It is a moment awaited by the French who were impatient to plan their summer vacations.
It is also a date that spectators of the Olympic Games have been waiting for, who can finally organize their travel between the host cities.
This Wednesday, March 13 from 6 a.m., the SNCF is opening its TGV inOui in France and Intercités TGVs for reservation until September 11.
Ouigo Grande vite tickets are on sale until December 14.
For other services (Eurostar, TGV Lyria, TGV inOui abroad, etc.), the opening dates differ and are detailed on SNCF Connect.
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To be guaranteed to find seats at the best price, it is better to book without delay.
It is also better to anticipate as much as possible to simply find availability, as some trains can be full in a few hours, particularly at the start of the school holidays and the July 14 and August 15 bridges.
Towards the sea or the mountains, in France or beyond, selection of three destinations to go by train this summer.
Briançon, Queyras and the Écrins massif
The Queyras.
Jean-Michel Deborde
Falling asleep in the capital and waking up in the Alps is possible with the Paris-Briançon night train.
In the early morning, the Intercités stops at several stations in Drôme and Hautes-Alpes which serve as starting points for hikes.
In Embrun, you can enjoy water sports on Lake Serre-Ponçon.
In Mont-Dauphin - Guillestre, head for the Queyras regional natural park or the Écrins national park, the latter also being accessible from the next station at L'Argentière-les-Ecrins.
Finally, Briançon is located a stone's throw from the mountain resort of Serre Chevalier.
Buses provide access to the foot of the Meije or the Clarée valley, whose 300 km of trails cross two authentic villages (Névache and Val-des-Prés) and a multitude of high-altitude lakes.
To know
Reclining seat from €19, berth from €29.
Possibility of privatizing a compartment from €150.
The night Intercités leave Paris-Austerlitz daily around 9 p.m. and arrive in Briançon around 8:30 a.m.
Brest and the island of Ouessant
“The last land of Brittany before America”, the island of Ouessant is served by boats from Brest.
Allow 2.5 hours of crossing.
STÉPHANE BIDOUZE - stock.adobe.com
Temperatures generally milder than in the rest of the country, a coastline of exceptional wild beauty... Traveling in Brittany in summer has some wonderful surprises in store.
Departing from Paris and Rennes, eight TGV inOui (from €49 one way without a card) and one Ouigo (from €19) serve several towns in northern Brittany such as Saint-Brieuc and Morlaix before 'reach the tip of Finistère (approximately 3 hours 45 minutes from Paris).
If lovers of art and military heritage will linger in Brest, travelers in search of nature will board a boat from the Penn Ar Bed company towards the islands of Ouessant and Molène.
On these marine confetti at the end of the world, which like to describe themselves as the “
last lands of Brittany before America
”, everything is done on foot and by bike.
Without leaving the continent, the Crozon peninsula is distinguished by its cliffs and beaches popular with surfers.
Barcelona (and beyond)
A third seasonal TGV inOui is running this summer between Paris and Barcelona (here Park Güell).
Luciano Mortula / Luciano Mortula-LGM - stock.adobe.com
While SNCF usually provides two daily round trips between Paris and Barcelona, the company is adding an additional connection between July 6 and September 1.
This seasonal TGV inOui leaves Paris at 6:38 a.m. to arrive in the Catalan capital at 1:39 p.m. (the other two leave at 9:42 a.m. and 2:42 p.m. for a seven-hour journey).
Thanks to this early start, it is possible to go beyond Catalonia and arrive in the south of Spain, in Andalusia, the same evening (around 9 p.m.).
In Barcelona, Renfe offers direct connections to Seville and Málaga.
The companies Ouigo and Iryo also go to these destinations but with a connection in Madrid.
If the SNCF promises tickets from €39 on the Paris-Barcelona link, don't expect to find a ticket at such a price during the summer.
For a departure at the beginning of July, aim for at least €150 one way with the Avantage card... Note that since the summer of 2023, the Spanish Renfe has linked Barcelona from Lyon as well as Madrid from Marseille, the while serving cities like Nîmes and Montpellier.
For a direct Lyon-Barcelona flight at the beginning of July, count on at least sixty euros when booking on renfe.com.
7 days of promotions on TER tickets
From March 18 to 24, SNCF Voyageurs is relaunching its “TER Days” operation.
For seven days, the regions will offer their discount cards at reduced prices, discounted tickets as well as competitions to win a year of unlimited travel.
Information on the official TER regional sites.
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