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Ultimate guide to train travel in France (plus where to buy tickets so you don’t get scammed!)

France · travel

As an American, when I think about taking a trip somewhere, I first think of flying or driving to my destination. But in France, train travel is actually one of the most popular ways to get from point A to B.

Whether you’re a commuter or looking to go on vacation, France’s railway system is a well-connected and efficient way to travel around France and to other destinations in Europe. Before considering train travel in France, keep reading to learn what you need to know before you go (and where to buy France train tickets)!

Quick guide to train travel in France

Other than commuting to work back in the US, I didn’t have much experience traveling by train. That all changed when I moved to France. From short regional trips to much longer journeys, traveling by train has a lot going for it.

Let’s get into what you need to know before you buy a train ticket in France.

Photo credit: www.depositphotos.com/ursula1964

Table of Contents

Train travel destinations from France

France’s national state-owned railway company is called the SNCF, which stands for Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français. The SNCF was founded in 1938, and runs all rail traffic nationwide as well as in Monaco. This also includes TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) service, the high-speed rail network. France has 27,483 kilometers of railway lines (only second to Germany) making train travel in France a popular option. (via Statista as of 2019).

All of France’s big cities are accessible via train, with Paris being a major hub. In Paris alone, there are six train stations that will get you to other areas of France and Europe: Gare du Nord, Gare de l’Est, Gare de Lyon, Gare d’Austerlitz, Gare Montparnasse, and Gare Saint-Lazare.

In addition to big cities, you can take the train to smaller towns and even more rural areas. Train travel is great for weekend trips from Paris as well. If you’re looking to travel to other areas of Europe via train, you’ve got options. Travel to London, Brussels, Amsterdam and more via SNCF service!

Must-know tips for your first trip to France >>

Photo credit: www.depositphotos.com/Boarding2Now

Types of trains and service in France

Train service in France runs like a well-oiled machine with a wide variety of routes nationwide that include big cities, small towns, and even rural areas. As of 2019, the entire SNCF network has over 27,000 kilometers of railway lines, 58% of which were electrified. Over 15,000 commercial trains run daily, transporting more than 5 million passengers and more than 250,000 tons of goods, reported the SNCF.

Let’s talk about the different types of passenger trains available:

TGV INOUI : The TGV is France’s most well-known train, which stands for Train à Grand Vitesse which translates to high-speed train. They can hit speeds of up to 300 km/h (186 mph). The TGV services 200 destinations and has been operating since 1981. TGV Europe also services destinations in Germany, Italy, Spain, Luxembourg, and Belgium. The TGV is the train you take when you want to get from point A to B as quickly as possible.

TGV Lyria : High-speed service that connects France to destinations in Switzerland.

OUIGO: OUIGO is all about low-cost train fares on the TGV. Be sure to book early to score these offers! Small pets travel for free, a piece of luggage is included in the fare, and they’re a steal if your destination is one of the 41 they service. Kids 0-11 years old travel for 5€ one way.

One drawback of OUIGO service is that you have to arrive 30 minutes in advance so staff can check tickets. In addition, extra luggage and seats with a power outlet cost extra and there’s no dining car. Seats tend to be a bit smaller and less comfortable, so take all of that into consideration. None of these were dealbreakers for me when I’ve taken OUIGO trains, though they may be for some people.

As of April 2022, the SNCF launched the OUIGO Train Classique. It is a slower service debuting between Paris and Lyon and Paris and Nantes. The fares are between 10 and 30 euros each way (5€ for kids) and are a great budget-friendly option for those of us who don’t mind a longer trip. The fares are fixed – even for last-minute travel. Note that these fares are only sold online.

INTERCITÉS : Services 150 French destinations, some of which don’t require reservations in advance. They also offer overnight trains on some routes.

TER: France’s regional trains that operate in 11 regions and also connect to the main lines. These are not high-speed trains.

Thalys: High-speed service to Cologne, Amsterdam, and Brussels.

Eurostar : High-speed service to London from Paris, Lille, or Brussels.

Transilien and public transport in the Paris region: This includes the Paris metro and RER trains, bus lines, and more (operated by the RATP). Transilien refers to commuter service in the Paris area.

Photo credit: www.depositphotos.com/anrymoscow

Where to buy train tickets in France

You have a couple of options for how to book train tickets in France. You can buy them in person at any train station either at the automated machine terminals or face to face at the ticket window. If you go the ticket window route, take note that they are generally open during French business hours and not 24/7.

Also be aware that there are different types of ticket machines. Some are only for TER train tickets in France, as shown above, and others are for TGV tickets, etc. 

Your other option for where to buy train tickets in France is to do so online. This is the only option for many of us if we’re not currently in France. It’s so important to buy from the French SNCF directly to avoid fees and extra hassle. If you do a quick web search for, “How to book train tickets in France,” the official site is often not the first one that comes up and I’ve heard from many of my readers how they’ve been ripped off.

As I mentioned, France’s railway network is called SNCF and the official website/app to buy train tickets is now called SNCF Connect (formerly known as OUI.sncf). The new site has easier route mapping, integrated commuter support and so much more that makes planning a trip a breeze. It’s also available in English.

You can buy tickets for all the types of transport listed above from your computer or phone via their website or the app. You then have the option of printing out a paper ticket or saving the digital version to your phone. The direct website for French train tickets:

There are also other sites called Rail Europe and others geared toward English-speaking foreigners where you can buy France train tickets. They are third-party resellers that are not official sites. Prices are often elevated, so I don’t recommend ever using them. Always go the official route. It’s the best way to buy train tickets in France.

On SNCF Connect , in addition to actually buying/exchanging your France train tickets, you can also plan your trip, find the best door-to-door route, get traffic updates and alerts in real time and buy and renew regional cards and passes. You can also access bus lines and ride sharing offers.

