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The Eiffel Tower, Paris.  One icon that lives up to expectations!

French trains are easily the best way to travel between major French town & cities, in comfort at ground level.  France's world-famous TGV travels at up to 198 mph, from city centre to city centre.

On this page...

French train schedules & fares

Buy train tickets for France - at the station or online...

What are French trains like? - TGV high-speed trains, Téoz, overnight Lunéa trains

Travel tips - bikes, catering, luggage, places not served by train, language problems

How to use the French Railways website, www.voyages-sncf.com - step-by-step instructions

Hotels & accommodation in Paris & France

On other pages...

Train travel from the UK to France - by Eurostar & TGV or overnight train.

Left luggage facilities in Paris

General European train travel information - luggage, bikes, pets, maps, timetables & advice.

Sponsored links...

France by TGV...  There's no check-in, you simply walk straight from the city centre onto the station concourse, glance at the indicator board to find your train & hop on, any time before departure.  Here, passengers board a high-speed TGV to Strasbourg at Paris Gare de l'Est.

You can check train times & fares for any journey in France using either www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents) or the French Railways (SNCF) website, www.voyages-sncf.com (in French) or www.tgv-europe.com (in English & several other languages).  www.voyages-sncf.com & www.tgv-europe.com have more than their fair share of quirks, so before using them, see the step-by-step advice below.

• To understand the different types of train, see the What are French trains like? section.

• Map of the French railway network

Buying tickets at the station...

It's easy to buy tickets at the station, even if you don't speak French.  For local journeys such as Paris-Versailles or Nice-Cannes, you just turn up, buy a ticket and hop on, no reservation necessary.  You can buy tickets from the self-service machines at main stations, which have an English language facility.  For long-distance trains including all TGV, Lunéa & Téoz trains, it's compulsory to make a seat reservation, but there are usually seats available even on the day of travel and you can buy a ticket immediately before the train departs.  However, on the day of travel you'll pay the full price, there are much cheaper fares if you pre-book.  It's also a good idea to pre-book at busy holiday periods.  Remember to validate your tickets by putting them into the small orange machines marked 'Compostez votre billet' at the entrance to every platform - there's a fine if you don't!

How to buy French train tickets online...

• If you book well in advance on a 'no refunds, no changes to travel plans' basis, you can find some amazing advance-purchase fares called 'Prems'.  Prems fares start at just 22 euros even for a long-distance journey such as Paris to Nice.

• French train bookings usually open 90 days before departure.  You can't book before reservations open.

• In a logical world, French Railways (SNCF) would have one website, in various languages, with ticket delivery anywhere.  That's how most European train operators work.  But this is not a logical world, and SNCF and its subsidiaries have a variety of different websites.

• Buying direct from SNCF:  SNCF themselves have a French site www.voyages-sncf.com and an English-language site www.tgv-europe.com.  Both sites sell tickets online, charging the official SNCF prices, in euros.  Tickets can be collected at any main French station, or in many cases you can print your own ticket.  www.tgv-europe.com will send tickets to any country worldwide, with the exception of the USA.  Both sites have a few quirks, so before using them to buy French train tickets online see the step-by-step advice below.  Just be aware that pressure is being put on SNCF (who run tgv-europe.com) to protect their worldwide Rail Europe subsidiaries and if you're not alert www.tgv-europe.com will now try and divert you to the relevant Rail Europe.  If you're from the USA you must choose 'Canada' as your country (or if you prefer, try 'Afghanistan') not 'United States' to avoid automatically being diverted to www.raileurope.com.  Whatever your country, stay alert for pop-up boxes telling you that you're being diverted to their 'local' website (which means the relevant Rail Europe), decline this by clicking the 'Continue onto tgv-europe.com' link.  If you stay on www.tgv-europe.com you'll pay the official SNCF price, where TGV journeys start at just 19 euros.

• If you live in the UK, SNCF has a UK subsidiary, Rail Europe Ltd, www.raileurope.co.uk, which also charges the official SNCF price (give or take the exchange rate they use), converted into pounds.  Booking at www.tgv-europe.com can save a small amount on the exchange rate, but it's a good idea to use www.raileurope.co.uk as it's easier & clearer to use and you get the backing of a UK call centre if anything goes wrong, call 0844 848 5 848, lines open 09:00-19:00 Mon-Fri, 09:00-18:00 Sat.  On the other hand, tgv-europe.com allows you to select seating options on French trains, but raileurope.co.uk doesn't so you have to take pot luck, and I've seen bookings open on tgv-europe.com 48 hours before the same train becomes bookable at raileurope.co.uk, useful to know if you're trying to nab a cheap deal as soon as bookings open 90 days ahead..  www.tgv-europe.com currently charges no fees, www.raileurope.co.uk charges a £2.25 postage fee and a 2.5% credit card fee, but you can avoid these fees by collecting tickets at the station and using a debit card.  So use either www.raileurope.co.uk or www.tgv-europe.com, it's your decision...

• If you live in the USA, Canada, Australia, NZ, Asia or Africa:  SNCF has two overseas subsidiaries which sadly don't always offer the cheapest available fares, sometimes showing much higher fares.  Rail Europe Inc covers North America (www.raileurope.com & www.raileurope.ca), and Rail Europe 4A (www.raileurope-world.com) covers Australasia, Africa, Asia & South America (www.raileurope.com.au, .co.nz, .co.za, .co.in, etc).  You may feel more comfortable booking in your home country, so by all means check their prices, but with a World Wide Web, there's no reason why you can't buy tickets at the official SNCF price with no fees at www.tgv-europe.com, see the paragraph above 'Buying direct from SNCF'.  As I write this, a quick price comparison shows www.raileurope.com charging $120 from Paris to Nice a few months from now, when www.tgv-europe.com & www.voyages-sncf.com both show that the official SNCF fare is only 22 euros (about $32) for exactly the same date & train (Rail Europe could sell this price, but have deliberately chosen to suppress it).  You can therefore save a lot of money by buying direct from SNCF using www.tgv-europe.com.  It's your call which seller you use!

What are TGVs like?

