compartment, because you are not inconveniencing anybody else if you have your boxes in there with you. But I know that doesn't help you.

 

[4COR]

A-ha! I hadn't planned to do both parts in boxes, but I suppose if we put them in hardshell travel boxes then we could do it that way - I have one, my wife doesn't, but we could borrow one perhaps. (A great opportunity to really annoy the Parisiens on Metro Ligne 5... ).

Interesting that you don't get the distinction on the trainline booking engine which is where I was trying it - but yes, quite right, it does work on the SNCF one. Thanks for the pointer

 

[monxton]

I wasn't recommending that as a solution, it was just that I read your post as saying that your bikes would be in boxes. I think it would be really difficult trying to get boxes and panniers across Paris on the Metro, and I know it's easy and quite fun to cycle from the Gare du Nord to Austerlitz, which is just across the river from the Gare de Lyon.

Here's another idea - I know people have done this successfully, though I haven't tried it myself. Stick to the second class, and make your own Espace Privatif by taking some phantom children with you to occupy the other couchettes.

 

[4COR]

I've done a boxed bike in the metro before on that journey (no panniers!!), It was _OK_ (but at lunchtime rather than in the evening peak). I also had no other luggage with me other than a small rucksack...

 

[Alfonso]

Could you get rid of the boxes by not taking Eurostar? Overnight ferry or the Eurotunnel bike service for example then domestic french trains to Paris? I don't know the rules for taking bikes from the channel ports to Paris but I'd imagine they're less restrictive on Ter /intercites trains. It will take a few hours longer but not days

 

[4COR]

TERs are reservation free - first come first served for the places they have. The Intercités need reservations for unboxed bikes (but not boxed). For Calais -> Paris TER, there's therefore no reservation needed, but it looks like about a 3h journey.

So, that's in addition to the extra London->Folkestone travel time (1hr by HS1, another 30min slower by the old route), and the transfer and crossing on the Eurotunnel (pickup from Folkestone Holiday Inn, drop off the other side, etc...) that it's going to take (I guess) somewhere about 3 times longer than a 2h20m-ish Eurostar, and possibly not that much cheaper.

The idea of getting the sleeper was to save holiday by sleeping while travelling since we only want to go for a few days trip, but here, I'll land up losing way more holiday time in travelling. I'm less worried about taking the bikes in the boxes, as knowing that I can actually book a ticket for us int he first place

 

[monxton]

Could you get rid of the boxes by not taking Eurostar? Overnight ferry or the Eurotunnel bike service for example then domestic french trains to Paris? I don't know the rules for taking bikes from the channel ports to Paris but I'd imagine they're less restrictive on Ter /intercites trains. It will take a few hours longer but not days

Yes, I have taken the TERs from Le Havre and Caen to Paris, and can confirm that they are bike-friendly, with no reservation necessary or possible. But that doesn't help the OP, whose problems are on the onward leg from Paris.

 

[erk]

Don't forget that you can take a fully assembled, unboxed, bike on Eurostar. You need to book it in advance (and it's not very cheap), but it's efficient in my experience.

Setting off from the Gare du Nord to cycle to the Gare de Lyon or wherever is the most exciting part of the holdiay...

 

[4COR]

Yes - I'm fully aware. But it's the sleeper that's he issue - you can't book unboxed, assembled bikes in 1st class which is needed for the Espace Privatif.