Are there ways to keep long-distance land transport costs down in France when not planning in advance?

Question

Ten years ago I travelled around Europe for the first time and in some countries I was very frustrated by high cost of trains and lack of alternatives to them.

I remember being in Cannes with a friend who had tons of money. I had already spent most of my inheritance despite trying to keep costs as low as possible.

We wanted to do something vaguely like Cannes - Avignon - Lyon - Dijon - Paris (I can't remember exactly any more).

But it seemed that each hop in back-then prices on the TGV was about 50 euro whereas we could go straight to Paris for something like 100 euro.

Furthermore, unlike Germany which I was used to travelling around in by then, there seemed to be no cheaper options for slower trains. I always chose the slowest train because I was never in a hurry and enjoyed the scenery. But in France there was no such option.

In other countries I knew how to travel in, like Australia or Canada or Mexico or would take a long distance bus. But as covered by another question, there don't seem to be any long distance buses in France.

So this lone option of the TGV made it at least double the price and I had already blown some money on trains from Monaco to Nice to Cannes.

We argued and debated and decided it would be worth the gamble to take a train to Marseilles where we expected we would have a lot more options than in Cannes. But when we got there we found it bigger and busier but with the same expensive TGVs and still no other cheaper slower options.

We gave up and just went straight to Paris very grumpy. To this day I have been put off trying to travel around France for the same reason.

So enough whiny anecdotes and on with the actual question: Were we doing it wrong? Are there ways to visit all these places without blowing the budget on TGV tickets? Is there any other mode of long-distance overland travel within France? (No flying please, I want to go on roads or tracks through the countryside.)

Oh and just to make it difficult, I like to travel with no plans. So I can't buy passes or book tickets months ahead and I'm too old for student specials.

Answer 1

There are a couple of possibilities.

• Eurolines operates bus lines between several French cities

• There are slower regional trains, the so-called TER. On longer trips it requires changing trains a couple of times. However, I am not sure if on these long trips the TER will be much cheaper than high-speed trains (TGV).

• Have a look at iDTGV, these are a kind of low-cost TGV. They are a bit cheaper than the regular TGV's.

• Train tickets are cheaper if they are booked in advance. The earlier you book, the higher will be the chance to find cheaper tickets.

• If you are flexible, avoid traveling during peak times (e.g. Friday and Sunday evening, early in the morning on the weekdays, ...)

• You could also have a look at rail passes. It can be cheaper than buying the tickets for each trip separately, but there is no guarantee for that.

• There are overnight trains running within France. On longer trips that could be a possibility to save some money. Indeed, when traveling on night trains you don't have to pay for accommodation.

• If the objective is to minimse costs, you can also have a look at flights. Easyjet and Ryanair operate flights within France.

Answer 2

Le john says most of what I would answer. As I have already said in the related question. The key to cheap traveling in Europe is planning all your traveling ahead and online. If you have to revert to counters you are doomed to pay a lot.

If, as you have indicated, you don't want to plan. The options are hitchhiking, cycling, or walking. I have just seen a documentary on the "El camino de compostella". It was amazing, so if time is really not an issue, I would recommend walking one of the routes. According to the documentary you will never walk alone.

In the Netherlands there is foundation call "Vrienden van de fiets" (friends of the bicycle). They publish a paper-based annual listing of addresses, also in france, where cyclists are more then welcome to stay.

Answer 3

Seriously, if you have time and really want to get to know a region, a walking holiday is ideal. I haven't tried it in France, but like many western European countries, France has an extensive trail system.

Answer 4

Another option, not mentioned until now is covoiturage or ride-sharing. It's becoming quite popular in France. The main operator in this space is https://www.blablacar.fr/ (I am a user/member but otherwise unconnected to them).

Beginning this year, rules regarding long-distance buses have changed so it's possible that cheaper bus-based options will appear very soon.

Answer 5

A rail pass is definitely a cheap way to travel a lot if you don't live in France.

As for Eurolines, normally you can't use it to travel from one city to another in France. You can only use it to travel abroad.