TGVs or 'Trains à Grande Vitesse' run at up to 186 mph (300 km/h) on long distance routes covering most of France.  In fact, they run at up to 198 mph (320 km/h) on the new TGV-Est route from Paris to Reims, Strasbourg, Metz, Luxembourg & Basel, opened in 2007.  Smooth & quiet even at high speed, it's a very relaxing way to travel.  Seat reservation is compulsory on TGV services, and all TGVs are completely non-smoking.  All TGVs have a wheelchair space & wheelchair-accessible toilet.

1st class on all TGVs has spacious seats with armrests and power-recline, arranged one-abreast on one side of the aisle, two abreast on the other side of the aisle.  Each seat has either a drop-down table big enough for a laptop (face-to-back seats) or a fixed table with table lamp (face-to-face seats).  All first class seats have power-points for laptops & mobiles with European-style two-pin sockets.  There are luggage racks above the seats and at the end of the car for larger items.  There is a small bench seat outside each main seating saloon if you need to make a private mobile phone call.  When making a reservation, two seats facing each other across a table are referred to as 'Club duo' or 'Dual face to face', four seats around a table are 'Club Quatre' or 'Club four'.  Two seats side by side facing seat backs in front are 'Duo' or 'Dual side by side', and single seats facing a seat back in front are 'Solo'.  Top tip:  Ask for (or select) 'Club Duo' or 'Dual face to face' if travelling as a couple for an intimate table-for-two, or 'Club Quatre' or 'Club four' if three or four of you are travelling together so you can sit cosily around a table.

2nd class on all TGVs has comfortable seats with armrests, arranged two-abreast on both sides of the aisle.  There are drop-down tables big enough for laptops (at face-to-back seats) or fixed tables (at face-to-face seats), although laptop/mobile power sockets are not always fitted in standard class.  There are two toilets for each pair of coaches, and baby changing facilities in the second class coach at the end of the train.

Cafe-bar:  All TGVs (except a few running very short distances, for example Lille-Paris in just an hour) have a café-bar serving hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, a few hot dishes such as quiche or lasagne, small bottles of wine & spirits.  The café-bar is located in the centre of the train, between the first and second class cars.  The coffee is good, and credit cards are accepted as well as cash.  There is a standing area where you can eat and drink your purchases, or you can take them back to your seat.  Alternatively, on European trains including TGVs you are free to bring your own food and drink (including beer or wine) on board if you like.

TGV seating plans...

There are several types of TGV, but you can find plans of the seating layout on various TGV types on the internet if you search. 

• TGV Duplex seating plan (most Paris-Lyon, Paris-Marseille, some Lille-Marseille services)

• TGV Réseau cars 1-4   TGV Réseau cars 5-8 (most Lille-Southern France services)

• TGV Mediterranée seating plan (Paris- Nîmes, Montpellier, Perpignan services)

• TGV Atlantique seating plan (Paris to Le Mans, Bordeaux, Lourdes, Toulouse, Nantes, Rennes).

On board a typical TGV....

TGV 1st class.  There are two 'club duo' seats on the left, a bay of four 'club quatre' on the right, and many rows of 'solo' and 'duo' seats behind.		TGV 2nd class.  Most seats are face-to-back, but there are some bays of four face-to-face seats, ask when booking.

TGVs are being refurbished with interiors by designer Christian Lacroix.  All TGVs from Paris to Reims, Strasbourg, Metz, Luxembourg, Basel & Zurich are already refurbished, but others are following...  Watch the video - inside a Christian Lacroix TGV.

TGV 1st class, refurbished...		TGV 2nd class, refurbished...

TGV Duplex:  double-deck TGVs...

Most Paris-Lyon services, many Paris-Marseille services, most Paris-Nice and even some Lille-Marseille services are now run by impressive 186 mph TGV Duplex double-deckers.  You can tell if your train will be a TGV Duplex, as a 'TGV Duplex' logo will be shown for that train when you book using www.raileurope.co.uk or www.tgv-europe.com.  You board the train at the lower level, but walk along the train from car to car at the upper level.  The café-bar is also at the upper level.  When booking, you can choose a seat on either upper or lower decks if you use www.tgv-europe.com or book by phone, but not if you book at www.raileurope.co.uk as this only offers 'aisle' or 'window'.  If you have problems with stairs or very heavy luggage, the lower deck might be best.  But for the best views (over the top of the occasional sound barrier along the high speed lines!), choose an upper deck seat.  For couples, an upper deck first class 'club duo' ('Dual face to face') table-for-two is easily the best option.

TGV Duplex at Nice station.		1st class seats on TGV Duplex, upper deck.  That's a 'club duo' on the left & a 'club quatre' on the right.

2nd class seats on TGV Duplex, upper , upper deck.  There's a mix of face-to-back & a face-to-face seating.		The café-bar...

The stairs...  The landing on a TGV Duplex showing the stairs down to the entrance door...		A double-deck TGV Duplex, about to leave Paris Gare de Lyon for Cannes & Nice.  You can easily travel from London to Nice in a day by Eurostar & TGV, a relaxing day catching up on your reading or your email, over a bottle of wine.  And it needn't even be expensive if you follow the advice on this page!

What are Téoz trains like?

Although merely 125mph trains rather than TGVs, most Paris-Limoges-Brive-Toulouse & Nantes-Bordeaux-Marseille-Nice trains now use stylish air-conditioned 'Téoz' coaches like this, with a unique interior design.  Watch the video.  Seating plan.

Téoz train...		Téoz 1st class...		Téoz 2nd class...

What are overnight trains like?  Lunéa...

Above:  Sleep your way to the South of France on a Lunéa sleeper train.

It can be the most time-effective way to travel, effectively faster than flying.  Sleep your way to the south of France in a comfy couchette, from Paris to Nice, Cannes, Antibes, Monaco, Biarritz or Perpignan for as little as 35 euros (£30) each way booked at www.raileurope.co.uk or www.voyages-sncf.com.  French overnight trains have been relaunched as 'Lunéa', and have couchettes (simple sleeping berths)  in 1st class 4-berth compartments & 2nd class 6-berth compartments.  Most Lunéa trains also have 2nd class reclining seats, but a safe and comfortable couchette is recommended for an overnight trip.  Sleeping-cars with 1 & 2 bed compartments were withdrawn from all French overnight trains in 2007, but you can now book a 4-berth couchette compartment for single or dual occupancy (ask for the 'Espace Privatif' offer).

