First class across France for $93? Mais oui

3 months ago 18

The train: TGV InOui

The journey Nice to Paris
The operator SNCF
Frequency Several times a day
Travel time 5 hours 50 minutes
Class First class

The journey

The train skirts the coast until Marseille.

This starts as a picturesque meander along the coast to Marseille, with stops at several stations on the way, including Antibes and Cannes. You’ll glimpse the Mediterranean, rocky coves and sun umbrellas on beaches. From Marseille, the holiday vibe is somewhat left behind as the train changes track, speeds increase up to 350km/h and there are no stops until you reach Paris’s Gare de Lyon. It’s still a relaxing journey though, up through the middle of France past vineyards and forests.

Boarding

The first-class carriages are spacious and can be booked for private groups.

It’s a breeze to get to the station in the centre of town (Nice Ville), and onto the two-level train. Suitcases are stored by the entrance to our carriage, which has been booked for us as a private group so we don’t have to stress about the possibility of theft. This is a new initiative from SNCF for 10 or more passengers travelling together, and includes a host to smooth the way with luggage and transfers.

There are overhead racks for smaller bags; a nearby toilet (note that the flush is operated by a foot pedal) and, a couple of carriages further on, a casual bistro car with regional French produce incorporated throughout the menu.

The seat

Seats are placed in rows of three; a single on one side of the aisle and a pair on the other. Mine is 46 by the window on the right-hand side of the train; for the first part of the journey to Marseille, I’m facing backwards, but it doesn’t worry me. The charcoal and red colour scheme is smart; the upholstered seats have a footrest, a mirror, bag or coat hook and a small shelf that converts to a full-size drop-down tray table for a laptop or meal. There’s a drink holder, a USB port and a standard European socket plus a button to recline the seat that I keep hitting accidentally as it’s on the inside of the armrest. The free on-board Wi-Fi is patchy, so I stick to 5G on my roaming plan.

Baggage

You must be able to carry all your luggage by yourself. After the station boarding gates, only ticket holders are allowed on the platform.

You can take either two suitcases, or one suitcase and one special item (eg a bike or skis), plus one item of hand luggage. Your hand luggage can measure a maximum of 4cm x 30cm x 15cm; your suitcase can measure a maximum of 70cm x 90cm x 50cm. Fees from €50 apply for excess baggage.

Food + drink

As a private group, we’re allocated a host who delivers drinks, meals and snacks to our seats, airline-style. The standard is excellent (apart from typically bad French coffee) and the packaging recyclable. Our cold lunch is chicken with couscous, a mustardy potato salad, a bread roll and a cherry and almond cake. There is also a vegetarian option. Soft drinks are offered throughout the journey and snacks include really good butter cookies with chocolate. If you’re travelling independently, meals and drinks can be pre-ordered online and picked up via the priority queue in the bistro car.

One more thing

Given this trip takes almost six hours, I would recommend forking out for the more spacious first-class seats.

The price

From €52 ($93) one way for first class, meals extra. See sncf-connect.com
If you want to book a private carriage and host for a group, email [email protected]

The verdict

I can’t really fault this trip as an affordable, comfortable and sustainable (a tiny fraction of the carbon emissions of flying) way to get across France, straight from the centre of Nice into the centre of Paris. Flying would be quicker, but travelling by train is less stressful and the time goes by quickly.