If you travel frequently, are a student, or a senior citizen, it may be cost effective to look into special train passes, so see if you qualify to save a few bucks.

Just like with flights, train ticket prices in France fluctuate as well. You can usually get a much better deal well in advance, while last-minute tickets are usually the most expensive.

BIGGEST MISTAKES tourists make in Paris >>

Empty first class TGV seats. Photo credit: www.depositphotos.com/Pixavril

Expert tips for train travel in France

1. Buy tickets early for the best price and availability. If you’re looking to travel by train and know your plans well in advance, it pays to buy the tickets well in advance. You’ll get the best price. Another reason why you’ll want to book early whenever possible is because trains in France sell out since all seating is reserved.

This can be especially true during the peak summer months, during school vacation periods, and on popular routes. As I recommended above, be sure to only use the official site SNCF Connect for the most accurate information and cost-effective tickets.

2. Book a seat that makes sense for you. All TGV seating is reserved. TGVs and longer trips require you to book a specific seat and there are different configurations. Most are two by two and you have the choice of an aisle or window seat. There are also “family” seats called carré (square) which are 4 seats in a two-by-two configuration but facing each other with a table in between (imagine sitting at a 4-person dinner table).

That means two are riding backwards. It can be a little awkward facing a stranger the whole ride. Also, riding backwards isn’t always comfortable for people prone to motion sickness, so pay close attention to what seat you’re choosing.

In addition, some trains are double deckers and have an upstairs level accessible by a staircase. If you have several pieces of luggage or aren’t able to easily climb stairs, upstairs may not be the best option. The booking system will assign you a seat that is easily changed before finalizing your reservation, so again just be sure you’re comfortable with the seat you’re selecting.

3. Consider first class. Along with the above, it might make sense to book a ticket in first class. Sometimes they’re only slightly more expensive than regular second class fares, especially when booked in advance. For more comfortable seats with a little more leg room, more luggage storage, a plug for electronics, and more, first class might be a good choice for business travel or long trips where comfort is important.

Overall, I’ve found that first class seats on the TGV aren’t that different from second class so they aren’t worth a splurge if the difference in fare classes is steep.

4. Show up early. If you’re not used to taking the train in France, be sure to give yourself enough time to navigate the station and get to the right platform and track (called voie in French. You’ll see tracks noted as Voie A, for example).

Paris stations are big and it can be confusing if you’re not used to how things are organized. Spare yourself the added stress that comes along with rushing or having to rebook a missed train and get there on the early side.

5. Note the number of your train car and line up on the platform accordingly. This is a VERY IMPORTANT tip . For trips with reserved seating, it’s imperative that you look closely at your ticket and mentally note the specific train carriage number in which you’ll be seated.

Then find the black display sign on the platform titled “Composition des Trains” that tells you where to stand for your specific car number. It looks like a lit up outline of a train and will usually have a “You are here” dot so you can gauge how far left or right you need to walk to get into position.

TGVs and other international trains can be quite long with 20 or more cars or even two trains that are attached. Because stops are often only a couple of minutes long, you need to be in the vicinity of your assigned seat because you won’t have time to run the length of the platform if you’re near car 4 and yours is actually car 18. This happened to my aunt and uncle in Marseille. They couldn’t get to their train car in time with all their luggage and missed the train.

You can’t just get on and walk between the cars because they aren’t always connected and with the crowds and luggage, it’s not feasible. In some cases, as I mentioned, two separate trains might be connected as they depart Paris but at some point they split and go to different final destinations.

It’s really important you check that you’re in the right seat and in the right car! Definitely take extra care when it comes to lining up ahead of time and then finding your seat once on board.

A final note on the Composition des Trains display sign: There won’t be an employee directing you and it’s not required to line up in any specific place. It’s just that the Composition des Trains display is there for a reason, so be sure to take a look so you aren’t on the opposite side of the platform when the train comes. That way you’ll be in the general vicinity of your assigned seat and won’t have to run.

6. Note the train number. Each train has a specific number so when you look up at the big board or screen in the station that lists out all the departures, you’ll see a train number that corresponds to the destination and time.

Several trains may be going to or coming from the same place so it’s important to know you’re on the train you actually bought a ticket for.

Must-know travel phrases for your France trip (with audio) >>

The yellow machine is where you validate your paper ticket prior to boarding. Photo credit: www.depositphotos.com/ursula1964

7. Don’t forget to validate your ticket. All paper tickets for Europe train travel need to be validated before you get on the train in France. To do this, look for the yellow machines with a ticket slot in the train station. There are several usually at the entrance, on the platform, and around the ticket machines and are marked “Compostez votre billet” (validate your ticket).

You insert your ticket into the machine and two seconds later it spits it out with a stamped line of text validating that the ticket is now used. You’ll need to show it to the train employee (contrôleur in French) when he or she checks your ticket after boarding (or in some cases before you board).

Along with that, be sure to have a photo ID with you even for regional trips. In the case of buying your France train ticket online, it’ll be in your name and sometimes they check ID as well. Keep in mind there is no validation process required for e-tickets because they have a special QR code that is scanned directly from your phone. Just the paper ones require the stamp from the yellow machine.

As you’d expect, ID is always checked for TGV and other international trips. Another note on tickets is to always play it safe and buy a train ticket. While the conductor doesn’t always check all tickets, fines are heavy if you try to get a free ride.

Another important tip I should mention is make sure your phone is charged if you have an e-ticket since you’ll need it on and functional to show your ticket.

8. Keep your voice down. Train cars tend to be on the quieter side in France and Europe. People tend to keep their voices low when having private conversations and phone calls are not allowed in some cars. It goes toward respecting the public space and not disturbing those around you. The general attitude for train travel in Europe is to keep your voice down.

American social norms that don’t translate to French cultur e >>

Pros of train travel in France

Easy and efficient way to travel. While France train travel isn’t perfect, it’s a pretty stress-free way to travel. You can easily book your ticket online, arrive at the station, and go. Voilà!

