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Paris to Marseille by train
How to take the train from Paris to Marseille
You can only take high speed trains from Paris to Marseille station, 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.
However, if you need to arrive at a specific time you will often have to take one train service or the other.
The Ouigo services can plug gaps between the TGV InOui departures.
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Routes
Option: Travelling by the regular InOui services
Journey Summary
3hr 5min - 3hr 25min (approx)
Daily
Travel Information
Note that these trains to Marseille depart from the Gare de Lyon in Paris.
Final Destination: Marseille or Nice or Hyeres
Most trains also call at: Avignon TGV and Aix-en-Provence TGV
The fastest trains of all are non-stop between Paris and Marseille, these are trains which are usually scheduled to depart at 09:07; 09:59; and 13:54.
In terms of distance travelled this is one of the longest non-stop European journeys by high speed trains.
Mon - Thurs = 14 x trains per day
Friday = 15 x trains
Saturday = 12 x trains
Sunday = 14 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:
- 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.
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 these TGV trains, more info is available on our guide to using rail passes in France.
If you'd rather not pay the fees, then the alternative routing is to take TER trains - though you'll be travelling for more than eight hours.
The route is:
(1) Paris to Lyon
(2) Lyon to Marseille
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| SNCF Connect | from €39 | |
| Download the SNCF Connect App | from €39 | |
| Save A Train | from €39 | |
| Happy rail | from €39 | |
| Omio | from €39 | |
| Trainline | from €39 | |
| Rail Europe | from €39 |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
The low-cost, but more basic, Ouigo trains, now provide a direct alternative to these InOui trains for a journey from Paris to Marseille.
That's because *there are now 3 x Ouigo trains per day from Paris Gare De Lyon to Marseille.
In terms of distance travelled this is one of the longest non-stop European journeys by high speed trains and you should be travelling at more than 270 km/h for more than 90% of this trip.
The train will head on to the high speed line around 10 mins into the journey and won't leave it until it reaches the outskirts of Marseille.
The route becomes more scenic on the final 30 - 40mis of the ride, when the train will be travelling across Provence.
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Option 2: Save money by taking the more basic Ouigo services
Journey Summary
3hr 20 min - 3hr 25 min (approx) (Ouigo)
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Marseille
When making a train journey from central Paris to Marseille, you now have a choice of travelling by standard TGV InOui trains or by these Ougio trains.
So you can now opt to save money, but have a much more basic on board experience, and travel on a Ouigo.
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 €19 | |
| Ouigo | from €19 | |
| Trainline | from €19 |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
If you do opt to travel from Paris to Marseille by these Ouigo trains, you should aim to be at the Gare De Lyon, 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.
These Ouigo trains travel on the same high speed line between Paris and Marseille which the alternative TGV InOui trains take.
So you should be travelling at more than 270 km/h for more than 90% of this journey.
The train will head on to the high speed line around 10 mins into the journey and won't leave it until it reaches the outskirts of Marseille.
The route becomes more scenic on the final 30 - 40mis of the trip, when the train will be travelling across Provence.
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.
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