Trains are a great way to get around France. You can go from virtually anywhere to anywhere else by train. For long distances, use the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse, or high speed train) on which booking is required. But if you have time, take the slow train and enjoy the view. The landscape is part of what makes France one of the top tourist destinations in the world.
Overview
The French national railway network is operated by SNCF Réseau, a subsidiary of the nationalized SNCF company (Société nationale des chemins de fer français).
Passenger trains are operated by several companies:
- SNCF handles most of the trains (high speed, normal long distance, normal regional speed).
- Ouigo is a brand of SNCF, low cost TGV between Tourcoing (near Lille), Rennes, Nantes, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Marseille. This service is modeled on low cost airlines: tickets are cheap (starting at € 10), but you will have to pay extra if you want to carry more than one hand luggage, a seat with a power outlet and it has to be at the train station at least 30 minutes before departure. Ouigo trains do not serve the main Paris train stations, but stations in the suburbs (Massy TGV, Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy TGV - Disneyland, Charles de Gaulle TGV airport) which can be reached in about 45 minutes from the center of Paris by public transport.
- Thello operates a daily night train between Paris is Venice and 3 daily trains between Nice is Milan (with a train connecting Marseille and Milan)
- International high-speed services connecting with the rest of Europe are operated by several companies, including Eurostar (London), Thalys (Brussels, Amsterdam, Colony), izy (Paris-Brussels) TGV Lyria (Switzerland), DB (Germany) is RENFE (Barcelona).
Each company has its own conditions of carriage and most of them do not accept SNCF reduction cards for international travel (Ouigo is also distinct from the SNCF in France despite being owned by the SNCF).
The SNCF website Gares & Connexions provides real-time train schedules, keeping you informed on platforms and delays. This information is also available on smartphones via the free SNCF app.
In France
SNCF operates almost all passenger lines within France, the only competitor being Thello, with a daily round trip between Marseille is Nice.
SNCF
SNCF operates several types of high-speed and normal trains:
- TER (Train Express Régional): regional trains and backbone of the SNCF system. TERs are sometimes slower but serve most stations. Passes available Eurail is InterRail. As they are managed by each region, the SNCF transport conditions do not fully apply and you are not entitled to a refund in the event of a delayed train. Booking is available in two classes: the première class (first class) is less crowded and more comfortable, but can also be around 50% more expensive than the deuxième class (second class). No restaurant service is available on board. Some trains have power sockets next to some or all places.
- Intercités: long distance and normal speed trains, see network map which includes lines with compulsory seat reservation (light green on the map) and lines for which seat reservation is optional (dark green on the map). Optional booking trains are what will often be used on passes. There is no food or beverage service on board. Some trains have power sockets next to some or all places.
- There are also services of night trains (Intercités de Nuit), although they are gradually phased out. These include second class bunks (6 bunk beds in one compartment), first class (4 bunk beds) and reclining seats. The sleeping cars (one compartment with 2 real beds) have been completely withdrawn from French night trains. However, you can ask for a "private room" (first class). Starting in winter 2018, night trains connect Paris with Briançon, Toulouse, Rodez, Latour-de-Carol, Cerbère. The train attendant sells snacks and drinks. Very few trains have power sockets next to some or all seats / beds.
- TGV (Trains à Grande Vitesse): The world-famous French high-speed trains run from early morning to late evening in most of France (see network map). Most trains operate to / from Paris, reaching Lille in 1 hour, Reims in 45 minutes, Metz or Nancy in 1 hour and 30 minutes, Strasbourg in 1 hour and 45 minutes, Dijon in 1 hour and 30 minutes, Lyon in 2 hours, Marseille in 3 hours, Nice in 5 hours and 45 minutes, Montpellier in 3 hours and 30 minutes, Toulouse in 4 hours, Bordeaux in 2 hours, Nantes in 2 hours, Rennes in 1 hour and 30 minutes, but some trains also connect cities without stopping in Paris. About to be renamed Inoui. There is a bar in coach 4 or 14 that sells drinks, snacks and microwaved meals, but there is no adequate restaurant (there is no bar service between Paris-Lille and Paris-Reims). Wifi is slowly being rolled out, SNCF expects all trains to offer wifi by the end of 2018.
- Ouigo: the low-cost version of the TGV, with service between Tourcoing (near Lille), Rennes, Nantes, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Marseille, Strasbourg. Some Ouigo trains to Nantes, Rennes and Bordeaux depart from Paris-Montparnasse, but most Ouigo trains serve railway stations in the suburbs (Massy TGV, Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy TGV - Disneyland, Charles de Gaulle TGV) which can be reachable in about 45 minutes from the center of Paris by public transport. This service is modeled on low cost airlines: tickets are cheap (starting at € 10), but you will have to pay extra if you want to carry more than one piece of hand luggage, a seat with a power outlet and you have to be at the station train at least 30 minutes before departure. No restaurant service is available on board. There is no wifi on board, and there are no plans to implement it.
