Getting Around France

Share | Print | +

Buzz

Delicious

Digg

Facebook

Google

Propeller

reddit

StumbleUpon

Twitter

Yahoo!

Getting Around France

The transport system in France is one of the densest in the world, with more than one million kilometres of roads, of which nearly 8,000 Km are motorways. In addition there are 32,000 Km of railways, many leading to and from the capital, Paris. The transport network in Paris and other large cities and towns across the country is very efficient, but there tends to be a lack of regular bus services in rural areas.

France by Train

The train network in France is excellent and as a result, is one of the most popular means of transport across France. All trains are run by the national train operator, SNCF. Tickets can be purchased online.

Ticket fares vary according to the comfort of the train, either first or second class, and the time of departure. They can be booked online or at any train station.

The TGV - Train de Grande Vitesse - is a high speed train which travels at speeds of 300 Km per hour. It has revolutionised French rail travel, enabling people to get to Paris from Bordeaux, for example, in three hours. Tickets must be reserved in advance.

Tickets for all trains must be validated before travelling. This can be done by placing the ticket in a punching machine at the entrance to the platform. However, passengers that have printed out their tickets from the Internet can present these to inspectors when they pass.

There are many offers to take advantage of when using the train. For example, the 12-25 Card enables young people to get 50 percent off fares once they have paid an initial fee. A large family with three children or more can benefit from the carte familles nombreuses which can reduce fares by up to 75 percent once an initial fee has been paid for the card.

• For more information on offers available see the SNCF website

Eurostar is a train which travels between England, France and Belgium. Destinations include Paris, Brussels, Lille, Avignon and Lyon.

Some tips and points

• Booklets with train times and destinations are available at all stations and some tourist offices
• A ticket must be validated in the orange punching-machine in the station before boarding; otherwise a fine may be incurred
• Booking a TGV ticket in advance is usually more economical than buying a ticket the day of travel
• There are various discount rates available for the young (Carte 12-25), the over 60s (Carte Senior) and groups
  • For more information on the Carte 12-25: Click here (in French)
  • For more information on the Senior SNCF: Click here (in French)
• Discounts and special conditions are available for mobility, sight and hearing disabled people
  • For information on accessibility for passengers with reduced mobility: Click here (in French)
• There is a service for children travelling unaccompanied
  • For information on the Jeune Voyager Service, JVS: Click here (in French)
• Dogs and cats may be taken on the trains, but there is a fee and certain conditions must be met. The fee depends on the size of the pet, and once aboard, a fellow passenger may request it be moved
• To find a local station contact details, go to Pages Jaunes and type in SNCF and the region
• Gares en Mouvement is a website in several languages that provides information on major stations around France including open hours, address, and a real-time schedule of departures and arrivals and the platform numbers: Click here

Useful Train Numbers

Metro

There is a metro (underground) system in Paris, Lyon, Lille, Marseille, Toulouse and Rennes. The metro runs between 05.30 and 01.30. Metros run between every two and eight minutes depending on the time of the day. Tickets can be bought at the station, from metro personnel or automatic ticket machines. A pass is advisable for people who make multiple journeys. For example, a book of ten journeys can be bought for the metro in Paris, for ten euros.

In Paris there is the RER (Regional Express Train) as well as the metro. The RER crosses Paris, linking the suburbs from every corner. There are five RER lines, some of which run underground, and other which are over ground. The service runs daily from 04.45 to 01.30.

For more information on transport in the main cities, see the following websites:

• Île-de-France
• Bordeaux
• Lyon
• Rennes
• Lille
• Marseille

Tram

There are tramways in the many towns and cities across France including in Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Nancy, Nice, Orleans, Rouen and Strasbourg.

Services run between approximately 05:00 and midnight. Each station has a covered shelter where the timetables are shown. There is also usually an automatic ticket machine, tickets must be validated once onboard.

France by Bus and Coach

Most of the départements in France have their own regional bus service.

• For a list of each regional service: Click here

Fares tend to be inexpensive, but rural services can be limited, especially on weekends. Buses usually run from 05:30 to 20:30, with many in towns and cities running to 00:30. Night services are provided in large towns until approximately 05:00.

Buses are identified by their number and the direction it is going in. Bus stops are indicated on the street by a bus shelter or sign, and tickets can be bought on the bus. For regular travellers it is better to get a bus card or pass, which can be purchased either on the bus or at local bus agencies. For more information see the individual operators' websites. Many offer the opportunity to recharge the pass online.

The French national rail system SNCF has recently replaced under-used train lines with buses, which can be paid for using a rail pass.

There are a number of operators which provide coach services between major towns. Eurolines provides a service to and from France from other countries.

France by Air and Sea

Air travel

There are more than 40 airports in France, the main one being Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. There is also a smaller airport to the south of the city called Paris-Orly.

• For a list of airports in the country and practical information concerning each one: Click here

Air France is the leading airline to and from France. It has 400 aircrafts in operation and services around 1,800 daily flights to approximately 185 destinations in 83 countries.

Domestically, Air France flies from Paris to most large French cities without any competition from other national airlines. There are plans to launch an Air France budget service within the next few years.

Budget airline Easyjet provides a service from Corsica, Nice and Toulouse to Paris, as well as many other services to European destinations and from the UK to France. Ryanair also provides a service from the UK to many of the smaller airports across France.

Ferries

The main passenger ports of France are on the north coast, at the towns of Roscoff, Saint Malo, Cherbourg, Caen, Le Havre, Dieppe, Boulogne, Calais and Dunkerque. The services from here are predominantly to the UK and Ireland.

The ports of Nice, Toulon and Marseille on the south west coast of France operate passenger ferries to Corsica and Sardinia.

The only major maritime port on the west coast is at Bordeaux, although this is solely for commercial and private use.

There are a number of internet services available to research crossings, timetables and even book tickets. These include:

• Direct Ferries
• Ferrybooker
• Ferrysavers
• Ferry Online
• Corsica Ferries

An alternative service for crossing the English Channel is the Channel Tunnel between Great Britain and France. Car shuttle services are operated by Eurotunnel with passenger services also run by Eurostar.