Successfully travelling with a baby requires two key elements: patience and fore planning. I recently bought tickets for the TGV and the Eurostar and was surprised by their policy on children’s tickets.
TGV Policy:
Children under 3 years old can travel for free on your lap. If you want a seat for them, you can pay a ‘Forfait Babim’, which is reduced price. All train routes offer this pricing. I’m travelling with so much baby stuff that frankly I can’t handle her on my lap, plus all the luggage, without some extra room, so I opted for the reduced second seat.
As of the age of 4, all children are required to have a ticket. 4-11 year olds are in one price bracket and 12-25 is the next one, both offering reduced pricing.
Eurostar Policy:
Kids under 4 travel for free, without a seat. I was surprised by this because I assumed that children would need some sort of ticket, even if it free, since the Eurostar is crossing international borders. Apparently not. You don’t even have the option of buying a ticket for an under 4 year old and if you absolutely must have a seat for them, you will need to buy the 4-11 year old tickets.
My experience with babies and Eurostar has been good so far, which is why I’m not too nervous about the no-ticket policy. When I was pregnant and travelling on an overbooked train, I found that a family of three, including a new born, had taken my families seats. They had been told to sit in any free seat and they hadn’t noticed they were in reserved seats. I was very impressed with how Eurostar staff dealt with the situation. They quickly realized that moving the new baby and family would be more upsetting than just helping me and my family find other seats. That may not seem that amazing, but I’m always surprised about how unsympathetic some staff and fellow travelers can be. So when I see moments of empathy and understanding from travel industry staff, I’m always impressed.