Hi everyone
6 of us (nz) going to World cup rugby in Marseilles travelling from Avignon on the morning of the game. We are staying near the TGV station in Avignon so could easily catch train but were wondering will we need to book our tickets in advance as we will only be arriving in France 2 days previously. I%26#39;m worried that the train will be full because so many people going to the game.
We also have a car so could drive instead but where do you park and will it be hard to find a park in the city. Any thoughts in regards costs and best thing to do?
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Wales fan here.
French trains are excellent. Bookings normally open 3 months in advance on the Rail Europe website (if that doesn%26#39;t work for you go to SNCF - wnen you go through the booking process there%26#39;s a drop down menu as to which country you want tickets delivered to). That said I%26#39;ve just managed to book train tickets for one of our games in Nantes in late September so maybe they are allowing earlier bookings.
You%26#39;ll want to go on the TGV (High Speed Train) where reservations are compulsory but very reasonably priced. If you can be sure you know which train you%26#39;ll be on a Prems ticket offers best value. It won%26#39;t take long to get down to Marseille.
I don%26#39;t know if you%26#39;re familiar with this part of France but Avignon is an old Roman town with a famous bridge. Marseille is very multi cultural but the Old Port is an essential visit to eat the local fish stew - bouillabaisse. I%26#39;m hoping to be there in early October for the QF - preferably against England.
Good luck.
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Hey thanks for this info...still not sure whether to drive into the city or not as there are 6 of us and it will be so much cheaper. We%26#39;ll be routing for the welsh apart from when they /if they meet NZ. shame about losing to Australia recently but I%26#39;m sure over your side of the world it will be a different matter.
Really looking forward to getting over there in Sept.
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First of all don%26#39;t put any weight on our results in Australia. That was the B team. Most of them won%26#39;t get anywhere near the starting line up in September in Cardiff where we%26#39;ve beaten Australia and drawn with them in the last 2 games.
A quick look at the Rail Europe site suggests that you can go return from Avignon to Marseille for about £35 each and it takes about 40 minutes. It may seem expensive but it%26#39;s going to be a whole lot quicker and you won%26#39;%26#39;t need to mess about with driving into the city, finding somewhere to park (if it%26#39;s Italy you are playing I guess a lot of their fans may drive across the border and along the coast) and at least one of you won%26#39;t be able to drink. I%26#39;m no expert but I guess that the train will help you do that trip in about half the time.
The earlist we%26#39;ll meet the AB%26#39;s is an a semi final. To do that we%26#39;ve got to get past England or South Africa. England maybe but I don%26#39;t see us beating the Springboks.
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I personally would avoid driving in Marseille - I have done it several times and now try to avoid it.
One alternative might be to drive to Marseille airport - about 45 minutes by autoroute, park in their short stay and take the shuttle bus into the city.
This will drop you at the main railway station where you can take the metro to the ground.
I give this in good faith even though you will be supporting Wales:-}
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Yes Shepley
We didn%26#39;t realise here in NZ that the Welsh had sent a B side and with that in mind I reckon you guys should do really well. Always had a soft spot for the Welsh JPR and JJ Williams ,Barry John etc, gee that was a side no one could beat!
We%26#39;ve just beaten the French E team that they sent over...what is it with you guys over there, are you playing Rugby poker and not wanting to show your hand too early?
Boucheboy, the driving into the city does seem a daunting task but we were thinking about doing it really early in the morning and get there before breakfast to beat the crowds ie spend the day in the centre before the game. Where%26#39;s the best place to park do you think that is accessible coming from Avignon with access to the metro?
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Sorry cannot help as I never park in Marseille- remember its going to be lively getting out.
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OK you seem to be making a really good case for catching the train in considering we are only arriving in France the day before tired and practising our driving on the other side of the road. So here%26#39;s another question. If we are to catch the TGV from Avignon will we need to book the train before we get to France. I have been told that you can not book tickets from outside of France? I%26#39;m concerned that the trains will all be full with people going into Marseille for the game so wondering if pre booking is advisable?
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The only site I have ever used is raileurope.co.uk - but they will not send tickets outside Europe - do you have a mailing contact in Europe where tickets could be sent to?
One other thought - have you thought about a mini bus and driver - your hotel might be able to help with this.
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I%26#39;ve looked on the SNCF (French State Railways) website and whilst there%26#39;s a drop down list of countries they deliver to (including some quite exotic ones) New Zealand isn%26#39;t on it.
Rail Europe have an Australian website at http://www.raileurope.com.au/ so if you%26#39;ve got friends there they may be able to help.
Or maybe just try the Frech Tourist Board / French Embassy in Auckland and see if they have any ideas.
On the TGV it%26#39;s definitely reservations only - no walk up and get on I%26#39;m afraid.
I certainly wouldn%26#39;t recommend driving so soon after flying from NZ. The motorways are fine but the city centres might be a bit of a challenge if you%26#39;re not used to driving on the right.
We left 18 players at home to rest and avoid injury. We don%26#39;t have massive strength in depth and we can%26#39;t afford injuries in key positions. So we sent players coming back from injury, challenging for places etc. The Aussie press (aided by that master of tact and discretion David Campese) went into overdrive about disrepect, watsing their time etc - until the first test when we were 17 up after 10 minutes and they only sneaked a win in the 80th minute. Then we heard nothing more!!
I grew up watching Gareth Edwards, JPR etc. Great days and probably never to be repeated although our Grand Slam 2 years ago lifted morale a bit. If we can find some of that form in September it will make the travelling worthwhille.
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definitely book before you get there TGV trains are all reserved seating and if you wait the chances are you wont be able to sit together or else the train could be full ...if you book on the SNCF web site you can use the option to print your own tickets which will get over the problem of delivery
we%26#39;re going down for the QF%26#39;s one of which should hopefully include England .... not holding my breath though !
Sons got tickets for the QF in cardiff which should be the AB%26#39;s V France or Ireland
he%26#39;s looking forward to that one !
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