There is a choice of three train travel options when making the journey from Paris to Dijon:
When travelling between most cities by train there is only one logical option, though on other journeys there is a choice between different trains or alternative routes. If different options are available you can use the info to decide which is best for you.
1hr 30min - 1hr 40min
Daily
Monday to Thursday: = 13 x trains per day
Friday: = 15 x trains
Saturday: = 10 x trains
Sunday: = 14 x trains
ShowMeTheJourney earns a small commission on Trainline ticket sales. It can be a particularly good option for: Comparing different train services; Booking international journeys with connections; Travelling between the UK to destinations beyond Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris - and for international travellers who don't reside in western Europe.
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 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
The Lyria train services are those which will be travelling on to the destinations in Switzerland.
Around seven minutes after departure, the train will move on to the high speed line south from Paris and it will then travel at more than 270 km/h for around 1hr 10mins.
The video was taken from a train travelling in the opposite direction, but it gives an idea of the journey experience on this part of the trip.
The train switches to conventional tracks north of Dijon, and this is the the more scenic part of the journey.
There are two train services between Paris and Dijon:
(1) these TGV / Lyria trains and (2) the alternative slower service by TER train.
If you're booking in advance, the cheapest 'Prems' tickets for these TGV or Lyria trains will be cheaper than those TER trains,
However, if you will be booking last minute at the station then the alternative TER trains are likely to be (much) cheaper.
Booking these TGV 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.
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 may be cheaper.
SNCF Connect, the French national railways website, will indicate the cheapest price per day, click on this and you will be shown the departures on which this price is available.
Seats will automatically be assigned when booking tickets for this journey when taking these TGV trains
Rail Pass Users:
If you will be travelling with a valid Eurail or InterRail pass, you can avoid the reservation fees on these TGV trains, by taking the alternative TER trains
2hr 50min - 3hr 15min
Daily
Monday to Friday: = 5 x trains per day
Saturday: = 6 x trains
Sunday: = 5 x trains
ShowMeTheJourney earns a small commission on Trainline ticket sales. It can be a particularly good option for: Comparing different train services; Booking international journeys with connections; Travelling between the UK to destinations beyond Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris - and for international travellers who don't reside in western Europe.
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 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
Final Destination: Lyon or Dijon
Note that these trains do NOT depart from Paris Gare De Lyon/Paris Lyon - which is the station that the TGVs to Dijon depart from.
They depart from Paris Bercy which is a different station.
So why would you spend a minimum of an additional 1hr 20 mins on a train from Paris to Dijon, than you would if you took the alternative TGV services?
The simple answer is price - if you're not booking more than 10 days ahead, meaning that you can no longer booking the discounted 'Prems' tickets on those TGVs, you'll likely save money by taking these TER trains.
If you'll be travelling with a rail pass, you'll save at least €10; you can just hop on these trains if you have a valid Eurail or InterRail pass.
Book early and save: No
Tickets will cost the same price if purchased at the station immediately before departure.
These TER trains will be only be cheaper than the much faster TGV / Lyria trains when the discounted tickets for the TGV have sold out.
If you'll be buying tickets at the station on the day of travel, it's likely that you can save around €25 by taking these trains.
Rail pass users can avoid the reservation fees on the TGVs by taking these trains.
3hr 45min (approx)
Daily
1 or 2 x trains per day
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 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
Note that these trains depart from a different station in Paris, so if your journey will be commencing in the area in the around Austerlitz station factor this into the end-to-end journey time
On certain days there are additional trains, which can depart from Paris Bercy and Paris Gare De Lyon.
Online bookings usually open: up to 6 weeks ahead of the travel date
The journey by these trains are priced from €10
if you will be buying tickets on the day of travel, these trains tend to be around half the price of the TER trains.
What is particularly worth being aware of when booking tickets for journeys by Ouigo train services, is that:
The two key T&Cs trains are:
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