The country is extremely well connected and whether you’re traveling within France or to neighboring European countries, SNCF Connect has you covered. Also, train travel in France doesn’t require you to arrive hours early like air travel does.

Comfortable seats. Compared to regular economy class on most airlines, trains in France are quite comfortable. You have more legroom, big picture windows to take in the view, decent sized bathrooms, and more.

You can head to the bar/food car on some trains where you can buy something to eat or drink. You’re always welcome to bring your own food as well. Many newer trains also have free Wi-Fi.

Lots of options in terms of timing. Most routes have several trains per day (even hourly!) so you have your pick as to whether you leave in the morning or evening or somewhere in between. Train travel is extremely convenient and that’s a top pro.

Cons of train travel in France

Possibility of strikes and delays. Like air travel, train travel in France isn’t without its drawbacks. Strikes and delays are not uncommon occurrences. The bright side is strikes are usually announced in advance so you can plan ahead but delays come down to luck.

Weather, technical issues, and more play into whether your trip will be delayed so it just comes with the territory. I take the train regularly and I’m happy to say I’ve only been inconvenienced by strikes and big delays a handful of times in 10 years.

Trips can be long and routing isn’t always direct. If you’re in a rush, train travel may not be for you. TGV and other international high-speed options aside, if you’re trying to get from Angers to Perpignan like I had to when my flight was canceled a couple of years back, be ready for a long day. Routes aren’t always direct and many go through Paris.

In my case I had to change train stations (not just the train!) in Paris which required a taxi. Then my second train was a very slow one that made all the stops. I think the trip was over 8 hours total (flight would have been an hour and 20 minutes).

If you’re in a rush or hate long trips, train travel may not make sense for your specific situation depending on your route.

Not great if you have a lot of luggage. Unlike air travel where you can check large pieces of luggage, when you go by train, you’re responsible for hauling your suitcase(s) onto the train and stowing it in the luggage area. Depending on where you’re seated, this can mean lugging it up or down stairs.

This can be even a bit more challenging on crowded trains when luggage areas are already full. While there aren’t firm luggage limits on regular fare trains, it can get really cumbersome when you have two or three suitcases.

If you are traveling solo and have two or more pieces of luggage, keep in mind that trains only stop for a few minutes so take steps to make the whole on/off process run as smoothly as possible. This includes booking a ticket on the lower level so you can avoid stairs and making sure that you line up on the platform in the area that corresponds to your reserved seat, as we talked about above.

Also, when it’s time to get off, start getting your suitcase out of the luggage area a few minutes before the train arrives in the station. People who got on after you might have boxed your suitcase in so leave yourself time to get organized.

Have you taken a French train? How was the experience? I hope my guide to train travel in France was helpful! Buy your French train tickets and bon voyage!

Traveling to France soon and want to be prepared? Check out my eGuide titled “ 75 Beginner France travel tips for a standout trip! ”

Need some tips on how to dress like a French woman? This is my no BS guide on how to dress in France .

Disclosure: This is a sponsored collaboration between SNCF Connect and Oui In France. All opinions are my own.

PIN my France train tickets and French train travel post:

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April 22, 2022 at 5:34 pm

Hey Diane, Great article! Good timing as I’m on a Thalys heading Paris-Amsterdam. I have a question about seats. I did switch seats online when I bought them but I’m stumped as how to make sure I’m not sitting backwards. There’s nothing on the seat map that shows if you’re going the correct direction of train or backwards. Am I missing something? Thanks and be well!

April 23, 2022 at 11:32 am

I’ve been traveling a lot by train in France for the last 2 weeks mostly using the SNCF connect app. The TER tickets I’ve bought with the app are only available on your phone. You can’t print them. The OUIGO and inOui tickets are on the app and sent as PDFs by email so they can be printed if you have access to a printer. The OUIGO tickets can’t be printed at the station if you bought them using the app. The only downside I’ve found is that scanning the tickets is sometimes necessary to get to the platform and it doesn’t always work from the phone. I and a lot of other people had to get assistance from an SNCF employee. That employee was very helpful but only spoke French. Overall I think the app works very well.

If you’re over 60 and book the tickets more than a day in advance you get a 10% discount even without buying a loyalty card.

April 23, 2022 at 2:54 pm

When traveling via TGV, is there a way to tell which end of your car has the luggage racks? We were a group of 7 in December and sometimes boarded on the end opposite the racks. That made life a little challenging! Also, when booking three sets of TGV tickets for 7, I couldn’t get SNCF to register me. It said I had created an account and would receive an email but nothing ever arrived! Therefore, I couldn’t look up my account to see my tickets. Luckily I had the confirmation numbers and could find them that way. A little frustrating. But the train travel itself was wonderful! We did Paris-Reims-Strasbourg-CDG.

April 24, 2022 at 1:48 pm

Hi ! Racks for luggage can be at several places. It depends if your train is TGV, a TER ou another type of train. In TGV (INOUi and OUIGO), racks are most of the time at both end of the seated areas and in the middle of them. You can also slide under your seat your luggage if it’s not too big.

April 23, 2022 at 6:25 pm

Nice article. I always use trains in Europe, as they are faster than using an airplane. I tried to take your advice and tried to sign up for sncfconnect. After entering my credentials, I received an email that says click on Activate my account. Upon doing so, I received

Unauthorized url: https://www.sncf-connect.com/app/en-ww/account/activation , for application: ccl

Upon replying to the email asking for assistance, it was returned as Undeliverable.

Using the Chat feature on the website got me a See our FAQ.

I’ve always used Rail Europe for tickets. While they may be a touch more expensive, at least you can reach a real person if there’s a problem or issue.

April 24, 2022 at 8:40 pm

Now this was really interesting , I love train travel just don’t have a reason to take a train anywhere.

