train advice

I posted this also on the train forum, but I don%26#39;t think it gets read as much so here goes.........

I have done the cost analysis and have determined it may be worth the savings to book non-refundable train tkts from:

Paris to Brussels (Thalys).

Vienna to Munich (DB)

Munich to Strasbourg (DB)

Strasbourg to Paris (SNCF).

I would purchase Paris return to Giverny at the station.

I would purchase the Bayerne tkt in Bavaria at the station for our day to Neuschwanstein.

I would purchase Strasbourg to Colmar and Colmar to Strasbourg at the station.

My question:

For the cheapest earlybird tkts purchased online.

1. Is there a supplement for the Thalys? I got to the point where I enter my credit card and for the specific booked train the total was E 30,00. Is that it?

2. For Vienna to Munich the product is listed as RJ--but that train is not defined in their product list--what is an RJ train?

3.For the DB tkts can I pay with credit card and pick up with a booking number and the cc at any station in Germnay?

4. For the SNCF tkts can I repeat #3 picking up the tkts in France?

Thanks for any help. I just don%26#39;t want to mess this up!

The rail passes would cost us $138.00 each extra, plus whatever reservation fees are required for Thalys, TGV, etc.

I am exhausted and can%26#39;t spend much more time on this.

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I feel your pain... sometimes there is just so much info out there it%26#39;s hard to make sense of it all.

I can%26#39;t help with the German/Austrian tickets but here%26#39;s what I know for France...

You can get the best prices starting 90 days before your travel date. That 30 Euro price on the Thalys is the price you%26#39;ll pay if that%26#39;s what%26#39;s on your screen. There%26#39;s no extra booking fee on the Thalys site.

You can pick up either SNCF or Thalys tickets in France if you buy them online first. You will need your confirmation number and the same credit card you used to make the purchase. You can pick up the tickets the day of departure at the station at a manned booth, not a machine, or better yet at any other station you might pass or an SNCF ticket boutique. Here%26#39;s a map of boutique locations:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/darr8t

I hope this helps. Someone familiar with the German system will hopefully offer some advice.

Have a great trip!

Rob

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Regarding question #1 there is no supplement. The fare shown is the fare charged.

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Hi,

Regarding your 2nd question: Rj (Railjet) is the direct day train from Munich to Budapest, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railjet

Regarding your 3rd question: the best way is to start the process of ordering online and see what options of delivery you get. In this case, using the German site, the only option that I saw was %26quot;Tickets per Mail: Delivery is generally within 2-3 days, Plus a postage charge of 3,50 EUR.

Also according to this site %26quot;Seat reservation without ticket - Not available for this connection%26quot;.

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The best train advice site I have come across is www.seat61.com - it gives detailed advice about booking and picking up tickets (or printing them yourself) and even gives the best way to get cheaper prices. It can seem a bit long winded but worth looking at.