Je vais faire un voyage en Inde du Nord cet automne de 3 semaines fin septembre - début octobre. Je partirai de New Delhi vers Rishikesh, puis de Rishikesh vers Manali puis de Manali vers Dharamsala et retour à Delhi. Est-il mieux de réserver le billet de train à l'avance via le site irctc.com ou peut-on le prendre direct à la gare de Delhi ou encore demander à l'hôtel ou je passerai la nuit à Delhi ? S'il est mieux de réserver sur le site irctc.com, peut-on payer avec une carte visa (je n'ai pas d'american express?) Pourriez-vous également me renseigner quelle classe faut-il prendre pour être confortable mais pas trop cher non plus (je ne recherche pas le luxe) ? Autre question : comment sont les transports publics pour aller de Rishikesh à Manali et de Manali à Dharamsala? Y a t il des bus confortables, durée environ du trajet et ou trouver des billets, etc enfin toutes infos qui pourraient m'être utiles...Quel est le climat dans ces régions au mois d'octobre, températures (prévoir des habits chauds?....
bsoir isabelle
je suis allée à rishikesh et manali mi septembre 2011, j'y ais passé 3semaines avant d'aller au Népal, c'était top!!pas eu le tps de faire Dharamsala mais j'en ais entendu du bien alors fonce!!en tout cas un vrai bonheur les montagnes par rapport à la grosse ville indienne!!et le pb c qu'elles st ttes grosses!!bref, moi je suis parti de Delhi en bus direction manali!!soit 20h de bus je crois et un trajet pas de tt repos!!!!pas de beaux bus comme chez nous!!et des routes pourries!!mais qd tu arrives là bas tu oublies tout!!alors pas la peine de réserver en avance car tout est possible sur place et ils seront te le rappeler: all it's possible in India!!méfie toi des arnac tout de m^me!!je te conseille d'ailleurs le bureau des touristes qui se trouve ds pas mal de gares indiennes dt celle de delhi, à l'étage tu px y réserver tes billets de trains et tu ne fais pas la terrible queue indienne!!en plus tu pourras demander tt tes renseignements!!pr le train, je l'ai pris pr aller à Varanasi et c plus calme que le bus mais tu verras aussi que c bien différent de chez nous, une vraie maison!!prends ton ticket en AC air conditionné, ne prends pas la classe la moins cher, c intenable pr ns!!de tte façon le prix reste ridicule soit 8euros pr delhi varanasi, je crois!! Alors pour le budget no souci, l'inde est le bon pays pr ne pas voyager trop cher!!!pr ce qui est du climat, la grosse ville en cette période restera confortable par contre ds les montagnes plus frais mais ça commence vraiment mi fin octobre à cailler!!! Manali est à 1500 je crois alors prévois la petite laine mais les jrnées restent normalement ensoleillées!!
Voilà je ne sais pas si je t'ai aidé mais n'hésite pas si tu as d'autres questions!!en tout cas, profite bien, c que du bonheur!!
julie😉
Est-il mieux de réserver le billet de train à l'avance via le site irctc.com ou peut-on le prendre direct à la gare de Delhi
réserver à l'avance via le site. Certains trains sont complets plus d'une semaine à l'avance, autant s'éviter cette mésaventure.
peut-on payer avec une carte visa
sans problèmes.
Y a t il des bus confortables
Non. même les Deluxe.
pour aller de Rishikesh à Manali
Bus Rishikesh Haridwar (1 à 2 heures de route) puis bus tout les jours pour Manali départ d'Haridwar aux alentours de 15 heures, arrivée Manali aux alentours de 11h le lendemain
ou trouver des billets
directement à la station de bus. Pour Rishikesh-Haridwar, dans le bus.
Quand vous écrivez que les trains sont complets une semaine à l'avance !!!C'est bien pire que cela !!dès la disponibilité sur leur site soit 3 ou 4 mois à l'avance , c'est assiégé🏴☠️Il y a plus d'un mois 1/2 , il ne me restait que la possibilité de voyager à 30 wagons de mon mari😕
Si vous lisez plus attentivement ce forum , vous en aurez la confirmation!!
Attention à ne pas induire en erreur les foreumeurs
Vous m'avez mal lue , je disais qu'il est très difficile d'avoir des sièges si on ne se précipite pas 3/4 mois à l'avance!!
Je n'évoquais pas le pb de carte bleue, ,,
j'ai réservé mes billets d'avion , via majemytrip(impeccable)quant aux billets detrain , la manip étant plus que difficile , il est conseillé de demander à que🙂lqu'un sur place de le faire pour vous!sinon , c'est la galère
Bonne chance
Julesmarie
Vous m'avez mal lue , je disais qu'il est très difficile d'avoir des sièges si on ne se précipite pas 3/4 mois à l'avance!!
il ne faut pas généraliser , sa dépend de beaucoup de chose , de la période , de la ligne qui est plus ou moins emprunté etc ....j'ai toujours reservé le train aux dernier moment , il y a beaucoup de technique pour reserver les trains en inde encore faut-il les connaitre .
quant aux billets detrain , la manip étant plus que difficile , il est conseillé de demander à que🙂lqu'un sur place de le faire pour vous!sinon , c'est la galère
Bonne chance
Julesmarie
vraiment ya pas plus simple pour prendre un billet de train en inde , faut juste avoir le temps et la technique ...