April 29, 2022 at 11:42 pm

Great article. I wished there were more photos of things you talked about. I found it hard to find the right car (several years ago so maybe the signage has changed) and when I asked an employee, he was less than helpful, a bit irritated (it wasn’t because of my French; I’m bilingual). I had a hard time finding the right car. Also is the lining up new? I don’t remember having to line up for my car by a sign. I would love to see that photo. Anyway, great practical advice. And safe travels to you and your family. Looking forward to reading about it when you return

April 30, 2022 at 5:55 am

Hi Jacqueline, thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it! Sorry for any confusion about the composition du train display. It’s not required that you line up anywhere and there isn’t an employee who will direct people to the right spot on the track. It’s just there to help people get to the right spot more or less so they aren’t on the opposite side of the platform when the train comes (thus increasing the chance of missing their train). It was just my tip to take a peek at the display to get close to the spot where your particular car will come to a stop? Does that make sense? I will update the post with a line clarifying that (and add a pic of the display after I next take the TGV). Thx again & bon week-end !

June 8, 2022 at 6:49 pm

This was an awesome guide to the French trains and systems. I will save it for when we get to go for a few months, maybe next spring. Thanks so much for this and other blogs and videos that you do. They are helpful for us who plan on visiting in the future as well as those there. One question I have is about pets…I think I have read that you can take dogs on the trains except for the TGV high speed. We will have our little 14lb papiillon with us when we travel, so will need to plan accordingly.

July 23, 2022 at 9:54 pm

Thank you for this article, I found it quite useful. Do you happen to know, if I pre-purchase TER tickets on the SNCF Connect app, am I able to retrieve them while offline? Or would a screenshot do the trick? I will not have cellular access while travelling in Europe (just wi-fi at my destination), and I want to be sure that I can show the conductor my ticket when he/she comes around 🙂

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We Tested the Best Ways to Book Train Tickets in France—Here’s How to Save Money

Your Train Guide

Mose Hayward

Hexagonal Rail Nut

I’ve been booking train tickets online for French trains for two decades, both with the SNCF’s official websites and the various good competing private booking platforms.

There is now a healthy variety of alternatives for booking French train tickets that can get you e-tickets with the same dynamic pricing as you’d get purchasing directly from SNCF —as well as some key additional advantages.

We’ve tried every good website that’s out there, and in this article we’ll detail all of our test results (we checked hundreds of routes). There are a few good ones, but the TLDR is that there’s one clear top choice.

The Best Platform for Train Tickets in France

The best results for our train ticket searches for France were mainly from Trainline .

The Pros of Using Trainline

• For simple tickets on SNCF, Trainline has the same prices as you’d get at any particular moment from SNCF’s sites or in train stations.
• For international or complex trips changing trains, Trainline found us much faster routes and cheaper fares than SNCF Connect through its smarter back-end tech.
• Trainline offers competing operator tickets that can save money and offer more time options . The SNCF tends to hide these Renfe and Trenitalia options that run in France; Trainline shows them when relevant for your travel search.
• Unlike other private ticket platforms, Trainline offers Ouigo (low-cost high speed trains), as well as bus options. Both of these can mean much cheaper travel.
• Everything about Trainline is smoother and easier to use than the official SNCF site.
• While ticket prices are the same (and you often find your way to better deals), Trainline also does usually charge a booking fee on top of around 1-3% of the total order. If you find what you want and it’s purely an SNCF trip, you may save a bit by then booking directly with   SNCF Connect —if you can get that site to work. It’s a bit fiddly.

This article was completely updated, re-researched, and rewritten for re-publication on May 22, 2023. Previous versions with various recommendations have been published in 2016, 2018, and 2019—we at times also recommended the old Voyages-SNCF, Loco2, and Rail Europe, but these either no longer exist or offer the same comparative advantages as previously.

The Advantages of Trainline for Buying Train Tickets for France

After its merger with CaptainTrain in 2016, Trainline became the main player of European train tickets. This means Trainline has more data, experience, and resources to help ensure the best routes, and to make order out of the ensnared and often conflicting European train systems.

Trainline isn’t perfect, but easily beats out the official SNCF site, and also remains well ahead of other private competing portals in terms of French trains. Let’s start with the positives.

• The same prices on train routes as buying directly from SNCF for simple tickets: Trainline pulls its prices directly from the French national train company, whatever the train. This is also true for its tickets in Germany, Spain, Eurostar (Paris to London), Italy and more, with direct connections to those countries’ systems (unlike SNCF Connect, which has such tickets often at a markup or not at all).
• On routes crossing borders outside of France, you will very likely get cheaper tickets from Trainline than you would with the SNCF or anyone else, because Trainline is able to create combinations with other countries’ ticketing systems directly that SNCF and single national systems can’t offer. We ran a full study of cross-European train ticketing , and Trainline’s prices and routes were the best, by a lot.
• Trainline shows various date options side-by-side with their costs. So if you’re flexible on dates and willing to travel on whichever day is cheapest, you are able to get some great savings. This is not possible with the SNCF (though their older site used to do it) or other platforms.
• Trainline accepts non-French credit cards , including Visa, Mastercard, Paypal, American Express, and Apple Pay, so payment simply works. This is to be expected but the SNCF’s failures in this area make this a major advantage for Trainline.
• Smooth, functional website in proper English: This also puts Trainline way ahead of SNCF Connect and some private competitors, with their messy design, dysfunction, and poor translations.
• Great, fast customer support: Trainline prides itself on quality, very fast customer support. I can say from several personal experiences that it can be a nightmare to have to deal with the French train company directly if anything should come up. Trainline offers much more normal, human responses, and very quickly.

