I am flying to Brest Brittany this summer and would like to travel onwards from there by train, to Lorient or Auray. Can you advise on where I can get information on this? I have tried the SNCF website but got nowhere. Hilary Powell, by email

Sunday Times travel expert Richard Green responds: Your best bet for booking domestic train journeys in France is to contact Rail Europe (08448 484 064), which is the UK agent for French railways, SNCF.

The Rail Europe is geared up for UK users, uses English, and gives prices in sterling etc. Looking at the journey you have in mind; from Brest to Lorient, it takes about two hours (with a change in Quimper), from £15 one-way. There are also several trains a day from Brest to Auray, again with a change in Quimper, taking from 2hrs 21mins, and costing from £18.50.

You can also book by phone, where the staff can talk you through the various options. Note that there is a £6 booking fee per booking.

And if you are in or near to London, you could call into its office, at 1 Regent Street, just around the corner from the iconic offices at 179 Picadilly, which with a few name changes in between, you could have booked French railway tickets, since 1938.

A good resource for travelling on French railways is the information-packed www.seat61.com

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