Summer and Olympic train tickets to go on sale in France

Train tickets for over the summer – including to and from the Paris Olympic Games – will go on sale at 6:00 on Wednesday, March 13, rail operator SNCF has announced.

Tickets will be available for between July 6 and September 11 for high-speed TGV InOui and Intercités trains, while reservations for the budget Ouigo service will be available up to December 14.

The SNCF said it will put 400,000 extra TGV tickets on sale this summer.

Extra tickets for Paris Olympics

SNCF will put four million tickets on sale to and from Paris to coincide with the Olympic Games, it said in a statement.

The games will take place between July 26 and August 11.

Tickets for Nomad trains in the Normandy region will also go on sale on March 13. Tickets for other regional trains will go on sale gradually from March 13 according to a timetable chosen by each region.

Read also: SEE: which Olympic events are near you (not all are in Paris)

Book early for the cheapest tickets

Travellers are advised to book early to get the best prices and to ensure groups can book seats together.

SNCF uses a system of “yield management” or “dynamic pricing”, which means tickets for a popular destination at a popular time e.g. a weekend, booked late, will be charged the highest price, and people booking early get the cheapest tickets.

Sought after destinations such as Paris during the Olympic Games require early booking to ensure the best possible deal.

Franceinfo reports studies show booking a journey 10 weeks in advance saves travellers as much as 60%.

Which routes are on sale and until when?

• TGV InOui in France and Intercités available up to September 11

• TGV InOui Brussels, Luxembourg-Paris, Friborg-Paris available over the next four months

• TGV InOui to Spain, DB-SNCF, TGV Lyria (France-Switzerland), TGV InOui France-Italy – available over the next six months

• TER regional trains for journeys available over the next three, four or five months depending on region

• Budget Ouigo tickets available for journeys until December 14

• Eurostar to Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany available for journeys over the next four months

• Eurostar to England available for journeys for the next 11 months

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