Fare system (TER, Intercités, TGV)
The SNCF fare system is a bit complex but still easy to understand.
All tickets Intercités and TGV are exchangeable and refundable, less a fee, before departure. On those trains, you have to travel on the exact train you bought a ticket for. Tickets are generally cheaper the earlier they are purchased.
For regional trains (TER) e Intercités without reservation, tickets purchased at a ticket office are valid for any train within one or seven days (depending on the region in which you are traveling).
If you plan to make more than 4 long-distance trips during your stay, it may be worth investing in a discount card. They cost € 49, are valid for 1 year and you will need to insert a photo:
- Avantage Jeune cards, for young people aged 12 to 27, e Avantage Senior Cards, for adults over 60, offer a 30% discount on TGV e Intercités and 60% for up to 3 children between the ages of 4 and 11 traveling with the cardholder.
- Avantage Week-End Cards is Avantage Famille cards they can be subscribed by anyone, they offer a 30% discount on TGV e Intercités for the cardholder and any accompanying adult and 60% for up to 3 children between the ages of 4 and 11 traveling with the cardholder. To get the discount with these cards, it is necessary book a return ticket, with at least one weekend day or night between each leg (up to 61 days can be separated).
The discount rate offered on TER depends on the region you travel to: some regions offer discounts of up to 50% with these cards, others offer nothing, see this map here.
Tariff system (Ouigo)
Basically, the earlier you book, the cheaper it is. Tickets are non-refundable. SNCF discount cards are not valid.
Thello
Thello operates one daily round trip between Marseille is Nice (continuing east to Milan), with Intercity sections. There are two classes:
- 2to class, with 53 cm wide seats that can be reclined to 105 °
- 1to class, with 63 cm wide seats that recline 110 °
All carriages have air conditioning, all seats have a light, a table and a power socket (type C, compatible with French and Italian systems). There is no wifi connection.
From Monday to Friday, the train departs from Marseille at 15:29 and arrives at Nice at 18:02. On Saturday and Sunday, the train leaves Marseille at 11:24 am and arrives in Nice at 2:04 pm. On the other hand, the train leaves Nice every day at 19:55 and arrives in Marseille at 22:31. The train stops at Toulon, St Raphaël, Cannes, Antibes.
Adult fares between Marseille and Nice range from € 15- € 30 in 2to class e € 20- € 40, cheaper than the fixed price of TER regional trains.
International
Many companies operate lines between France and neighboring countries, but there is hardly any competition between them.
From / to UK
Eurostar is the only option, with high-speed trains between:
- Paris, Lille, Calais Fréthun in France e Ashford, Ebbsfleet is London in UK, from early morning to late evening, several times a day
- London, Ashford, Ebbsfleet e Marne-la-Vallée - Disneyland, once a day, with a morning departure from London and an afternoon departure from Marne-la-Vallée.
- London, Ashford, Lyon, Avignon is Marseille, 1 to 5 times a week depending on the season, with an early morning departure from London and an afternoon departure from Marseille. On the way north, you will be required to exit the train in Lille for your passport and security checks, before boarding the same train 75 minutes later.
Detailed timetables are available on Eurostar website.
There are three classes:
- Standard, the equivalent of 2to class
- Premier standard, the equivalent of 1to class, with a light meal
- Business Premier, the equivalent of 1to class, with a full meal and access to Eurostar lounges in Paris and London
Wifi and power sockets are available on almost all trains.
Due to security regulations and the fact that the UK is not part of the Schengen area, Eurostar has airport-like facilities in train stations, with passport control and baggage x-rays - you will need to be at the train station at least 30 minutes before departure. scheduled departure (10 minutes if you have a Business Premier ticket).
Book early (booking opens 6 months in advance), as fares can be very expensive on Eurostar (up to € 236 one way between Paris and London in Standard class). If you are really flexible, Eurostar Snap offers discounted tickets between 1 and 4 weeks before departure, but you only have to select the day and a morning or afternoon departure: the exact program will be given only 2 days before departure.
From / to Belgium
Eurostar, IZY, SNCB, SNCF and Thalys offer services between France and Belgium, but above all they do not compete with each other.
Eurostar
Eurostar operates high-speed trains between Lille and Brussels, at a fixed price of € 30 in 2to class or € 48 in 1to class.
