You can only take high speed trains across France from Lille to Avignon, but both the regular TGV InOui services and low-cost, but more basic, Ouigo services share the route.
It's particularly worthwhile to click on the Train Guides below so that you can compare the two train services.
When travelling between most cities by train there is only one logical option, though on other journeys there is a choice between different trains or alternative routes. If different options are available you can use the info to decide which is best for you.
4hr 15min (approx)
Daily
Mon - Sat = 3 x trains per day
Sunday = 4 x trains
Is the journey from Lille to Avignon direct?
Yes, there is no need to make a connection when taking this route.
Is the journey scenic?
Not particularly, though virtually all of the journey is on a high speed line
When is the usual approximate earliest arrival at Avignon TGV from Lille-Europe on this journey option?
How easy it to travel on from the the station in Avignon?
Avignon-TGV is located in on the edge of the city, so aside from taking a taxi, the public transport options are to take a local train or a bus.
See the Station Guide above for more info.
The station is also served by multiple car hire outlets.
When is the usual approximate latest departure from Lille-Europe to Avignon TGV on this journey option
How easy is it to get to the station in Lille?
Lille Europe station is within a 15 min walk from the heart of the city and it also served by both lines of the Lille Metro.
See the Station Guide above for more info, plus easy access to multiple options for booking somewhere to stay in its neighborhood.
Are tickets cheaper if booked in advance for these Lille to Avignon trains?
Yes, and they can be purchased from a choice of booking agents - see below.
Click on the 'Good to know info' to access a guide to how rail tickets are managed in France, plus step-by-step guides on how to make a booking.
How soon ahead of travel are tickets typically placed on sale for these Lille to Avignon trains?
Up to 6 months in advance, but it varies according to when / if SNCF has a promotion in place; see the Ticket Information.
What are the child ticket terms for these Lille to Avignon trains?
The adult rate is charged for all travellers aged 12 and over.
Children aged 4-11 pay half fare
Does the ticket for these Lille to Avignon trains include assigned seats?
Yes - See the Train Guide in the Journey Information for insights on how to board the train.
Do rail pass users need to book reservations for these Lille to Avignon trains?
Yes - See the rail pass guide for France for info on the multiple booking options.
Is catering available on the Lille to Avignon trains on this journey option?
Yes, there is a bar/bistro car.
See the Train Guide in the Journey Information.
What else is good to know about French rail travel?
Check out the guide to travelling by train in France.
ShowMeTheJourney earns a small commission on SNCF Connect ticket sales. SNCF Connect doesn't charge booking fees and is the online booking service of the national rail operator in France. It also sells tickets for direct high speed trains between France and Belgium, Germany, Barcelona, London, Switzerland and The Netherlands.
SNCF is the national rail operator in France and not so long ago it recently simplified both the range of tickets and the term and conditions of using them.
Therefore the cheapest tickets also become more flexible too.
Other improvements included a simple integration of travelling with bicycles and rail pass users being able to book reservations for national journeys, without paying booking fees.
And it also recently launched SNCF Connect as replacement for its Oui.SNCF booking service.
You can set up a low price alert to let you know when the cheapest price is available for a future journey.
Something else to look out for is that simplest way of travelling with tickets is to use the SNCF Connect App, as booked tickets can therefore be stored on your mobile device, which can then be shown to the train conductors as proof of purchase.
SNCF Connect in the App (Apple) store
SNCF also operates RailEurope, which is in effect a dedicated online booking service for making bookings from outside of Europe.
If you reside outside of Europe you may discover that SNCF Connect rejects phone numbers or card numbers, but RailEurope won't do so.
Though RailEurope will add booking fees when making a purchase
ShowMeTheJourney earns a small commission on Trainline ticket sales. It can be a particularly good option for: Comparing different train services; Booking international journeys with connections; Travelling between the UK to destinations beyond Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris - and for international travellers who don't reside in western Europe.
Happy Rail is a Netherlands rail ticket agency which sells tickets for both national and international journeys within a range of countries including Belgium France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland.
HappyRail doesn't charge booking fees in the conventional sense, but if you're not Dutch you can expect to pay additional transaction fees, which will be added to the total cost.
That's because the most common form of online payment used in The Netherlands is 'iDEAL' and HappyRail doesn't charge a transaction fee for 'iDEAL' payments, but only Dutch residents can sign up to 'iDEAL'.
Other forms of payment include Visa debit cards will incur a fee.
Final Destination: Marseille
These trains also call at: Lyon and all but the final train of the day also calls at Valence-TGV station.
Avignon TGV station is 6km from the city centre.
