Many people are keen to pay more attention to the environmental impact of their travels. But when the time comes to book tickets, practical questions prevail:"air travel is faster". But what if this isn't always the case? It's true that the time spent on a plane is less than that spent on a train, but we often forget to take certain criteria into account. Travel time to the airport, the advance requested by airlines, or the time it takes to get from the airport to your destination... In short, flying isn't necessarily the best solution. For your next vacation in France or Europe, here's a (non-exhaustive) list of shorter journeys by train than by plane.
Travelling in France: shorter journeys by train than by plane
Travelling by plane in mainland France may seem excessive, given that our country is relatively small (on the scale of the United States, for example) and its major cities fairly well connected. Under the 2021 Climate and Resilience Act, domestic flights are now prohibited if a rail link of less than 2.5 hours exists, without changing trains and with sufficient frequency given the number of passengers. The problem is that taking a plane will take much more than 2h30 of your time.
Indeed, we often forget to take into account the fact that airports are far from city centers. For example, it takes around 45 minutes to get from the center of Paris to CDG airport. At the same time, airlines require passengers to arrive two hours in advance. As for the train, you need to be at the station 30min before departure for an OUIGO, and the doors of a TGV close only 2min before the train's departure. Put all this together, and you'll soon be on your way to destinations that at first glance may seem far away.
1- Paris - Marseille, shorter by train than by plane
You wanted to fly to Marseille from Paris? Save your time! It's true that the city of Marseille is only a 1h25 flight from the capital, but the meter quickly climbs if you add the 2-hour headway at the airport, the 45 minutes(estimated from Châtelet station) to get to Charles de Gaulle airport and the 30 minutes to reach downtown Marseille afterwards. By train, the journey takes an average of 3 hours 20 minutes. You'll need to add 15 minutes to get to the station early, and even 10 minutes(if you take a long way) to get from Châtelet to Gare de Lyon, in the interests of fairness. In the end, the train wins the race.
- Total journey time by plane : around 4h40 according to our calculation.
- Total journey time by train : approx. 3h45 according to our calculation.
To read on the train before you arrive: must-sees in Marseille.
2- Paris - Montpellier, one of the shorter train journeys than by plane
Montpellier, with its 300 days of sunshine a year, is one of the sunniest destinations you can reach without taking a plane . By plane, you can reach this large Occitan city after a 1h20 flight, to which you must add the 2h delay at the airport. To reach the airport, allow 45 minutes by RER B from Châtelet if you're departing from CDG airport, and 25 minutes by metro to Orly. Once you've landed, add another 25 minutes to reach Montpellier city center. Here again, the train is the winner, with a 3h15-minute TGV journey, plus 15 minutes at the station and the 10 minutes between Châtelet and Gare de Lyon.
- Total journey time by plane: between 4h10 and 4h30 depending on the departure airport.
- Total journey time by train: around 3h40 according to our calculation.
The article to read to organize your weekend in Montpellier.
3- Paris - Lyon, shorter by train than by plane
Lyon is one of the destinations that can no longer be reached from Orly airport under the 2021 Climate and Resilience Act. However, it is still possible to get there from Charles de Gaulle airport. However, the journey doesn't save you any time. You'll need to allow 1h05 for the flight, to which we'll add the 2h in advance, the 45-minute journey to CDG and the 40-minute journey to downtown Lyon. By train, you can get from city center to city center in 1h55.
- Total journey time by plane: approx. 4h40 according to our calculation.
- Total journey time by train: approx. 2h10 according to our calculation.
The article to read on the train to organize your weekend in Lyon.
4- Paris - Bordeaux
Bordeaux too, like Nantes, is one of the destinations inaccessible from Orly airport under the2021 Climate and Resilience Act. As with Lyon, it is accessible from CDG airport, despite its proximity to the capital. By plane, you'll be in Bordeaux after a 1h20 flight, 2h spent in advance at the airport, 45 minutes to reach the airport and finally 45 minutes to reach the city center. By train, allow around 2h20 by TGV.
- Total journey time by plane: approx. 4h50 according to our calculations.
- Total journey time by train: approx. 2h35 according to our calculations.
The article to read to organize your weekend in Bordeaux.
Travelling in Europe:
Hard to believe that you can go abroad for a weekend faster by train than by plane? But it's possible, and you can even choose your destination! By taking the train, you leave yourself plenty of time to enjoy the journey. Let's face it, it's much nicer to be sitting on a train, reading, chatting with friends or playing with the kids, than wandering through a crowded airport, passing through checkpoints and waiting for time to pass at the duty free counter.
