Independent · prices checked September 2026
Pass sellers say buy a pass. Ticket sites say buy tickets. We work out both for your actual route (pass price and seat reservation fees vs. real SNCF fares) and give you an honest answer.
Sample trips, costed both ways
Three real itineraries run through our calculator using official SNCF fares. Open any one and change the dates, ages or journeys.
Pass saves €128
Adult, booking last minute
Five travel days down the Rhône to the Côte d'Azur and back, booked as you go.
Pass saves €24
Under 28, booking a few weeks ahead
Wine country, the Pink City and a day trip to a medieval citadel.
Tickets win
Adult, booked 2 months ahead
A simple return trip, booked early. The classic case where a pass doesn't pay.
Départs · Departures
Typical journey times, the seat reservation you'll pay on top of a pass, and what the same trip costs as an ordinary ticket, from early booking to last minute.
| Destination | Durée | Train | Pass seat fee | Ticket, cheapest → full fare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LYON | 1h53 | TGV INOUI · OUIGO | €10–20 | €16 - €115 |
| MARSEILLE | 3h02 | TGV INOUI · OUIGO | €10–20 | €19 - €138 |
| NICE | 5h34 | TGV INOUI · OUIGO | €10–20 | €19 - €158 |
| NICE (NIGHT TRAIN) | ~12h | INTERCITéS DE NUIT | €19–25 | €29 - €175 |
| BORDEAUX | 2h02 | TGV INOUI · OUIGO | €10–20 | €19 - €130 |
| STRASBOURG | 1h43 | TGV INOUI · OUIGO | €10–20 | €16 - €125 |
| RENNES | 1h25 | TGV INOUI · OUIGO | €10–20 | €16 - €101 |
| AVIGNON | 2h36 | TGV INOUI · OUIGO | €10–20 | €19 - €138 |
| TOULOUSE | 4h29 | TGV INOUI · OUIGO | €10–20 | €19 - €143 |
| BIARRITZ | 4h06 | TGV INOUI · OUIGO | €10–20 | €19 - €143 |
| ANNECY | 3h43 | TGV INOUI | €10–20 | €26 - €124 |
Official SNCF 2nd-class fare range (cheapest fare, usually Ouigo, up to full flexible fare) and pass-holder seat fees (€10 while the pass quota lasts, then €20). Checked September 2026.
The passes
Staying in France? The France Pass. Crossing borders too? The Global Pass. Since Eurail merged into Interrail, visitors from outside Europe buy the very same passes.
A set number of travel days within one month on TGV inOui, Ouigo, Intercités and TER trains.
Visiting from outside Europe? Notes for visitors (formerly Eurail)
France plus Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Benelux and 27 more countries on one pass.
Visiting from outside Europe? Notes for visitors (formerly Eurail)
Cartes postales
From Riviera beaches to Alpine lakes and Loire châteaux, all on SNCF's network.
Paris 5h34
Nice & the RivieraPalm-lined seafront, Mediterranean beaches
Via Rennes
Mont Saint-MichelThe tidal abbey on the Normandy coast
TGV to Avignon
ProvenceLavender fields, hilltop villages
Paris 1h43
StrasbourgHalf-timbered Alsace
Paris 3h02
MarseilleFrance's oldest port city
Paris 3h43
AnnecyAlpine canals and a turquoise lake
Paris 2h02
BordeauxGrand quays and world-famous wine
TER from Toulouse
CarcassonneA medieval walled city
Via Tours
Loire ValleyChâteaux an hour from Paris
TER from Strasbourg
ColmarStorybook streets in Alsace
Paris 1h53
LyonFrance's food capital
Paris 4h06
BiarritzSurf beaches on the Basque coast
Paris 2h36
AvignonThe Popes' city on the Rhône
Mont-Blanc Express
ChamonixIn the shadow of Mont Blanc
Normandy coast
ÉtretatChalk cliffs and sea arches
La ligne · How it works
Pick your routes in the calculator, or start from a sample trip.
Every pass size, every reservation fee and every ticket, compared.
Pass, tickets or a mix, plus which days to spend the pass on.
We send you to Interrail or SNCF Connect. It never costs you extra.
Takes about a minute
As a rule the pass wins on long, flexible trips and loses on short, pre-booked ones. Find out which kind yours is.
Run the Pass Calculator