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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


Sacred Springs of Saint Bernadette

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

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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