Fip travel help please

[G136GREYHOUND]

Hi All,

Not used FIP before in all my years on railway but my daughter is keen to try it out :

Has anyone gone from UK to Portugal before ?

I am thinking FGW ( I drive for them to PAD ) Eurostar to Paris

Then to Irun - then Burgos, then to Portugal

Was thinking of coming back on ferry to Plymouth from Spain then FGW back

How much is free with FIP coupons, is there any ferry discount with Britanny ferries

any other advice

Many thanks

 

[30907]

From a previous thread on this forum I've found this link which will get you started.

http://www.atoc.org/clientfiles/files/RSTDocuments/NewArticles/C4823AN%20FIP%20WEB%20010513.pdf

I can't see a reference to ferries from UK there, but I suspect the site will have something.

My own memory (over 30 years back) is that it was generally the (ex-)railway-owned ferries that offered anything to BR staff, and that wouldn't include Brittany, sadly.

As always, there's bound to be someone better-informed on here soon

 

[scotraildriver]

The best thing to do is call DB and ask. They administer the FIP thing and are very helpful. Your FIP coupons entitle you to restricted free but fairly unlimited 75% discount and a combination of the two I found is best. Just call them with your itinerary and in my experience you won't go wrong.

 

[reb0118]

I've recently returned from a Lisbon - Linlithgow trip by rail. My route was as follows:-

Lisbon - Porto (Overnight stop) - Vigo (Trenhotel) - Barcelona - Nîmes (Overnight stop) - Paris - London - Edinburgh - Linlithgow.

The cost was as follows:-

1) Lisbon - Porto: free with coupons; 4€ compulsory reservation charge.
2) Porto - Vigo: free with coupons; 4€ compulsory reservation charge.
3) Vigo - Barcelona: 115€ for two in a twin en suite compartment.
4) Barcelona - Nîmes: 8€ (not sure how they worked this fare out but not complaining! )
5) Nîmes - Paris: free with coupons; 1.50 reservation & supplement charge.
6) Paris - London: £40 for 1st class
7) London - Linlithgow: £17 (priv rate)

All in all very reasonable in my opinion.

 

[G136GREYHOUND]

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated.

With FIP cards can you use them like your UK rail pass, i.e. hop on-hop off, railwayman's club kind of thing ?

 

[reb0118]

.......With FIP cards can you use them like your UK rail pass, i.e. hop on-hop off, railwayman's club kind of thing?...

Best not to. I've been thrown off a train for not having a seat reservation! European rail staff are even more severe than UK staff. A fair few do not even understand how your coupons work and are insistent on your filling in a new box for the second day of travel. That said if travelling at short notice on reservation compulsory trains a wee word with the guard can help if you have had problems getting a reservation beforehand.

A tip is to write down your questions &c. in the local language if possible.

 

[Gerald Fiennes]

I did London - Lisbon via Irun/Hendaye, returning via Madrid/Barcelona/Port Bou in 2009. Perfectly possible. The FIP coupon can be used on CP with a reservation supplement, but I found that it was of little use for express ie AVE-type trains in Spain or in Trenhotels: the FIP card gave half price here, however. As reb0118 points out, if you use the FIP card it's best to buy tickets with them at ticket offices before getting on trains although they are quite rare so staff will not always have seen them. On CP and RENFE express trains are reservations compulsory and, like SNCF/Eurostar, don't put tickets on the reserved seats. So if you just get on, you won't know which seats are taken. No FIP on Britanny Ferries as it was never a railway service: it's practically an ocean voyage, not a cross channel steamer!

 

[G136GREYHOUND]

Thanks Again for the advice, here is how it went :

HST to Pad - free 1st class, clockwork
Tube to St Pancras on Priv £ 1.10
Eurostar to Paris Bag searched UK side, but like clockwork £ 23 cost
Metro across Paris, stayed night
Metro to Montparsee TGV to Hendaye with 4Euro seat reservation, got off Hendaye, train carried on to bloody Irun !
Went out of station turned right short walk to modern narrow gauge train, no FIP, ticket barrier, 3 stops, short walk left and over bridge to Irun, 4 Euros

Waited 4 hours at Irun, train to Salamanca, 4 Euros reservation
Got off here, stayed night, found out only 1 train - train just got off Trenhotel runs between Spain and Portugal, leaves Salamanca 1AM, so got bus to Ciudad Rodrigo next day which I wanted to see, good ride E6.50. Waited at Ciudad Rodrigo station - overheads end Salamanca, only freight went by, train came in at 2 AM, got on, showed FIP card and coupon, guard just smiled so free to Lisbon.

Same down to Algarve, free on FIP and coupon again. Found out no train via Badajoz so back to Lisbon, ditto free, asked about train, fully booked for 3 days, but when I explained was UK driver, railway favour done, and got on train to Madrid which spilt at Medina, had to get on other half of train and explain to guard there, no hassle, smiles, pee take etc from him. 7Euro reservation,

Madrid to Santander again, free, all like clockwork, Brittany ferry 7 hours late in and they could not have cared less, people with kids in prams having to stay in terminal over night, had to get train west via Southsea, Eastleigh. Basingstoke and Reading, had to take extra day off ! Thanks resources ! appreciate it..

WOULD DO TRAIN AGAIN ON FIP, ferry, not on your nelly