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I am interested in visiting around Paris and since French regional trains are quite convenient (no reservation, no last minute high price) to travel and explore an area I would like to know if there is a centralised map or list of all or most regional train lines departing from Paris (to reach destinations within 2 hours of any Paris station).

I know it is quite complex because Paris has multiple stations and trains are organised by the regions and therefore each region has its own map/list.

So far I found the map for the Ile-de-France region but I wish there was a single map including regional trains managed by all neighboring regions.

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    "trains are organised by the regions" - maybe, but I suspect nonetheless the train traffic system in France is less decentralized than what you imagine.
    – O. R. Mapper
    Aug 11, 2015 at 7:18
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    @O.R.Mapper It depends what you mean by "train traffic system". Regions only decide which are the train lines and when they run. SNCF operates them and they use the same tools nationally. Trains are bought with multi-region contracts. So all I imagine is that to get the map for a train line, I have to go on a regional SNCF website.
    – Vince
    Aug 11, 2015 at 13:11
  • Someone with insight into the French train system will have to respond to that. My remark was just based on the thought that over here in Germany, regions apparently have a say in what kinds of regional trains are run by DB, but there is no such thing as a "regional DB website"; DB is a country-wide company that has only one central website where all information on DB services can be found. (And while smaller-scoped trains, e.g. trams that run only within single cities, are run by separate entities, even their schedules are often integrated into that one DB web system.) While it is ...
    – O. R. Mapper
    Aug 11, 2015 at 13:18
  • ... certainly theoretically conceivable, I have never become aware so far that our neighbours' SNCF would be so much more distributed that there would be regional SNCF websites with different pieces of information rather than a central entrypoint for everything SNCF-related valid for all of France.
    – O. R. Mapper
    Aug 11, 2015 at 13:19
  • @O.R.Mapper I kept discussing it on the Travel Chat
    – Vince
    Aug 11, 2015 at 13:35

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Here is a sample page from European Rail Timetable:

sample page from European Rail Timetable for France

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    Why is there an upside-down flag of Yemen in the upper left corner?
    – gerrit
    Aug 11, 2015 at 10:19
  • Oh, it's meant to be a rotated flag of France?
    – gerrit
    Aug 11, 2015 at 12:44
  • How could this be helpful. You cannot even see the stations around Paris ...
    – Maître Peseur
    Aug 11, 2015 at 19:27
  • So why don'tyou show it here?
    – Maître Peseur
    Aug 12, 2015 at 14:39
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I found this map of the Ile-de-France region on this site, so I assume it is a 2005 map rather than the most current one. But as rail lines are not changing that fast, it might give you a start on finding a railway destination.

On another site you can find a map of France (and more) on which you can zoom in to see the area you want to concentrate on. I find it less clear than the older map. This last page also has the option to get trains listed by the departure station, which might be useful if you want to check out one region near Paris.

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  • The first reference doesn't answer the question. The OP has already found this information himself.
    – Maître Peseur
    Aug 11, 2015 at 19:20
  • The second reference is not from the SNCF site as you insinuate. And it does not really answer the question.
    – Maître Peseur
    Aug 11, 2015 at 19:22
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Here is a time to distance map than can be useful. According to its author, it was generated using SNCF sources.

Otherwise, a plain standard official map may be useful too.

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I figured Wikipedia has nice tables of all lines (regional, national, international) serving each of the major Paris stations. It does not render as nice as a map but they are all there:

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Vianavigo is a journey planner for public transportation in Paris and Ile de France. It includes regional trains and even local buses. Enter the departure and arrival points : it will provide you with routes and schedules. On the STIF network, which gather public transportations in the Ile de France, prices do not change even if you buy your ticket 30 seconds before getting on board !

Using this network, you can go to different towns :

  • Fontainebleau : there is a castle there and the small town is surrounded by a forest. Lots of horses a few miles from the castle.
  • Chantilly : there is a castle there and the small town is surrounded by a forest. Lots of horses near the castle.
  • Versailles : there is a well-known castle there and a large park with fountains.
  • Saint Germain en Laye : there is a castle there and a forest behind it.
  • Rambouillet : guess what ?

If you wish to go further, the national train network is the SNCF. You can plan your trip and buy your tickets at http://www.voyages-sncf.com/ . Specifying the right station in Paris is not required : the interface will find it for you. Prices are time-dependent : if you plan your trip months in advance, you can get cheap tickets called "prem's". In France, there is a really efficient network of high speed trains. Hence, within 2 hours, you can go to Lille, Bruxelles (in Belgium) or Luxembourg (in Luxembourg).

Do not be worried if the regional train is operated by the SNCF : it is usual on most lines.

Welcome to France !

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