Why you shouldn't get your TGV ticket (Geneva-Paris) from CFF counter
Living in Geneva is the perfect opportunity to visit the City of Lights, Paris, 3 hours away by high speed train, the French "Train Grande Vitesse", or TGV. If this is a very convenient way to travel, it also comes at a cost. Discover how to save some bucks on your TGV train ticket.
As a result, even if the two companies do collaborate, there is also some competition between them. For example, you wont find any TGV ticket vending machine in the train station, neither in Geneva nor in Lausanne. The reason for that ? the customers are forced to buy their ticket through a Swiss entity while on the Swiss territory. By paying through CFF, a fee of minimum 15 CHF goes to the Swiss railway organization. And don't be fooled by the travel agency "Voyages-SNCF" rue de Lausanne in Geneva, just outside the station, they charge it as well. I got ripped, but only once.
You can also use the SNCF ticket vending machines in neighbouring France. As far as I know, the closest one is in the Annemasse train station.
Swiss CFF and the TGV Lyria are 2 very different entities
As a result, even if the two companies do collaborate, there is also some competition between them. For example, you wont find any TGV ticket vending machine in the train station, neither in Geneva nor in Lausanne. The reason for that ? the customers are forced to buy their ticket through a Swiss entity while on the Swiss territory. By paying through CFF, a fee of minimum 15 CHF goes to the Swiss railway organization. And don't be fooled by the travel agency "Voyages-SNCF" rue de Lausanne in Geneva, just outside the station, they charge it as well. I got ripped, but only once.
So, HOW do I save some bucks when I buy my TGV ticket ?
The solution is to buy online using the French website www.voyages-sncf.com, or www.oui.sncf. If you know you are to travel, you could even subscribe to their newsletter: every month, their sell a bunch of discounted tickets (35 EUR for Paris-Geneva for example - one way). Good to know for families.You can also use the SNCF ticket vending machines in neighbouring France. As far as I know, the closest one is in the Annemasse train station.
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