Approaching Carcassonne

Lyon to Toulouse by train

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Routes

From Lyon Part-Dieu to Toulouse-Matabiau

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings usually open: 4 months ahead of the travel date - but bookings can open sooner when SNCF is running a promotion

Seats will automatically be assigned when booking tickets for this journey, but rail pass users will need to be pay a reservation fee prior to boarding these TGV trains.

Our step-by-step guide to booking train tickets on the Oui.SNCF (official French railways) website is available HERE.

Expect to pay more for this journey between the beginning of June and mid-September, particularly if you will be travelling on a Friday or Saturday.

If you're new to booking tickets for train journeys in France, we also recommend taking a look at our guide to French train tickets - it should help you save time and money and confusion.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
Trainline from €35

Trainline Guide

Oui.SNCF from €35

Oui.SNCF Guide

SNCF is the national rail operator in France and not so long ago it recently simplified both the range of tickets and the term and conditions of using them.
Therefore the cheapest tickets also become more flexible too.

Other improvements included a simple integration of travelling with bicycles and rail pass users being able to book reservations for national journeys, without paying booking fees.

Though a legacy of when SNCF sold international tickets under the Rail Europe branding is that OuiSNCF is available in multiple translations with the offerings on the site then tailored to international visitors to France.
However, some of the site's features, including the integration of mobility assistance into the booking path, are only available on the French language version.

Something else to look out for is that simplest way of travelling with tickets is to use the SNCF 'My Travel' phone app, so it's therefore often a good idea to book on the OuiSNCF mobile service.

Download the Oui.SNCF app from €35
SaveATrain from €35

SaveATrain Guide

Happyrail from €35

Happyrail Guide

Happy Rail is a Netherlands rail ticket agency which sells tickets for both national and international journeys within a range of countries including Belgium France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland.

HappyRail doesn't charge booking fees in the conventional sense, but if you're not Dutch you can expect to pay additional transaction fees, which will be added to the total cost.
That's because the most common form of online payment used in The Netherlands is 'iDEAL' and HappyRail doesn't charge a transaction fee for 'iDEAL' payments, but only Dutch residents can sign up to 'iDEAL'.
Other forms of payment include Visa debit cards will incur a fee.

On this journey

Journey Features

High Speed (partial)

Good to Know

Final Destination: Toulouse

All trains also call at: Narbonne and Carcassonne

This is a journey of three distinct phases:

Between Lyon and Nimes the train travels at more than 280km/h on the high speed line.

Then after Montpellier the railway line follows the coast, don't expect incredible seascapes, but there are some nice views on the left.

After Narbonne the train turns away from the coast, but this is the most charming part of the journey in scenic terms

If you are new to travelling by train in France, our French Train Travel Guide is packed with info and useful links to help ensure you’ll have a stress-free trip.

Approaching Carcassonne Approaching Carcassonne
Crossing the river Aude after departing from Carcassonne Crossing the river Aude after departing from Carcassonne

Final Destination: Toulouse

All trains also call at: Narbonne and Carcassonne

This is a journey of three distinct phases:

Between Lyon and Nimes the train travels at more than 280km/h on the high speed line.

Then after Montpellier the railway line follows the coast, don't expect incredible seascapes, but there are some nice views on the left.

After Narbonne the train turns away from the coast, but this is the most charming part of the journey in scenic terms

If you are new to travelling by train in France, our French Train Travel Guide is packed with info and useful links to help ensure you’ll have a stress-free trip.

Take the stress out of your journey Everything planned to your specification, so sit back and relax… Try Concierge

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This is one of more than 1000 journey guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.