Taking the train from Paris to Biarritz is straightforward, and thanks to a recently extended high speed line, it's also likely to be faster than you may have presumed.
Though the lengthy distance from the French capital means that the trains are not particularly frequent.
Note that these trains to Biarritz depart from the Gare-Montparnasse in Paris.
Final Destination: Hendaye or Irun
All Trains Also Call At: Bordeaux and Bayonne
This journey is an opportunity to experience the best of French high speed rail travel; you'll be travelling on the latest version of the TGV train on the newest high speed line in France.
These trains comprise the fastest ever Paris - Biarritz service because they use the full length of the new LGV Sud Europe Atlantique high speed line so are non-stop between Paris and Bordeaux.
Mon-Thurs = 5 x trains
Friday = 7 x trains
Saturday = 4 x trains
Sunday = 6 x trains
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:
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.
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.
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.
Rail Pass Users:
If you will be travelling with an InterRail or Eurail pass, you will have to pay a reservation fee prior to boarding -more info is available on our guide to using rail passes in France.
The €10 rail pass reservations tend to sell out particularly quickly for this journey on Fridays-Sundays in the summer months.
However, there are no viable alternatives for avoiding these TGV trains on this route.
Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
---|---|---|
SNCF Connect | from €40 | |
Trainline | from €40 | |
Download the SNCF Connect App | from €40 | |
Save A Train | from €40 | |
Happy rail | from €40 | |
Rail Europe | from €40 |
Two TGV trains will usually be joined together for the part of the journey between Paris and Bordeaux, the coach number on your ticket will for a coach in the part of the train heading to Biarritz.
So don't be surprised to see a train, heading to a destination other than Hendaye/Irun and calling at Biarritz, departing at the same time AND from the same voie/platform/track as your train.
This will be the destination of the other TGV train that will be attached to the train heading to Hendaye/Irun, for the journey between Paris and Bordeaux.
This is an opportunity to experience the best of French high speed rail travel, you'll be travelling on the latest version of the TGV train on the newest high speed line in France.
It is a journey of two distinct parts.
Between Paris and Bordeaux the train will spend around 2hr 15mins travelling at more than 280 km/h on the extended high speed line
There isn't a high speed line between Bordeaux and Biarritz - and this part of the journey isn't particularly scenic either, don't expect coastal views.
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.