Trains in Europe is part of the Drive-Alive family of websites dedicated to surface travel in Europe.
Train travel in France - information and links to book tickets:
The railway network in France has long benefitted from an enlightened investment r gime. This has resulted in the most comprehensive high speed passenger train network in Europe. The Trains Grande Vitesse or TGV routes cross France from north to south and east to west, meaning you can travel in speed and comfort throughout the country.
The TGV service connects over 60 destinations right across France. The trains travel at speeds of up to 200 mph, so you can relax and watch the French countryside speeding past your window. Because so much of France can be reached using the TGV trains you are never far from reaching your destination by switching to the excellent local and national servicers operated by SNCF, the French railway company.
The continued high level of investment in French railways means that the internal rail services are of a high standard. The Corail trains are of the very latest designs with a high standard of passenger comfort. These trains operate throughout France and enable you to travel around the country in style. SNCF Corail also operate night sleeper trains both within France and into Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland and Spain.
Paris is the starting point for the Elipsos trains that run to Barcelona and Madrid in Spain, offering an overnight sleeper service with accommodation varying from couchettes to luxury.
Eurostar connects into this network in Paris and Lille, so it is now easy to take the train from anywhere in the UK to the new Eurostar terminal at St Pancras and connect directly to trains in France. And the French railways allows you to continue your journey across national borders to Germany, Italy, Belgium, Spain and beyond.
During the summer the Eurostar connection offers a direct train to Avignon in the Rhone Valley, from where you can continue by high speed train to the French Riviera, Spain or Italy. In winter take the Eurostar ski train which whisks you overnight to the French Alps. And there is a daily train service from London St Pancras to Disneyland Paris.