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Lille to Avignon by train
How to take the train from Lille to Avignon
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.
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Routes
Option 1: taking the regular InOui services
Journey Summary
4hr 15min (approx)
Daily
Travel Information
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.
Mon - Sat = 3 x trains per day
Sunday = 4 x trains
Tickets
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:
- 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.
- 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.
This is a route on which the most heavily discounted 'Prems' tickets tend to sell out relatively quickly.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| SNCF Connect | from €49 | |
| Download the SNCF Connect App | from €49 | |
| Save A Train | from €49 | |
| Happy rail | from €49 | |
| Trainline | from €49 |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
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.
Option 2: taking the cheaper, but more basic Ouigo services
Journey Summary
3hr 50min - 4hr 25min (approx)
Daily
Travel Information
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.
3 x trains per day
Tickets
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:
- 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:
- The tickets are not refundable.
- 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
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| SNCF Connect | from €16 | |
| Ouigo | from £16 |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
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.
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