bonsoir à tous
dans 15 jours nous partons faire la loire à vélo. Nous pensions partir de nantes en train et rejoindre le puy en velay et aller jusqu'au mont gerbier des joncs. notre problème est que au guichet de la gare on nous a dit qu'il fallait mettre notre vélos dans une housse. cela n'est pas envisageable car nous avons les sacoches avec nous ce qui fait trop de bagages à main : pourtant sur le site sncf il était indiqué le sigle vélo pour ce train : pouvez-vous me dire si quelqu'un a déjà fait ce parcours nantes via lyon au puy en velay et comment il s'y est pris pour mettre les vélos dans le train : je précise qu'il s'agit d'un train corail et d'un train de nuit : on pense aller à la gare au culot et essayer de tenter notre chance : sinon le voyage va être différent on fera nantes orléans ou un peut plus loin et retour en vélo mais le retour risque d'être moins intéressant.
merci de votre aide
caramaou
tu trouveras peut être des débuts de réponses ou arguments pour le controleur sncf sur le site:
http://www.fubicy.org/train/index.html
nous allons faire toulouse lorient puis nantes toulouse en vélo non démontés et remorque bb pliable dans une semaine ATTENTION certains trains sont soumis à réservation pour les véloz moyennant 10 euros et les places sont limitées.
bon voyage
clefcrus
Ps a priori si le logo velo figure sur site de la sncf concernant ton train tu peux prendre le vélo il faut juste vérifier qu'il ne soit pas soumis à réservation...
merci pour ta réponse
je viens de vérifier il s'agit bien d'un train corail lunéa la réservation est obligatoire ok mais le gars au guichet nous a bien mis en gard il faut que les vélos sons dans une housse comme un bagage à main. je ne comprends pas je lis beaucoup de discussion sur le forum et beaucoup disent qu'il faut se rendre à la gare et si le train prend les vélis il ne faut pas les démonter. c'est la 1ère fois que l'on voyage avec les vélos en train et ça me parait compliqué;
caramaou
Salut, alors le Puy sa vaut vraiment le coup comme ville c'est magnifique, de plus le camping est vraiment sympa et trés bonne aceuil ( a coté de la piscine ).
Pour le train j'ai galerer à montpellier! je suis aller à un magasin de vélo qui m'ont filer un carton, ensuite j'ai bricoler mes sacoches pour les porter en sac à dos et voila, j'ai reussi a m'en sortir !!!
Bonsoir, je voudrais pas paraitre moqueur, mais à Lyon on a la Saone et le Rhone c'est déjà pas si mal, mais pas la Loire 😉 (En plus on a des rapports parfois houleux avec les Stéphannois, alors si on leurs pique leur fleuve prévoyez les casques bleus😛)
Pour la Loire, elle passe plus à l'Ouest, c'est à dire un peu plus près de Nantes🙂 et elle est coupée par la voie ferrée à Roanne.
Ni a t il pas de train Roanne/Le puy ??? (Roanne St Etienne, je suis sur qu'il y en a beaucoup)
Je ne sais pas si vous étes limités en temps mais je vous signale que les gorges de la Loire entre Saint Etienne et Le Puy (environ 80 bornes) sont superbes (chargée le dimanche car c'est un lieu de ballade pour les Stéphannois) ; Je n'ai pas fait la partie Roanne St Etienne (80 km) mais d'après la carte, il y a une petite route blanche (avec le bord vert🙂) au bord du fleuve loin de la nationale et il est facile de contourner St Etienne par l'ouest en suivant le fleuve.
Cette partie est surement assez plate et après St Etienne il y a plus de relief.
C'est faisable sereinement en 2 jours, 3 pour un lent comme moi !!!
Ca ne résoudra pas vos problémes férroviaires pour la 1° partie mais ca évite un 2ème train et le changement à Lyon.
salut
je pense que tu pourrais faire Nantes Lyon en tgv, sur certains tu peux emporter ton velo avec toi, c'est sur la fiche horaire.
