Quelqu'un peut-il répondre à cette simple question ?
Faut-il obligatoirement avoir une réservation préalable pour prendre le train en Inde ?
PRÉCISION : je souhaite prendre le train un dimanche matin du mois de mars à New-Delhi pour me rendre à Gwailor. Je serai arrivé dans la nuit et je pensais me rendre directement à la gare et prendre un billet au guichet, avant 9 heures. Quel pourrait-être le délai maximum ?
Merci de l'attention que vous porterez à ce message
A LIRE ABSOLUMENT:
"Cette réalité que j'ai pourchassée" - Ella MAILLARD -
"L'usage du Monde" - Nicolas BOUVIER -
mathieu.renard@live.fr
Trois solutions se présentent :
1. tu achètes un ticket au quota Foreign,
2. tu achètes un billet tatkal, billet mis en vente 24 heures avant le départ du train
3. tu achètes un billet dans la classe 3A, mais il faut être à la gare au minimum 2 heures avant le départ du train pour faire la file.
Il y a plusieurs trains qui vont cette liaison entre 9h20 et 14h05.Mais attention, les trains partent soit de New Delhi Station ou de Delhi Harzat Nizamuddin On peut faire la liaison soit en train (quelque 6 km).
Alain
La réservation concerne certaines classes (couchette, trains spéciaux...)
Le siège basique est sans réservation.
Tout à fait exact.
Mais il faut savoir que le siège basique est en wagon "General". De ce que j'en ai vu, c'est le premier wagon et le dernier wagon du train. Souvent (la plupart du temps ?), l'un et l'autre arrivent bondés en gare, mais sont assiégés par une marée humaine qui cherche à y pénétrer.
Dans ce cas, une technique efficace, c'est de monter sur le marche-pied le plus tôt possible alors que le train est encore en marche. Ainsi, on se retrouve en pole position pour profiter de l'espace (je n'écris pas siège) libéré par les passagers descendant à cette gare.
Ce fut mon expérience entre Agra et Delhi, ainsi qu'entre Mathura et Delhi. Entre Jhansi et Gwallior, je n'avais pas encore la technique, et les wagons General étaient tellement bondés en arrivant que je n'ai même pas essayé d'y pénétrer. Je me suis rabattu sur un wagon 3A, au prix d'une forte amende. Mes 2 premières expériences avaient été plus calmes :
- d'abord entre Gorakhpur et Varanasi (j'avais pu m'installer sur le porte-bagages),
- puis entre Banda et Khajuraho (tranquille car terminus).
Recommandation : réserver dès que possible vos trajets ferroviaires, la solution General n'étant à tenter qu'en repli, en l'absence d'autres possibilités.
Fabrice
S'exposer à l'Etranger lointain amène à mieux connaître et comprendre sa propre Culture.
😉je l'avais annoncé dans un post ou tu as participé.............donc pour ma part les trains non réservable sur cleartrip = je suis passé par une agence sur place qui m'a communiqué mes billets au format PDF sur 9 trajets 3 n'étaient pas disponible sur cleartrip. Faire gaffe aussi aux trains annulés en hiver.
J'ai emprunté le Jaisalmer -> Bikaner de nuit en début avril 2012. En "First Class" (des compartiments type seconde classe, sans couchette), il n'y avait personne. C'est-à-dire que notre binôme s'avérait les seuls occupants de tout le wagon.
De quoi te rassurer peut-être sur une réservation tardive.
Fabrice
S'exposer à l'Etranger lointain amène à mieux connaître et comprendre sa propre Culture.
Merci pour l'info !
Je serai une dizaine de jours à Bikaner, j'aurai le temps de réserver . Voire même je pourrai réserver à Delhi le premier jour si l'avion n'a pas trop de retard .
Quelqu'un peut-il répondre à cette simple question ?
Faut-il obligatoirement avoir une réservation préalable pour prendre le train en Inde ?
PRÉCISION : je souhaite prendre le train un dimanche matin du mois de mars à New-Delhi pour me rendre à Gwailor. Je serai arrivé dans la nuit et je pensais me rendre directement à la gare et prendre un billet au guichet, avant 9 heures. Quel pourrait-être le délai maximum ?
Merci de l'attention que vous porterez à ce message
Une autre possibilite est de recourir a une agence qui pourra appuyer la demande de derniere minute, avec un backshish a l employe du guichet...en inde, all is possible...