IZY
IZY, a brand of Thalys, operates up to three daily high-speed trains between Paris and Brussels, but with only a short portion of the journey on high-speed tracks - the journey is approximately 45 minutes longer than Thalys, but substantially cheaper.
SNCB
The SNCB operates intercity trains between Lille is Mouscron, Kortrijk, Ghent, Antwerp, Tournai, Mons is Namur.
SNCF
The SNCF operates high-speed trains between the eastern half of France (Strasbourg, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Perpignan, but not Paris) is Brussels.
Thalys
Thalys operates at high speed between Paris, Brussels, Antwerp is Liege, is between Lille, Brussels is Antwerp, as well as weekly summer seasonal services between Marseille is Brussels/Antwerp and weekly winter seasonal services between Bourg Saint Maurice and Brussels / Antwerp. Free WIFI and seat-mounted power outlets are available on all trains.
There is an airport-like security check before you can board the Thalys in Paris-North, try to arrive at least five minutes before departure at the station.
From / toHolland
Thalys operates trains between Paris, Lille, Rotterdam, Schiphol Airport e Amsterdam, plus weekly summer seasonal services between Marseille and Amsterdam and weekly winter seasonal services between Bourg Saint Maurice and Amsterdam (with intermediate stops in France and in the Netherlands). Free WIFI and seat-mounted power outlets are available on all trains.
There are airport-like security checks before you can board the Thalys in Paris-North, so try to arrive at the station at least five minutes before departure.
From / to Germany
Deutsche Bahn, Saarbahn, SNCF, SWEG and Thalys operate trains to Germany.
Deutsche Bahn
DB operates two regional train lines between France and Germany:
- Between Wissembourg is Neustadt an der Weinstraße (once an hour), with some trains continuing on Mainz is Koblenz Sunday
- Between Lauterbourg is Wörth am Rhein (once every hour)
Deutsche Bahn / SNCF (Alleo)
Deutsche Bahn and SNCF operate a service between Paris, Lorraine TGV, Forbach, Saarbrücken, Kaiserslautern, Mannheim, Frankfurt am Main, Strasbourg, Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, Ulm, Augusta, Monk, as well as between Marseille, Lyon and Frankfurt am Main (with intermediate stops between Marseille and Frankfurt). Some services are operated by SNCF trains (the train is therefore designated as TGV), while others are operated by DB trains (designated as ICE). Both have 2 classes of service, a trilingual crew (French, German, English) and power sockets in each seat. ICE trains offer free wifi only within Germany.
While SNCF and DB jointly operate these trains, each operator has their own fares and fare system - compare the price between both operators before booking or use Trainline as they automatically compare both prices and offer the cheapest one.
Saarbahn
Saarbahn offers a light rail service between Sarreguemines is Saabrücken, with a departure every 30 minutes for most of the day.
SNCF
SNCF operates a TER line between Forbach is Saarbrücken (once an hour), with connections to trains arriving from Metz.
SWEG
SWEG operates a regional service between Strasbourg is Offenburg, with a train every 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Thalys
Thalys operates high-speed trains between Paris and Aachen, Colony, Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf airport, Duisburg, Essen is Dortmund. Free WIFI and seat-mounted power outlets are available on all trains.
There is an airport-like security check before you can board the Thalys in Paris-North, try to arrive at least five minutes before departure at the station.
From / to Poland, Belarus, Russia
RZD operates a weekly train between Paris, Strasbourg is Moscow, through Germany, Poland and Belarus, arriving / departing from France on Thursdays.
From / to Luxembourg
SNCF operates trains for Luxembourg.
From / to Switzerland
From / to Switzerland.
From / toItaly
SNCF and Thello operate trains for Italy.
Thello
Thello operates two lines between France and Italy:
A night train between Paris (Gare de Lyon) e Venice (Santa Lucia), with stop at Dijon, Milan, Brescia, Verona, Vicenza, Padua, Venice (Mestre). There are two classes:
- Sleeper, cheaper but less comfortable, available with 6 beds (from € 35) or 4 beds (from € 55). A bottle of water is included in the price and you can buy breakfast or snacks in the automatic machine.
- Cabin, a little more expensive but more comfortable, available with 3 beds (from € 75), 2 beds (from € 95), 1 bed (from € 115). A bottle of water and breakfast in the automatic machine are included.
The beds are quite short (180 cm): if you are tall you may have problems adjusting.
From / to Principality of Monaco
SNCF and Thello operate trains between Marseille, Nice is Monk.
From / to Spain
CP, EuskoTren, RENFE and SNCF operate trains between France and Spain.
From / to Portugal
CP operates a daily night train between Hendaye is Lisbon.
