How to take the train from Lille to Aix en Provence

Final Destination: Marseille

Note that these TGVs from Lille will arrive at Aix-en-Provence TGV station

This station is 16 km from Aix-en-Provence town centre - but buses link the station and the town.

That buses link connects to a page on the Marseille-Provence Aeroport website because Bus Line 40 runs on a route between the Aeroport and the bus station 'Gare Routiére' in Aix-en-Provence town centre; and that bus route 40 calls at the TGV station).
For more info you can click the 'Download Schedules' link and be taken to a PDF brochure which gives more info on the line 40 route, the info is in French, but the fares and schedule are easy to ascertain.

OR book a ticket from Lille to Marseille St Charles station online - and then on arrival in Marseille purchase a separate ticket for a TER train from Marseille St-Charles to Aix-En-Provence Ville (this station is located on the edge of the town centre).

These TGV inOui trains from Lille to Aix-en-Provence are usually scheduled to depart from Lille Europe station at:

• 05:39 on Mon-Sat
• 14:03 daily
• 16:17 on Saturday
• 18:26 on Mon-Fri and Sunday
  ... so target these times when looking up this journey.

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings usually open: up to 6 months travel date.

When booking 2nd class tickets only one type of ticket will be available per departure, discounted 'Prems' tickets or 'Seconde' tickets; though the price of Seconde tickets are also typically cheaper when they are first placed on sale.
When booking 1st class tickets there will be a choice of Premiere tickets and Business Premiere tickets.

The two key T&Cs of booking Prems, Seconde, or Premiere tickets are:

1. Up until two days prior to departure, these types of tickets can be refunded for no additional charge (big tick), but a €15 fee will be payable for making a refund in the two days prior to departure.
2. It's also possible to exchange tickets to an alternative departure on the same journey, but you will have to pay any difference in price between the cost you paid and the cost at the time of the exchange.

Though if you book Business Premiere tickets, the key T&Cs are that tickets can be exchanged and refunded free of charge up to 30 minutes after departure, so if you get to the station just too late to miss the train you were originally booked on to, you won't lose out financially.

Seats will automatically be assigned when booking tickets for this journey, but rail pass users will need to be pay a reservation fee prior to boarding these TGV trains.

The price is dictated by demand per departure, so book ahead and try and be flexible re: your departure and arrival times, as trains leaving earlier or later can be cheaper.

Expect to pay more for this journey between the beginning of June and mid-September, particularly if you will be travelling on a Friday or Saturday, as the most heavily discounted tickets inevitably sell out faster at times of particularly high demand.

Note that cheaper, but more basic Ouigo trains, now operate on this route from Lille to Aix-en-Provence

Final Destination: Marseille

When making a train journey from Lille to Aix-en-Provence TGV station, you now have a choice of travelling by standard TGV InOui trains, or by these Ougio trains.

So you can now opt to save money, but have a much more basic on board experience, and travel on a Ouigo.

Though something not particularly obvious, is that these Ouigo trains are faster than the TGV InOui trains on this Lille to Aix-en-Provence route (they actually skip more stations) - HOWEVER, this journey time saving will be negated by the need to be at the station 30 mins before the Ouigo train departs.

And that's because you need to pass through 'reception' before boarding a Ouigo train - staff need to verify that all passengers are abiding by the 'rules; of travelling on a Ouigo train, no additional un-booked luggage, no bikes etc.

Though a plus of taking a Ouigo for Lille to Aix-en-Provence train journey, can be that these Ouigo trains depart from the main city centre station, Lille Flandres.
While most of the alternative TGV InOui services depart from Lille Europe station.

Online bookings usually open: up to 9 months ahead of the travel date.

Tickets for the alternative service of TGV InOui trains are usually made available 6 months ahead, so if you look up this journey more than 6 months ahead on SNCF Connect, you may only see these Ouigo services, but they are not the only option on this route.

What is particularly worth being aware of when booking tickets for journeys by Ouigo train services, is that:

• Premiere/1st class tickets are not available.
• Reservations are included when booking, as they are on the TGV InOui trains, but you can opt to pay additional fess, or book a more expensive type of ticket to select a specific seat (more info is available on the Ouigo 'Train Guide').
• The more expensive type of tickets also include an additional luggage allowance, click the Ouigo 'Train Guide' to access more info on the luggage allowances on Ouigo trains; they're more restrictive than on a TGV InOui train.
• You cannot book or collect tickets for Ouigo trains at stations.
• The two key T&Cs of booking either of the two types of ticket available for journeys by Ouigo trains are:

1. The tickets are not refundable.
2. Exchanges to alternative departures are possible until 1 hour before the beginning of the boarding procedure, but they incur a fee of €10 per passenger, with any price difference between the old and new ticket(s) also added to this fee.

Though these factors, and more, are why you can make big savings by opting to travel by these Ouigo trains and not on the standard TGV InOui trains.

Eurail and InterRail Pass Users:

Rail passes cannot be used on Ouigo trains, but if you will be travelling with a 2nd class pass, our guide to using rail passes in France, explains why taking a Ouigo train can be worth considering