Hello everyone and welcome back!
Today, I’m going to give you a few pointers about traveling via train in France! Once we can travel again and you can go visit France, traveling by train is the easiest way to get around the country without the necessity of renting a car (and when there’s lots of wine and champagne to taste, why would you want a car?).
First off, let’s talk about the trains in France. The train company is called the SNCF (Société Nationale des chemins de fer français) and operates several types of trains, most commonly TGVs and TERs. TGVs are high-speed trains (Train à grande vitesse) and are, obviously, the fastest way to get around the country. These trains also usually have the most expensive tickets, which is the only drawback–you’re left with the decision about whether you want to spend more time or money.
TERs are regional trains (transport express régional) which stop at most, if not all, stations on the line. Therefore, they take much longer than a TGV. For example, a TGV between Paris and Dijon takes 1 hour 20 minutes; however, if you take a TER along that same route, it will take around 3 hours. So why take a TER at all? Well, if you want to visit a smaller country town or village, then a TER is probably going to be the only way to get there without a car. (There are buses but they often take even longer and have irregular schedules, at least in my experience). Most TGVs do not stop in smaller towns. Between Paris and Dijon, for example, TGVs usually stop at 3 or 4 towns, whereas a TER will stop at 10 or more. Also, the price difference is significant. A TER between Paris and Dijon is around 25€, while a TGV is closer to 60€.
You also might see Intercités, Transilien, Ouigo and TGV Lyria trains. These trains are pretty easy too, Intercités are intercity trains, transilien trains are in Paris and Ile-de-France only, Ouigo trains tend to be newer and cheaper TGVs, and TGV Lyrias travel between France and Switzerland.
Okay, so now that you know about the types of trains, how do you take a train?
Well first off, you need to book one. The easiest way is to book via app, the Oui.SNCF app specifically. You can find that on any app store and download. The app can be used in English or in French and you can search for your preferred itinerary. You can also add in any discount cards you have, which is useful if you’re living in France and have an SNCF discount card, (for example I had a Carte Jeune, literally a young person’s card, which you can buy through the age of 26, and for 50€ a year you get 30% off all trains). Furthermore, if you’re traveling within France, all of your tickets will be saved electronically on the app, meaning you won’t need to print them out and compost them before you get on the train (more about that in a minute!). Keep in mind though, if you are traveling in or out of France, you will need paper copies of your tickets, which you can easily print at a borne (kiosk) in the gare (train station) before you get on the train.
Alright, your tickets are sorted and now you’re ready to get on your train. How do you know which voie (platform) you’re supposed to go to? On your ticket, there will be a number for your train, for example TGV 2262. You simply check that number on the screens in the gare to figure out where to go. Even easier, if you’re using the app, you will get a notification of which voie to go to once one has been assigned. You can also always ask, but if you’re outside of Paris, there are no guarantees that you’ll be able to find anyone who is an English speaker if your French isn’t good enough to communicate.
Next, there is a crucial step you must take before you board your train if you have a paper ticket. You must compost the ticket (composter le billet), which literally means that you must pass it through a small yellow machine, which will always be located in front of the voies, that validates and stamps it to prove you’ve validated it. If you don’t do this and you get on a train, one of two things might happen.
- Nothing happens. The conductor doesn’t stop by to check any tickets, you’re safe.
- The conductor checks the tickets, sees that you haven’t composted them and gives you a fine (which can be hefty).
There’s also a potential third option, where the conductor checks your tickets, sees you haven’t composted your ticket and you explain your way out of a fine, but if you don’t speak French well enough to argue your position, or in this case, ignorance, then this is unlikely to go well for you. Therefore, I urge you to composte le billet. It’s easy enough.
Watch this video to see how: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjaIwbgxB4I
There’s one more step you need to know if you are taking a TGV (high-speed train). These trains will assign you a seat. You need to make sure you check your ticket and get into the correct voiture (car) and siège (seat). This is VERY important, because often TGVs will seem very long when you get on them at the gare, and this is because they are often two trains that are going in the same direction but will split off at a certain point. For example, you might board a TGV in Dijon and at Nancy the TGV will split apart and one of the trains will go to Strasbourg and the other will go to Luxembourg. So if you’re in the wrong car, you might end up at the wrong destination. And since the trains only stop at each station for about 2 minutes, there isn’t any time to remedy your mistake. It’s really easy to figure out the right place to board, however, as it will be clearly marked on the announcement screens on the voie. For example, if you need to get in voiture 8, the screen will show you that this car will pull in near the sign that says “U” on the voie, so you can wait there for the train to arrive and then voila, you will hopefully be right in front of the correct voiture.
If you are taking a TER, then the above information does not apply to you, as these trains have no assigned seating and the only thing you must be aware of is that you sit in the correct class, second or first, depending on your ticket.
Which leads to another important point. First class is virtually indistinguishable from second class except that it’s a more expensive ticket and might be slightly quieter on a full train. I would recommend against buying first class tickets, as I have never found there to be a big enough difference to justify the extra cost.
Finally, you are on your train! Wonderful, you made it! Once you get here, there is very little left to know, besides that you will want to have your tickets, and any potential discount cards you have, readily available to present to a conductor si besoin (if needed). If you are on a TGV, in non-pandemic times, there is usually a small bar open where you can buy drinks and snacks. Be aware that while this is useful in a pinch, it’s also very expensive, so come prepared! Buy snacks in the gare or supermarché and carry your own water bottle.
The only other warning I’ll give you is this: toilets on SNCF trains are hit or miss. Sometimes they’re clean, sometimes they’re appalling. If you’re going on a long train journey, make sure you have tissues in your bag (for the possible lack of toilet paper), hand sanitizer and I would recommend using the toilet in the gare before you board. Those toilets are called 2 the loo and cost 0.90€ to use, but they are without fail clean and fresh.
Voila! Everything you need to know about traveling via train in France! Still have some questions? Let me know in the comments anything you’re still wondering about so I can answer, and happy traveling (once we can again)!
PS. Here is a list of useful vocabulary words:
- Gare = train station
- TGV = train à grande vitesse, high speed train
- TER = train express régional, regional train
- Borne = kiosk
- Guichet = literally the window or counter; this is used in reference to the SNCF personnel in the ticket office who can help you with any questions you have.
- Voie = platform
- Voiture = car
- Siège = seat
- Conducteur = conductor
- Composter le billet = validate the ticket
À bientôt!
Shannon