Six Months Of Train Travel Around France
France is a country that has great national pride while also coveting local traditions – each région, each département, each ville having its own unique tradition for food and culture. To really experience France in its true form, you’ve gotta get out of Paris and visit different regions.
Six months of train travel around France involved Workaway volunteering stays, Couchsurfing with locals and a bit of travel with friends. The French said that I traveled through France in more detail than someone who has been living in France their entire life!
The train system is amazing and you can go absolutely anywhere. If the train won’t take you there, it will get you close enough and the network is supported by bus routes that will get you to the doorstep of the place you need to get to.
For 12-27 year olds, there’s a Carte Jeune discount card that provides you with 40-60% discounts off train ticket prices – you can read about it here: Travel Around France With A Carte Jeune Discount Card.
Here’s how I traveled around for six months. Note that the prices indicated are from 2013 and including the Carte Jeune discounts. I missed the north and the east, but I plan to visit those places next time.
My route begins in a logical clockwise direction and then heads south to begin the Camino de Santiago from the Pyrenées.
Summary
Total spend on travel : 396.20€
Trains : 26
Coaches : 7
Cities stayed : 17
Places visited : countless
Distance traveled : 4,929km
Travel period : 6 months
Paris to The French Alps
48.20€
#9245 | 10:41 Paris Gare de Lyon > 13:36 Chambery (TGV, 2e Class)
2hrs 55mins
602km
#83125 | 15:11 Chambery > 16:24 Moutiers Salins Brides Les Bains (TER, 2e Class)
1hr 13mins
80km
#49837 | 16:35 Moutiers Salins Brides Les Bains > 16:50 Aime La Plagne (Coach, 2e Class)
15mins
15km
La Plagne Ski Fields
Day Club on the slopes, La Folie Douce, Meribel
I did a Workaway stay here with an English family
The French Alps to Lyon
15.60€
#49830 | 09:21 Aime La Plagne > 11:24 Chambery (Coach, 2e Class)
2hrs 03mins
93km
#18550 | 12:02 Chambery > 13:20 Lyon Part Dieu (TER, 2e Class)
1hr 18mins
98km
Le Rhône River
Le Saône River
La Confluence, where the two rivers meet
La Place Belcourt
Vieux Lyon (old city)
Lyon to Limousin
26.80€
#75734 | 11:40 Lyon Part Dieu > 14:18 Clermont Ferrand Gare (TER, 2e Class)
2hrs 38mins
166km
#68551 | 15:48 Clermont Ferrand Gare > 18:07 Meymac Gare (TER, 2e Class)
2hrs 19mins
131km
#34691 | 18:14 Meymac Gare > 19:23 Tulle Gare (Coach, 2e Class)
1hr 09mins
59km
Tulle is the hometown of President Hollande
Shepherd’s Jump in Aubazine
Turennes Castle
Collonges-La-Rouge, a town built with red stone
Rocamadour
Belair
Ancient city of Argentat
La Dordogne River
Chastang Dam
Gimel-Les-Cascades Waterfalls
Ancient Cave Paintings of the Lascaux Caves
Castle Country, La-Rocque-Gageac
Medieval City of Domme
I did a Workaway stay here in a French School for Apprenticeships
Limousin to Lourdes
The train passes through Toulouse, where a train change is made on this trip. However, I decided to go straight to Lourdes and then visit Toulouse on the way out.
26.20€
#68457 | 09:43 Tulle Gare > 10:12 Brive La Gaillarde (TER, 2e Class)
29mins
30km
#3613 | 12:02 Brive La Gaillarde > 14:22 Toulouse Matabiau (Intercités, 2e Class)
2hrs 20mins
201km
#14351 | 16:25 Toulouse Matabiau > 18:24 Lourdes (Intercités, 2e Class)
1hr 59mins
173km
Lourdes to Toulouse
14.40€
#14744 | 13:31 Lourdes > Toulouse 15:29 Matabiau (Intercités, 2e Class)
1hr 58mins
173km
Les Palmiers Jacobins
Basilica of Saint Sernin
Cathedral of Saint-Étienne
Cité de l’Espace
Toulouse to Puy L'Évêque
12.20€
#71644 | 14:48 Toulouse Matabiau > 16:15 Cahors (TER, 2e Class)
1hr 27mins
114km
#55573 | 17:25 Cahors > 18:19 Puy L’Évêque (Coach, 2e Class)
54mins
33km
Vieux Puy L’Évêque (old city)
Le Lot River
I did a Workaway stay here on a Duck Farm
Puy L'Évêque to Bordeaux
15.60€
#65809 | 16:24 Monsempron Libos > 17:04 Agen (TER, 2e Class)
40mins
55km
#8516 | 17:10 Agen > 18:13 Bordeaux Saint Jean (TGV, 2e Class)
57mins
138km
Cathedral de Saint-André
Place de la Bourse
The Bordelais Mirror
Pey-Berland Tower
Pierre Bridge
Basilica Saint-Michel
Bordeaux to Nantes
Nantes rhymes with font, just be careful when they make announcements at the station.
