French Railways (SNCF) has a rail network of 32,000 km of track including 1500 km of high speed line and employ 180,000 people. France has one of the most extensive and well run railways in the world. SNCF's poster child is the high speed TGV train which is capable reaching speeds of over 550 km/h although its normal operating speed is a sedate 300 km/h. The TGV visits many of the regional centres although not always via high speed lines. In many ways the TGV is a good alternative to flying especially for trips like Paris to Marseille. You depart and arrive in the city centre with virtually no check in hassles for a similar price and only a little longer.TGVs can use the regular trunk lines as well, but at a much lower speed. There are only three true high speed lines at present with a fourth under construction from Paris to Strasbourg.

See Rail Map of France

Book trains online here

Downloadable map of Paris Metro

Main intercity train stations in Paris
Gare du Nord – Eurostar to Lille and London, TGV to Lille, Brussels/Amsterdam, Arras
Gare du Lyon – TGV services to Auxerre, Dijon, Lyon, Clermont Ferrand, Turin, Milan (Italy), Geneva, Lausanne, Berne (Switzerland), Avignon, Cannes, Nice, Marseille, Montpellier, Beziers, Perpignan
Gare de l’Est – TGV services to Strasbourg, Reims, Nancy, Metz, Luxembourg, Basel, Zurich
Gare Montparnasse – TGV services to Tours, Poitiers, Rennes, Nantes, Bordeaux, Dax and Hendaye

Regional areas are also served by the TER (Transport Express Regionale) using a variety of different train types for short to medium haul journeys. All the TER regions are linked so it is possible to dawdle the whole way around France using various TER operators.

Booking and paying for rail travel in France can be done via the SNCF English Language site where you can also book the Eurostar (Channel Tunnel Train).

A European Rail Pass often referred to as Eurail is also available for all of Europe or specific countries.

Most cities over 100,000 population have a reasonable public transport system. Big cities like Paris, Lyon and Marseille have metro systems (light commuter rail) as well as tram and bus services. The Paris Metro (underground) was started in 1900. It has 14 lines and carries 1.3 billion passengers a year. Toulouse Metro has seven lines, Lyon Metro four lines while Marseille Metro and Lille Metro have two lines.

Good tramway systems are found in Nice, Nantes, Grenoble, Montpellier, Bordeaux, St Etienne, Strasbourg, Le Harve and Rouen.