• Get a ticket for any French train: France has a confusing array of high speed (TGV), long-distance (Intercités), regional (TER), and discount high-speed (Ouigo) trains. Trainline is the only private platform to consistently offer all of them from a single search, and is much more convenient than checking through the various official websites for both regular and discount trains.
• Trainline shows bus routes  where applicable in its search results, which can save money compared to trains. It also suggests some smart bus+rail combos on occasion. (While they are always marked as bus routes, we do wish that this marking was a bit more obvious.)
• Age and other discounts:  If you’re eligible for senior or youth discounts, Trainline automatically walks you through that to make sure you’re getting the best deal. This is not possible on most private ticketing portals, and can be confusing with the SNCF.
• Easy-to-receive tickets:  All tickets purchased with Trainline (as with from other sites) are e-tickets; you can print them or show them from your phone.
• Easier cancellations: If you’ve purchased refundable tickets, you can get your money back via Trainline’s cancellation page, which is simpler than facing off with the SNCF directly.

• Indicate seat preferences: This is possible on Trainline; not so with some competing portals.
• Bring bikes and pets: Trainline allows you to purchase these options for those French trains for which this is possible. Again, competing portals don’t. For more, see our full guide to dogs on European trains .

A Few Disadvantages

There are a few downsides that we wish Trainline would fix.

• Small-but-opaque booking fees: Trainline will not say who pays exactly what booking fees, and you only see what fee will be added to your ticket at the last stage of the booking process. Generally if your computer’s IP is in France and you’re buying French tickets, it seems in our tests that there is no fee. But for others there is likely to be a fee of a few euros, 1-3%.
• Trainline does not have complete bus booking options . While it is best for trains, if you’re willing to spend more time in transit and be a bit less comfortable, you can save a lot with buses in Europe , and the booking platform BusBud may give you more options for your routes.
• Trainline now shows ads . Not as many ads as most booking sites, and they’re not as intrusive, but I miss the ad-free days.

Other Options for Booking Train Tickets for France Online

SNCF Connect is the French national rail company’s website. The best that can be said of it is that it sometimes works. But, just as often, you hit website errors and incomplete translations on SNCF Connect , especially when you finally manage to get to the payment page if you’re using a non-French payment card . All that said, there is no booking fee if you book directly with SNCF, so if you get it to work that can save you a few euros.

If you get directed to the French version of SNCF Connect, you can get English or other languages by scrolling down to the black footer near the bottom and the drop down menu on the right for “Choix de langue”. Choose “Europe (other countries)” for English. The search bar at the top of the page doesn’t work very well, but if you type in anything like “Paris to Bordeaux” you then will get a normal travel booking form where you can enter in more details like dates.

The SNCF site likes to try to sell you extras like car rentals, and since the site layout is confusing generally, you end up clicking into rabbit holes that you don’t want while trying to buy your train tickets.

The e-tickets purchased from SNCF Connect can be shown from the site’s app, by printing your confirmation email, or by printing at the train station at a self-service kiosk (an option I DON’T recommend as the machine went very wrong for me once, and train station staff couldn’t figure out the problem). In practice, you can also just show the tickets on your phone’s screen (zooming in on the bar code if needed for scanning) rather than printing them out.

If you do attempt to book on the SNCF’s site and experience problems with your payment (such as being charged for tickets but not receiving them or getting a website error), the customer service number is +33 1 84 91 91 91 (cost of a call to Paris; press the star key and then 2 for English) and with a good deal of clicking through it is possible to send a customer support email request form at this page .

The SNCF Connect site has gone through major overhauls over the years and the newest version is actually worse than the previous Voyages-SNCF site; it’s harder to use and loses some of the previous functionality, like the flexible dates search.

If figuring out where to go, how to get there, and where to stay sounds like a bit much, a good option for having this all done for you is  Byway . You answer a few questions about what kind of trip you would like to have in France and how long you have to travel there, and Byway spits out a train itinerary for you, all included.

Rail Europe has a smart booking engine for European trains. In our tests it didn’t do quite as well as Trainline in coming up with the smartest and cheapest routes on complex trips crossing borders, but it did generally come in second, and on occasion managed to find better options.

The main problem is that Rail Europe doesn’t offer Ouigo routes in France, which offer a lot of savings when available. It also doesn’t have quite as complete seat choices as Trainline.

Booking fees on Rail Europe are £6.45, €7.45, CA$9.95, AU$9.95, or US$8.45, and they are per order rather than per ticket. This fee is thus usually larger than Omio’s or Trainline’s booking fees. But if you’re booking a larger basket of tickets (and don’t need Ouigo) Rail Europe could work out slightly cheaper. So if you’re booking a summer of travel for your family in Europe, it may be worth running the same search you do on Trainline on Rail Europe as well, and see if the booking fee or different proposed routes wind up giving any savings.

Note that Rail Europe has gone through a lot of changes over the years. The company used to be a way for non-Europeans to book their European train travel in days well before the internet, and even with the internet, although with huge markups. In 2017 the company purchased Loco2 (a booking platform we used to really like) and integrated its technology, making pricing more on par with the dynamic pricing you get buying directly from SNCF (or from Trainline or Omio). It was for a time a part of the SNCF umbrella company, but has now split off and is a private company.

Ouigo  (French language only) is the official site for purchasing discount high speed train tickets on Ouigo, the French train company’s answer to budget airlines . The site works relatively well if your French is good or if you use a browser extension like Google Translate to read it. It can be useful for seeing when and where there are Ouigo routes, especially if you want to choose your destinations according to that in order to save money. But you can instead purchase the same tickets for the same price from Trainline, which also allows you to compare and combine with other, non-Ouigo routes. Many Americans and other international users have had problems with their credit cards on Ouigo, though this may now be fixed.

Rail Ninja doesn’t seem to work with some French destinations (Aix-en-Provence is not valid in their search form) and doesn’t offer Ouigo trains. I can’t see a reason to use it over the other options.

Rome2Rio compares driving, buses, planes and trains, but doesn’t add anything extra to a search on Omio, and it actually redirects you to Omio for booking French train tickets. There is thus no real reason to start with this site.