Couchettes are simple padded bunks, each supplied with a pillow and special lightweight sleeping-bag, a great idea, replacing the traditional sheet and blanket on Lunéa trains.  Men and women are mixed in couchettes, as you don't normally fully undress, but on Lunéa trains women travelling alone can ask for a berth in a ladies-only compartment if they prefer.  If you have children, you can ask the train staff for an additional child safety rail for their bunk.  There are washrooms and toilets at the end of the corridor.

Lunéa couchette cars are being modernised with bright interiors, new carpeting and soft fabric bunks.  Each couchette passenger gets a small bottle of mineral water, earplugs and tissues.  There's a security lock on the door which cannot be opened from outside even with a staff key, and plenty of staff are on duty if you need them.  Only passengers with tickets and reservations are allowed onto the platform, and there are minimal stops between midnight and 06:00 to ensure a smooth and secure journey through the night.   I prefer the top bunks up in the roof space as these give the most privacy, though if you've any mobility problems you should ask for a bottom bunk.  Bottom and middle bunks can also be cooler than top bunks, if that's an issue for you.

2nd class couchettes have 6 bunks in each compartment, with upper, middle & lower berths on each side of the compartment.  Lower bunks are easier to get into, but top bunks up in the roof space give you more privacy.

1st class couchettes have 4 berths per compartment, arranged as upper and lower on each side of the compartment.  They are much more spacious than 2nd class couchettes, with 4 people instead of 6 in in a similar size room.  Great for travelling as a family or with friends.  It's now possible to reserve a whole 4-berth 1st class couchette compartment on Lunéa trains for sole or dual occupancy.  Sole or dual occupancy 'Espace Privatif' can't be booked online, so phone Rail Europe to book.

Lunéa:  A Lunéa couchette car on the Paris-Nice overnight train, seen at Nice station...		2nd class 6-berth couchettes		1st class 4-berth couchettes

Most Lunéa overnight trains also have reclining seats, and you can also find overnight TGV trains on some routes which of course just have seats (non-reclining, at least in 2nd class).  However, a couchette allows you to sleep properly lying down in a securely locked compartment, so is the recommended option, well worth the small extra cost.  Travelling overnight in a seat is not recommended except as a last resort.

• Ticket validation:  All French train tickets (except print-at-home ones) must be validated immediately before you board your train, by putting them into the small yellow machines marked 'Compostez votre billet' at the entrance to each platform, see the photo on the right.  There may be a fine if you don't!

  	Compostez votre billet!  Before boarding your train, don't forget to validate your ticket in one of these yellow 'compostez' validation machines near the entrance to each platform.

• Language problems:  First-time visitors often think this will be a problem, but it hardly ever is.  At stations, signs are usually in English as well as French, or easy-to-understand pictograms are used.

• Food & drink on French trains:  Most long-distance trains have a cafe-bar, serving tea, coffee, wine, beer & snacks.  French domestic trains no longer have restaurant cars, though a few key Monday-Friday business services offer pre-bookable at-seat meals in first class.  However, feel free to bring your own food and drink (even a bottle of wine, if you like) onto the train, there's no rules against that on the rails!

• A meal at the Gare de Lyon?  If you're passing through Paris via the Gare de Lyon, consider dining at the famous 'Train Bleu' restaurant inside the station.  It was originally the Gare de Lyon's grand buffet, opened in 1900 and decorated in a sumptuous art nouveau style.  It's not the cheapest restaurant around, as the set menu costs around 48 euros, but the food is superb and the surroundings are perhaps the most spectacular you will ever eat a meal in.  It's an experience in itself, and well worth it!  The restaurant's website is www.le-train-bleu.com, just email them to book a table.  You can also use their bar section to wait for your train while you have a coffee or beer, far better than waiting for your train at one of the draughty cafe tables downstairs on the concourse!

  Luggage:  There are no baggage fees or weight limits, and you don't check your bags in, you simply take them with you onto the train, placing them on the racks at the end of each car, or above your head.

• Left luggage:  Major French stations including Paris Gare du Nord, Paris Gare d'Austerlitz Est & Paris Gare de Lyon have left-luggage lockers in various sizes, up to suitcase-sized.  Lockers cost 4-9 euros per locker per 48 hours. Expect to have your bags X-rayed before entry to the locker area.  More information on left luggage lockers.

• Bicycles:  You can take a bike with you free of charge on suburban & regional trains.  On Lunéa overnight trains & TGVs on a few routes, you can take them for a small fee, about 10 euros.  On other TGVs, you'll need to place you bike in a zip-up 'bike bag' & they then travel free.  For more information, see the bicycle section on the Europe page.

• Dogs & pets:  Dogs can be taken on all French trains, sometimes free, sometimes for a small fee.  For more information, see the dogs & pets section on the Europe page.

Railpasses for France...

• By all means check out the InterRail pass for France (for European residents) or Eurail passes for France (for non-Europeans) at the seat61 rail shop.  However, passes have lost their convenience factor, as all TGV, Téoz & Lunéa trains now require a seat reservation before boarding, and a 6 euros reservation fee will need to be paid on top of the pass price (18 euros on some peak trains and if a limited quota of 6 euro places for passholders has sold out).  If you're prepared to pre-book on a 'no refunds, no changes to travel plans' basis, you can find ultra-cheap 'Prems' fares that blow railpass costs out of the water.  Indeed, one might say that the situation has reversed in the last 20 years.  It's now the point-to-point passenger who buys cheaply online and breezes onto the train with their no-hassle 'print your own' ticket, while the railpass holder has to queue up at the ticket office to make a reservation and pay a surcharge for just about every long-distance train.

How to change trains & stations in Paris...

• See the changing trains & stations in Paris page.

• Paris metro & bus website

Which station in Paris?

• The Gare du Nord serves trains to the north:  Lille, Amiens, Boulogne, Calais, Dunquerque, London, Brussels, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Cologne.

• The Gare de l'Est serves trains to the east:  Nancy, Strasbourg, Reims, Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, sleepers to Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Moscow

• The Gare de Lyon serves TGV trains to the south-east:  Lyon, Avignon, Marseille, Cannes, Nice, Monte Carlo, Nîmes, Montpellier, Narbonne, Perpignan, Turin, Milan, Geneva, Bern, Lausanne, Basel, Zurich.

