Want to travel differently, without wasting time on your vacation days? Try the night trains which are running again in France! You will wake up in the morning in another city after a relaxing trip.
With the end-of-year holidays fast approaching, many of us are looking for cheap travel deals. If the train is the preferred means of transport in relation to the environment and the ecological crisis we are going through, it still has a disadvantage: travel time.
And if it is virtuous with its low carbon impact, the train imposes a slower pace, with fairly long journeys, which turns out to be a real constraint, while our precious days off are counted on the fingers of the hand. No question of wasting time! But there is an attractive solution, capable of reconciling mobility and speed: night trains. Much more than a simple means of transport, they allow us to optimize our transport time, combining the useful – traveling – with the pleasant – sleeping – while respecting the planet.
Traveling at night means boarding a train car in the evening and waking up in the morning in the heart of a new destination, ready to fully enjoy a new day. An ideal solution to save time without cutting into your rest days. Because you don’t lose a real day by traveling. Plus, it saves on accommodation with a night or two less. And the good news is that after disappearing for many years, night trains are making a comeback in France. In recent years, several lines have been reactivated or created, making it possible to connect many French cities while sleeping.
There are currently eight Intercités night train lines in France, all departing from Paris-Austerlitz station: Paris/Albi, Paris/Aurillac, Paris/Briançon, Paris/Cerbère, Paris/Latour-de-Carol, Paris/Nice, Paris/Tarbes and Paris/Toulouse. Note that, even if the trains only depart from Paris, it is entirely possible to take them by making a connection in the capital.
There are no less than ten emblematic French destinations that can be reached by night train. So, to get to Toulouse, simply take a direct route from Paris Austerlitz (departure after 9:30 p.m.) for an arrival at 6:30 a.m. For those who are a little less early risers, it is also possible to arrive at Nice at 9:26 a.m. to enjoy the joys of the South, or in Briançon, in the heart of the Alps, just 8:35 a.m. That leaves plenty of time to enjoy the day!
It is also possible to discover, in the early morning, the beautiful town of Albi, whose imposing Sainte-Cécile Cathedral, listed as a UNESCO heritage site, is located just a 13-minute walk from the station. Another possibility: cross authentic Carcassonne and warm Perpignan to arrive at Argelès-sur-Mer, on the edge of the Mediterranean, to enjoy the sun. The same route leads to the spa town of Ax-les-Thermes.
Leaving Paris at 8:51 p.m., you can also be at Cannes station and on the Croisette at 9 a.m. for breakfast on the terrace! In another atmosphere, it is possible to reach the city of Lourdes, a major place of pilgrimage for Catholics from all over the world. Likewise, Aurillac is only a 13-hour journey away, which passes quickly when you let yourself be carried away into the land of dreams. Finally, it is possible to reach Montpellier for a more urban exploration.
And for travelers wanting to go even further, remember that the concept does not stop at the French borders. In Europe, night trains also offer great opportunities for escape, with lines that connect France to Italy (Paris – Venice), Germany (Paris – Berlin) or even Austria (Paris – Vienna). The opportunity to cross borders without renouncing your ecological conscience!