sinon, tous les tgv ont des soutes, et ils pourraient mettre vos velos dedans ( si le controleur est sympa)
en ce qui concerne lyon - le puy en ter, il n'y a aucun souci si tu prends le train lyon perrache le puy en velay qui part aux environs de 20h 45, c'est un vieux train micheline en general, avec plein plein de place, et comme il date des années 60, tu peux mettre ce que tu veuxde dans, les controleurs ne disent rien*la ligne est tres jolie elle longe a vallee de la loire
bonjour,
apres avoir vue ta rubrique je me suis renseignee car je dois prendre le train avec un velo, je suis donc allee a la gare et normalement pas besoin de mettre ton velo dans une housse pour le ter, corail, tu montes dans le train avec ton velo et bien souvent ce sont les derniers wagons.si tu prends le tgv par contre la peut etre il faut une housse.
korine
merci de m'avoir répondue; je vais aller me renseigner à la gare demain : peut-être que je suis tombée sur un gars au guichet (un dimanche) qui ne voulait pas s'embêter avec mon problème
caramaou
un grand merci pour tes renseignements. ça serait si on pouvait aller dans le coin que tu indiques. mais si on ne trouver pas de solutions avec les vélos dans le train on ne pourra pas faire la totalité du trajet il faudra revenir;
je me renseigne pour le train à nouveau demain
caramaou
merci à tous ce qui m'ont envoyé un message c'est vraiment sympa de rechercher et de donner des tuyaux : finalement je me suis mal débrouillé en recherchant nantes lyon il y a des ter et apparemment les ter prennent les vélos et ensuite il y a un ter lyon le puy en velay;
merci encore
caramaou
VELO NON DEMONTE SANS HOUSSE
* Ter : voyage possible avec le vélo si il ya le logo Vélo sur les fiches horaires ET dans la limite des places disponibles. Ca ne pose pas pb avec les anciens trains (il y a un fourgon). Par contre les nouveaux trains bleus et gris ne prennent pas plus de 3 vélos. Il faut y lever les vélos, les mettre à la verticale et les suspendre à un crochet. C'est bien pour l'ouvrier qui prend son vélo pour aller au boulot, mais pas vraiment pour des randonneurs chargés de bagages en tout genre...
* Corail classique : certains trains acceptent les vélos, il s'agit en fait d'un compartiment 8 places dont les sièges ont été démontés.
* Trains à réservation obligatoire : transport du vélo autorisé sur tous les Téoz et Lunéa (trains de nuit), sur certains Tgv. Attention : c'est payant : 10 € par vélo. C'est le système à crochet dans ces trains.
VELO DEMONTE AVEC HOUSSE
pas de restriction d'accès, ça devient un bagae à main
* Ter : dans les fourgons
* Corail : dans la plupart des voitures, il y a d'un côté les WC, et à l'autre bout un espace libre à côté de la porte d'accès, face à la grosse armoire électrique. C'est là qu'il faut mettre les vélos démontés rangés dans leurs housse.
Pour ton trajet, voilà ce que je te conseillerais:
1/ nantes - Angers - Tours : direct ou avec changement, ne prendre que les Ter (vérifie que les ter Interloire Nantes-Orléans prennent les vélos)
2/ Tours - Lyon avec le Ter de 12h15, qui accepte les vélos. attention ce train ne passe pas par Roanne, mais par Paray le Monial.
si tu ne veux pas faire ce trajet d'un coup, ne prends que les Ter, les rares Corail survivants sur cette ligne ne prennent pas les vélos. Il y a pas mal de ter entre Tours, Bourges et Nevers. Pour le trajet Nevers - Moulins, tous les trains acceptent les vélos, mais attention certains sont Téoz (donc payant).
3/ a/ tu arrives directemet à Lyon depuis Tours (12h15), ensuite Ter Lyon - St-Etienne puis St-etienne - le puy, il y a aussi des directs lyon - le puy.
3/ b/ tu peux éviter lyon et raccourcir le trajet en changeant de trajet à partir de moulins : au lieu de prendre direction paray, aller au sud direction clermont, changer à st-germains-des-fossés, roanne. Le plus compliqué sera Tours-stgermain-roanne, les trains directs ne prennent pas les vélos. il faudra faire plusieurs changements pour avoir des ter.
Roanne - Stettienne et stetienne - le puy : pas de pb, il n'y a que des ter.
🙂😏bjr,
Je suis Agent SNCF. Je vais te donner les réponses pour les vélos.
Dans tous les TER de France tu peut mettre ton vélo gratuitement dans le train. Donc si tu veux en prenant à la chaine des TER tu peux faire le tour de France mais faudra pas etre pressé. pour les corails, certain prennent les vélos sans le démonter quand il figure le logo VELO pour le train désigné sinon il faut enlever les roues, les pedales, 🙂 tourner le guidon et le mettre dans une housse spéciale vélo.