• The Gare d'Austerlitz serves Téoz trains to Limoges, Toulouse, & Lunéa overnight trains to Cannes, Nice, Monte Carlo, Toulouse, Perpignan, Narbonne, Lourdes, Biarritz, Madrid & Barcelona.

• The Gare Montparnasse serves TGV trains to the southwest: Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nantes, Biarritz, Lourdes, Brest, Rennes.

• The Gare St Lazare serves Dieppe and the immediate north.

• The Gare de Bercy, a little known station down the road from the Gare de Lyon, now handles most trains to Clermont Ferrand.

Places not served by the main rail network...

• Mont st Michel has no station, so you must either take a train to 'Pontorson-Mont St Michel' station which is about 5 miles away (bus and taxi available) or take a train to Rennes and a connecting French Railways bus from there.  If you enter 'Mont St Michel' as your destination into www.raileurope.co.uk or  www.tgv-europe.com it will offer you both 'Pontorson-Mont St Michel' and 'Mont St Michel'.  If you select the latter, it will offer combined train+bus times and fares direct to Mont St Michel via Rennes.

• The Nice-Digne railway is a private and very scenic line linking Nice (CFP station) with Digne.  Highly recommended, see www.trainprovence.com.

• Corsica:  Corsica can easily be reached by comfortable ferry from a variety of ports in Southern France, including Marseille, Toulon or Nice.  The principal ferry operators are SNCM (www.sncm.fr) and Corsica Ferries (www.corsicaferries.com).

After buying tickets online at tgv-europe.com, you can collect them at any main French station, either from the ticket office or from self-service machines like these.  Simply select 'English' using the touch screen, select ticket retrieval using a credit card, insert the same card you used to buy the tickets, click 'confirm' and out they come...  In some cases, online tickets can be printed out at home, but not always.

The French Railways (SNCF) website is very useful.  But it has many quirks, and the way they structure their booking process, international language and ticket delivery options gives rise to several pitfalls.  This step-by-step guide will help you avoid those pitfalls, and if necessary use the main SNCF website in French.

What's the difference between www.voyages-sncf.com & www.tgv-europe.com? 

www.voyages-sncf.com is the official French Railways (SNCF) website, only available in French.  Instead of simply offering it in other languages, SNCF have a series of www.tgv-europe.com mini-sites in English and several other languages, aimed at residents of other countries.  All these sites have the same booking system with the same tickets, prices & availability.  You'll find an Italian version with tickets sent to Italy, a Spanish version with tickets sent to Spain, and so on, plus an international version with tickets sent to any country worldwide, with the notable exception of the USA.

• If you're French, use the main SNCF website www.voyages-sncf.com.

• If you're British or live in any country worldwide except the United States, use www.tgv-europe.com.  But read these booking tips first!  Watch out for sneaky pop-ups asking if you want to continue and book at Rail Europe (and pay more!), or stay with tgv-europe.com.  Always say you want to stay with tgv-europe.com!

•  If you're from the United States, you must select 'Canada' as your country, not 'United States', read the advice here to see why.

Incidentally, although www.tgv-europe.com is SNCF themselves, www.tgv-europe.co.uk is an alias for their UK subsidiary www.raileurope.co.uk, with prices in pounds not euros.  And www.sncf.co.uk is yet another alias for www.raileurope.co.uk.  Good eh?  Be aware of who you're actually using!

What tickets can these websites sell?

www.voyages-sncf.com & www.tgv-europe.com can sell train tickets including seat, couchette or sleeper reservations for almost any journey within France and for direct international journeys to or from France, for example, Paris to or from London, Barcelona, Madrid, Switzerland, Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, Munich, Amsterdam, Brussels.  All the cheap deals are shown, and there are no booking fees or postage to pay.  That makes these sites very useful for any European train traveller or visitor to Europe.

What tickets can't they sell?

They can't make 'reservation only' bookings if you have a railpass.  They will also struggle with tickets for non-direct international journeys, for example Paris to Barcelona is no problem, but it can't book Paris to Alicante with a change at Barcelona.  You often need to book onwards tickets separately at the relevant train operator's website.  In this example, you'd book Paris-Barcelona at tgv-europe.com, then Barcelona-Alicante at the Spanish Railways website, www.renfe.com.

How are tickets delivered?

Tickets booked in French at www.voyages-sncf.com can be collected at any staffed French railway station or in some cases printed out yourself, or sent to addresses in France.  Tickets bought at the various www.tgv-europe.com mini-sites can be collected at any staffed station in France or sent by regular post to the UK or any address worldwide, including Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Mongolia and North Korea, but excluding the USA.  In some cases (domestic French tickets only), you can print out your own ticket.  Tickets cannot be collected at stations in countries outside France, and a self-print option won't appear for most international journeys, so inwards journeys towards France can only be booked if you'll either visit France beforehand to collect your tickets, or the system offers to send tickets to your country, which it will do for any country worldwide except the USA.

When does booking open?

You can book tickets up to 90 days in advance.  You can't book further ahead than this.  Remember that all European railways change their timetables on a Sunday in mid-June & mid-December every year, and the 90 days often gets squeezed to just 60 days or less around these times (for example, bookings for the few weeks after the mid-December timetable change usually don't open until mid-October).  Don't be surprised if you find no trains shown at all if you enquire for a date after a timetable change, as data may not be loaded for the new timetable yet.  If you are travelling more than 90 days from now (or on a date after a timetable change) then by all means check times & prices for a date within the next 60 days (or before the timetable change) to get an idea, they probably won't change that much.

If you live in the United States...

Here's the problem:  French Railways (SNCF) wants to protect its Rail Europe subsidiary in the United States.  So if you use www.tgv-europe.com and select 'USA' as your country of residence, the search results will open on the Rail Europe's US website www.raileurope.com and you'll pay higher prices with postage or booking fees on top.  And in some cases I've seen Rail Europe in the States charge a whopping $184 for a date and train when a $45 fare was available direct from SNCF (and, for the record, from the UK Rail Europe).  So you can save lots of money if you make the effort to book direct with French Railways at European prices with no postage or booking fees to pay.

