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One country pass inbound/outbound journey

Eleonora Pastorino

Hello,

I have understood that with the one country pass it is not possible to take trains that cross the border, meaning that you have not right to an inbound or outbound journey from your country of residence. Do you know if this also applies to the train companies of the country I am travelling to (e.g. does this rule also apply if I have a France Country Pass and I want to take a SNCF train from my country of residence)?

Alternatively, do you know if it is acceptable to buy a normal train ticket to cover the ride between my city and the first stop in the country I am travelling to (e.g. I buy a normal ticket from Brussels to Lille and I use the France Country Pass from Lille to my final destination in France)?

Thank you!

Eleonora

Best answer by ralderton

Yes, with most One Country passes, including France, you can’t cross the border at all.

Your second idea is correct - you need to buy a ticket to the border point, then use your pass from there.

If taking the TGV, you could buy a ticket to Lille, then a TGV reservation to your destination in France.

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ralderton
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  • ralderton
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  • January 4, 2024

Yes, with most One Country passes, including France, you can’t cross the border at all.

Your second idea is correct - you need to buy a ticket to the border point, then use your pass from there.

If taking the TGV, you could buy a ticket to Lille, then a TGV reservation to your destination in France.

Eleonora Pastorino
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  • rvdborgt
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  • January 4, 2024

If you use a regular IC to Lille, then you only need a ticket to the actual border, not all the way to Lille. You can get that from the ticket office. You can also use a Rail Pass/Go Pass until the last station in Belgium and a ticket for the remaining part until the border. The One Country Pass is valid from the border.

Please ask questions in the community and not via a private message. That's the quickest way to get a response. I don't work for Eurail/Interrail.
Eleonora Pastorino
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Eleonora Pastorino
ralderton wrote:

Yes, with most One Country passes, including France, you can’t cross the border at all.

Your second idea is correct - you need to buy a ticket to the border point, then use your pass from there.

If taking the TGV, you could buy a ticket to Lille, then a TGV reservation to your destination in France.

Thank you!

Eleonora Pastorino
rvdborgt wrote:

If you use a regular IC to Lille, then you only need a ticket to the actual border, not all the way to Lille. You can get that from the ticket office. You can also use a Rail Pass/Go Pass until the last station in Belgium and a ticket for the remaining part until the border. The One Country Pass is valid from the border.

Thank you! I hadn’t thought about these options because my idea was to get on the same TGV that leaves from Brussels and stops in Lille as this would be faster than taking an IC and then changing the train.

ralderton
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  • ralderton
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  • January 4, 2024
Eleonora Pastorino wrote:

Thank you! I hadn’t thought about these options because my idea was to get on the same TGV that leaves from Brussels and stops in Lille as this would be faster than taking an IC and then changing the train.

Yes, the TGV is much faster, but the slower option taking the IC can save money. In this case, I’d probably pay the extra and stick with the TGV, but it’s your choice.

Eleonora Pastorino
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  • thibcabe
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  • January 4, 2024

TGV tickets to Lille are often 19€ so I hope you're lucky. Then you'll get a 10-20€ reservation -> if not in the same unit you have enough time to change.

You can make sure you stay in the same unit if you use https://travel.b-europe.com/Eurail-GE/en/booking-tgv#TravelWish (pay close attention to the TGV number from Brussels)

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