A+ PAT 😇
I’m planning our very first trip to mainland France in January 2027. There’ll be 2 adults and 2 kids, and we’ll mostly be traveling by train.
Here’s our itinerary:
Paris
Rouen (Normandy)
Lyon
Aix-les-Bains (with day trips to Annecy and Geneva)
Saint-Gervais-les-Bains (with Chamonix and a day in Aosta)
Back to Paris
Do you think this itinerary is well-balanced? Any tips, must-see spots, or mistakes to avoid for a first-time visit?
I’m planning a family trip in a year. Our goal: traveling to China (and maybe Hong Kong) by train.
I’m all set with the route up to eastern Turkey.
However, I’m just starting my research for the rest of the journey—namely the Caucasus (no trains as far as I know, so buses and/or ferries), then Central Asia and China.
So, I’d love to hear any info or tips (general and forward-looking at this stage) about the train route through Central Asia and China to reach the east coast.
I’m particularly interested in details on:
- How far in advance to book / any potential difficulties with reservations
- Whether there are PASS systems (or equivalent) between countries and/or if some tickets allow stopovers, meaning you can hop on and off as you please
- Day trains vs. night trains (the latter option lets you explore cities between two legs of the journey)
- A rough idea of ticket costs
...
A huge thank you to anyone who can share some info or experiences. It’s also a great opportunity to chat about adventure after (way too) many years away from this forum.
I’m planning a trip around Italy using only trains or public transport in October (hoping the weather stays nice!).
I’d obviously like to see some tourist destinations, but I also want to get off the beaten path a bit, and I’m hoping to find some help here? I don’t plan to linger too long in the cities.
Starting in the north, I’d like to visit Lake Como or Lake Orta, pass through the Cinque Terre for some hiking, spend a few days in Naples and Rome, then head down to Sicily.
Hi there,
I’ll be traveling to Japan this coming August. We’ve finalized our itinerary and booked our flight tickets. Now I’m at the stage of buying train tickets for the few segments we’ll need to cover:
Tokyo - Hakone
Hakone - Kyoto
Kyoto - Osaka
Osaka - Tokyo
Here are my questions:
a) Is it possible to buy train tickets for these segments from Canada?
b) If so, which website should I use to do this?
c) And if it is possible, will we be able to print our tickets from Canada?
d) If it’s not possible, where in Tokyo should I go to buy these tickets when I arrive?
Hi everyone, I wanted to take the Paris-Berlin overnight train with a sleeper berth, the new service operated by European Sleepers.
24/05/2026 17:45 Paris-Nord (actually 16:00 from Paris Bercy Seine) -> 25/05/2026 9:59 (actually 7:30 in Berlin)
05/06/2026 18:31 Berlin (actually 20:00) -> 06/06/2026 10:00 Paris Nord (actually 12:30)
Part of the journey was operated by bus instead of the promised overnight train.
For 2 people: 340 € round trip
A total disaster. Never again. I was really looking forward to taking the overnight train, but we faced last-minute changes and truly unpleasant travel conditions. Here are the details:
1) 2 days before departure: email announcing a change of departure station for the outbound trip—Bercy Seine bus station instead of Gare du Nord.
2) Change of schedule: 4:00 PM from Bercy instead of 5:45 PM from Gare du Nord.
3) Change of transport mode!! A bus from Paris to Brussels, then an overnight train from Brussels to Berlin. No functional toilets on the bus. No children under 4 allowed on the bus.
4) On the sleeper train at 9:30 PM: no functional toilets in our carriage, so we had to go to other carriages, even in the middle of the night, to find working ones.
5) The onboard staff, though very friendly, were as lost as we were. In particular, they didn’t know how to handle the lower berths, so people using them had less space (armrests and backrests). Berth numbers weren’t respected, so some passengers had to move. The staff also didn’t know who was supposed to join the compartment during the journey.
6) Arrival at 7:30 AM in Berlin instead of 10:00 AM. No arrival announcement. Passengers had to search for staff to get breakfast and ended up with just a coffee (breakfast = 15 €, not bad for just a coffee).