Omio is a good travel search engine that shows buses, trains, and flights. The service claims to offer Ouigo tickets but in our most recent tests searching for tickets the Ouigo options didn’t come up. This means that with Omio you risk missing out on the cheapest high speed options. The booking fee is usually tacked on at the end of the process and is generally, it seems, a bit higher than Trainline’s.

Save A Train offers SNCF tickets through a very basic but functional search interface. The main advantage of this site is that it does not charge an add-on booking fee, so if you know exactly what you’re looking for, there is a chance you can get it here without the booking fee of Trainline or Omio and without the aggravation of SNCF Connect. However, it’s complicated for the uninitiated to find the best routes; you kind of need to already know what you’re looking for. For example, for the city of Lyon you need to know which train station will give you the best deals; there is no option to search for all of them together. A Ouigo icon is shown but I couldn’t find Ouigo trains in my tests, which means missing out on the very cheapest fares from that budget operator. I hit some errors in my tests where the platform was unable to generate a result; this was remedied by reloading and searching again. There was not an option to choose your seat in cases where this would be possible on Trainline or SNCF Connect. The platform does not cover any Spanish operators so is not suitable for trips from France into Spain beyond those served solely by SNCF. In May of 2023, the “about us” page shows Spain and other countries as “upcoming 2021”, which isn’t exactly a good look…

Trip.com has a basic train booking engine for France; to use it you need to choose trains and then Europe before running a search. It does not include Ouigo trains, so using it means missing out on these high speed budget options. There is no booking fee.

GoPili.com , GoPili.co.uk and GoPili.ca are English-language versions of the French travel portal KelBillet.com . The user interface is simple but a bit clunky (you generally need to deselect flights and buses in order to see the train options), and it just sends you back to SNCF Connect to actually purchase your tickets, with all of its associated problems.

Using E-Tickets Purchased Online When Traveling by Train in France

If you use Trainline or SNCF Connect to purchase your tickets online, you have various options for having your purchase on hand for use in train stations and on the trains itself with train inspectors. It’s your choice, but I’ve ranked these in order of convenience:

• Show the ticket barcode on your phone or mobile device . This can be done with the apps (see next section) or by downloading and zooming in on the pdf version of the ticket.
• Print the ticket from an SNCF self-service ticket terminal in French train stations using your booking reference.
• Print the ticket yourself at home or, if traveling in France, at a neighborhood copy shop or phone/internet shop.
• Go to an SNCF ticket office and ask a human to print them for you, providing your booking reference and name.

I usually do the first option; if I have access to a printer I also print the tickets for my own piece of mind and because a piece of paper can be handier to refer to. On occasion, my printer’s quality has not been good enough for the bar code to be read, in this case inspectors can manually enter the ticket number although they tend to just glance at it instead.

What Are the Best Apps for French Train Tickets?

The websites recommended above have decent app versions for Android and Apple mobile devices, whether you choose Trainline, Omio, SNCF-Connect, or Rail Europe. All of the apps for these ticket services are highly rated in the Android store at last check with Trainline having the highest average rating at 4.8 stars.

However, I generally find it easier to enter information and actually book French train tickets via the website version rather than via an app. Whichever you choose, you can automatically transfer your ticket over to the service’s app simply by logging in on your phone after having purchased the ticket. I use the app mainly just to keep my ticket handy and show it when necessary.

The Trainline app has never failed me while travelling, but I do always have a screenshot of my e-ticket saved as well just in case.

Conclusion: The Easiest Way to Book French Train Tickets

We think Trainline   is the best bet for almost all cases, because it gives you the same prices as you’ll find from the official train operator SNCF but without the extra hassle.

If you want to potentially save on the 1-3% booking fee, and you’re patient, you can also try booking on SNCF Connect . But that site is more confusing and buggy, and in the case of complex trips crossing borders is sometimes more expensive.

Finally, if you know what you want already and you don’t need Ouigo tickets, you can also save on the booking fee by trying Save A Train .

We appreciate readers sharing experiences and tips in the comments; it helps us keep this article up-to-date.

About The Author

2 thoughts on “We Tested the Best Ways to Book Train Tickets in France—Here’s How to Save Money”

This review is incredibly helpful with sufficient detail spelt out in layman terms.

I now know how to approach individual tickets but I’m going to try and source if there is some form of card/pass that can be pre loaded to use like a tap in.

I suspect it doesn’t exist otherwise would have been mentioned

Thanks Mike, glad it helped! The most similar thing to what you’re looking for for long distance travel in France would be the Eurail / Interrail pass or discount cards. We’ve explained both of those (and why they rarely work out for actually saving any money) here: https://minimalist.travel/en/travel-prep/cheap-train-france/#passes-cards Simply finding the cheapest point-to-point tickets is almost always the way to go.

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Booking French Trains

• Our first choice is Trainline . It is the only place to truly shop all of the trains in France: SNCF of course, but also Ouigo, Renfe, and Trenitalia. You’ll get the same dynamic prices as buying from any operator directly. It’s like a Skyscanner  or Kiwi , but for trains and buses.
• For SNCF trains with no booking fee, you can also try purchasing directly from SNCF Connect . But it doesn’t tend to surface Renfe and Trenitalia route options and often has errors.
• Omio and Rail Europe are the other decent train booking sites for France but they don’t show all of the options.
• If you want savvy experts to plan a European train tour for you, a great up-and-coming option is Byway .

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Séléctionnez  le pays  dans lequel vous souhaitez voyager et  la langue  de consultation et de réservation !

