Entering the SNCF train station at Charles de Gaulle.

By Tom Meyers—

Arriving in Paris can be a wonderful experience. Certain aspects, however, can be quite frustrating—especially for travelers who arrive armed only with an American credit card.

Why? Because the RER (regional train) and Paris Metro ticket machines only accept “EC” credit cards that are security-chip enabled. American credit cards are not equipped with this technology and, for the most part, don’t work.

Getting into Paris from Charles de Gaulle Airport… with an American credit card

I think that the easiest (and most economical) way into Paris from Charles de Gaulle is the city’s regional train, the RER. The train departs several times an hour from train stations in Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 at CDG. The trip takes between 25-35 minutes to central Paris, depending on whether it’s running express or making local stops along the way.

RER tickets cost €8.20 per person, each way. Dozens of ticket machines are located in the airport terminals, making it (hypothetically) easy to grab a ticket and hop onto a train. However, the machines only accept EC credit cards. When we’ve tried to purchase a ticket with an American-issued card, the screen simply states “Card not valid.”

Machines also take euro notes and coins, but if you’ve just arrived in Europe, you may not be arriving with any euro currency. Of course, you could first swing by an airport ATM, although lines can be long and ATMs often dispense bills in high denominations, not exactly handy for an 8 euro ticket.

The solution?

One solution is to buy your ticket from the ticket counter. I have resorted to this in the past—which is never fun, as it usually involves waiting in a long line. However, the ticket agents do accept American credit cards. Many American tourists, faced with this solution, get in line.

I finally got my ticket.

During my trip to Paris this month, I went through all the motions: I tried my MasterCard on two machines and was rejected by both. I then turned and gazed at the line snaking out from the ticket office. I was certain to spend the first 45 minutes of my time in Paris waiting to pay for a regional train ticket. Sad.

But then I noticed several peppy, smiling customer service personnel drifting about the floor, between the machines, asking bemused tourists if they needed help.

Just for kicks, I approached a young woman and explained my dilemma. “The machine won’t take my credit card.”

“You’re trying to use an American card, right?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“This might not work, but there’s one machine over here that sometimes takes American cards,” she said, and led me past several clusters of ticket machines to one particular, inconspicuous machine, which appeared to me to be just like the others.

And sure enough, it worked. For some reason, that one machine accepted my MasterCard and saved me from the RER ticket line of tears.

Good luck with those Metro tickets!

Metro tickets… Rejection, part deux

Over the past several years, Paris has closed down Metro ticket booths in many stations and replaced them with automated vending machines. (In many cases, the ticket booths have been replaced with information booths. But they won’t sell you tickets.)

The ticket machines are pretty easy to use, unless—you guessed it!—you’re trying to use an American credit card. In short: They’re not accepted.

The solution: Pay in cash (some machines only accept coins, while others accept bills) or go to one of the Metro stations that still actually has a ticket counter (these can be found in the most-popular stations in central Paris).

What do you think?

Have you had any issues with using an American (or any other) credit card in Paris or other French cities like Marseille or Lyon? Have you been able to use your card? Do you have another creative solution? Tell us about it!

Popularity: 13% [?]

Velib program in the Marais

By Tom Meyers—

I just returned from 16 glorious days in France. The journey included six days in Paris and ten days on the road, driving through the rolling countryside to pebble beaches, sun-kissed villages, and major cities. Today I’m posting some “postcards” from the first week of the trip.

1. Vélib’ at work (above).

The good news: Vélib’, the city’s bike-share program, seems to be a smashing success. Bike stations are everywhere in the city, with new pick-up (and drop-off) stations being added frequently. The bad news: I didn’t get to try it out. I will next time, I promise.

I took this photo of my room while brushing my teeth.

2. Hotel “Jeanne Dark”

We’ve recommended the Hotel Jeanne d’Arc in the Marais since the site launched in 2001. We’ve never had any complaints–it’s a cute guesthouse with a “country” touch and reasonable rates. When I stayed on July 25 with my parents, however, the hotel experienced a very unusual power outage. The rooms at the Jeanne D’Arc were without electricity all evening and night, meaning that teeth were brushed and faces washed by the lights from cell-phone screens, watches, and laptops. At 2:45 AM, POOF!, the juice came back on, and those of us with the switches flipped the wrong way experienced a bright, unscheduled wake-up call.

The fish are first presented.

3. Bouillabaisse in Marseille’s Old Port

We took the TGV south to Nimes, and then rented a car and made day-trips around Provence. One of those trips was to Marseille, where we feasted on fresh fish at a restaurant along the (very active) port. Above, the waiter presents the fish before “preparing” them for the bouillabaisse.

The Roman Arena in Arles is still in use.

4. The Roman Arena in Arles

Lovely Arles, in the heart of Provence, was colonized by the Romans in about 125 BC. Many important sites from those Roman days can be visited today and are a major tourist draw. The most popular of these is the town’s gorgeous Roman Arena, built in 1 BC, and still used today for bullfights.

A steep climb up to "la Cité" in Carcassonne

5. Carcassonne’s “La Cite” is worth the hike

Heading west from Nimes, we drove through Montpellier and to the walled Medieval city of Carcassonne. We spent the night at the chic (and affordable) Maison Costes B&B in the town center, but dined in “la Cite,” the town’s famous walled fortress. From the city’s center, the hike isn’t very far, but it’s a steep one. And if you take advantage of the region’s delicious wines over dinner, the walk back—downhill—can be tricky!