7) Return trip: drastic schedule change announced by email on 26/05/2026—departure at 7:30 PM instead of 6:30 PM, with arrival between 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM in Paris instead of 10:00 AM. No change in transport mode announced.
8) Change in transport mode announced by email on the same day (05/06/2026)!! Overnight train from Brussels to Berlin, then a bus from Paris to Brussels. No functional toilets on the bus. Children under 4 banned from the bus, and families in this situation were asked to find another way—after being notified the same day.
9) The overnight train arrived at Berlin station with a 30-minute delay on top of its initial delay (scheduled for 6:31 PM, then 7:30 PM, finally arriving at 8:00 PM). The heating was blasting in the compartment with no way to turn it off. No functional toilets in the carriage. From that point on, customer service stopped responding to my messages.
10) Woken up at 5:00 AM with an announcement in all carriages about arrival in Liège.
11) Woken up again at 6:00 AM to be told we’d arrive in Brussels at 7:00 AM.
12) Arrival in Brussels at 7:00 AM and a one-hour wait for the bus to Paris. No functional toilets on the bus.
13) Arrival at Paris Nord at 12:30 PM, so 2.5 hours late compared to the originally scheduled time.
14) The overnight trains used are very old—I recognized the carriages from 20 years ago!! No functional power outlets, no Wi-Fi, no air conditioning. Five people per compartment is a bit cramped, but I consider these conditions expected (especially the air conditioning), so I’m not complaining about that. There’s already plenty to gripe about with the travel conditions.
I have little hope of getting even a partial refund. Customer service emails acknowledge the discomfort but only offer to reimburse the cost of a coffee on board if we send them the receipt... a bit weak.
I’m sharing this experience in the hope it might help others.
Hi there,
I’d like to take the Train of the Clouds from Lima to Huancayo.
I’ve heard it only runs during certain periods.
Does anyone have info on this?
Thanks!
HuancayoHuancayo
As part of my professional thesis, I’m conducting a study on the evolution of long-distance rail transport in France, particularly since it opened up to competition.
I’ve put together a very quick (about 5-minute) and completely anonymous questionnaire. Your answers will help me better understand users' expectations regarding pricing, frequency, and environmental impact.
We’re planning a 15-day trip to Uzbekistan in March—classic independent itinerary: Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva. We’d like to take the train between each city, but I don’t want to lock down the whole trip before we leave.
So, my question is: is it absolutely necessary to book train tickets before departure, whether for the high-speed trains or the regional ones? Is booking really essential for the regional trains?
Hello,
We’re traveling as a family with two boys aged 10 and 12 to Cairo in February. During our trip, we’re planning to take an overnight train (with or without a sleeper) for the Cairo-Aswan route.
Do you know how I can book this remotely?
Also, I’m looking for:
- A local contact to sail the Nile by felucca for 3 days from Aswan
- A contact to guide us in Cairo
Looking forward to your tips, and thanks in advance!
Marie
Hi everyone,
I first traveled solo to Japan in 2019, exploring the Kyushu region (28 days), and I’m planning to return with my daughter (she’s an adult and it’ll be her first time in Asia) from April 25 to May 9.
I’m reaching out on this forum to ask for route ideas—this time north of Tokyo, but without heading to the Sapporo island (I’m saving that for a future trip).
I’d love to take advantage of the cherry blossom season and its festivities.
I’m looking to create a route that’s a little off the beaten path while staying within 5-6 hours by train from Tokyo to avoid spending too much time on transfers.
Thanks in advance for sharing your suggestions and experiences!
Michael
I'm heading to MEXICO IN NOVEMBER 2025. Since private guides and drivers are really expensive—over 300 € per day—I'm thinking of exploring the Yucatán by train. CAN YOU SHARE ANY INFO ON THIS? Thanks
Hi there!
We’re planning to visit Serbia (1 week) and then Montenegro (2nd week) with our kids from April 18 to May 4. We’d prefer to travel by train (overnight if possible), but we’re not sure which platform to book on or when to do it (is it too early?). If anyone has any tips, I’m all ears!!
I wanted to know if it’s possible to go from Tashkent to Almaty by train without passing through Kyrgyzstan. I’ve heard the border is often closed 😕 between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
Thanks in advance!
Olivier
Hi there!
We’re planning to head back to Istanbul next year—obviously by plane—and then take the train from Istanbul to Antalya. Has anyone here already made this trip by train with TCDD?
I’d love any tips or info that could be useful for us!
