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TRAVEL NEWS

8 French night trains to take this summer

French train operator SNCF is offering sleeper train services between Paris and eight cities across the country this summer, part of a growing network of European night trains.

Published: 2 June 2023 13:57 CEST
8 French night trains to take this summer
The Paris-Nice night train. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)

Night trains are officially back – with more and more European routes opening up (Paris-Vienna is also available this summer) it’s an increasingly popular way to travel for people who are either concerned about the planet or simply prefer to enjoy a more relaxed travel experience.

Where

SNCF is running 8 Intercité services this summer, they depart from Paris and go to;

  • Toulouse – aka la ville rose, the lively university town in south west France
  • Nice – the night train to the Riviera resort evokes (some of) the glamour of France’s famous train bleu
  • Briançon – perched in the Alps, this is France’s highest city
  • Albi – world heritage site and birthplace of painter Toulouse-Lautrec, Albi is situated in south-west France
  • Argeles-sur-Mer – another seaside resort, this is in the Pyrénées-Orientales
  • Ax-les-Thermes – the spa resort in Haut-Ariège still offers water ‘cures’
  • Cannes – the Riviera’s glitziest destination
  • Lourdes – if you’re going on a pilgrimage, why not travel in style?

Journey time

The night train is slow – deliberately so, nobody wants to be woken up in the middle of the night because you have arrived at your destination.

It uses the slower Intercité routes rather than the high-speed TGV.

The journey from Paris to Nice takes more than 12 hours (compared to 6 hours if you take the daytime TGV), setting off from Paris Austerlitz at around 8.48pm and arriving the following morning in the Mediterranean city at 9.25am – but travellers can sleep through most of the journey that’s more environmentally friendly, cheaper and arguably more relaxing than a flight.

Accommodation

Travellers can book seats with a footrest and adjustable headrest, with a personal night light from €19; the cost of a “couchette” bed, from €29, comes with use of a duvet and pillow, as well as bottle of water, cleaning wipes, earplugs and tissues.

The standard couchette has either four or six bunk beds to a compartment, but if you don’t fancy the idea of sharing with strangers, SNCF also offers the option of hiring out an entire four or six-berth sleeping compartment in first or standard class. All you have to do is mention the “Private Space” service. This service costs from €45 on top of the cost of the couchettes and is not available during busy periods.

Women travelling by themselves can book a berth in a compartment for women only. Tick “Espace Dame Seul” when booking online or mention it when booking tickets at the station or SNCF shop.

All compartments are equipped with locks and there are few or no intermediate stops between 12 midnight and 5.30am.

Showers are available to first-class passengers arriving at Paris Austerlitz and Toulouse Matabiau stations.

Booking

You can book night trains via the usual SNCF website or app, or at station travel centres.

When booking a ticket via SNCF Connect, and after selecting your destination and date of travel, click on Types de Train and select the Intercités des Nuits option.

A guest appearance from Hercule Poirot cannot be guaranteed. 

Member comments

  1. I was excited to try one of the newly available night trains last fall from Toulon to Paris. I am sorry to report that it was a very disappointing experience. The birth was quite uncomfortable and sleeping was impossible. I probably will not take a night train again.

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EU

How would a ‘youth mobility scheme’ between the UK and EU really work?

The EU and the UK could enter into a 'youth mobility' scheme allowing young people to move countries to work, study and live. Here's what we know about the proposal.

Published: 18 April 2024 17:09 CEST
How would a 'youth mobility scheme' between the UK and EU really work?

Across the 27 countries of the EU, people of all ages can move countries to work, study, spend a long visit or chase the possibility of love – and all this is possible thanks to EU freedom of movement.

That freedom no longer extends to the UK. As a result of Brexit, a UK national who wants to move to an EU country, or an EU citizen who wants to move to the UK, will need a visa in order to do so.

However, a new ‘mobility scheme’ could re-create some elements of freedom of movement, if the EU and UK can come to an agreement.

The European Commission on Thursday announced proposals for a ‘youth mobility scheme’.

Who would benefit?

First things first, it’s only for the youngsters, older people will have to continue with the time-consuming and often expensive process of getting a visa for study, work or visiting.

The Commission’s proposal is for a scheme that covers people aged 18 to 30. 

Their reasoning is: “The withdrawal of the UK from the EU has resulted in decreased mobility between the EU and the UK. This situation has particularly affected the opportunities for young people to experience life on the other side of the Channel and to benefit from youth, cultural, educational, research and training exchanges.

“The proposal seeks to address in an innovative way the main barriers to mobility for young people experienced today and create a right for young people to travel from the EU to the UK and vice-versa more easily and for a longer period of time.”

How would it work?

We’re still at an early stage, but the proposal is to allow extended stays – for young people to be able to spend up to four years in the EU or UK – under a special type of visa or residency permit. It does not, therefore, replicate the paperwork-free travel of the pre-Brexit era.

The Commission states that travel should not be ‘purpose bound’ to allow young people to undertake a variety of activities while they are abroad.

Under the visa system, people must travel to a country for a specific purpose which has been arranged before they leave – ie in order to study they need a student visa which requires proof of enrolment on a course, or if they intend to work they need a working visa which often requires sponsorship from an employer.

The proposal would allow young people to spend their time in a variety of ways – perhaps some time working, a period of study and then some time travelling or just relaxing.

It would also not be subject to national or Bloc-wide quotas.

It seems that some kind of visa or residency permit would still be required – but it would be issued for up to four years and could be used for a variety of activities.

Fees for this should not be “excessive” – and the UK’s health surcharge would not apply to people travelling under this scheme.

Are there conditions?

Other than the age qualification, the proposal is that young people would have to meet other criteria, including having comprehensive health insurance, plus financial criteria to ensure that they will be able to support themselves while abroad.

The visa/residency permit could be rejected on the ground of threats to public policy, public security or public health.

Will this happen soon?

Slow down – what’s happened today is that the European Commission has made a recommendation to open negotiations.

This now needs to be discussed in the Council of Europe.

If the Council agrees then, and only then, will the EU open negotiations with the UK on the subject. The scheme could then only become a reality if the EU and UK come to an agreement on the terms of the scheme, and then refine the fine details.

Basically we’re talking years if it happens at all, and there’s plenty of steps along the way that could derail the whole process.

Don’t start packing just yet.

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