25.60€
#40942 | 10:10 Bordeaux Saint Jean > 11:05 Saint Mariens (Coach, 2e Class)
55mins
46km
#3842 | 11:22 Saint Mariens > 15:02 Nantes Gare (Intercités, 2e Class)
3hrs 40mins
314km
Saint Peter and Saint Paul’s Cathedral
The Duke of Brittany’s Castle
Tour Bretagne (Tower)
Île de Versailles (Gardens)
Les Machines de l’Île
I Couchsurfed here
Nantes to Brest
The train makes a stop at Quimper, which rhymes with camper.
25.60€
#58233 | 10:29 Nantes Gare > 13:09 Quimper (TER, 2e Class)
2hrs 40mins
230km
#54825 | 14:53 Quimper > 16:05 Brest (TER, 2e Class)
1hr 12mins
71km
Brest was completely destroyed during World War I
Crozon and the Presque-île
Brest to Rennes
20.00€
#8634 | 11:45 Brest > 13:58 Rennes Gare (TGV, 2e Class)
2hrs 13mins
242km
Rennes is a university town
Saint Peter’s Cathedral
Saint Malo
Embuscade cocktail
Kougn-amman pastry
I Couchsurfed here
Rennes to Le Mans
Le Mans is a tricky one because the name changes in the announcements and the station signs. In announcements they will say the train is going au Mans (to Le Mans). On the station, the sign says Gare du Mans (of Le Mans).
11.70€
#8622 | 11:03 Rennes Gare > 12:24 Le Mans Gare (TGV, 2e Class)
1hr 21mins
153km
Famous for its 24 hour race
You’ll see many super expensive cars
Saint Julien’s Cathedral
Vieux Le Mans (Old City)
Epau Abbey
Arche de la Nature
I Couchsurfed here
Le Mans to Orléans
16.10€
#16706 | 11:28 Le Mans Gare > 12:50 Chartres Gare (TER, 2e Class)
1hr 22mins
120km
#42567 | 13:15 Chartres Gare > 14:32 Orléans Gare Routière (Coach, 2e Class)
1hr 17mins
76km
The House of Joan of Arc
Cathédrale Sainte-Croix d’Orléans
Museum of Fine Arts
Orléans to Paris
10.30€
#14058 | 12:49 Les Aubrais > 13:46 Paris Austerlitz (Intercités, 2e Class)
57mins
114km
Paris to Normandy
14.30€
#3107 | 10:48 Paris Saint Lazare > 12:37 Yvetot (Intercités, 2e Class)
1hr 51mins
154km
Deauville, Deauville Beach
Trouville, seafood town
Chêne d’Allouville (the hollowed out tree struck by lightning within which a chapel was built)
Etretat, the place where Monet and other artists were inspired
Honfleur, the city from which many of the Quebecois first sailed
Rouen, where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake
Bayeux and the Bayeux tapestry
The D-Day Landing Beaches, Gold Sector
The Batterie de Longues
La Pointe du Hoc
The American Cemetery
The Notre Dame Cathedral of Rouen
I did a Workaway stay here with a French Baron in a chateau
Work experience in a real French bakery
Catching snails and cooking Escargot
Making jam
Farm work on a tractor
Yvetot to Paris
14.30€
#3108 | 08:30 Yvetot > 10:10 Paris Saint Lazare (Intercités, 2e Class)
1hr 40mins
154km
Paris to Limousin
I went back to Tulle to volunteer for a second time at the Centre de Formations des Apprentis (CFA). I made some great friends there and could not stay away!
43.30€
#3631 | 09:25 Paris Austerlitz > 13:58 Brive La Gaillarde (Intercités, 2e Class)
4hrs 33mins
477km
#68462 | 14:27 Brive La Gaillarde > 14:56 Tulle (TER, 2e Class)
29mins
30km
Limousin to Saint Jean Pied de Port
Saint Jean Pied de Port is a popular starting point for the Camino de Santiago.
56.00€
#68451 | 06:14 Tulle > 06:39 Brive La Gaillarde (TER, 2e Class)
25mins
30km
#71641 | 07:00 Brive La Gaillarde > 09:35 Toulouse Matabiau (TER, 2e Class)
2hrs 35mins
199km
#14143 | 10:09 Toulouse Matabiau > 13:50 Bayonne (Intercités, 2e Class)
3hrs 41mins
301km
#40547 | 14:55 Bayonne > 16:13 Saint Jean Pied de Port (Coach, 2e Class)
1hr 18mins
57km
The start of our Camino de Santiago
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