Train Tours – Paris

Départ en gare de St Pierre des Corps

Arrivée en gare de Paris Marne-la-Vallée, Paris Massy TGV, Paris Roissy Charles de Gaulles, Paris Montparnasse ou Paris Austerlitz

du 12/09 au 15/09

du 16/09 au 22/09

du 23/09 au 29/09

du 30/09 au 06/10

du 07/10 au 13/10

du 14/10 au 20/10

du 21/10 au 27/10

Meilleur prix pour la semaine du 12/09 au 15/09

Meilleur prix pour la semaine du 16/09 au 22/09

Meilleur prix pour la semaine du 23/09 au 29/09

Meilleur prix pour la semaine du 30/09 au 06/10

Meilleur prix pour la semaine du 07/10 au 13/10

Meilleur prix pour la semaine du 14/10 au 20/10

Meilleur prix pour la semaine du 21/10 au 27/10

Rejoindre Paris en TGV ou Train Classique sans me ruiner avec OUIGO !

Combien coûte un billet de train tours – paris .

Besoin de rejoindre la capitale pour un rendez-vous professionnel ou le début d’une année universitaire ? Ou simplement envie d’organiser un week-end surprise à l’élu(e) de mon cœur ? Hop, je choisis mes billets de TGV pas chers sur le site de OUIGO : à partir de 10€* par adulte et 8€** par enfant, tout le temps.

Je peux aussi me rendre à Paris au départ de Tours en train classique en profitant de prix tout aussi avantageux ! Mon billet adulte Tours – Paris me coûtera entre 10 et 49€. Je souhaite emmener ma petite famille avec moi ? Je profite des billets train classique enfant à maximum 5€ ! Avec OUIGO train classique, les prix ne bougent pas de l’ouverture des ventes jusqu’au départ du train.

Quelle est la durée d’un trajet Tours – Paris ?

Pour rejoindre Paris depuis Tours en TGV, il me faudra 1h30, ce qui me laisse le temps de profiter des services et options OUIGO. Snack ou Wifi, c’est à moi de choisir !

Les trains classiques Tours – Paris rallient la capitale en environ 2h et sont donc parfaits si je prévois de me reposer ou de regarder mon film préféré à bord du train !

Quelles sont les gares de départ et d’arrivée pour mon trajet Tours – Paris ?

Tout dépend du train que je choisis ! Si j’opte pour un TGV OUIGO, je pars en gare de Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, à seulement quelques minutes du centre-ville de Tours en voiture ou en transports, et j’arrive en gare de Paris Marne-la-Vallée. Si je préfère les trains classiques, je me rends en gare de Saint-Pierre-des-Corps et j’arrive en gare de Paris Austerlitz, en plein cœur de la capitale ! Je peux aussi choisir de descendre en gare de Juvisy.

Y a-t-il des trains directs pour Paris au départ de Tours ?

S’il m’arrive de m’endormir dans les transports, je n’ai aucun stress à avoir avec OUIGO ! TGV ou trains classiques, tous les trains OUIGO sont directs. En d’autres termes, je monte dans mon train à Tours et je descends à Paris sans avoir besoin de changer de train entre temps. Alors, on part quand ?

À quelle heure partent le premier et le dernier train ?

Le premier TGV Tours – Paris part à 13h15 et arrive 1h plus tard à Paris Montparnasse : parfait si j’ai prévu de visiter la capitale , sans perdre une minute ! Le dernier TGV de la journée est quant à lui prévu à 18h54, ce qui me laisse tout le temps de préparer mes affaires pour ne rien oublier !

Des trains classiques OUIGO sont eux aussi disponibles toute la journée. Le premier train classique OUIGO part de la gare de Saint-Pierre-des-Corps à 8h13 et le dernier à 20h59. Une petite faim ? Pas de panique ! Les trains classique OUIGO proposent de nombreuses options, comme le snack à bord.

Attention : fermeture de l’accès au train 5 minutes avant le départ.

Puis-je voyager en groupe dans mon train de Tours à Paris ?

Un week-end à Paris prévu entre ami(e)s ? Une escapade parisienne entre collègues ? Aucun souci ! Que je souhaite réserver des billets de TGV ou de train classique, OUIGO synchronise les horaires des voyages Tours – Paris. Nous sommes assuré(e)s d’être assis(e)s dans le même train ! Voyager en groupe n’aura jamais été aussi simple qu’avec OUIGO.

Pourquoi visiter Paris ?

Grimper les marches du Sacré-Cœur, se balader sur les Quais de Seine, descendre l’avenue des Champs Elysées, déguster un café en terrasse à Montmartre, faire du lèche-vitrine place Vendôme, assister à une pièce de théâtre ou profiter d’un concert de rue… Que l’on vienne en famille, entre amis, en amoureux ou même en solo, à Paris, il y a toujours un milliard de choses à faire ! Et avec les petits prix OUIGO, aucune raison de me priver : la capitale est à portée de porte-monnaie.

*Tarif soumis à condition.

**Enfants de 4 à 11 ans.

Tours-Paris à la dernière minute ? Hop, J’y GO ! *

Les petits prix OUIGO, c'est toute l'année, pour tout le monde, et pour toutes les situations ! Je réserve quand je le souhaite, même au dernier moment, et je bénéficie de prix bas dans tous les cas. En quelques clics, j'obtiens un billet de train Tours - Paris pas cher en toute simplicité. En famille, entre amis, en duo ou avec des enfants, je voyage en toute tranquillité, dans le confort d'un TGV ou d’un train classique OUIGO !

Votre trajet Tours - Paris en bref :

Pour profiter des meilleurs tarifs pour votre train TGV Tours-Paris à petit prix, pensez à vous abonner à la newsletter !

Trains au départ de Tours ou à destination de Paris

• Marseille Paris
• Bordeaux Paris
• Train Nantes Paris
• Lille Paris

Autres trajets recherchés en ce moment

• Lyon Marseille
• Train Paris Nice
• Train Paris Toulouse
• Roubaix Paris
• Marne-la-Vallée Lille
• Train Antibes Toulon
• Moutiers Lyon

Find train tickets from Tours to Paris

Good to know, top tips for finding tours to paris train tickets.