Hello
Je reviens d'Inde et j'ai réservé avec Metropolis Travel à dehli paharganj pour un mini groupe de 5...
Ils sont à peur près fiables mais attention:
- j'avais demandé Varanasi Agra en couchettes AC2; comme par mail je m'étonnais du prix qu'ils m'ont donné 1400 Rp y compris commission (30% environ) ils m'ont dit oui c'est bien ça... Et ils m'ont réservé en AC3 sans me le dire ni le mentionner dans sa réponse. A mon retour à Dehli, je suis aller voir Tarun dans son agence et il n'a pas voulu me rembourser la différence...
- pour le Dehli Jaisalmer qu'il m'avait réservé, dans le document qu'il m'a remis il n'y avait pas marqué le numéro du wagon ni les vrais sièges. A toi de te démerder devant le train à essayer de lire les feuilles collées sur le wagon...
Donc bien regarder les pseudo billets électroniques qu'il t'envoie...
Je n'ai pas d'autre agence à recommander
Bon vent
« On parle toujours de la violence du fleuve qui déborde ses berges - jamais de la violence des berges qui enserrent le fleuve... » disait Berthold Brecht
Bonjour,
Nous avons passé 1 mois sans aucune organisation en Inde. Il est quasiment impossible de prendre soi-même un billet de train. Nous avons perdu beaucoup ce temps dans les gares avant de comprendre qu'il faut passer (si possible quelques jours avant) par une "agence de voyage". (Il y en a dans les villes et villages, ils ont des photos de cars en devanture). Elle prend une petite commission, mais on a son billet! Les trains (même "express") roulent très doucement!
Cordialement,
Mireille.
Cela a dû beaucoup changé depuis mon passage en... mars/avril 2012.
Car sur une période de 5 semaines, j'ai acheté 23 billets de train.
Une bonne partie des billets achetée au International Travel Bureau de la gare de New-Delhi Station (NDS), mais les autres au fil du voyage à Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Banda, Mahoba, Khajuraho, Mathura, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Jaipur, Agra.
Dans un peu toutes les catégories, quelques General et FC, beaucoup de SL, quelques 3A et 2A.
Pas un seul billet n'a été acheté via une agence. Une partie de ces billets ont été échangés ou annulés du fait d'ajustements lors du voyage.
Mais il est vrai qu'il faut s'y prendre à l'avance, car les trains sont vite saturés. Même avec le quota "Touristes étrangers", qui d'ailleurs n'est vendu que dans quelques grandes gares.
Si en France, "impossible n'est pas français", en Inde, "every thing is possible".
Fabrice
S'exposer à l'Etranger lointain amène à mieux connaître et comprendre sa propre Culture.
De ce que j'ai pu constater en mars 2015, cela n'a pas changé.
J'ai acheté en gare ferroviaire 21 billets pour un trajet total de 4 913 km.
Pour l'essentiel achetés dans le modeste centre de réservation ferroviaire de Vasco da Gama, seulement 2 guichets.
Par la suite, j'ai :
- échangé 2 billets en gare centrale de Chennai, au guichet Foreign Tourist.
- acheté un billet Passenger (non réservable à l'avance) en gare de Nampally à Hyderabad.
- échangé 1 billet en gare de Lonavla (entre Pune et Mumbai)).
- échangé 1 billet en gare d'Abu Road.
Pas de souci particulier, si ce n'est qu'il faut remplir le formulaire type de réservation. Hormis pour le Passenger Train qui n'est pas réservable à l'avance et pour lequel les places ne sont pas affectées. Billet à acheter le jour du départ, impossible la veille au soir.
Tous en classe SL (Sleeper), sauf quelques rares trajets en Passenger.
Fabrice
P.S. : billets achetés en gare ferroviaire pour profiter de la formule BoJ (Break of Journey), en évitant par la même occasion le surcoût des paiements internationaux. Sinon, mieux vaut réserver en ligne.
S'exposer à l'Etranger lointain amène à mieux connaître et comprendre sa propre Culture.
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Here’s our itinerary:
Paris
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Lyon
Aix-les-Bains (with day trips to Annecy and Geneva)
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Do you think this itinerary is well-balanced? Any tips, must-see spots, or mistakes to avoid for a first-time visit?
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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.
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I’m particularly interested in details on:
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- 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:
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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.
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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:
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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).
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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?
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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.
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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
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Also, which official website can I use to book my ticket?
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Hi there,
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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!
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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!)
