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TGV
Travel is all about experiences
Experience comfort and style, upgrade to 1st class!
Experience comfort and style, upgrade to 1st class!
TGV, high speed trains, connecting 1,400 destinations in France.
Find a point to point ticket
TGV network
TGV, the ‘Train à Grande Vitesse’ is the fastest way to travel to more than 1400 destinations in Europe. With record-breaking speeds of up to 320 km/h, whether your destination is on the other side of France or beyond the borders you’ll reach it in just a few hours, and with magnificent views of the French countryside.
The electric, high-speed TGV, operated by SNCF, transports over 130 million passengers to their destinations every year. The total number since the service began in 1981 is expected to reach 2 billion in 2010, second only to Japan’s Shinkansen train. France is, quite rightly, very proud of its bullet train service!
Popular journeys and travel durations
| Journey | Travel time |
|---|---|
| Paris – Reims | 0 h 45 |
| Paris – Nantes | 2 h 01 |
| Paris – Strasbourg | 2 h 20 |
| Paris – Avignon | 2 h 40 |
| Lille – Lyon | 2 h 55 |
| Paris – Bordeaux | 3 h 00 |
| Paris CDG – Marseille | 3 h 34 |
Paris Nice 05:37 $59 Avignon Paris 02:39 $66 Paris Lyon 01:56 $41 Marseille Paris 03:04 $51 Nice Avignon 02:54 $34 Lyon Nice 04:27 $70 Paris Bordeaux 03:14 $62 Marseille Nice 02:32 $36 Lyon Paris Cdg Airport 02:01 $103 Paris Toulouse 05:29 $55 Montpellier Paris 03:19 $51 Avignon Lyon 00:59 $32 Geneva Lyon 01:44 $45 Avignon Marseille 00:28 $21 Dijon Paris 01:34 $21 Marseille Lyon 01:36 $34
Our tips
Be sure to check the departures before and after your ideal time, the less popular the train time, the cheaper it will be.
Booking & Ticket delivery
Booking :- TGV tickets are open for booking 90 days ahead.
- Get the lowest prices by booking early and don’t wait until the last minute as cheaper seats sell the fastest.
- Opt for off-peak trains when you have to travel short notice. They are more affordable than morning and evening trains along with those running on holiday eves, Friday and Sunday afternoon.
Ticket delivery option(s) :
| Paper ticket | Receive your ticket directly to your address. Just take them with you and you are ready to travel. Shipping fees apply. | ||
| Print @ home | Print your ticket anywhere and anytime before your travel. Skip shipping fees. | Printing guide | |
| Print @ Station (from France) | Go to a self-service ticket machine and enter your reference to retrieve your ticket. Skip shipping fees. | Printing guide | |
Seat reservation :
- Mandatory for this train! The seat reservation is included in the price of your ticket. Please note that seats are auto-allocated by train carriers. Depending on availabilities, carriers will ensure that all passengers of a same party are seated together. Seats can be swapped only once on-board.
- Pass holders . Book your seat reservation exclusively with Rail Europe.
More details
Want to travel in the comfort of a spacious train and visit France? No need to rack your brains. TGV trains are the flagship of French rail as they offer an exciting experience on board at top speed touching 320 km/h.
Experience the service
Before you board
Many of the TGV stations are architecturally outstanding; if you have time go outside and take a look at the exteriors.
Make sure to validate your ticket using the yellow stamp machines, or composteurs, on the platforms before you board the train.
There are usually two steps up to the carriage so make sure you can lift your luggage, or find a friendly passenger to help.
Onboard
| First class | Second class | |
|---|---|---|
| Bar buffet car Access to the bar buffet car where snacks and beverages can be bought. | √ | √ |
| Family area Seats are separated from the rest of the compartment, with foldable table and space for kids. | √ | |
| WiFi Internet Enjoy the freedom to read your emails, surf and listen to online music thanks to the wireless internet on board certain TGVs. | √ | √ |
| Comfortable seats Spacious seats with a headrest and generous legroom. | √ | √ |
| Reclining seats Cosy with more legroom, reclining seats are ideal to enjoy the trip. | √ | |
| Power sockets Ideal to plug your laptop, phone or any electronic device from your seat. | √ | √ |
| Taxi reservation Pre-book a taxi and don’t waste time when you get off at your destination. For holders of a 1st class Plus ticket only. | √ | |
| Meal and drink A delicious meal and drinks are served at seat on board certain TGVs. For holders of a 1st class Plus ticket only. | √ |
Highlights
Travel in style aboard TGV trains
- Fashion king Christian Lacroix designed the interiors of the newest TGV trains, so expect to be impressed.
