We recently had a wonderful experience in France with their TGV (Très Grande Vitesse or Very High Speed) trains.
We were planning a road trip from Paris encompassing Lyon, Avignon, and Carcassonne. It would be a 5-hour drive between Paris and Lyon, and almost 3 hours from Lyon to Avignon. Rental cars were also expensive, so the train seemed like a better option saving time and money.
After looking, we saw there wasn’t all that much to see along the way. So, we ended up switching to the TGV train which was twice as fast as driving. The TGV trains fly along at over 250km/h (or 155mph). We were glad to avoid traffic, maps, parking, fuel, and tolls. Not to mention the car rental charges.
Paris’s CDG airport is directly connected with the TGV trains to the extent that it only took us 5 minutes to walk (all inside) from Terminal 2 to the train station. Not only do these trains go to the local French towns, but many also go to international cities too.
Some tips for traveling by train in Europe
- Traveling with a carryon only is easier, as you don’t have to lug your big suitcase onto the train. And you can keep your belongings with you instead of leaving your suitcase on the rack by the door, especially if your train has multiple stops.
- Book your ticket a few months in advance for the best price.
- If you can, splurge on a first-class seat to have more room and enjoy the ride.
- Use the official rail websites only. There are many scams.
- Check directly with Google Flights, sometimes they will offer train connections. We had an international flight that was substantially cheaper if we connected with a train to Cologne from Frankfurt. Effectively taking us for free to Cologne and adding an extra city to visit to our Rhine Valley itinerary.
If you’re like us, looking for a deal, you might consider taking the train when connecting to your final destination if you find a flight into Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (or another major hub) for a good price. It really was comfortable and we would certainly consider it again. As a matter of fact, we plan on taking a TGV train from Paris’s CDG airport to get to Marseille for an upcoming Mediterranean cruise. It was cheaper than taking a connecting flight.