• 25% of our users found round-trip train tickets from Tours to Paris for $38 or less.
• You will generally catch the best train deals if you travel in the afternoon.

FAQs when traveling from Tours to Paris by train

How long is a train journey to paris from tours.

The train journey from Tours to Paris takes 0h 59m on average and covers a distance of 127 miles.

What train companies travel from Tours to Paris?

SNCF is the only train operator serving this route.

Book SNCF tickets from Tours to Paris (round-trip)

Search by stops, search by train company, book sncf tickets from tours to paris (one-way), popular train routes to paris.

• Trains from London to Paris from $131
• Trains from Nice to Paris from $66
• Trains from Bordeaux to Paris from $52
• Trains from Amsterdam to Paris from $134
• Trains from Marseille to Paris from $58
• Trains from Strasbourg to Paris from $46

The Man in Seat 61

A guide to France's TGV

Train à grande vitesse.

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Train travel in europe..., train travel in asia..., train travel in africa..., train travel in america..., train travel in australasia, a guide to travel by tgv.

TGVs or Trains à Grande Vitesse are SNCF's (French Railways) premier high-speed trains, running at up to 320 km/h (199 mph) on a high-speed network linking towns & cities across France.  Smooth & quiet even at high speed, it's a relaxing way to travel.  Some TGVs are single-deck , many are double-deck TGV Duplex .

Since 2017 SNCF's TGVs have been marketed under the brand name InOui , French for unheard of or exceptional .

Fares & tickets

Seat reservation is compulsory on TGVs, all tickets include a seat  reservation on a specific train.  TGV seat maps .

Fares vary like air fares, with cheap Prems fares if you book in advance, much more expensive flexible fares if you buy close to departure date.

Paris to Nice starts at €25, Paris to Bordeaux from €20, if you book a cheap Prems fare in advance.  Booking opens up to 4 months ahead.

Buy tickets at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com (both easy to use, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee or at the French Railways website www.sncf-connect.com , same fares, no fee.

You can select seats from a seat map when booking a 1st class ticket at www.thetrainline.com or www.sncf-connect.com .

Click for table comparing the fees & features of the various sites selling TGV tickets

1st class seats

2nd class seats, luggage & facilities on board.

Luggage limits:   Since February 2024 SNCF has had a more formal luggage policy for TGV InOui which will be enforced from September:  There are no weight limits, but you must be able to carry it yourself in one go.  You can carry either 1 hand luggage + 2 suitcases or 1 hand luggage + 1 suitcase + 1 specific item.  Your hand luggage can measure up to 40 cm x 30 cm x 15 cm.  Your suitcase(s) can measure up to 90 cm x 70 cm x 50 cm.  Your specific item (musical instrument, pushchair, bike in cover, folded bike, scooter) can measure up to 130 cm x 90 cm.  Bikes, musical instruments, snowboards, and skis must be under a labelled cover. You can travel with your pair of skis, without a maximum size, one pair per person.  If you exceed these limits there's a €50 fee, but it's not yet clear how tough staff will be.

Travel tips

It's only possible to specify forward-facing seats on a handful of TGV routes which have the Christian Lacroix interiors which feature variable illuminated seat numbers - the correct set of seat numbers illuminate depending which way round the TGV unit enters service.  Such routes include single-deck TGV services on  TGV Est (Paris to Reims, Metz, Strasbourg, Luxembourg, but not trains operated by TGV Duplex).  You'll only be given the option to specify forward facing seats if (a) you book using www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com or www.sncf-connect.com and (b) the specific route and type of TGV supports this feature.  Most routes & TGVs don't, it's only a few that do.

Or bring your own food & drink

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Single-deck TGVs

The christian lacroix interior.

A TGV at Paris Gare de l'Est, in the latest red, white and dark grey livery.

Other interiors

You'll also find interiors like this.

Video guide:  Christian Lacroix TGV

The original patterned carpet and mixed lime green and grey seats in 1st class have now been replaced by all-grey seats & grey carpet, watering down the design.

Double-deck TGV Duplex

1st generation tgv duplex.

1st generation TGV Duplex operate on French domestic routes including Paris-Lyon, Paris-Marseille, Paris-Nice, where they work alongside newer 2nd & 3rd generation trains.  There are power sockets at all 1st class seats, but usually not in 2nd class on these first-generation trains.  The first-generation trains are not equipped to run on international routes.

2nd & 3rd generation TGV Duplex

Tgv duplex océane.

3rd generation trains with a completely redesigned interior known as TGV Océane entered service in 2017, initially on the TGV Atlantique route from Paris Montparnasse to Brittany, Bordeaux, Biarritz, Lourdes & Hendaye on the Spanish border.  Some now also operate from Paris to Lyon and the south of France.  All seats in both classes have power sockets & free WiFi, 1st class seats also have USB ports.  A major innovation is that 1st class seats rotate to face direction of travel. The seats at the very end of each car don't rotate.  The new Océane interior may be retrofitted to earlier TGV Duplex sets in due course.

A TGV Duplex Océane from Paris arrived at Bordeaux St Jean.  These TGV Duplex carry the latest grey, silver and red TGV colours and have an all-new interior.

TGV Océane cafe-bar (above left) and 2nd class seats (above right).

TGV Océane 1st class seats .  All 1st class seats (except the end ones) rotate to face direction of travel.  There are USB & 2-pin outlets above each drop-down table.

TGV Océane stairs, just 9 easy shallow steps.  There are toilets & luggage racks upstairs & downstairs.  Above right, luggage racks upstairs.

Video guide:  TGV Duplex

Sample tgv café-bar menu.

This photo of a TGV bar menu gives you an idea of what's on offer in a typical TGV cafe-bar.  Prices are from Autumn 2017.

Click the image to enlarge .

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