European Rail Travel - Buy German tix on SNCF, collect in Germany?

Trying to book a Dresden-Prague and Vienna-Salzburg ticket on SNCF. When it gives you the option to pick the ticket up at the station, does that mean an SNCF station only, or can you pick it up at the German station you're traveling from?

I would order from bahn.de but the exchange/refund/pricing terms are more favorable on SNCF.

Thanks-

When it gives you the option to pick the ticket up at the station, does that mean an SNCF station only, or can you pick it up at the German station you're traveling from?
I am fairly sure that you can only collect SNCF-issued tickets from SNCF machines (and DB-issued tickets from DB machines, etc). And I assume that SNCF will not offer you a self-print ticket for these routes.

Trying to book a Dresden-Prague and Vienna-Salzburg ticket on SNCF.
I would book Dresden-Prague on bahn.de (http://www.bahn.de) and Vienna-Salzburg on oebb.at (http://www.oebb.at)

I would order from bahn.de but the exchange/refund/pricing terms are more favorable on SNCF.
I am very surprised! I thought that SNCF would only offer full-fare tickets for routes outside of France, so how on earth is it offering you a more favourable option than DB or OEBB!?

I am very surprised! I thought that SNCF would only offer full-fare tickets for routes outside of France, so how on earth is it offering you a more favourable option than DB or OEBB!?Via SNCF, you can purchase the Dresden-Prague tickets for 41 euro each, 100% exchangeable anytime before travel, 50% after ticket date. Via DB, it's 32 euro each for a completely non-change non-refundable ticket, or 62 euro for one that can be exchanged or refunded.

Based on the inability to lock down where you can pick up the tickets, SNCF doesn't look like a safe way to buy them. With DB, you can get tickets that you can print remotely... a significant convenience! Especially since this is my brother's trip, not mine, and while I'm willing to put up with things going not-quite-right as part of the fun of traveling, his wife might not. :D

Via SNCF, you can purchase the Dresden-Prague tickets for 41 euro each, 100% exchangeable anytime before travel, 50% after ticket date. Via DB, it's 32 euro each for a completely non-change non-refundable ticket, or 62 euro for one that can be exchanged or refunded.
I'm confused. For one person, one-way (with no discount cards, etc), I see:
On www.voyages-sncf.com :
- Full fare €41.80 (100% changeable before departure; 50% refundable after departure)

On bahn.de (http://bahn.de) :
- Europa-Spezial from €19 (restricted to a specific train; cancellable for €15 fee minimum of 24hrs before departure; non-cancellable after that)
- Full fare €32.80 (valid on any train; 100% changeable before departure; €15 to change/cancel after departure)

Are you looking at only 1 passenger on SNCF, and 2 on DB? (Although even with that, I can't get quite the same amounts you quote...)

Vienna-Salzburg ticketYou can take the "Westbahn" just hop on the Train and you buy the Ticket in the Train. Please note there is a fee for Luggage!

I'm confused. For one person, one-way (with no discount cards, etc), I see:
On www.voyages-sncf.com :
- Full fare €41.80 (100% changeable before departure; 50% refundable after departure)

On bahn.de (http://bahn.de) :
- Europa-Spezial from €19 (restricted to a specific train; cancellable for €15 fee minimum of 24hrs before departure; non-cancellable after that)
- Full fare €32.80 (valid on any train; 100% changeable before departure; €15 to change/cancel after departure)

Are you looking at only 1 passenger on SNCF, and 2 on DB? (Although even with that, I can't get quite the same amounts you quote...)You're likely not as confused as I am. There could be issues with when I was looking at the fare on one site vs the other. I also might have misunderstood the cancellation charge on the bahn.de site.

The most-intersting observation is that it makes sense to book the latest train because there's no penalty switching to an earlier one (on the full fare ticket). Why would one book anything but the last train of the day (assuming they don't fill up)?

The most-intersting observation is that it makes sense to book the latest train because there's no penalty switching to an earlier one (on the full fare ticket). Why would one book anything but the last train of the day (assuming they don't fill up)?
The wording on the full-fare tickets is "15€ entgelt für umtausch/erstattung ab 1. Geltungstag", which translates as "15€ fee to change/cancel from 1st day of validity". I think this means you can change it free of charge on the day of travel (ie: at any time that day), but have to pay 15€ if you change it the day after travel, or later. However, I have no direct experience of using this clause.

AFAIK, full-fare tickets are valid on any train that day. You can make a reservation if you want - but even if you buy the ticket and reservation at the same time, the reservation is technically separate, and doesn't tie you to using that train. So, you could book an earlier train but use a later one that day. (Unlike the SparPreis / Europa-Spezial tickets, where you must use the booked train).

And yes, some trains do fill up - in terms of seat reservations and cheap tickets, but not full fare tickets. If you have a full-fare ticket, I think in theory you can always board a train (unless it's "reservations only", but not many trains in Germany are) although you won't be guaranteed a seat. In practice, there are a few, apparently very rare, occasions when trains are so overfull, the crew have to stop people boarding - see Passengers paid 25 euros not to go to the seaside (http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,15024944,00.html?) for an example from last year.

