France Transportation Tips by Paul2001

The TGV and Traveling Through France by Rail

I love traveling by train and therefore found that trainride in France was a great pleasure. Naturally this is because of the famed TGV, the world's fastest train. It can run at up to 300 km per hour.
The TGV and other the trains in this massive rail network is operated by SNCF. All trains are quite comfortable and run frequently. Lines seem to stretch out to every little town in France. This makes France probably the easiest country I have ever traveled in with regards to getting from point "A" to point "B".
Free timetables are available at every train station.
Naturally like every other country in Europe, there are rail passes available. I am not a big fan of Eurorail passes as they are too expensive. I recommend instead always buying a railpass for the country (or countries) you intend upon visiting especailly if you are sure of your itinerary. This includes France. For us North Americans and those from Australia and New Zealand, we can all purchase four days in a month long period pass for US $240/210 (first-/second-class). If you intend to travel more frequently than this, then you can purchase up to six more days for an additonal $30 per day. I think that this is a good deal.
Surprisingly I met alot of very friendly locals on the train in France. In hindsight I wondered how the French managed to get this reputation of being snobs. This was certainly not the case with me.

Mode: AROUND

Phone: 08.92.35.35.35

Type: Train

Website: http://www.sncf.com/