Lille to Poitiers by train

How to take the rail journey from Lille to Poitiers

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Routes

From Lille Flandres to Poitiers Centre

Journey Summary

To
Poitiers
Image coming soon...
Poitiers Centre
Travel Time
3hr 25min (approx)
Frequency
Daily
Travel Information

The first departure of the day usually departs from Lille Europe station, typically at 07:03.

It is the second train of the day which leaves from Lille Flandres station, from where it typically departs at 17:16.

2 x trains per day

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings usually open: up to 6 months ahead 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:

  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.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
SNCF Connect from €32 approx

SNCF Connect Guide

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 on Google Play

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

Download the SNCF Connect App from €32 approx
Save A Train from €32 approx

Save A Train Guide

Happy rail from €32 approx

Happy rail Guide

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.

Trainline from €32 approx

Trainline Guide

Rail Europe from €32 approx

On this journey

Journey Features

High Speed (partial journey)

Good to Know

Take care when comparing the journey by these TGV InOui services, with travelling by the lower cost, but more basic, Ouigo services.
The Ouigo services don't depart from a station in Lille, as their departure point is in Tourcoing, which is an entirely separate town.
It is a 24 stop ride on the Lille Metro from Grand Palais in central Lille to Sebastapol, which is the the closest Metro stop to the main rail station in Tourcoing.

This is a journey of three distinct phases, though it's not particularly scenic, so having something to read or watch with you is recommended.

(1) The train will travel at up to 280 km/h as it races south on the high speed line to the edge of Paris.

(2) It will then slow down for more than 20 mins as it weaves away through the city's southern suburbs.

(3) It will once again travel on a high speed line between Massy and Poitiers

If you are new to travelling by train in France, our French Train Travel Guide is packed with info and useful links to help ensure you’ll have a stress-free trip.

Take the stress out of your journey Everything planned to your specification, so sit back and relax… Try Concierge
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