Paris to La Rochelle by train

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Routes

From Paris Montparnasse to La Rochelle Ville

Journey Summary

Travel Time
2hr 25min - 3hrs (approx)
Frequency
Daily
Travel Information

Note that these trains to La Rochelle depart from the Gare-Montparnasse in Paris.

Final Destination: La Rochelle

Most trains also call at: Poitiers

The variation in journey times on this route is to do with how many stations calls a particular departure makes; AND the percentage of the journey it spends on the recently opened extension of the high speed line from Paris.

The slower trains don't use the extended high speed line at all, they only use the older part of the high speed part route.

Mon-Thurs = 5 x trains
Friday = 7 x trains
Saturday = 6 x trains
Sunday = 5 x trains

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.

When looking for tickets on Oui.SNCF tick the 'direct trains' box - on Trainline tick the 'fastest journeys' box.

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

The price is dictated by demand per departure and not speed, so book ahead and try and be flexible re: departure and arrival times; trains departing in the middle of the afternoon TEND to be cheapest.
The most heavily discounted tickets tend to sell out fastest on Fridays, particularly during the summer.

Though take care to check the journey time as well as the price when booking tickets for Paris - La Rochelle journeys, the journey times can vary by more than 40mins

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 -more info is available on our guide to using rail passes in France.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
Oui.SNCF from €34

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 €34
SaveATrain from €34

SaveATrain Guide

Happyrail from €34

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.

RailEurope from €34
Trainline from €34

Trainline Guide

On this journey

Journey Features

Scenic - NoHigh Speed (partial)

Good to Know

As far as SMTJ can ascertainTGV Atlantique trains are still used for most of the departures on this route, with the new Oceané trains used on some departures.
Here's a guide to how you can confirm, which type of TGV train you will be travelling by.

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