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Types of French Trains | |
| France's train network is highly useful on any trip to France, even if you're only going to Paris, but to use the system best you must learn how it works. | ||
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The French National Railways (Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français, SNCF) operate a variety of trains in France. Different French trains provide different services: high-speed trains, regular intercity expresses, regional, local and low-priced trains. You need to know the types of trains in France in order to plan your trip, buy your ticket, and find the correct train platform/track (voie) in the train station. France's rail network is a salad of acronyms. Here are the major ones: Paris & Île-de-France TrainsRERParis's RER (Réseau Express Régionale, pronounced AIR-uh-AIR) is the French capital's suburban commuter rail system. More... TransilienTransilien means "Across the Île-de-France" (the region around metropolitan Paris) which is where this train system takes you. More... France National TrainsSNCFSociété Nationale des Chemins de fer Français is France's national train network. It operates the RER and Transilien trains as well as these: TGV inOuiTrains à Grande Vitesse (High-Speed Trains, TGV—pronounced TEH-ZHEH-VEH) connect France's major cities and connect with other European high-speed rail networks (see below) to speed you among Europe's great cities. The TGV inOui trains have a higher level of service, and an available Business Première service. More... iDTGVThis independent company (pronounced EE-deh-TEH-ZHEH-VEH), 100% owned by the SNCF, sells discounted tickets on 30 main train routes in France. Tickets can only be bought or changed on the iDTGV website, must be bought well in advance, and must be printed by you to carry when you travel. Although the iDTGV website has some English-language pages, most of it is only in French, making iDTGV of limited use to non-French-reading travelers. More... IntercitésTraditional SNCF express trains connecting cities across regions in France: longer distance routes than TER regional trains, but slower than TGV high-speed trains. More... OuigoSNCF's budget brand offers eye-popping fares as low as 10€ to travel all the way across France. What's the catch? There are several. More... TERTransports Express Régionaux (TER, pronounced TEH-uh-AIR) are France's regional train systems for each part of the country, connecting the major cities in each region with one another and with smaller cities and towns. More... For cities not served by TGV trains, you typically take a TER train to reach a city with TGV service for longer trips. International TrainsEurostar Trains London - ParisTrains operated by Eurostar International Ltd. connect London, England (St Pancras Station) with Calais, Lille and Paris (Gare du Nord), France, and Brussels, Belgium via the Channel Tunnel beneath the English Channel (Manche). More... Inter-City Express (ICE)ICE trains are high-comfort, high-speed trains of the German Railways (Deutsche Bahn, DB) connecting 80 major European cities at speeds up to 300 kmh (186 mph). More... THALYSThalys is an international express train company connecting Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands. If you want to travel between Paris and Aachen, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Brussels, Cologne, Düsseldorf or Rotterdam, consider a Thalys train. More... TGV LyriaTGV Lyria is the name of the joint French-Swiss train route service. If you're interested in traveling by train between France and Switzerland, consider Lyria. More... RailteamRailteam is a joint service of seven major European railroads to facilitate fast routes and connections among the partners' countries and routes. SNCF (France) and Eurostar are partners, as are the national railroads of Austria, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands and Switzerland. Railteam sets standards for performance and passenger comfort, and coordinates routes going via its hubs at Brussels, Lille-Europe, Cologne, Frankfurt and Stuttgart. More...
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The palatial Gare de Lyon, Paris, France.
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