I'd like to go to Montserrat on my own from Barcelona. Share your suggestions with me.
Which train should I take, where to get off, what to see once I arrive, etc.
I need to take a sleeper train from Bangkok to Vientiane in January.
I found some ticket options on 12Go Asia, but booking doesn’t seem possible at the moment. I’ve tried simulations for several dates, but no luck.
I’m wondering if it’s already fully booked, if they’ve stopped selling tickets… yet 12Go still features it every day 😕
Has anyone else run into this issue?
Can I find tickets on another site? (I tried Baolau, but no sleepers left for January 8th.)
Hi there,
I’m a bit late to be worrying about this, but hopefully someone can help me before I leave.
Tomorrow afternoon, I arrive at Lyon Part-Dieu on the TGV at 5:50 PM and take the TER to Mâcon at 6:16 PM. Is a 26-minute transfer doable? Are the TGV and TER on the same departure board? And are they on the same platforms too?
I’ve been to Lyon before but never had to make a connection after arriving.
Thanks
I can’t seem to complete the payment for my trip on the IRCTC (Indian Railways) site. No matter which payment method I choose, my Visa card isn’t accepted.
Has anyone here managed to do it, and if so, could you share the method you used?
Thanks in advance!
Charlie
Starting November 15th, I’ll be arriving in Thailand, and during my stay, I plan to visit the north, around the Chiang Mai area, then head south to the Krabi region.
After Krabi, I’m planning to take an overnight train to Bangkok. I was wondering if there’s a train that leaves from Krabi or Trang, or if I absolutely have to go to Surat Thani?
Also, which official website can I use to book my ticket?
Next, since I’ll be arriving at dawn in Bangkok, I’ve planned to spend 2 days in Kanchanaburi. What’s the most convenient way to get there—bus or train? And if you know any companies or websites, that’d be great.
Hi there,
Does anyone know if there’s a bus from Luang Namtha to Boten to catch the train coming from China to Vientiane? If so, what’s the name of the company? Also, how long does the bus take to cover that distance? What’s the condition of the road like?
Thanks for your help!
Tom
I just realized there’s only one payment method accepted for booking the Mombasa-Nairobi express train ticket online: M-Pesa, a mobile money transfer service used in Africa. Would it be impossible to book as a European?
I’d love to know if any of you have recently eaten on the overnight train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.
We’ve always ordered food on the train, and it was really good (and super convenient).
But in 2022, we ended up feeling like total idiots (with our 4-year-old daughter...) when we boarded the train only to find out that this service was no longer available... (It was the first time we’d traveled right after COVID.)
That’s also when we saw once again how kind Thai people are—they all offered to share their food with us, even though we were mortified. In the end, we managed to buy some instant noodles, which was better than nothing. Anyway, that’s the little story behind it.
In the following years, we’ve always brought our own meals.
I’ve read online that meal trays are back in service (could you confirm this, please?), but that the quality is really poor. I’ve also seen multiple reports that, even though you can eat well everywhere in Thailand, the train meal was the worst food travelers had during their trip...
Could you give me a recent opinion on this?
We’ll be departing from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Station—do you know if there’s anywhere to buy a meal there before boarding the train?
Thanks so much for your help,
and have a great Sunday!
We’re heading to Thailand in February 2026 and we’d like to take the overnight train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Can we book two first-class tickets? I’m only seeing second-class options.
Hi everyone,
For traveling in Rajasthan by train and bus, could you give me some info: where to buy tickets, cost, purchase locations, websites, etc.?
Any tips you have would be super helpful.
Thanks
We’re traveling to Java on October 23, just the two of us.
I’ve read that it’s best to book train tickets in advance on tiket.com.
Is that true, and how far ahead do you recommend?
Are the tickets changeable?
Hi everyone,
I’m planning to travel from Ulaanbaatar to Irkutsk by train this summer but I’m a bit worried about crossing the borders. How does it work? Could anyone share their experience? (I’ve found quite a few accounts of people going *from* Russia *to* Mongolia, but entering a country is never the same as leaving it—especially in this context!)
Can anyone tell me how to book train tickets online? We're planning to travel from HANOI to HO CHI MINH CITY by train, making several stops along the way. I'd also like to find the schedules and the stations where the trains stop.
There are four of us, and we've already planned stops in HANOI / DONG HOI / HUE.