It now linked to Avignon Centre station by up to 2 x TER trains per hour, but if you have to wait more than 30 mins for one of these trains; it's worth checking out the times of the alternative buses from Avignon TGV.
If you do opt to take the train you will need to purchase a ticket for it on arrival at Avignon TGV.
Or look up Lille Europe to Avignon Centre journeys by train and book in one transaction; but check the connecting time between trains at Avignon TGV before you commit to a booking.
On Mondays to Saturdays an additional TGV InOui service is typically scheduled to depart Lille at 06:45, but it diverts off of the high speed in order to call in Douai and Arras, so it has a longer journey time of more than 5 hours.
Though it does depart from Lille Flandres station, which is closer to the city centre.
Aside from the 30 min detour to serve Lyon station, these trains spend the entire journey on a high speed line, but it is primarily the speed that gives this journey its wow factor.
It's not a particularly scenic train ride, so having something to watch or read with you is recommended.
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings usually open: up to 6 months of the 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:
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.
This is a route on which the most heavily discounted 'Prems' tickets tend to sell out relatively quickly.
3hr 50min - 4hr 25min (approx)
Daily
3 x trains per day
Is the journey from Lille to Avignon-TGV direct?
Yes, there is no need to make a connection when taking this route.
Is the journey scenic?
Not particularly, though more than 95% of the journey is on a high-speed line.
What other tourist locations are along the route from Lille to Avignon-TGV?
Valence
When is the usual approximate earliest arrival at Avignon-TGV from Lille-Flandres on this journey option?
Around 15:30 daily
Source = European Rail Timetable
How easy it to travel on from the the station in Avignon?
Avignon-TGV is located in on the edge of the city, so aside from taking a taxi, the public transport options are to take a local train or a bus.
See the Station Guide above for more info.
The station is also served by multiple car hire outlets.
When is the usual approximate latest departure from Lille-Flandres to Avignon-TGV on this journey option
Around 15:20 daily
Source = European Rail Timetable
How easy is it to get to the station in Lille?
Lille-Flandres station is within a 10 min walk from the heart of the city and it also served by line 2 of the Lille Metro.
(https://www.ilevia.fr/cms/institutionnel/metro-et-tramway).
See the Station Guide above for more info, plus easy access to multiple options for booking somewhere to stay in its neighborhood.
Are tickets cheaper if booked in advance for these Lille to Avignon-TGV trains?
Yes
How soon ahead of travel are tickets typically placed on sale for the Lille to Avignon-TGV train for this journey option?
Typically up to 6 months ahead, but it varies according to when /if SNCF has a promotion in place; see the Ticket Information
What are the child ticket terms for these Lille to Avignon-TGV trains?
The adult rate is charged for all travellers aged 12 and over.
A price of €8 is charged for children aged 11 and under.
Does the ticket for these Lille to Avignon-TGV trains include assigned seats?
Yes, more info on the seat selection is available on the 'Train Guide' on the Journey Information guide below
Do rail pass users need to book reservations for these Lille to Avignon-TGV trains?
Rail passes are not valid on Ouigo services.
Is catering available on the Lille to Avignon-TGV train on this journey option?
No
What else is good to know about French rail travel?
Check out the guide to travelling by train in France.
ShowMeTheJourney earns a small commission on SNCF Connect ticket sales. SNCF Connect doesn't charge booking fees and is the online booking service of the national rail operator in France. It also sells tickets for direct high speed trains between France and Belgium, Germany, Barcelona, London, Switzerland and The Netherlands.
SNCF is the national rail operator in France and not so long ago it recently simplified both the range of tickets and the term and conditions of using them.
Therefore the cheapest tickets also become more flexible too.
Other improvements included a simple integration of travelling with bicycles and rail pass users being able to book reservations for national journeys, without paying booking fees.
And it also recently launched SNCF Connect as replacement for its Oui.SNCF booking service.
You can set up a low price alert to let you know when the cheapest price is available for a future journey.
Something else to look out for is that simplest way of travelling with tickets is to use the SNCF Connect App, as booked tickets can therefore be stored on your mobile device, which can then be shown to the train conductors as proof of purchase.
SNCF Connect in the App (Apple) store
SNCF also operates RailEurope, which is in effect a dedicated online booking service for making bookings from outside of Europe.
If you reside outside of Europe you may discover that SNCF Connect rejects phone numbers or card numbers, but RailEurope won't do so.
Though RailEurope will add booking fees when making a purchase
Final Destination: Marseille
When making a train journey from Lille to Avignon, you now have a choice of travelling on standard TGV InOui trains or on these Ougio trains.