Suddenly you see!
- On some routes, the double-decker TGV Duplex trains offer an even better view of the passing countryside whilst at high speed.
Aboard TGV trains, comfort is not a legend
- With the TGV, only the train goes at high speed: you travel in peace and quiet with your family and benefit from the comfort of large seats and all of the services onboard. Upgrade to First class!
More details
TGV trains offer the comfort of two travel classes to cater to your different needs. No wonder if after this experience, you will not feel like boarding a plane for short journeys anymore….
Interactive travel map
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Learn more about: Destinations / City trips
F.A.Q
Review and ratings
Overall rating (5429)
Comfort
Value for money
Convenience
Overall appreciation
Excellent 40% Very good 35% Average 18% Poor 4% Terrible 3% 183 Reviews
Sort by:
"Go south of france"
Wing Sze c.
good way to go from paris to south of france, fast n convenient, no delay yet avignon tgv station is a bit far away from city centre. will choose to travel with rail europe next time. Value for money Convenience
"PARIS GARE LYON - AVIGNON TGV"
Ivan h. 16/05/2013Travelled 1st class, works like a charm. Excellent! Value for money Convenience
"Comfortable, fast and easy"
Zelda j. 16/05/2013We found this a great way to get back to Paris to catch our plane home. The station is within the airport terminal...so convenient, I wouldn't think of doing it any other way. Our ticket was also great value for money...and we could order and pay online at home. Thank you Rail Europe! Value for money Convenience
"Great"
Darryl g. 15/05/2013Very quick relaxing journey. Better identification of car numbers from the platform would have been helpful Value for money Convenience
"tgv"
Kinga s. 15/05/2013i am very pleased with the service Value for money Convenience
"Marvellous!!!!"
Rohini j. 15/05/2013The journey between Paris and Cannes was amazing with the TGV. We all were mesmerized by the beauty outside and the comfort and leisure inside the train. Thanks for making my tour so memorable. Value for money Convenience
"Great Experience"
Dennis g. 14/05/2013My first experience of TGV - the two hours went by very swiftly, and very comfortably. On time and very smooth riding. Ticket arrangements made online from Australia were extremely convenient and rapid. Value for money Convenience
"Relaxing way to travel"
Daniel k. 14/05/2013Without knowing French very well, the ticket and the train station, train and seats are very explanatory on where you need to go. The journey is very relaxing, although you may be travelling backwards in the train, but it doesnt matter as the scenery is still the same. There was enough room for our luggage in the luggage racks, but I think we were lucky not too many were travelling with suit cases as there are only 3 locations in the carriage for suitcases. But plenty of overhead for smaller travel bags. Great way to travel, as train leaves on time Value for money Convenience
"good"
Daniel k. 13/05/2013it was lovely lovely lovely but need few more people who knows english please good luck
"To Lyon"
Ken m. 13/05/2013The train ride was comfortable but we had issues printing our ticket at the train station as our ticket did not seem to include a reference number. Value for money Convenience
"Gare de Lyon to Marseile"
Jonathan b. 13/05/2013The trip was wonderfully uneventful. The only small thing that could have made it better was if I had noticed where the Coach #'s were posted before jumping through the door marked 2 for 2nd Class rather than the actual door for coach / car #2. It would have been nice if the agent standing at the door would have caught that as well. No problem though, we found our proper seats in time and enjoyed the trip. Value for money Convenience
"Paris-Avignon"
Petra b. 12/05/2013We were very satisfied with our trip. The train was fast and confortable. Value for money Convenience
"Making Travel Easy in France"
Cliff b. 12/05/2013My wife is the train fanatic in the family but she has converted me to travelling by rail rather than other forms of transport whenever practicable. Certainly, this is the preferred option in Europe. There are a few things to get used to. Arriving early to ensure that you are familiar with the departure platform and being prepared for a long brisk walk sometimes a lengthy platform to find the allocated class, carriage and seat. There is the clue. To make for happy travelling whenever possible reserve a seat. It costs more but if you are enjoying retirement years, there are lower prices for oldies on many services and having an allocated seat enables one to concentrate on the pleasure of travel. After missing our service we took the next only to encounter a rather peed off businessman who initially objected to a pair of tourists taking his seat. A brief discussion sorted the problem but lesson learned, avoid missing your train. Value for money Convenience
"Late arrival"
Laurence g. 12/05/2013Unexpected but train 40 mins. late arrival. Very surprised Value for money Convenience
"very pleasant trip"
Martin f. 12/05/2013The speed and comfort make travelling by TGV the only way to travel in Europe Value for money Convenience