Rail Travel in France: Getting Around by Train
A typical French train at Lyon's train station (photo by the author).
France is one of the best countries on the planet for train travel. Its super TGV system, which has inspired bullet trains throughout the world, zips throughout France at 170 to 220 mph. The fast Eurostar, running under the English Channel, links London and Paris, and the Thalys bullet train connects Paris to Brussels.
Paris is one of Europe's busiest rail junctions, with trains arriving at and departing from its many stations every few minutes. You can get from Paris to just about anywhere else in the country in hours.
With 39,000km (24,000 miles) of track and about 3,000 stations, SNCF (French National Railroads) is fabled for its on-time performance. You can travel in first or second class by day and in couchette (sleeper) by night. Many trains have dining facilities.
Rail passes and individual rail tickets are available at most travel agencies or at any office of Rail Europe. Rail Europe also provides a useful interactive rail map of France.
You can save big money with a France Railpass (available only outside France). For about the cost of a train ticket from Paris to Avignon and back, the Railpass gives you four days of travel anywhere in France. You can add more days for about the cost of a two-hour ride each. And if you're traveling with a friend, get the Flexi Saver - each of you will get a 20 percent discount. As an added bonus, your RailPass gets you first-class seats.
Each day of use on the France Rail Pass allows you to ride the train as much as you can stand in a 24-hour period. If you're planning both short and long train trips in France, save your valuable Railpass days for the long journeys (e.g. Paris to Avignon) and buy second-class tickets for the short jaunts (e.g. Paris to Chartres).
If you are traveling not just in France but throughout Europe, save money with a Eurail Flexipass.
