France · Scenic
Intercités de Nuit: Paris to Nice
Overnight from Paris to the Riviera, in the Train Bleu tradition
11h 30m · SNCF Voyageurs
- Scenic
- Sleeper
- Epic
AI-generated editorial illustration by Rail Atlas
Country hub
France by train
A country with two railways: the TGV network that collapses distance, and the narrow-gauge mountain lines that exist only to climb slowly.
French rail travel is easiest to plan as a choice of pace. A TGV between two cities is a booked seat and a few hours. A mountain line in the Pyrenees, the Alps or the Ardèche is a half-day ride on a railway built for the gradient rather than the clock.
Every journey below carries its own published route, operating season and booking record; where an operator publishes no fare or season, this catalogue leaves it blank rather than estimating one.
12 published journeys · 4 groupings
Featured journeys
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France · Scenic
TGV inOui: Paris to Marseille
Paris to the Mediterranean in three hours flat
3h 04m · SNCF Voyageurs
- Scenic
- High-speed
Photo: Jean-Louis Zimmermann · CC BY 2.0
France → Switzerland · Scenic
TGV Lyria: Paris to Zurich
Four hours flat from Gare de Lyon to Zürich Hauptbahnhof, six times a day
4h 04m · TGV Lyria
- Scenic
- Culinary
- High-speed
Photo: Ibex73 · CC BY 4.0
5 journeys
High-speed and international
TGV corridors and cross-Channel services, booked by seat and departure.
France · Scenic
TGV inOui: Paris to Marseille
Paris to the Mediterranean in three hours flat
3h 04m · SNCF Voyageurs
- Scenic
- High-speed
Photo: Jean-Louis Zimmermann · CC BY 2.0
France → Switzerland · Scenic
TGV Lyria: Paris to Zurich
Four hours flat from Gare de Lyon to Zürich Hauptbahnhof, six times a day
4h 04m · TGV Lyria
- Scenic
- Culinary
- High-speed
Photo: Ibex73 · CC BY 4.0
France · High-speed
TGV inOui: Paris to Bordeaux
Two hours and two minutes from Paris to the Gironde
2h 02m · SNCF Voyageurs
- High-speed
AI-generated editorial illustration by Rail Atlas
United Kingdom → France · Engineering
Eurostar: London to Paris
Under the Channel, city centre to city centre in 2h16m
2h 16m · Eurostar
- Engineering
- High-speed
Photo: Julian P Guffogg · CC BY-SA 2.0
France · Engineering
TGV INOUI: Paris to Lyon
The line that proved high-speed rail in Europe
1h 43m · SNCF Voyageurs
- Engineering
- High-speed
Photo: Kabelleger / David Gubler · CC BY-SA 3.0
2 journeys
Overnight and luxury trains
Scheduled night services and closed-door luxury itineraries.
France · Scenic
Intercités de Nuit: Paris to Nice
Overnight from Paris to the Riviera, in the Train Bleu tradition
11h 30m · SNCF Voyageurs
- Scenic
- Sleeper
- Epic
AI-generated editorial illustration by Rail Atlas
France · Sleeper
Venice Simplon-Orient-Express
Europe’s most famous luxury train, still travelling in restored 1920s carriages.
24h · Belmond
- Sleeper
- Luxury
- Culinary
Photo: Jour-reveur / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
3 journeys
Mountain and narrow-gauge lines
Rack, narrow-gauge and preserved railways built for the gradient.
France · Scenic
Chemin de Fer de la Rhune
A vintage mountain train from the Basque foothills to the summit of La Rhune.
35m · Train de la Rhune
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Excursion
Photo: Remontees · CC BY-SA 4.0
France · Scenic
Train de l’Ardèche
Steam through the Doux gorges on one of France’s great heritage railways.
1h 45m · Train de l’Ardèche
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Steam
Photo: Peter Glyn / Wikimedia Commons · CC0 1.0
France · Scenic
Train Jaune
A little yellow regional train high in the French Pyrenees.
3h 10m · SNCF Voyageurs
- Scenic
- Heritage
- Engineering
Photo: M McBey / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
2 journeys
More French journeys
France → Switzerland · Scenic
Mont-Blanc Express
A cross-border mountain railway through the Trient and Chamonix valleys.
1h 30m · Transports de Martigny et Régions
- Scenic
Photo: AndrewvdBK / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
France · Scenic
Train des Merveilles
From the Mediterranean behind Nice into the high Roya valley by regional train.
1h 59m · SNCF Voyageurs
- Scenic
Photo: Remontees · CC BY-SA 4.0
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