Booking rail travel in France: easiest way?

[CrystalHaze]

Anyone got any recommendations for websites to book train travel from Paris to the west coast of France? Is SNCF the easiest/cheapest website, or are there other ways to do it that offer better fares?

Thanking you in advance

We booked with SNCF in advance and then picked up the tickets at the station in Paris as we'd only booked the day before.

Not sure if there is a cheaper way to do it because the trains we booked were certainly not that cheap and the train we travelled on was the oldest crappest train I've ever been on (including when I backpacked around Eastern Europe about 20 years ago).

Have a check on raileurope.com - you can get tickets for SNCF, Tgv etc on there.

SNCF

Yep, RailEurope. Go for TGV which will be more expensive but much faster and more comfortable (generally newer, better trains). You will get the best deals if you book as far in advance as possible and are willing to get non-refundable tickets.

Thank you everyone, most helpful ~ it's so daunting booking travel arrangements abroad, I'm terrified of making a silly mistake and arriving in a foreign country with no transport, no accommodation, and no clue what's going on!

Check out the wonderful seat61.com for advice on how best to book any rail ticket anywhere!