Do trains sell out in France?

TGV trains, the high-speed trains that serve most of France's main lines as well as some international routes, require seat reservations. Seat reservations for domestic routes start at $11, and go up to $27 as seating sells out. These trains can fill up, especially around weekends, holidays, and special events.



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In most circumstances, you must purchase a ticket before you board a train. Most trains require reservations and you should not board reserved trains without a reservation. Passengers who do so are not guaranteed a seat and may be instructed to get off the train at the next station stop.

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Tickets open up for sale around 90 days before your travel date. In general, the longer your travel distance, the earlier you should book. But don't try to to book too far in advance, 90 days is the sweet spot. Definitely get reservations for TGV, Thalys and Eurostar, especially if you're choosing popular travel dates.

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French trains suppossedly run on time over 90% of the time which is great unless you are in the 10%.

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For long-distance trains including all TGV, Intercités & Intercités de Nuit overnight trains, reservation is compulsory, but there are usually seats available even on the day of travel and you can buy a ticket immediately before the train departs. But there are much cheaper fares if you pre-book.

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The percent of French SNCF trains that arrive with a delay of less than 15 minutes is at 87%, according to a study released in 2022 (read here about it in French). So 13% of French trains are delayed by 15 minutes or more.

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TGV high-speed trains are all-reserved. All tickets for these trains come with a seat reservation automatically included and the price varies like air fares, so pre-book for the cheapest prices. In practice there are almost always places available on most trains even just before departure, the issue is price.

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The earlier you book your tickets, the more likely you are to get the lowest fare available for the dates you want on the routes along your journey. You may book your travel up to 11 months in advance.

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Trainline shows various date options side-by-side with their costs. So if you're flexible on dates and willing to travel on whichever day is cheapest, you are able to get some great savings. This is not possible with the SNCF (though their older site used to do it) or other platforms.

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Put your journey details into the Trainline ticket alert system and you'll get an email when advance tickets for that journey go on sale, which are usually the cheapest fares – though to avoid fees, book via a train-booking site that doesn't charge them.

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Travel during peak travel periods will usually see you paying more as there is more demand for tickets. For that reason, the best days to buy tickets are generally in the middle of the week between Tuesday and Thursday, the former considered the best of all by several sources.

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