Coming next week: Photos from week two!

Popularity: 6% [?]

photograph courtesy of Newtonxl at Flickr

We’re big fans of the French TGV rail system. These sleek trains zip throughout the country, transporting passengers comfortably at speeds up to 200 mph. The trains are such a success that short flights between most cities in France don’t make sense — the TGV is faster, and much less of a hassle.

Tickets, however, can be kind of expensive — if you simply show up at the train station and purchase one on the spot for that day. But happily, they can also be a complete steal, and cheaper, in fact, than low-cost flights!

For instance, consider these TGV rates, taken from the website of the SNCF, the French National Railway:

For travel today: A 2nd Class refundable ticket booked today (on their site) for travel today (January 3, 2008) from Paris to Marseille costs €96.

For travel tomorrow: Most of the fares remain the same for travel tomorrow, at €96. However, the TGV offers cheaper Internet-only discount rates on its iDTGV lines (TGV trains outfitted with specially-themed cars for different atmospheres, including a “zen” quiet car!). On the iDTGV line, we found one €69 rate, for a 2nd Class, non-refundable ticket.

For travel next week: Rates start falling, however, when you book a week in advance. For the same Paris to Marseille route, we saw many of the same €96 rates (it is, after all, a Friday), but found more of the cheapies, including several €44.90 tickets, both in 1st and 2nd class (non-refundable)!

For travel next month: If you book even further out, say one month in advance, and travel on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, you could find even cheaper fares. For the same route on February 12, we found €19 2nd class seats, and €24 seats in 1st class!

Please note that these rates were taken from the official website of the SNCF. We found these rates by clicking on the French flag to remain inside the French portion of the site. When you click the US flag, you’re taken to the RailEurope.com website, which is, of course, in English.

We appreciate the service that RailEurope provides and partner with them on Eurail passes in our rail pass guide. The prices quoted, however, on their website for the same trips mentioned above are more expensive than the prices you’ll find on the SNCF site, even after you consider exchange rates.

For example, the cheapest fare we found for the Paris-Marseille route next week was $153 2nd Class, $212 1st Class. Rates for next month are much cheaper, mostly $80, although we found some seats for $41 in 2nd class. We couldn’t find 1st class cheaper than $124.

Some tips for booking a cheap TGV ticket

1) Try booking directly through the SNCF on their website in French. At least give it a shot — you probably won’t have any trouble navigating the site.

2) Book as far in advance as possible.

3) Travel on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, and be flexible with your hours.

4) Consider trying out one of the new iDTGV trains. They’re just as fast, and they’re kind of fun.

5) Do plenty of searches and look at all the times available. You will probably find a wide range of ticket prices.

We hope these thoughts are helpful. Please send us your thoughts, tips, and advice for traveling cheaply by train!

Popularity: 13% [?]

We suggest taking a look at KLM’s current “Break Away” fare promotion.

It offers decent roundtrip fares between Amsterdam and several European cities: Birmingham, Edinburgh, Geneva, Helsinki, London, Madrid, Manchester, Marseille, Milan, and Paris. The cheapest listed Break Away fare is Amsterdam-Paris, which begins at €147. Afraid of fare creep via undisclosed fees and taxes? Don’t be. These fares include all additional charges.

In most cases, Break Away promotional fares last through November.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Ryanair announced today that they’ll fly three new routes from Stockholm’s secondary Skavsta airport: Skavsta-Marseille (as of May 7), Skavsta-Venice (as of May 23), and Skavsta-Alghero (as of May 24.)

In line with their expansion/contraction move last week, the airline will eliminate three current routes in and out of Skavsta as well: Skavsta-Brussels (ending May 22), Skavsta-Gdansk (also ending May 22), and Skavsta-Kaunas (ending May 23).

Though the last of these cancellations doesn’t really surprise us—we flew between Skavsta and Kaunas in January on half-empty flights, both ways—we’re missing those rapacious Ryanair route expansion announcements.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Ryanair announced today that as of May 7, they’ll fly four new routes: Frankfurt Hahn-Faro, Frankfurt Hahn-Fez, Frankfurt Hahn-Marrakech, and Marseille-Bournemouth.

The shuffle isn’t all about expansion, however. May 7 will also see the end of 11 Ryanair routes, including Barcelona-Faro, Liverpool-Tampere, Marseille-Rome, and Frankfurt Hahn-Krakow.

Meanwhile, there’s a buzz and a half in the LCC blogosphere surrounding Michael O’Leary’s announcement that Ryanair expects to fly between the several secondary airports in the US and its European bases by the turn of the decade for as little as $12 for a one-way flight.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Our favorite polyglot shepherd

You didn’t think we’d let the current award season pass by without creating our own EuroCheapo award category, did you?

Not only do we have keen eyes for hard-to-find budget hotels, but we can spot a fine photo-op while we’re on the hunt, too. This one comes from the French Alps. It was snapped while EuroCheapo staffer Pete was attempting (at no point, mind you, lost) to get back to Marseille for some bouillabaisse.

Mr. Sheep Herder proved to be quite a linguist, comfortably speaking to motorists in French, German, English, and Italian. Pas mal.

Popularity: 2% [?]