So you can opt to save money, but have a much more basic on board experience, by travelling on a Ouigo service.
Something not particularly obvious, is that the fastest Ouigo service is quicker than the TGV InOui trains on this Lille to Avignon high-speed route, because it doesn't divert off the direct path in order to call at the main city centre station in Lyon; though 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 Avignon train journey can be that these Ouigo trains depart from the main city centre station, Lille Flandres.
While the quicker 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 4 months ahead, so if you look up this journey more than 4 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:
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
4hr 35min to 5hr 5min (approx)
Daily
up to 6 x connections per day
ShowMeTheJourney earns a small commission on SNCF Connect ticket sales. SNCF Connect doesn't charge booking fees and is the online booking service of the national rail operator in France. It also sells tickets for direct high speed trains between France and Belgium, Germany, Barcelona, London, Switzerland and The Netherlands.
SNCF is the national rail operator in France and not so long ago it recently simplified both the range of tickets and the term and conditions of using them.
Therefore the cheapest tickets also become more flexible too.
Other improvements included a simple integration of travelling with bicycles and rail pass users being able to book reservations for national journeys, without paying booking fees.
And it also recently launched SNCF Connect as replacement for its Oui.SNCF booking service.
You can set up a low price alert to let you know when the cheapest price is available for a future journey.
Something else to look out for is that simplest way of travelling with tickets is to use the SNCF Connect App, as booked tickets can therefore be stored on your mobile device, which can then be shown to the train conductors as proof of purchase.
SNCF Connect in the App (Apple) store
SNCF also operates RailEurope, which is in effect a dedicated online booking service for making bookings from outside of Europe.
If you reside outside of Europe you may discover that SNCF Connect rejects phone numbers or card numbers, but RailEurope won't do so.
Though RailEurope will add booking fees when making a purchase
ShowMeTheJourney earns a small commission on Trainline ticket sales. It can be a particularly good option for: Comparing different train services; Booking international journeys with connections; Travelling between the UK to destinations beyond Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris - and for international travellers who don't reside in western Europe.
ShowMeTheJourney earns a small commission on Rail Europe ticket sales. It can be a particularly good option when booking international journeys with connections and for travellers who don't reside in western Europe. Use the easy options on its home page if you will be booking tickets with a railcard: Or purchasing rail pass reservations.
ShowMeTheJourney earns a small commission on Omio ticket sales. It can be a particularly good option if you want to compare taking a train with other, less special, modes of travel.
Omio is an online ticket agency which offers tickets for rail journeys in France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain.
The three key advantages of using Omio are
The disadvantage of booking with Omio is that it often adds a booking fee to the final price; therefore when it does so without offering a price advantage, SMTJ doesn't tend to offer Omio as a booking option.
The Lille to Avignon-TGV journey via Paris is more frequent than the direct trains, so it can become the logical choice if you need to depart Lille at a time when no direct trains will be available for more than two hours.
Though the Paris option is inevitably a slower end-to-end journey - and it involves having to make the transfer across the French capital from the Gare Du Nord to the Gare De Lyon.
Most of the TGV InOui services from Lille to Paris depart from Lille-Flandres station, but there are typically additional services from Lille-Europe station at around these times:
There is little of note to see on the journey, but what gives the journey it's sense of wonder, is that you'll be spending most of the trip travelling at more than 275 km/h on Europe's first ever high speed line.
The train heads on to the high speed line as soon as it reaches the edge of Paris, around 12 mins into the journey, and remains on it, travelling at more than 275 km/h all the way to Avignon.
This second version of ShowMeTheJourney is exciting and new, so we are genuinely thrilled that you are here and reading this, but we also need your help.
We’re striving not to let anything get in the way of providing the most useful service possible, hence a facility has been set up with DonorBox which can be used to support the running costs and make improvements.
Instead of advertising or paywalls, your financial support will make a positive difference to delivering an enhanced service, as there’s a lot of ideas which we want to make happen.
So if you have found the info provided here to be useful, please go here to say thank you.
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings usually open: up to 6 months of the 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:
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.
This is a route on which the most heavily discounted 'Prems' tickets tend to sell out relatively quickly.
This second version of ShowMeTheJourney is exciting and new, so we are genuinely thrilled that you are here and reading this, but we also need your help.
We’re striving not to let anything get in the way of providing the most useful service possible, hence a facility has been set up with DonorBox which can be used to support the running costs and make improvements.
Instead of advertising or paywalls, your financial support will make a positive difference to delivering an enhanced service, as there’s a lot of ideas which we want to make happen.
So if you have found the info provided here to be useful, please consider saying thank you.
This is one of more than 100 train travel guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.
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