If I'm only travelling a short distance (or think I am likely to miss the specific connection anyway) I generally don't bother with seat reservations. If I am going long distance, then I tend to get a seat reservation, to be sure of having somewhere to sit. (And if you reserve in advance, you can often get a table of 4, which are always the first to be taken once people get on the train).

The wording on the full-fare tickets is "15€ entgelt für umtausch/erstattung ab 1. Geltungstag", which translates as "15€ fee to change/cancel from 1st day of validity". I think this means you can change it free of charge on the day of travel (ie: at any time that day), but have to pay 15€ if you change it the day after travel, or later. However, I have no direct experience of using this clause.


Slight correction here: You can change or cancel the ticket free of charge before the first day of validity indicated on the ticket (i.e. regardless of when you actually travel).

On and after that day, changes or cancellations incur a € 15 fee.

You can take the "Westbahn" just hop on the Train and you buy the Ticket in the Train. Please note there is a fee for Luggage!

Unless I'm completely misreading their web site there is no charge for ordinary luggage - i.e., suitcases weighing up to 20 kg.

Beware, though, if you are sensitive to cigarette smoke - Westbahn is about to reintroduce smoking carriages.

https://westbahn.at/sonstiges/agbs/allg-tarifbestimmungen/
7. Beförderung von über zwei Gepäckstücken und Großgepäck
Für die Beförderung von Großgepäck kommt unabhängig von der Strecke eine Pauschale in der Höhe von € 5,-- zur Anwendung. Dieser Tarif kommt ebenso ab dem dritten Gepäckstück zur Anwendung. Die Fahrkarte kann online über www.westbahn.at oder am Zug erworben werden.

https://westbahn.at/sonstiges/agbs/allg-tarifbestimmungen/

I think it is customary here to use English, or provide an English summary when quoting text in a different language.

This is what I found on the web site:

Bulk luggage are objects heavier than 20 kilograms and/or when the sum of length, breadth and height are more than 2.5 meters.

And you also pay for your third and subsequent item of luggage (as per the German quote above)... but I doubt very many people would travel by train with more than two pieces of luggage each! (Or, for that matter, with items that fall under Westbahn's definition of "bulk luggage")

Ad. DB
The wording on the full-fare tickets is "15€ entgelt für umtausch/erstattung ab 1. Geltungstag", which translates as "15€ fee to change/cancel from 1st day of validity". I think this means you can change it free of charge on the day of travel (ie: at any time that day), but have to pay 15€ if you change it the day after travel, or later. However, I have no direct experience of using this clause.

AFAIK, full-fare tickets are valid on any train that day.
- 1st day of validity is the travel day, you must change the ticket date the day before or pay €15.
- Though, international full price tickets are often valid for use in a window of several weeks, not just one day, I'm not sure about this one.


Ad. Westbahn
- There are two companies on competeting on the Vienna - Salzburg line. "Westbahn" offers more flexibility and is just as fast as ÖBB. (Westbahn, though, has just 12 trains a day, ÖBB has 35 trains.)
- The price of tickets on board is €25. (ÖBB charges €19 in advance and €50 at the station same-day.)
- Smoking is only premitted in a small area in one car. It only stinks up one bathroom next to it. If they're smoke-a-phobes they'll have to deal with much worse while in Austria.
- There are spacios luggage racks in the first floor of the train. I'm sure its not a problem. The train attendants will lock the luggage to the rack so you don't have to worry about it and can sit upstairs for a better view.

You're likely not as confused as I am. There could be issues with when I was looking at the fare on one site vs the other. I also might have misunderstood the cancellation charge on the bahn.de site.

The most-intersting observation is that it makes sense to book the latest train because there's no penalty switching to an earlier one (on the full fare ticket). Why would one book anything but the last train of the day (assuming they don't fill up)?

Actually, if you have a full-fare domestic ticket on German Rail, you can board any* train in that fare class or a lower one during its 2 days of validity. For example, if you buy a 2nd class ICE ticket from Berlin to Dresden on Oct. 1, you can take any ICE - or any IC or EC - or any local train (RE, RB) in 2nd class on Oct. 1st or Oct. 2nd. You can make any stopovers you want, get on and get off several times, etc.

The €15 charge is only assessed if you want to change the validity dates or cancel the ticket on or after the first date of validity.

AFAIK, an international full-fare ticket (i.e., Dresden to Prague) is valid for 30 days instead of only 2. But there I'm not positive.

Now, as KQ321 said, in addition to your ticket, you can also buy a seat reservation for €4. That cannot be changed - use it or lose it.

As has also been said, the discount tickets are booked for a specific train. Miss that train and you are into penalty charges and/or forfeiting the ticket. If I am coming of an international flight and want to book one of these saver tickets, I leave 2-3 hours for the connection. But usually I try to avoid this altogether...