en janvier dernier j'était aux bureau des reservations de train a kajuraho , une francaise arrive et demande au fonctionnaire , bonjour je veut un billet pour goa , le mec a vu rouge et moi j'etait bien mort de rire 😎....elle est reparti bredouille car il n'y avait pas de place avant une semaine , le fonctionnaire n'a meme pas essayé de lui expliquer la moindre chose , comme par exemple le billet tatkal , le quota touriste etc ......
bon, assez d'accord av juju du Lubéron, cela dépend de la période mais je pense aussi qu'il n'est pas necessaire de reserver des mois à l'avance!!selon le trajet en plus!!au pire tu px tjrs te faire tout ça le 1er jour à ton arrivée et comme ça tu payeras aussi en Rps et non av ta CB!!comme ça plus de soucis!!par contre, j'ai pas trop compris l'annecdote de juju sur la touriste et le billet de tain?!!il doit manquer la fin?!!non mais c vrai que donner plus d'outils serait cool sinon l'anecdote est inutile!?on attend la suite dc...😎
Moi, je préfère reserver le train à la classe "SL" (sleeper), il y a beaucoup d'ambiance là bas!! :)
Seulement il faut faire attention aux valises ^^
On peut quand même reserver à la dernière minute en demandant le "quota foreign" (reservés aux gens ayant un passeport étranger) ou le "quota ladies" (si on est femmes) selon les places disponibles...
tout à fait d'accord avec toi Orelyf, je fais Delhi Varanasi en couchettes et c'était pour moi la découverte d'un autre monde et tout s'est bien passé m^me si comme tu dis faut faire attention aux bagages et prévoir un tissu pour mettre sur les couchettes!!
Bonjour Isabelle,
Je vous conseille très franchement de booker vos billets de train à l'avance car ils risquent d'être pleins et vous pourriez être déçue... Je vous le conseille également car les guichets de gare indiens ne sont pas si faciles à aborder lorsque l'on arrive de France! Gare pour Rishikesh: Haridwar + bus (1h environ), gare pour Manali: Kandrori + bus.
Pour les classes, c'est à vous de voir quel voyage vous préférez: populaire, au coeur de la vie indienne (Sleeper class, sans AC mais avec vendeur de chai, de samosas etc.) ou dans plus haut dans la société, en 3AC, 2AC et 1AC... Personnellement je prefère de beaucoup la Sleeper mais c'est un choix et tout dépend de votre envie de voyager, si vous êtes seule, si vous êtes chargée etc. Rien de très compliqué, il faut juste oser (ce n'est pas non plus l'enfer!!).
La vente des billets de train sur le site officiel n'est ouverte au maximum que 3 mois avant le départ des trains. De plus, la seule carte qu'il accepte est celle de l'American express. De plus, il devient très difficile GSM avec une carte Sim indienne de faire une réservation sur les sites, (même pour les agences comme http://www.cleartrip.com/, par exemple). Si on ne possède pas de GSM, il faut suivre la procédure qui est expliqué sur le site http://www.seat61.com/India.htm#book - from outside. Un ami l'a essayé et il a réussi à commander des billets après plusieurs essais. Mais comme je pars qu'en mai et que je ne
peux commencer qu'a réserver à partir de la mi-mars je vais entamer cette procédure qu'au début du mois de mars. Enfin dernier petit détail : le site officielle https://www.irctc.co.in/ n'est ouvert que de 6h30 à 22h30 (heures indiennes - il est impossible de réserver ses places en dehors de ces heures... vive l'informatique).
Enfin de mon côté, j'aimerais savoir si quelqu'un à déjà fait toute la procédure à l'aide d'une carte pré-payée indienne depuis l'Europe.
Alain
Je pars en Inde (Rajasthan) début janvier et je désire acheter mes billets de train maintenant afin de ne pas patienter pendant des heures aux guichets des…
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Ne possédant pas d'imprimante, j'aimerai savoir si irctc.co.in ou cleartrip.com pour les réservation en ligne de trains, nous envoie les billets électronique…
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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
If any of you have already taken the Tren Maya, could you tell me if you’ve run into any difficulties upon arrival when trying to reach your destination city by bus: Valladolid, Mérida, Campeche, or Xpuhil?
Hi everyone,
First of all, thank you for all the valuable information you share—it’s really helpful.
My husband and I are heading to South Korea from September 19 to October 6. We know the timing might not be ideal because of Chuseok, but for various reasons, we didn’t have other date options. Plus, this period coincides with some festivals we’ve been eager to check out: the Andong Mask Dance Festival, the Jinju Lantern Festival, and the Hwaseong Festival in Suwon.
Here’s our tentative itinerary:
09/19: Arrival in Seoul
09/20: Bus to Sokcho – explore the city or short hike
09/21: Seoraksan Park
09/22: Return to Seoul
09/23–09/26: Seoul
09/27: Bus or train to Andong – explore the city
09/28: Hahoe
09/29–10/01: Gyeongju
10/01–10/03: Busan
10/03–10/04: Jinju
10/05: Bus/train to Suwon
10/06: Suwon
So here’s my question: Given that several of our trips fall during or around festivals, will it be possible to book bus/train tickets once we’re there, or is there a risk they’ll already be sold out? Specifically for Seoul-Andong, Busan-Jinju, and Jinju-Suwon.
I was thinking of booking everything on our first day in Seoul.
And if it’s better to plan ahead, how should we go about it? I can’t seem to access the Korail (letskorail) or Kobus websites.
Thanks in advance for your answers and help—and sorry for the long post! :)
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?
Hi! I’d like to make stops across France, starting from Reims, and travel by train using the Intercités. I want to discover the landscapes and picturesque villages, and make some stops along the way. Could you give me some tips? Thanks!
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
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.
