Paris to Bordeaux by train

How to take the train from Paris to Bordeaux

Back in 2017 the network of high speed lines in western France was extended creating a high speed route from the centre of Paris to the outskirts of Bordeaux.
Therefore the fastest ever trains between the two cities race non-stop down the new route.

Though the towns such as Poitiers and Angouleme which the new stretch of high speed line by passes, couldn't be deprived of direct trains from Paris, so some trains still take the older route and are therefore only at high speed for around a third of the journey; while others diverge further along the new route to serve just one or two additional towns.

Both the longer route, which doesn't solely involve the high speed line and the newer direct route are both taken by regular TGV InOui services and low-cost, but more basic, Ouigo services
So it's particularly worthwhile to click on the Train Guides below so that you can compare the two train services.

So when taking the train from Paris to Bordeaux, what may not be obvious when looking up the journey with the ticket agents is that they are actually four options:

1: Taking the faster non-stop route, on a TGV InOui service.
2. Taking that faster route on a Ouigo service
2. Taking the slower TGV InOui services
3. Taking the slower Ouigo services.

Share

Routes

Option 1: the non-stop regular InOui services

Travel Information

Note that these trains depart from the Gare-Montparnasse in Paris.

Final Destination: Bordeaux or Toulouse or Irun, or Hendaye or Tarbes or Arachon

Now that the LGV Sud Europe Atlantique high speed line has opened, these TGV InOui trains are NON-STOP between Paris and Bordeaux in the fastest ever time!

Target these trains, with a journey time of around 2hr 8mins and avoid the slower TGVs, which still take the older route; those with a journey time of more than 3hrs.

However, when the most heavily discounted tickets for these faster trains have sold out, you can usually save money by taking those slower trains.

This non-stop journey is featured on Conde Nast's list of The Best European Train Trips.

Mon-Thurs = 12 x trains per day
Friday = 15 x trains
Saturday = 10 x trains
Sunday = 8 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.

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.

Seats will automatically be assigned when booking tickets for this journey.

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.

Though those €10 rail pass reservations can be harder to track down on these fastest trains between Paris and Bordeaux, they're more likely to be available on the slower, alternative trains.
However, there are no viable alternatives for avoiding these TGV trains on this route.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
SNCF Connect from €31

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 €31
Save A Train from €31

Save A Train Guide

Happy rail from €31

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 €31

Trainline Guide

Rail Europe from €31

On this journey

Journey Features

Scenic - NoHigh Speed (total journey)

Good to Know

The low-cost, but more basic, Ouigo services now provide a direct alternative to these InOui trains for a journey from Paris to Bordeaux.

The daily departures by those Ouigo services at 08:45 and 12:20 are also non-stop from Paris to Bordeaux, so match the speed of these TGV InOui services.

Option 2: These slower InOui services can be cheaper than the non-stop trains

Travel Information

Note that these trains depart from Gare Montparnasse in Paris.

The extension to the Paris – Bordeaux high speed line by passes all of the towns between Tours and Bordeaux, including St Pierre de Corps.

These trains either divert off the new line to make station calls on the older route, or only use the older part of the high speed line (the very slowest trains)
However, because they are slower, they're usually cheaper, the most heavily discounted tickets inevitably sell out faster on the alternative quicker trains; though these slower trains are NOT automatically cheaper!

But take care when making a booking, as there are such big differences in journey times on these slower trains.

A mix of TGV trains are used for these slower Paris to Bordeaux services, but here's a guide to how you can confirm which type of TGV train you will be travelling by.

Mon-Fri = 10 x trains per day
Saturday = 7 x trains
Sunday = 9 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.

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.

Though they tend to be more widely available on these slower trains, compared to the faster non-stop trains.
However, there are no viable alternatives for avoiding these TGV trains on this route.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
SNCF Connect from €31

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

Trainline from €31

Trainline Guide

Download the SNCF Connect App from €31
Save A Train from €31

Save A Train Guide

Happy rail from €31

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 £31

On this journey

Journey Features

Scenic - NoHigh Speed (partial journey)

Good to Know

The low-cost, but more basic, Ouigo services now provide a direct alternative to these InOui trains for a journey from Paris to Bordeaux.

The Ouigo trains which are usually scheduled to depart daily at 08:52 and 12:27 are faster than these TGV InOui services, because they are non-stop from Paris to Bordeaux.

Option 3: Cheapest of all are these more basic Ouigo services

Travel Information

Final Destination: Bordeaux

The Ouigo service which is usually scheduled to depart Paris at 09:07 is faster because it is non-stop to Bordeaux.

4 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:
  1. The tickets are not refundable.
  2. 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 €19

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

Ouigo from €19
Trainline from €19

Trainline Guide

On this journey

Journey Features

Scenic - NoHigh Speed (total journey)

Good to Know

If you do opt to travel from Paris to Bordeaux by these Ouigo trains, you should aim to be at the Gare Montparnasse 30 mins before the train is due to depart.

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.

.

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

Please support ShowMeTheJourney

Help keep us advertising and paywall free!

Donate

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.

See if there’s a unique journey guide for your trip, featuring info on the trains, tickets & stations.
Leaving From
Going To
ShowMeTheJourney

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.