Which reminds me; Mark Smith, aka the Man in Seat 61 is wildly enthusiastic about train travel and has good advice. He’s been testing out all the new european sleepers recently which is tempting.
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If they want to do it by train and reduce the expense, they may consider the route I used last time I had to do it by train, as cheaply as possible.
Train to Dover Priory, walk 800m to the port.
Foot passenger on ferry (£30)
Jump on small free bus that takes you to Calais Ville.
Train to Paris Nord.
Metro to Gare Montparnasse
Montparnasse to Poitiers.
Having said all that, Ryanair Stanstead to Poitiers is as little as £19 per person, depending on season.
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It was that bit that almost ruined my son’s holiday. 
Keep yer 'ands on yer tuppence, as we used to say. 
Ahh, inflation! In my day it was just ‘yer halfpenny’.
I’m not sure if it was actual money that was meant at the time though. 
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Depending on gender😉
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Per person and not luggage
I imagine you didn’t say! I always knew it as slang for vagina. Which is odd as it’s not rhyming slang, but thru’penny bits were tits and I never heard an alternative for a vagina. As rude little children the Mary Poppins song “feed the birds, tuppence a bag” used to make us crease up giggling.
I wonder where it comes from as one has “your opinion is not worth tuppence” ie worthless, but there’s also “I want to put in my tuppence worth” suggesting one’s opinion has some worth. But a tup is a male sheep.
Curious.
One theory is that it is related to prostitution. In Elizabethan times, intercourse with a street prostitute cost two pence. The cost of the transaction came to refer to the body parts being traded.
Getting your tuppence worth
Cannot really comment on Eurostar/UK trains.
Used them between Scotland and London and found them usually pretty dismal.
Now travelling frequently between Angouleme and Frankfurt and finding the french part of my journeys nicer. DB is a little shabby in comparison.
Best prices are if planning and booking in advance. Will pay as little as €150 1st class/retour in June vs. 340€ this week…
Still cheaper than Lufthansa from Bordeaux…
Who do ypu use to book as I want to use tge train to Munich?
I have to start in Chalon sur Saone and change once.
I use the SNCFconnect app. and got a senior advantage card. Saves me 30% on any journey.
Special offers just now, but they book out fast
On a train just now… but when you are on the site check dates either side of your desired date. Sometimes a lot cheaper…
When going thru Paris - I splash out on a taxi. Too many stairs in the metrostations to hump suitcases about - and many offers of help from very fit young guys. I can picture my cases disappearing 
Not sure fit young guys want my dirty washing! I accept with gratitude. Also seats on metro/RER!
Aren’t taxi’s very slow? I can get from gare de lyon to gare du nord in 20 minutes onthe RER and that’s walking at a slow pace. I have done it in 13 in extremis.
Usually 30 mins by cab from montparnasse to gare de l’est…
20 mins by metro and plenty of stairs…
Thank you for that Bettina.
I thought the Seniot Rail Card was only able to be used in France.
I can only really go to Munich when my family is on holiday, so my dates are quite restricted.
I may well get a car ride there and just the train back.
Surely, it’s irony.
This is what I think, for what it’s worth.
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Has anyone used the SNCF TGV MAX pass?
It’s flat rate 80 or so Euros per month, minimum 3 months, 15 euros to stop it after 3 months, free to cancel after a year.
A rolling list of trains 30 days ahead, that the MAX pass holder reserves, and then must reconfirm 1-2 days before travel.
It seems SNCF has kept on selling the pass, but has removed capacity so it’s impossible to use, when I looked at feedback to dig a little deeper. The word “Arnaque” (fraud) by SNCF, seems to be used frequently.
This type of pass could be very useful to me. So I am wondering if anyone’s tried to use it and if the problems reported really are a scam by SNCF, or if it’s people’s own lack of planning.
Access is available to 27 years and under, and recently to seniors.
From mid June France is doing a copycat of the German DB rail 49 euros monthly unlimited ‘regional trains only’ Germany-wide pass - France offering is only for under-27’s. Whereas the German 49 euro month pass is available to everyone and has been a success for DB.
So any feedback on the TGV MAX pass? I don’t feel like giving SNCF 240 euros just to find out.