To avoid being 'bumped' to Rail Europe, buy tickets directly from SNCF using one of these two options:

• Buy tickets in English at SNCF's English-language website www.tgv-europe.com, but clicking the UK flag to select 'Great Britain' or 'Canada' or even 'Afghanistan' as your country, not the United States.  If your journey starts in France, you'll usually be offered the option to self-print or collect your tickets at the station, so nothing is actually sent to you other than by email.  If you succeed in booking in English this way, do let me know!  Obviously, as tickets can only be collected in France, don't book an international journey starting outside France as you won't be able to collect tickets at a non-French station, and self-print isn't an option for international journeys.

• Buy tickets in French using the main SNCF website www.voyages-sncf.com.  Use this option if for any reason the above option doesn't work.  Go to www.voyages-sncf.com and leave it in French, do not try to switch it to English.  Don't panic if you don't speak French, just follow the easy step by step instructions below.  Most of the booking process involves dates, times & places which are pretty much the same in any language.  At the end of the booking it will give you the option to collect tickets at any staffed French station, or in some cases (domestic French journeys only) print out your own ticket.  Obviously, as tickets can only be collected in France, don't book an international journey starting outside France as you won't be able to collect tickets at a non-French station, and self-print isn't an option for international journeys. 

How to use www.tgv-europe.com, in English

General advice...

• Be alert for for pop-ups asking if you want to be diverted to Rail Europe, or saying you are being diverted to their 'local' website.  Always click the option to continue with tgv-europe.com!  Under pressure from their overseas subsidiaries, www.tgv-europe.com is adding various auto-redirects to Rail Europe, depending on which country you select as your country of residence.  If you're in the USA, you must not select 'United States' as you will automatically be diverted to www.raileurope.com, you must select 'Canada' or some other English-speaking country as your country.  If you come from the UK, South Africa, or any other country, you can select your true country, but be on the lookout for sneaky pop-ups asking if you want to be diverted to Rail Europe, or saying you are being diverted to their 'local' website.  Always click to continue with tgv-europe.com!!!

  It's often better to book complex journeys in two stages, not one:  For example, if booking from (say) London to Rome, first book the journey from Paris to Rome, then click 'add another ticket' and book your Eurostar from London to Paris and back as a second separate journey, making sure you allow plenty of time to change trains in Paris.  You can pay for both bookings together at the end of your session.  There are 3 reasons for booking the Eurostar and the onwards train from Paris separately:  1)  if you try to book, for example, London to Rome all in one go, it will only show ridiculously expensive full fares because it won't take account of the cheap fares available from Paris to Rome;  2)  you may want to mix and match classes, for example, 2nd class Eurostar London to Paris then 1st class 4-berth couchette or 1st class 2-bed sleeper, on the Paris to Rome leg.  You can only do this if you book each leg separately;  3)  it allows you to search for an earlier Eurostar connection from London, or a later one back from Paris on your return, if there are no cheap seats left on the recommended Eurostar connection, or if you want to stop off in Paris for a while.

• If necessary, use other websites to book onwards connections within another country:  For example, www.voyages-sncf.com can book Eurostar from London to Paris and your sleeper train from Paris to Rome or Madrid, but it may not book onwards connections from Rome to Naples or Madrid to Malaga.  Even if it can, it may not offer the cheapest price for a domestic journey in country outside France.  So book the last leg using the relevant national rail operator website for that country.  For example, for connecting trains within Italy, use www.trenitalia.com (tickets can be picked up at the station, or there is a ticketless option for the best Eurostar Italia trains, see this advice for using trenitalia.com), for connecting trains within Spain use www.renfe.com (self-print tickets).  See the How to buy European train tickets page, or there is a list of national railway websites on the useful links page, and many of these will have online ticket sales for journeys within that country.

Booking tips...

• Un-tick the 'direct services only' box:  On tgv-europe.com, this box is ticked by default.  To see results which involve a change of train (or to see any results if the journey always involves a change of train) un-tick this box.  On the other hand, if you're after a direct train (for example, you're trying to book the Paris-Rome 'Palatino' overnight train), it helps to leave the 'direct services only' box ticked to make sure it only comes up with the direct train.

• If it prompts you with a choice of stations, it's generally best to select the one with the 2-letter code for the country in question after the place name, for example 'Milan (IT)' for Milan, 'Vienna (AT)' for Vienna, 'Berne (CH)' for Bern and so on.  If it's in Germany, pick the one which includes 'Hbf' (=Hauptbahnhof or main station), for example 'Cologne Hbf (DE)'.  For Venice, select Venice Santa Lucia, the main station in Venice.

• When booking overnight trains, it will only offer fares for couchette or sleeper accommodation in the class you've selected.  So leave '2nd class' selected if you want to book berths in 6-berth couchettes or 4-berth or 3-bed sleepers all of which are technically 2nd class, but select '1st class' if you want to book 4-berth couchettes or 1 or 2-bed sleepers, these are all technically 1st class (the range available will of course depend on the train in question).

• When the search results appear for overnight trains, it will show prices but unfortunately  won't explain which type of couchette or sleeper those prices are for!  Don't worry, simply select the cheapest fare, and the word 'Choisir Ma Place' or 'Choose my place' will appear.  Click this, and a drop down box will appear which allows you to switch between different types of couchette and sleeper in that class.  Make quite sure you book the right type of couchette of sleeper.

• Check on the confirmation page that you've booked the right type of couchette or sleeper.  The translation from French is very poor:  '2nd class sleeper' actually means you've booked a 2nd class couchette in 6-berth compartments.  'First class sleeper' actually means you've booked a couchette in a 4-berth compartment.  'T3 cabin' means you've booked a berth in a 3-bed sleeper, 'First class double' means you've booked a berth in a 2-bed sleeper, 'First class single' means you've book a single-bed sleeper.

• Booking Eurostar:  It's usually best to book a Eurostar ticket between London & Paris as a separate journey.  Use the recommended Eurostar times shown on the relevant pages of this website as a guide, but feel free to choose an earlier Eurostar from London, or a later Eurostar returning from Paris, if these have cheaper seats available than the recommended Eurostar connection, or if you want to stop off.  Don't forget that on your return journey, your departure date from Paris to London will be the day after your departure date from Italy to Paris!  .

