Paris to Aix-les-Bains by train

How to travel from Paris to Aix-les-Bains by train

How to buy tickets, what's on board the trains, how to use the stations, plus tips for making the most of the journey

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Routes

From Paris Gare de Lyon/Paris Lyon to Aix-les-Bains-Le Revard

Journey Summary

Travel Time
3hr 2min - 3hr 18min (approx)
Frequency
Daily
Travel Information

Note that these trains depart from the Gare De Lyon in Paris.

Final Destination: Annecy

All trains also call at: Chambery

Mon - Thursday = 5 x trains per day
Friday =6 x trains
Saturday = 5 x trains
Sunday = 4 x trains

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings usually open: up to 6 months ahead of the travel date - but bookings can open sooner when SNCF is running a promotion.

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 -more info is available on our guide to using rail passes in France.

Trains departing at different times can be cheaper than others leaving on the same day, so you may need to look through the day's departures to find the cheapest fares.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
SNCF Connect from €38

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 €38
Trainline from €38

Trainline Guide

Save A Train from €38

Save A Train Guide

Happy rail from €38

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.

Rail Europe from €38

On this journey

Journey Features

High Speed (partial journey)Scenic - YesLandscape (Hills / Mountains)Lake views

Good to Know

All trains from Paris to Aix-les-Bains take the high speed line south from Paris; for more than 1hr 40 min the train should be travelling at more than 270 km/h.

However, once they leave the high speed line, the trains take one of two routes on to Aix-les-Bains: via Bourg-en-Bresse or Chambery.

The journey via Bourge-en-Bresse is the quicker of the two routes by around 15 mins; and if your seat is on the left-hand side of the train, it's more scenic too.
After passing through the Amberieu the railway has been carved through a series of rocky valleys, best appreciated from the upper deck.
The highlight of the trip via Bourg-en-Bresse will be the final 10 - 15 mins, as the train travels along the spectacular shore of Lac Du Bourget, with the views over the water on the left-hand side.
So it's the route via Bourge-en-Bresse with the lake and mountain views.

Though as there can be gaps of more than three hours between the departures from Paris, target the trains at the times which suit you and don't be overly concerned over which route it will be taking.
The route via Bourg-en-Bresse isn't worth targeting for its scenery.

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