5- Paris - Amsterdam, one of the shorter train journeys than by plane
Amsterdam is undoubtedly one of Europe's ideal weekend rail destinations. Easily accessible from Paris, it takes an average of 3 hours 20 minutes by train from Gare du Nord. There's also a 15-minute headway at the station. By plane, allow 1h10 for the flight, to which we add 2h in advance, 45 minutes to get to the airport and finally a quarter of an hour to get from Amsterdam airport to the city center. You save a little more timehere with the train.
- Total journey time by plane: approx. 4h10 according to our calculation.
- Total journey time by train: approx. 3h35 according to our calculation.
The article to read on the train to plan your weekend in Amsterdam.
6- Paris - Brussels, faster by train
Choosing to fly to Brussels can be a bad calculation. In fact, the journey time from Paris to the Belgian capital is twice as short by train as by plane. By train, the TGV takes 1h26, with a 15-minute headway at the station. By plane, it's 1h05 flight with 2h headway, 45 minutes to CDG airport and 25 minutes from Brussels airport to the city center. With this calculation, even the 3h07 OUIGO train is shorter than the plane, and for very affordable prices.
- Total journey time by plane: approx. 4h15 according to our calculation.
- Total journey time by train: approx. 1h40 according to our calculation.
The article to read on the train to plan your weekend in Brussels.
7- Paris - London, one of the shorter train journeys than by plane
Dynamic and singular, London is one of the most popular destinations when you want to start traveling by train. It's also the gateway to the whole of the United Kingdom, which can be easily reached from the English capital. By train, add 30 minutes' headway at the station to the 2h25 journey time now required to clear customs. By plane, allow around 1h10 for the flight, 45 minutes from Paris to the airport, 2h in advance at the airport and finally between 30 and 50 minutes to reach the city center, depending on which airport you land at.
- Total journey time by plane: between 4h25 and 4h45 according to our calculation.
- Total journey time by train: approx. 2h55 according to our calculation.
The article to read on the train to plan your weekend in London.
8- Paris - Luxembourg City
Luxembourg is one of those destinations you don't necessarily think of when traveling in Europe. Yet this small country is just a stone's throw from France, and easily reached by train. Allow around 2h20 for the journey, plus 15 minutes at the station. By plane, it's only a 1-hour flight, but still with a 2-hour head start, 45 minutes by RER B and 35 minutes on arrival to reach the city center.
- Total journey time by plane: approx. 4h20 according to our calculation.
- Total journey time by train: approx. 2h35 according to our calculation.
The article to read on the train to plan your weekend in Luxembourg.
9- Paris - Frankfurt am Main, faster by train
Admittedly, the difference in travel time between train and plane to get to Frankfurt is minimal, even if the train is shorter. But as I said earlier, it's always more pleasant to spend time on the train, planning your weekend or reading, than going through airport checkpoints and waiting. Allow around 3 hours 45 minutes by train, compared with 1 hour 20 minutes by plane, to which we add the usual constraints of lead time and time spent getting to the airport. If you're leaving from Strasbourg, you'll need a total of 2h25 by train !
- Total journey time by plane: approx. 4h15 according to our calculation.
- Total journey time by train: approx. 4h according to our calculation from Paris, and 2h25 from Strasbourg.
The article to read on the train to plan your trip to Frankfurt.
10- Montpellier - Barcelona, faster by train
If you're not travelling from Paris, many journeys will be shorter by train. This is mainly due to the fact that many plane journeys have stopovers in Paris. This is certainly the case for Barcelona. From Montpellier, for example, you can expect a 4.5-hour flight to the Catalan city, with a stopover at CDG, not including waiting or transit time to and from the airports. Ecologically(and not only), this makes no sense. By train, you can make the journey in around 3 hours 10 minutes.
- Total journey time by plane: approx. 7h35 according to our calculation.
- Total journey time by train: approx. 3h25 according to our calculation.
The article to read on the train to plan your weekend in Barcelona.
11- Lyon - Turin, faster by train
It's the same struggle to get from Lyon to Turin as it is to get from Montpellier to Barcelona. If you choose to fly, you'll also have to make a stopover in Paris. All in all, you'll end up with a 4-hour flight time, to which you can add the 2-hour headway at the airport, 30 minutes to reach Lyon airport and 25 minutes to reach the center of Turin. The train makes life easier, with a 4h30 journey from city center to city center.
- Total journey time by plane: approx. 6h55 according to our calculation.
- Total journey time by train: approx. 4h45 according to our calculation.
The article to read on the train to plan your weekend in Turin.
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