French railways provide an excellent and fast rail service, particularly between cities served by the TGV, one of the world’s fastest trains. France is also served by excellent domestic airline services. On the negative side, bus and rail services are poor or non-existent in rural areas and it’s generally essential to have a car if you live in the country.
Paris in particular has one of the most efficient, best integrated and cheapest public transport systems of any major city in the world. In addition to its world-famous métro, public transport services include the RER express rail system, an extensive suburban rail network and comprehensive bus services. A tram service, due to open at the end of 2006, will cover 8km (5mi) of southern Paris and have 19 stops (the capital’s original tram network, closed in 1937, had over 1,000km of track!). Other cities have similar integrated transport systems, and several have reintroduced trams in recent years.
Thanks to government subsidies, public transport is generally inexpensive in France, although this doesn’t stop the French from complaining about the cost. Various commuter and visitor discount tickets are also available.
For further details of domestic transport services in France, refer to Living and Working in France and The Best Places to Live in France.
Domestic Flights
Sadly, most of France’s regional airlines have been swallowed by Air France, which now dominates the domestic flight market, although there are still a few other operators, including Airlinair (http://www.airlinair.com ), which operates to a number of destinations from Paris Orly and between Lyon and La Rochelle, and CCM Airlines (http://www.aircorsica.com ), operating from Lyon, Marseille, Nice and Paris to four Corsican airports.
Air France (08 20 32 08 20 for bookings, http://www.airfrance.fr ) offers domestic services between major cities such as Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Mulhouse/Basel, Nice, Strasbourg and Toulouse. Its domestic services to and from smaller airports operate mainly to the capital, and many domestic flights are timed to connect (correspondance) with international departures and arrivals.
Competition on major domestic routes from TGVs (see below), e.g. Paris-Lyon and the new three-hour Paris-Marseille route, has helped reduce air fares, and flying is sometimes cheaper than travelling by train and quicker on most routes. Any destination in mainland France or Corsica can be reached in less than 100 minutes by air, although security procedures now mean that check-in times can be up at least an hour before departure.
Domestic Rail Services
French railways are operated by the state-owned Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français (SNCF), which operates one of the most efficient rail systems in Europe and both employees and the French public take great pride in their trains. French railways are operated as a public service and charge reasonable fares and offer a wide range of discounts and special fares, all of which help increase passenger numbers, thus reducing road congestion and environmental damage. French high-speed trains compete successfully with road and air travel over long distances, both in cost and speed. The French railway network extends to every corner of France, although most routes radiate from Paris, there are few cross-country routes and services in most rural areas are limited.
The SNCF operates high-speed trains (train à grande vitesse, abbreviated to TGV) on its main lines, which are among the world’s fastest trains, capable of over 550kph (around 350mph). TGV services operate to over 50 French cities. It takes just three hours to travel from Paris to Marseille by TGV. Standard trains have either electric (Corail) or gas turbine (Turbotrain) locomotives, which, although not in the TGV league, are fast and comfortable. Some branch lines operate express and rapide diesel trains. The slowest trains are the suburban omnibus services (some with double-deck carriages), which stop at every station. A direct train is a through train, usually classified as an express or train express régional (TER), stopping only at main stations and second in speed to the TGV (see above). A rapide is faster than an omnibus but slower than a direct or express.
All SNCF telephone enquiries are now centralised on a premium-rate telephone number (36 35); information can also be obtained and bookings made via the SNCF website (http://www.sncf.com and http://www.voyages-sncf.com ), where special offers are available on Tuesdays! The SNCF has offices in many countries, including the UK (Rail Europe, 178 Piccadilly, London W1V 0BA, 0870-241 4243 or 0870-837 1371 for European tickets, http://www.raileurope.co.uk ). The SNCF publishes a free quarterly magazine in some countries, e.g. Top Rail in the UK, plus a wealth of free brochures and booklets detailing its services, including Le Guide du Voyageur, available from French stations.
Domestic Bus Services
There’s a nationwide campaign for ‘car-free’ cities, and there are excellent bus services in Paris and other major cities, some of which (including Bordeaux, Caen, Le Mans, Lyon, Montpellier, Nancy, Nantes, Nice, Orléans, Rouen, Strasbourg, Toulon and Valenciennes) also have trams or trolley buses. The town of Châteauroux (in Indre) recently became the first in France to offer free bus travel in order to persuade citizens to abandon their cars, and in Lille commuters are offered half-price bus travel.
In rural areas, however, buses are few and far between, and the scant services that exist are usually designed to meet the needs of workers, schoolchildren, and shoppers on market days. This means that buses usually run early and late in the day with little or nothing in between, and may cease altogether during the long summer school holiday period (July and August). A city bus is generally called an autobus and a country bus a car or autocar. Smoking isn’t permitted on buses in France.
The best place to enquire about bus services is at a tourist office or railway station. In large towns and cities, buses run to and from bus stations (gare d’autobus/routière) usually located next to railway stations. In rural areas, bus services are often operated by the SNCF and run between local towns and the railway station. An SNCF bus, on which rail tickets and passes are valid, is shown as an autocar in rail timetables. The SNCF also provides bus tours throughout France. Private bus services are often confusing and uncoordinated and usually leave from different locations rather than a central bus station. Some towns provide free or discount bus passes to senior citizens (over 60) on production of an identity card, passport, or carte de séjour and proof of local residence. There are no national bus companies in France operating scheduled services.
This article is an extract from Buying a home in France. Click here to get a copy now.