• Don't worry if your seat numbers aren't consecutive!  The system does normally book all of the passengers on one booking in seats next to each other!  For example, seats 62 & 68 in a 2nd class car on a Eurostar Italia Frecciarossa are in fact side by side. And in a 2-bed sleeper, berths 21 & 25 are in the same compartment, with 22 & 26 in the compartment next door.  For seat numbering plans for European trains, see the train seating plans page.

• Important:  UK postcodes:  It may not accept UK postcodes.  Try adding your UK postcode as part of the address (so the postman can read it) then use '123456' or a French postcode or whatever it takes to get the system to accept the postcode.  Feedback appreciated!

• Tickets are sent from France but normally arrive at UK addresses within a couple of days. 

• You'll need the original credit card to collect the tickets!  If you're booking a journey that starts in France, you can choose to collect tickets at any main French station (you cannot collect from stations outside France, so bear that in mind!).  You need to show the exact same credit card that you used to make the booking.  Although their website refers to collecting tickets from the self-service machines, you can also collect them from the ticket office.  In fact, as the machines won't accept overseas credit cards without Chip 'n PIN, you may have to collect them from the ticket office anyway!  But this is no problem.

• iDTGV:  If you haven't come across 'iDTGV' before, it's just a special brand name and fare structure SNCF gives to just a couple of daily TGVs on a handful of routes designed to compete head to head with budget airlines.  Bookings for these trains open 120 days ahead.  Quite why they feel the need to single out two TGVs a day and treat them differently from all their other TGV trains, then restrict ticket sales, I've no idea!  Half the time, the idTGV runs coupled to another, regular TGV!

How to use www.voyages-sncf.com, in French

UK residents & residents of any country except the USA can book in English at www.tgv-europe.com...

• UK residents should go to SNCF's English-language mini-site, www.tgv-europe.com, this has the same prices & availability as www.voyages-sncf.com, in fact it's the same system, but it's English with tickets sent to any address worldwide (except the USA) free of charge or collected at any main French station.

• Residents of any other country except the USA can use www.tgv-europe.com in English or several other European languages, with tickets sent to your home country or collected at stations in France.

• If you're from the USA, you can also use www.tgv-europe.com, but see the advice above.  You can collect tickets at any main station in France.

General advice...

• Book multi-leg journeys in two stages, not one:  For example, if booking from London to Rome, first book the journey from Paris to Rome, then click 'add another ticket' and book your Eurostar from London to Paris and back as a second separate journey, making sure you allow plenty of time to change trains in Paris.  You can pay for both bookings together at the end of your session.

  Why is this?  There are several reasons for booking the Eurostar and the onwards train from Paris separately:  (1)  The French system is incapable of mixing-and-matching cheap inflexible fares for one leg with semi- or fully-flexible fares for the other.  So if you try to book from London to Rome all in one go and the only tickets left for your Paris-Rome journey are semi-flexible, it will add this to a £200 semi-flexible Eurostar ticket to produce a silly-money total fare even if a £39 inflexible ticket is available for the London-Paris leg.  But if you book each leg separately, you can nab that £39 in flexible fare for London-Paris, add it to your basket, then book the semi-flexible fare for Paris-Rome;  (2)  It's also incapable of mixing-and-matching classes, for example, 2nd class Eurostar London to Paris then 1st class 4-berth couchette or 1st class 2-bed sleeper on the Paris to Rome leg.  You can only do this if you book each leg separately.  Indeed, on some routes it's not unusual to find a cheap advance-purchase 1st class fare still available that's cheaper than the cheapest remaining 2nd class fare, and you can only take advantage of this cheap 1st class deal for the beyond-Paris leg if you book each leg separately.  (3)  it allows you to search for an earlier Eurostar connection from London, or a later one back from Paris on your return, if there are no cheap seats left on the recommended Eurostar connection, or if you want to stop off in Paris for a while.

• If necessary, use other websites to book onwards connections within another country:  For example, www.tgv-europe.com or www.voyages-sncf.com can book Eurostar from London to Paris and your sleeper train from Paris to Rome or Madrid, but it may not book onwards connections from Rome to Naples or Madrid to Malaga.  Even if it can, it won't offer the cheapest price for a domestic journey in a country outside France, only the full-fare tariff advised by that country to the French railways.  So book the last leg using the relevant national rail operator website for that country.  For example, for connecting trains within Italy, use www.trenitalia.com (tickets can be picked up at the station, or there is a ticketless option for the best Eurostar Italia trains, see this advice for using trenitalia.com), for connecting trains within Spain use www.renfe.com (self-print tickets).  See the How to buy European train tickets page, or there is a list of national railway websites on the useful links page, and many of these will have online ticket sales for journeys within that country.

Step 1:

• Go to the www.voyages-sncf.com home page. 

• Residents of the USA should NOT select 'United States' as their country on tgv-europe.com because the search results will open on the more expensive raileurope.com website in the USA and you will not see the cheap prices available direct from SNCF.  SNCF is trying to protect raileurope.com, which it owns.  So you'll need to use the main French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com in French, which allows anyone to book and collect tickets at any staffed station in France.

• So go to www.voyages-sncf.com and leave it in French if you want to avoid being redirected to other websites.  Note that tickets can only then be collected in France, or in some cases printed out on your own PC printer.

• Fill in the booking form on the right of their home page (see the picture to the right).  It's not difficult to understand, even in French!

• Want a direct train?  The 'Trajets directs' ('direct trains only') box can be very useful if (for example) you're trying to book the direct Paris-Florence or Paris-Barcelona sleeper trains and don't want all the confusing alternatives with umpteen changes of train to appear in the results.  Obviously, if there aren't any direct trains, you won't see any trains at all in the results!

• Add more than one passenger, select ages to search for 'youth' or 'senior' fares:  Click the 'Qui participe à ce voyage' link to add more than one passenger.  If you're over 60, or under 26, make sure you select the right age range for each passenger, as any youth or senior fares will then show up.  'Ans' = 'years'.  Enfant = child, jeune = youth.

• Leave the 'cartes et abonnements' & 'cartes de fidelité' selectors blank, as you probably won't have any French Railways railcards or loyalty cards!

