Train in France: TGV, OUIGO, Intercités, TER

• TGV INOUI — SNCF's premium high-speed train, up to 320 km/h. Serves the main French cities and Western Europe.
• OUIGO — SNCF's low-cost service. Two variants: OUIGO Grande Vitesse (same LGV lines as TGV INOUI) and OUIGO Vitesse Classique (conventional lines, even lower prices).
• Intercités — day and overnight trains on the Paris–Clermont, Paris–Toulouse, Paris–Briançon routes and others.
• TER — regional express trains, run by each region, ideal for short journeys.
• Trenitalia France — SNCF's competitor on the Paris–Lyon–Milan route, operating Frecciarossa.

Paris Gare de Lyon (towards the South-East), Paris Montparnasse (South-West and Brittany), Paris Gare du Nord (Northern France, Eurostar, Thalys), Paris Gare de l'Est (East and Germany), Paris Austerlitz (Centre and night trains), Paris Saint-Lazare (Normandy). In the regions: Lyon Part-Dieu, Marseille Saint-Charles, Bordeaux Saint-Jean, Toulouse Matabiau, Lille Flandres, Nantes, Strasbourg, Nice-Ville, Montpellier Saint-Roch.

• Book 6 to 12 weeks in advance — see the SNCF timetables page for opening dates.
• Favour midweek departures (Tuesday, Wednesday) or off-peak hours.
• Always compare TGV INOUI, OUIGO and Intercités on the same route: OUIGO often wins for a flexible traveller.
• Invest in the SNCF Avantage card if you travel 3 or more times a year — it pays for itself in 1 or 2 trips.
• If your ticket is no longer of use, see our guide on reselling a train ticket.

On short radial routes (under 3 h), the train almost always beats the bus and the plane door-to-door. For cross-country journeys (Bordeaux–Marseille, Nantes–Lyon), compare with carpooling or the bus, which sometimes offer a similar duration at a lower price.