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21/04/2008, 7:22 ErnieY Joined on 05/12/2006 Nr Prayssac (Lot) Posts 2,948 Car on the train Anybody know the rough price of putting a car on the train from UK down to Toulouse say, or actually done it ?   My doctor said one drink per day, I can live with that !    Report

21/04/2008, 7:42 dragonrouge Joined on 08/02/2008 Posts 60 Re: Car on the train ErnieY have done Calais to Narbonne, Calais to Nice Calais to Avignon etc.  Done them all including some from Paris through to Rome and the like. However not sure if the system is total in from the UK direct?  Do not think so. My experiences have been on balance good but most of the service do not have restaurant cars so its either a picknick or a good meal beforehand.  In the summer students run as guards and let you have some wine and beer and the like and where they make a few pennies. As to accommodation is a bit cramped and there are no shower facilities (or least they were not any when I travelled) but there is a hand basis.  We used to take a whole couchette type of cabin with four beds but just for the two of us for more room. The costs may now have come down but its not too cheap but saying that with the cost of fuel at the moment I suppose its now a good way of getting there. Its a bit funny driving your car on (they tend at times to drive it for you) then give your keys to someone you have never met in your life and then spend part of the night worrying if the car turns up the following morning at the same place. You can have rustic breakfast on the train but most prefer to take it at the station of arrival.  Beware the train and the cars can arrive at differing stations and you might be coached the rest of the way.   Take care    Report

21/04/2008, 8:25 pagnol81 Joined on 11/07/2007 Somme Posts 29 Re: Car on the train Prices here http://www.railsavers.com/calais%20toulouse.htm Lovely way to travel, but expensive.    Report

21/04/2008, 9:12 ColinE Joined on 10/10/2007 Posts 51 Re: Car on the train Hi Ernie. We have done it twice, Calais, to Avignon the last time, it was fantastic, we worked out the cost to get the MG to Grasse, as I do not push the old car I recond it would take me three days to get there, petrol, hotels meals, there was nothing in it. When we arrived at Avignon, it was a bright sunny morning, and breakfast was set out on the station for us, it was really good, after breakfast ,we had  I believe about a three hour drive to get to the site, all in all a good experiance. That was a few year ago, sorry do not remember the cost.   Colin    Report

21/04/2008, 9:57 Russethouse Joined on 23/08/2004 Forum Moderator Posts 9,490 Re: Car on the train I have mentioned this before and keep hoping that it may have changed, but you have to careful when you book that your party is all in the same compartment. We shared with friends going, but coming back there were four of us and a couple. A lady I met on the station while waiting for our car to be unloaded, shared with her daughter plus an elderly couple, their grand daughter, who was a baby, a dog and cat (complete with litter tray......) Our friends who traveled back separately also had a bad experience as their daughter was unwell and the couple they were with kept switching off the light making it difficult for them to get to the toilet along the corridor, then get her settled etc...... Having said that, when it goes well its really pleasant...... www.quimperclub.org 99    Report

21/04/2008, 20:21 ErnieY Joined on 05/12/2006 Nr Prayssac (Lot) Posts 2,948 Re: Car on the train Thanks for all the info. I'll pass on to daughter. My doctor said one drink per day, I can live with that !    Report

21/04/2008, 21:07 sid Joined on 16/12/2005 Deux-Sevres [79] Posts 425 Re: Car on the train Hi Ernie We used the motorail 3 times for holidays before we moved to France, so it's 6 or 7 years ago now. We went to Tarbes from Calais and to Bologna and Rome, and on one trip we took the motorbike. We thought it was excellent, but it was expensive! You have to weigh the cost against time/fuel saved. I can recommend the Railsavers people (link already supplied previously) they are very helpful. Some services did have a restaurant car and in this case you need to book a meal immediately you board. Breakfast was also served in the dining car.  We always had our own cabin and these come in several types; for 2 of us we preferred the 'T2 uppers' (see the website for an explanation) and you get a washbasin but no toilet, although it appears the German ones now have WC and shower. The journey is usually made overnight, often with frequent stops in the middle of nowhere, presumably to tie-in with existing rail schedules. It's great to open the blind in the morning to see the sun (hopefully!) rising over the countryside as you speed through it. Sid  I came into this world with nothing; by careful management I've still got most of it left!    Report

22/04/2008, 7:53 P2 Joined on 13/09/2006 Posts 186 Re: Car on the train Although it is quite an easy drive down. Paris can be alright with a Sat Nav but easier to go via Pouen and Chartres (for route finding the RAC seem to be the best for this - some of the others also include Paris in the route). The motorways are quite, especially when you get below Orleans and there are plenty of Aires to rest at. Plus parts of the journey are very scenic and perhaps places that it would be nice to stop the night at if you wished to do the journey over a couple of days. Paul      Report

22/04/2008, 9:19 ErnieY Joined on 05/12/2006 Nr Prayssac (Lot) Posts 2,948 Re: Car on the train I'm afraid the relevance of your reply to the topic rather escapes me Paul I'm pretty certain that virtually everyone here will have driven to their place in France enough times to appreciate everything you say and also know the route, or routes, which work for them. Without question taking a leisurely drive has much to recommend it, if however one's purpose is a little more focussed on getting to the destination, i.e. our house in The Lot, then a straight 1000km drive from Calais in an MG Midget falls somewhat short of qualifying as a pleasure, even for my daughter ! The motives behind the enquiry were to explore the relative cost's and logistics of putting the car on the train rather than undertaking that drive but considering that the train journey actually begins at Calais then unfortunately it looks to be completely prohibitive on cost alone   My doctor said one drink per day, I can live with that !    Report

23/04/2008, 7:46 P2 Joined on 13/09/2006 Posts 186 Re: Car on the train  ErnieY wrote: I'm afraid the relevance of your reply to the topic rather escapes me Paul I'm pretty certain that virtually everyone here will have driven to their place in France enough times to appreciate everything you say and also know the route, or routes, which work for them. Without question taking a leisurely drive has much to recommend it, if however one's purpose is a little more focussed on getting to the destination, i.e. our house in The Lot, then a straight 1000km drive from Calais in an MG Midget falls somewhat short of qualifying as a pleasure, even for my daughter ! The motives behind the enquiry were to explore the relative cost's and logistics of putting the car on the train rather than undertaking that drive but considering that the train journey actually begins at Calais then unfortunately it looks to be completely prohibitive on cost alone Ernie, yes probably most people have driven, but your post referred to your daughter, who I thought might have been worried about such a long drive and I was trying to give some reassurance that it is not such a bad drive - sorry for trying to be helpful. But, now you have clarified matters that it is an MG Midget then personally.......... Paul    Report

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