• Want to specify a particular route?  If you want a particular route (for example, London to Marseille changing in Lille rather than Paris), click 'Recherche avancée' (advanced search) link at the bottom of the form and you get an expanded form with a useful 'trajet via' box added.  In the case of London to Marseille via Lille, you'd type 'Lille' in the 'trajets via' box. 

• Important:  The advanced search box has a drop down box for you to select a country in which to collect or receive tickets, although the standard search form assumes that this is France..  To pick up tickets at any staffed station in France or have them sent to any French address, leave 'France' selected in the box at the bottom.  Your own country of residence is irrelevant, that's not the question you are being asked.  To have tickets sent to addresses in the UK, change 'France' to 'Grande Bretagne' - this switches you to English on their www.tgv-europe.com mini-site, but it's the same system with the same fares.  To have tickets sent to other countries, for example, Spain, Italy or the Netherlands, select that country.  It may then switch you to the relevant TGV-Europe mini-site and switch languages in the process, like I said the SNCF managers are brain-dead, but you can use the guide below to work out how to use it in other languages too. 

• If you're from the USA, do not, repeat do not under any circumstances, select 'Etats-Unis' (United States) because it will then bump you to www.raileurope.com, which is SNCF's American subsidiary with more expensive fares.  So if you're from the US, leave 'France' selected to pick up tickets at any main station in France, including all the main Paris ones.  If you're Osama bin Laden, no problem, SNCF will deliver to any address in Afghanistan if you select that country on www.tgv-europe.com.

• When you're ready, click 'Rechercher' ('Search')

Step 2:

• The results appear, see the screenshot below.  At this stage, we know the class we're being offered, but when booking an overnight train another nasty quirk of this system is that it gives no indication whether the fares shown are for a 2nd class seat, 2nd class couchette or 2nd class sleeper.  The prices will usually be for the cheapest type of accommodation available in that class.

• Which fare type?  Click the radio button next to the fare you want.  Don't worry about the name of the fare ('Prems', 'Mini', 'Pro', 'Loisir', whatever), you'll probably just want the cheapest.  Just remember that the cheapest fares (usually colour-coded yellow and often using the fare name 'Prems') will probably well be non-refundable with no changes to travel plans allowed.  More expensive fares, usually colour-coded blue (often with the name 'Pro' or 'Adulte'), will be more flexible and allow refunds.

• Helpful words & phrases:  Remboursable = refundable, non remboursable  = non-refundable.  Echangeable = flexible, non échangeable = non-flexible, only valid on the train booked.  Avant le départ = before departure.  Avant le veille = until the day before departure.  Sous conditions = subject to terms & conditions.

• Important tip if you have children:  I've seen the system offer a 19 euro fare for an adult (a cheap advance-purchase fare) and a (more expensive!) 28 euro fare for an accompanying child (which is the  normal flexible child price, and in fact the only child price), instead of doing the intelligent thing and automatically defaulting to 19 euros for both child and adult if two adult fares is the cheapest option.  Keep an eye out to see if this happens, and if it does, simply restart the enquiry and book your children as adults if this is cheaper.

Step 3:

• Click on the price you want.  A 'choisir ma place' ('choose my place') link appears.  Click this link to see a new section as in the screenshot below, offering a choice of seating arrangements, or (if you're booking an overnight train) a choice of the available accommodation types, seat couchette or sleeper.  Especially when booking overnight sleeper trains, it's very important you look at this carefully and select the right accommodation!

• Daytime trains under 'Choisir votre placement':  'couloir' = aisle, 'fenêtre' = window.  On TGV Duplex, 'salle basse' = lower deck, 'salle haute' = upper deck (upper deck recommended unless you have mobility problems).  In 1st class, 'duo vis à vis' = two seats facing each other across a table-for-two (recommended!), 'duo côte à côte' = 2 seats side by side in a unidirectional seating area, 'solo' = one seat on its own in a unidirectional seating area.

• Overnight trains under 'Choisir votre placement':  'placement couché' = couchette (always 6 bunk compartments in 2nd class, 4 bunk compartment in 1st class when using this system), 'Double 1e classe' = 2-bed sleeper, 'Single 1e classe' = single-bed sleeper, 'Cabine T3 (3 lits)' = 3 bed sleeper.  On the trainhotels to Spain, Double or Single 'avec douche' means Gran Clase.  Cabin T4 (4 lits) means one berth in a 4-bed sleeper.  All prices shown are per berth for the number of passengers selected, for example if you're booking 2 people in a 3-bed sleeper the price is for 2 people and 2 berths in a 3-bed compartment, another passenger will be sold the third berth and you'll share with them.

• Another quirk of this system is that on sleeper trains, you'll only be offered accommodations in that class.  For example, when booking the Paris-Florence overnight train, if you have 2nd class selected you'll only be offered 6 bunk couchettes or 3 bed sleepers (both technically 2nd class), you'll need to enquire with 1st class selected to see 4 bunk couchettes, 2-bed and 1-bed sleeper, all technically 1st class.

• You can request a particular berth position.  'Indifférent' means you don't mind, 'inférieur' means lower, 'supérieur' means upper, 'inferior imperatif' means you absolutely insist on a lower berth.  'Compartiment dame seul' means ladies-only couchette compartment (couchettes are mixed sex unless you use this tick-box).

• Other useful words:  The ticket conditions are explained.  'Non-échangeable, non remboursable' means the ticket is non-refundable, no changes to travel plans allowed.  'Echangeable avant le depart' means it can be changed before departure, but not after departure.

• Now click 'Valider cet aller'.

Step 4:

• Your booking is confirmed.  Check the ticket is what you want (if not, click 'supprimer'), untick the insurance box and click 'Continuer'.

• Don't worry if your seat numbers aren't consecutive.  The system does normally book all of the passengers on one booking in seats next to each other, but for example, seats 62 & 68 in a 2nd class car on a Eurostar Italia Frecciarossa are in fact side by side. And in a 2-bed sleeper, berths 21 & 25 are in the same compartment, with 22 & 26 in the compartment next door.  For seat numbering plans for European trains, see the train seating plans page.

• If a 'technical error' message comes up instead of the screen below, you may need to give up and book by phone.  This seems to happen occasionally, especially with international trains to Spain & Italy.

