Rail

A train journey is a hugely relaxing way to see the countryside, whether you're using the scheduled SNCF (French Rail) services or one of the tourist routes.

This is our guide to navigating the main stations of Southern Provence and to using the train to get around.

The website of France's national rail company SNCF has been rebranded yet again and given a new website address. Formerly and briefly oui.sncf, it is now SNCF Connect.

The SNCF’s low-cost train service is called OuiGo, pronounced "We Go" (see below). Its high speed trains are named InOui. This is another pun, since inouï in French means "unprecedented" or "incredible".

Click on the links to view our full guides to travelling by train to Aix en Provence, Avignon or Marseille and to the rail and bus station of Marseille Saint Charles.

News for rail travel in FranceSouth-East France now has another TGV station to add to Marseille, Aix en Provence and Avignon!

La Gare de Nîmes-Pont-du-Gard, pictured, opened in 2019. The address is Chemin de Jonquières Connelle Nord, 30129 Manduel. Website for Nimes-Pont-du-Gard station.

nimes pont du gard tgv stationIt's 25 km / 15 miles south of the Pont du Gard and north of Arles and around 15 km / nine miles east of Nîmes itself.

Local (TER) trains connect the TGV station to central Nîmes, Arles and elsewhere in Provence.

Looking further afield, Nîmes is now two hours 45 minutes from Paris and there is a fast onward service to the station Montpellier Sud de France. Travelling onwards, Barcelona is just three hours 20 minutes from Nîmes-Pont-du-Gard.

A more limited number of TGVs will continue to serve Nîmes-Centre, the existing station in the middle of Nîmes.

Check our section on drives and rides for more information on specialist rail services such as the Tourist Train of Central Var or France's Vélorail network as well as the beautiful Blue Coast train line.

And, if you happen to be a model train enthusiast, click here to read about the JardiTrain miniature railway park near Avignon!

 

CHEAP AND CUT-PRICE TRAIN TICKETS

French rail offers a bewildering range of budget rail fares. Here are some of the main ones of interest to tourists.

Prem's (sic - note the rogue apostrophe, often found in French) are cheap tickets sold on a first-come-first-served basis

In 2013 SNCF launched the world's first low cost, high speed rail travel service. Called Ouigo (pronounced "We Go"), it offers tickets starting from 10 €uros from Paris to the south of France, including Aix en Provence, Avignon, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Nîmes and Valence.

Ouigo trainOuigo operates three to four return journeys between Paris and the south each day. To keep prices down, this is a no-frills service similar to that of low-cost airlines like Ryanair and EasyJet.

Ouigo's blue and pink trains depart from central Paris (Gare de Lyon) and Marne la Vallée, the station 32 km / 20 miles east of Paris which serves Euro Disney.

The Ouigo trains have no first- or business-class section and no restaurant (though there is a bar). Tickets must be bought online ahead of travel and are not on sale at rail stations. Passengers must "check in" before departure.

Extra conveniences and comforts come at an extra cost too. Travellers may bring a handbag / purse plus one small bag free and there is a modest charge for additional luggage (maximum two items).

Seats are more expensive in those carriages with electrical power outlets. The onboard wi-fi (called, inevitably, "Ouifi") also comes at a small extra charge.

Ouigo is an independently run subsidiary of SNCF and its service is, apparently, aimed at the French. But it is also available for tourists travelling to or from the UK and Northern Europe. Website for Ouigo

booking.com logoClick here to book a hotel in Provence

 

If you are planning to travel around extensively by public transport, it's well worth considering buying a ZOU! card. It can give you substantial discounts on local coach and train travel in Provence.

ZOU card logoThere is a range of different types of ZOU! card aimed at both regular and occasional travellers: check the SNCF website for what's currently available. By the way, "Zou!" is provençal slang for "Let's go!"

Of particular interest to tourists but available during the summer only in some years is a daily ZOU! rail pass which is on offer from 1 June to 30 September.

It gives you one day's unlimited travel in any one of the six départements of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur network as well as discounts for accompanying passengers.

These are: Les Alpes de Hautes Provence (04), Hautes Alpes (05), Alpes Maritime (06), Bouches du Rhône (13), Var (83) and Vaucluse (84).

You need to specify which département you want at the time of buying the pass. It's on sale at rail stations but appears not to be available online.

Avignon Centre station facadeTwo train stations serve Avignon: the high-speed train station in the suburbs and Avignon Centre, near the town centre. This is a guide to both, and to rail travel to and from Avignon.

TGV at Aix en Provence stationTwo train stations serve Aix en Provence, the high-speed train station outside the city and Aix Centre, the downtown regional (TER) station. This is a guide to both, and to rail travel to and from Aix en Provence.

TGV train passing through ProvenceSaint Charles, Marseille's main rail station, forms the southern terminus of the high-speed train network and is served by five other conventional lines. This is a guide to travel by train to and from Marseille.

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