At TravelGuys, we like to make you dream. After Bali, Thailand, Seville and Palma de Majorca, we take you to Saint-Pierre-des-Corps.
No, on a more serious note, we’ve decided to visit the chateaux of the Loire Valley to round off our vacation… So Saint-Pierre-des-Corps will be the necessary stopover to rent a car to get us there.
Here’s the itinerary we’ve booked:
Purchase and booking
I made the reservation about 45 days before departure, at the same time as booking the stay. For my train tickets, I use the Trainline website rather than the complicated SNCF websites.
Not much to say, apart from the fact that you still can’t choose your seat, regardless of the class in which you’ve booked, but can simply set your preferences… Incredible in 2020. Let’s go for two seats in 1st class for €49 one way.
Arrival at the station and lounge
We arrive at Montparnasse station by metro from our home. The Montparnasse train station has been undergoing renovation work for several months, and it’s been a bit of a mess getting to the platforms.
For several months now, Grand Voyageur Plus and Le Club members have been able to access the lounge with a guest on weekends. So I take advantage of it this time by bringing my wife into the lounge with me.
The lounge is located on the mezzanine floor of the station, and is accessible either by staircase or elevator, the latter being our choice because of our luggage.
The welcome at the lounge is absolutely perfect. The flight attendant stands in front of her counter to welcome customers and scan their cards or tickets.
Make no mistake: this is still an SNCF lounge.
But the design is there, and there’s free coffee, tea and newspapers. But no food. And it’s a much more civilized place to wait than a station concourse.
Boarding
When the track of our train is displayed, we go to the platform to board. As in all Paris stations, Montparnasse has equipped its platforms with a control line to check that each person is in possession of a ticket. Effective in limiting fraud.
Our car is at the end of the train, so we board quickly. No particular welcome on the platform.
Cabin
The cabs of these TGVs are now starting to look dated. The seats are not particularly comfortable. Worse still, they are in a shameful state of disrepair. My wife’s seat is totally broken and will remain in the “reclined” position.
OK for a one-hour journey, but clearly unacceptable for a longer journey with a first-class ticket.
Service and catering
No service at the seat on metropolitan InOui TGVs, only the bar, which we won’t be visiting.
Arrival and disembarkation
We arrive at Saint-Pierre-des-Corps station on time, and head for the (not very visible) Hertz branch to pick up our car.
Bottom line
A very mixed experience. While the lounge at Montparnasse is very pleasant, the trains are in an advanced state of wear and tear, and it’s high time they were replaced.
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