An extremely popular way to travel in France and Europe is by Train.
Using TGV (Train a grande vitess) one of the fastest trains in the world, is a great way to travel within France and neighbouring counties and view the scenery. It connects over 150 cities at the speed of about 320 mph.
To get an idea you can travel from Paris to Geneva in about 3 hours and 45 minutes, or a Paris to Nice trip is just under 6 hours.
There are first and second class options when you book your ticket. First class gives you more seating and luggage space with reclining seats. Depending on the length of your trip a meal may also be included.
The TGV Booking Center gives you an excellent option to book your ticket online at a great price.
You can purchase your train tickets including the Eurostar online at Rail Europe. They offer different passes depending on your travel needs. They offer special discount for Youth Passes
and Senior Passes
passengers (under age 26 and over 60).
Please visit our Train Travel Option page to get an idea of what type of passes are out there.
Eurostar
Eurostar, another great travel option, takes you form Paris downtown to London Waterloo International in about 2 and half hours going through an underground tunnel (the Chunnel). Eurostar goes through London, Ashford in Kent, Paris, Brussels, Lille, Disneyland Resort Paris and Calais-Fréthun directly.
There are 6 major train (Gare) stations in Paris, serving various destinations:
Gare St. Lazare – Paris 8 – Secong Largest Train Station in Europe
Mostly Serving: Basse Normandie and Haute Normandie
Gare de l’Est – Paris 10
Serving: Champagne, Alsace, Eastern Europe, Germany, Switzerland
Gare du Nord – Paris 10
Serving: Northern France, Belgium, Netherlands and England – Eurostar’s hub
Gare Montparnasse – Paris 15
Serving: Versailles, Brittany, Loire Valley, West and Southwest France and NW Spain
Gare Austerlitz – Paris 13
Serving: Loire Valley, Southwest France (Cote d’Azure, Provence) and Spain
Gare de Lyon – Paris 12
Serving: Southeast and Central France, Lille, Rhône Valley, Provence, Italy, Spain
Travel Tip:
Please make sure that you reserve your seat as well when you purchase a train ticket.