Step 5:

• Mode of ticket delivery or collection:  Choose mode of ticket delivery.  'Print your own' is the ideal option, but this is only allowed for certain ticket types, usually the cheapest ones such as 'prems'.  The option to collect at the station (shown as 'Borne Libre Service' or 'Gare ou Boutique') is available for all ticket types and allows ticket pick up at either the self-service machines or the ticket office at any staffed station in France.  SNCF self-service machines won't work with credit cards without 'Chip & PIN' enabled, so in this case you simply need to go to the ticket office and show your booking reference and credit card. 

• IMPORTANT:  When collecting tickets at a station, you must show the same credit card you used to make the booking.

• Address & email details:  Fill in your surname ('nom'), first name ('prénom'), email address and confirm email address.

• Don't forget to tick the 'Conditions Générales' box at the bottom saying you agree to SNCF terms and conditions before clicking 'Valider votre commande' ('Confirm your order').  You'll get an error message if you don't.

Step 6:

• Payment: The next page should be self-explanatory.  Card number, expiry date, security number.  Voyages-sncf.com is secure, so no problem.

• Voyages-sncf.com will accept UK-issued and overseas-issued credit cards.  If for any reason one credit card doesn't work, try another.  Some credit cards seem more international than others!

• Bear in mind that some banks are now so worried about fraud that they put a 'hold' on your credit card the moment any unusual foreign transaction goes through.  So if your credit card doesn't work, it could be your bank's fault not the website's.  Try contacting your credit card company to confirm that you're making a legitimate transaction and ask them to unblock your card.

Good luck!

• Feedback is always welcome, especially as things change from time to time.

The Thomas Cook European timetable has train & ferry times for every country in Europe plus currency & climate information.  Published since 1873, it costs £13.99.  It's essential for any serious traveller and an inspiration for armchair travellers.  Still not convinced you need one?  More information on what the Thomas Cook Timetable contains.  You can buy the latest monthly edition online at www.thomascooktimetables.com with worldwide delivery or buy it in person from any UK branch of Thomas Cook (ask at the bureau de change), or from W H Smiths in Victoria or Kings Cross stations in London.  Or buy the twice-yearly independent traveller's edition with laminated cover from Amazon.co.uk:  Winter/Spring 2011/12 edition (Dec 2011 to June 2012) or (when available) Summer/Autumn 2012 edition (June to Dec 2012)

The Thomas Cook Rail Map of Europe is the best and most comprehensive map of train routes right across Europe, from Portugal in the west to Istanbul, Moscow & Ukraine in the east, from Finland in the north to Sicily & Crete in the south.  High speed & scenic routes are highlighted.  Highly recommended!  Buy online at www.amazon.co.uk (worldwide delivery).  See an extract from the map.

Paying for a guidebook may seem an unnecessary expense, but it's a tiny fraction of what you're spending on your whole trip.  You will see so much more, and know so much more about what you're looking at, if you have a decent guidebook.  I recommend the Lonely Planet or Rough Guides as the best ones out there for independent travellers.  Click the images to buy the books - if you buy anything at Amazon through these links, Seat61.com gets a small commission (at no extra cost to you) to help support the site.  My own book is an essential handbook for train travel to Europe based on this website called "The Man in Seat 61".

Click the images to buy at Amazon.co.uk...

Or buy the Lonely Planet guides direct from the Lonely Planet website, with shipping worldwide.

Hotels in Paris or any city in France...

It's easy to book hotels online to go with your train tickets.  Try www.venere.com, who have a wide selection of hotels on a well-presented website.  They're also good because the price you see is the price you pay, no hidden extras, and you simply pay the hotel when you get there.  After you've booked, you can change or cancel your reservation in line with the hotel's own change and cancellation policy.  Use the links below:

Paris   Lille   Avignon   Marseille   Cannes   Nice   Nîmes   Montpellier   Perpignan   Bordeaux   Strasbourg   Toulouse   Other French towns & cities

Alternatively, if you want a reliably good quality hotel at a reasonable price, rather than unique character, try the Ibis, Mercure & Sofitel hotels run by Accor group in almost all French cities, with online direct booking:  www.accorhotels.com.  A city-centre Ibis hotel booked in advance online can be a very good deal.  Finally, www.tripadvisor.com is a good place to browse independent travellers' reviews of the main hotels.

Search all major hotel booking websites at once...

Search by hotel name  Powered by Hotelscombined.com

◄◄◄◄◄ Search all the major hotel booking websites at once... www.hotelscombined.com is probably the best hotel search system I've seen, a free search tool which checks all the main hotel booking sites (Opodo, Expedia, Booking.com, Hotels.com, AsiaRooms, Travelocity, LateRooms and others) to find the cheapest hotel rates.  Set up in 2005, it's probably the best place to start for booking any hotel online in any country, worldwide.

Hotels near the Gare du Nord & other Paris stations: 

If you need to stop over between trains, there are several good-quality Accor group hotels (including their mid-range 'Ibis' brand hotels and the more upmarket 'Mercure' brand) near the Gare du Nord, Gare de l'Est, Gare d'Austerlitz & Gare de Lyon.  Accor also run the most upmarket hotel, the Mercure Terminus Nord, right opposite the Gare du Nord.  Alternatively, try the Hotel Picardy Gare du Nord (opposite Gare du Nord, about 65 euros per night), the Comfort Hotel Gare de l'Est, from 67 euros per night, Campanile Hotel Gare du Nord (95 euros per night) or the Art Hotel (130 euros weekdays, 95 euros Fri/Sat/Sun).

A special hotel for that romantic break in Paris...

There's the famous & flashy Paris Ritz in the Place Vendôme of course (over 490 euros a night) or the similarly-priced Le Meurice, but if you want a really special hotel for a luxury break or romantic weekend and can afford to splurge around 280 euros a night, I'd recommend the small, sumptuous and intimate L'Hotel.  It's on the bohemian left bank, walking distance from the Seine, the Ile de la Cité & Notre Dame.  Oscar Wilde spent the last days of his life here in room 16, and the hotel has been used by many famous people from Sinatra to Mick Jagger.  Rooms are on the cosy side, but they are beautifully decorated and have character that other hotels lack.

Backpacker hostels...

www.hostelbookers.com:  If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels.  Hostelbookers offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in Paris and most other European cities at rock-bottom prices.

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