Ticket reservation
Booking tickets online can be a rather confusing process: the SNCF does not sell tickets online by itself and it is possible to book the same journey through different travel agency websites (in different languages and currencies). The rates for travel within France are the same as for all travel agencies.
- OUI.sncf - French language booking website of Expedia and SNCF. It can be confusing at times and it is known that it hardly works when trying to buy a ticket from abroad or with a non-French credit card. Pay attention: to retrieve tickets from the vending machines you will need the credit card used for payment. If you don't have it, your tickets will be lost and you will have to buy new tickets. It does not sell Thello tickets.
- Trainline - Railway booking website in French, English, German, Spanish is Italian. Aim to be as simple as possible. Unlike "OUI.sncf", a credit card is not required to retrieve the tickets, only the reservation number and surname entered. You can pay with Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Paypal. Tickets can be printed or downloaded to your mobile or Apple Watch or Android. This website sells tickets for 19 European countries, including Deutsche Bahn (DB, German platforms) tickets for travel in France is Germany, Lyria tickets for travel in Switzerland, Eurostar for travel in UK, Thalys for travel in Belgium, Germany e Netherlands, Thello tickets for travel in Italy and RENFE-SNCF for journeys in Spain. For Alleo (SNCF-DB joint operation) journeys between France and Germany, Trainline automatically compares the SNCF and DB fares and shows the cheapest of both (although for the same train, SNCF and DB have their own fares).
- RailEurope - are booking agencies owned by the SNCF. Rates will often be more expensive on these sites as they charge a fee for some reason.
- Thello sells Thello tickets only.
SNCF tickets can also be booked at vending machines in train stations. Ticket offices and kiosks are being phased out and, as of 2019, have disappeared from most small stations.
Get on board
To find your train, find the train number and departure time on the departures board. There will be a track number ("Voie") close to the train and at the departure time. Follow the signs for that platform to board the train. You will have a reserved seat on TGV trains. On other long-distance trains, you can book optionally (at least one day in advance ); if you don't have one, you can use any unused seat not marked as reserved. To find the reserved seat, first search for the carriage number ("Voit. No"). Pay attention to the possible confusion between the track number (Voie) and the carriage number (voiture) (Abbreviated Voit). As you step off the platform, the carriage number will be displayed on an LCD screen on the carriage itself, or perhaps just written in the window or right next to the doors.
Reserved seating rules are lax; it is allowed to change seat or use another seat (of the same class of course) if it is empty because the TGV is not full or the other person agrees to change it. The only requirement is not to continue using a reserved seat if the person holding the reservation requests it.
On the main lines, the TGVs often run in two. There are two possibilities: either the two TGVs are considered as a train with a train number (in this case each carriage has a different number); or the two TGVs are considered separate trains that run together during part of their journey, with two different train numbers (in this case, the two trains can have two neighboring numbers such as 1527 and 1537) and each train will have its own train numbering own carriages. So make sure you are on the right train (the train number is shown on the LCD screen, with the carriage number).
If you are early, there is often a map somewhere on the platform (displayed on older LCD screens or LED panels marked with "Composition des trains") which will show how the numbers of trains and carriages will line up on the platform based on letters that appear on the ground or on the signs above. This way, you can stand next to the letter corresponding to your carriage number and wait to get on the You can easily switch between carriages, so if you are late, jump into the same class carriage before the train starts, wait until most people are seated, then walk to your carriage and the seat number.
Attention: to avoid any form of fraud, paper tickets must be punched (compost) from an automatic machine (composteur) to be valid. Older machines are bright orange, newer ones are yellow and gray. The machines are located at the entrance to all platforms, but there is no barrier that prevents entering the platform or getting on the train without stamping the ticket; it is up to the passenger to remember to do so. Understanding how to use the stamp is not intuitive and it may take several tries if you don't know what you are doing: first insert the ticket facing up, the left end (with the SNCF logo) into the slot of the machine, as far to the left of the crack as you can. If the validation is successful, you will hear a hum a bit like the sound of torn paper and you will see a small green flashing light on the machine. Your ticket will not look different after validation.
Failure to stamp your ticket may result in you paying a fine even if you are a foreigner and with a limited French vocabulary, depending on how the conductor feels, unless you approach the conductor as quickly as possible and request validation of the ticket. Likewise, if you board a train without a ticket, you must find the conductor ("contrôleur") and tell him about your situation before he checks. However, e-ticket printouts e-Billet they must not be punched: if in doubt, punch it anyway and you will not be fined for punching a e-Billet.
French information offices, especially at larger train stations, can be of great help, especially if you don't understand much French. If something doesn't seem to make sense, just say "excusez-moi"and they should repeat.
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