A guide to French Railway's TGV high-speed trains - Seat 61

A guide to travel by TGV, French Railways high-speed train, the 'Train a Grande Vitesse', with photos & video of TGV 1st class, TGV 2nd class, single-deck ... TheManinSeat61... Share: Searchsite: Follow: AguidetoFrance'sTGV... TrainàGrandeVitesse Home    Sitemap   Buytraintickets   Buyferrytickets   Bookahotel   Railpasses   Links    News   Aboutme   Contact   Guestbook  T-shirts  Privacy&cookies    Home About News Contact Guestbook TraintravelUK&Ireland... TraintravelinBritain... Scotlandbysleeper... Cornwallbysleeper... ChannelIslands Isleof Man NorthernIreland RepublicofIreland TraintravelinEurope... Europebytrainintroduction HowtobuyEuropean traintickets... 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Email theManinSeat Sixty-One!  Signthe guestbook Disclaimer,copyright,dataprotection&privacy policy Webhostingby 6Degrees Thankyou forvisitingmysite...   TGVsnowrunalloverFrance,thesmooth,relaxing& less-environmentally-damagingwaytotravel... BuyTGVticketsfrom€20at: www.raileurope.com (anyonefromanycountry,feecharged) www.thetrainline.com(anyone fromanycountry,feecharged) en.oui.sncf(anyonefromanycountry,nobookingfee) Bookingopensupto4monthsahead...       AguidetotravelbyTGV... TGVs-TrainsàGrande Vitesse-aretheprideofSNCF(Frenchrailways),runningatupto 300km/h(186mph)onanetworklinkingtownsandcities acrossmuchofFrance. Infact,trainsreach 320km/h(199mph)onthenewerTGV-Est&TGV-Rhin-Rhoneroutes. Smooth &quietevenathighspeed,it'sarelaxing waytotravel.  SomeTGVs are single-deck,anincreasingnumberaredouble-deck TGVDuplex. From2017FrenchdomesticTGVshave beenmarketedunderthenewbrandname,inOui,which meansunheardoforexceptional...   Fares&tickets   Seating,luggage,WiFi,food&drink...   TGVtraveltips   Guidetosingle-deckTGVs   Guidetodouble-deckTGVDuplex   ExampleTGVcafe-barmenu Fares& tickets... SeatreservationiscompulsoryonTGVs, andallticketsautomaticallyincludeaseat reservationonaspecifictrain.  TGVseatingnumberingplans. Faresvary likeairfares,withcheapPremsfaresifyoubookinadvance,muchmore expensiveflexiblefaresifyouwaitandbuyontheday. Paristo Nicestartsat€25,ParistoBordeauxfrom€20,ifyoubookacheapPremsfareinadvance. Bookingopens upto4monthsahead... Anyonefromany countrycanbuy ticketsat www.raileurope.com (in€,£or$) or www.thetrainline.com (alsoin€,£or$),overseascreditcardsnoproblem,smallbookingfee. Orbuy attheFrenchRailwayswebsite en.oui.sncf,alittlemore fiddly,samefares. Clickfortablecomparingthefees&featuresofthevarioussitessellingTGVtickets 1stclassseats... 1stclassonall TGVshasspaciousseatswitharmrestsandpower-recline,arranged2+1acrossthe carwidth,meaningone-abreastononesideoftheaisleandtwo-abreastonthe othersideoftheaisle. Eachseathaseitheradrop-downtablebigenough foralaptop(face-to-backseats)orafixedtablewithtablelamp(face-to-face seats). All1stclassseatshavepower-pointsforlaptops&mobileswith European-styletwo-pinsockets. Thereisasmallbenchseat outsideeachmainseatingsaloonifyouneedtomakeaprivatemobilephone call.  Whenmakingareservation,twoseatsfacingeachotheracrossa tablearereferredtoasClubduoor(inEnglish)Dual facetoface,andfourseatsaroundatableinfirstclassareClub Quatreor(inEnglish)Clubfour. Twoseatssidebysidefacing seatbacksinfrontareDuo,andsingleseatsfacingaseatbackinfront areSolo. Forseatingplans, seethetrainseat numberingpage. 2ndclassseats... Secondclasson allTGVshascomfortableseatswitharmrests,arranged2+2acrossthecarwidth, meaningtwo-abreastonboth sidesoftheaisle. Therearedrop-downtablesbigenoughforlaptops (face-to-backseats)orfixedtables(face-to-faceseats),although laptop/mobilepowersocketsarenotalwaysfittedin2ndclass. There aretwotoiletsforeachpairofcoaches.  Whenyoubook,thetablesfor4areusually shownasfamilyorfacingorsometimesinFrenchascarré. Forseatingplans, seethetrainseat numberingpage.     Compostezvotrebillet!  Beforeboardingyourtrain,don'tforgettovalidateyourticketinoneofthese yellowcompostezvalidationmachinesnearthe entrancetoeachplatform. Luggage&facilitiesonboard... Luggage: Forpracticalpurposestherearenoluggagelimits,youcanprettymuchtakewhat youlikeaslongasyoucancarryit. Youtakeitwithyouandputitonthe variousracks,eitheraboveyourhead,betweentheseatsor atthecarends. SNCFaskyoutolabelyourbagswithatleastyourname.  Moreinformationabout luggageontrains. Cafe-bar:  All TGVs(exceptafewveryshort-distanceonessuchas Lille-Paris)haveacafé-barservinghot& colddrinks,sandwiches,afewhotdishessuchasquicheor lasagne,smallbottlesofwine&spirits- seesamplemenu.  Thecafé-barislocatedinthecentreofthetrainbetweenthe1st&2ndclass.  Thecoffeeisgood,creditcardsareacceptedaswellascash. Thereisa standingareawhereyoucaneat&drinkoryoucantakeyourpurchasesbackto yourseat.Tip:  Orderfoodfromthecafe-baronline! OnTGVtrains fittedwithWiFi,youcannowlogontothetrain'sSNCFintranetandorderitems fromthebaronyourlaptoporsmartphone. They'llgiveyoua15-minute timeslotforpickingitupfromthecafe-barcounter,butyou'llskiprightto thefrontofthequeuetopickupyourfood&drink,potentiallysavingalotof timewaitinginlinetobeserved! Orbringyour ownfood&drink: Alternatively,onallEuropeantrainsyouare freetobringyourownfoodanddrink(includingbeeror wine)onboardifyoulike. Or,ifyou'rechanging trainsinParisandhavetimeforadrinkormealwhilst waitingattheGaredeLyon,whynotusethecelebrated TrainBleurestaurant? WiFi&power sockets: MostTGVsshouldnowhavefreeWiFi,althoughafewmaystillbeunfitted. Ifyouhavea3Gor4Gmobiledata packagethatnormallyworksfineaboardtheTGVformostoftheroutes. HowtocheckifyourTGVwillhaveWiFi: Runanenquiryon www.thetrainline.com andselectyourtrain. IfitsaysOptions,WiFi,Freeatlower right,yourtrainisscheduledtobeonewithWiFi. AllTGVshavepowersocketsin1stclass. Mostnowalsohavepowersockets in2ndclasstoo,althoughsomeTGVswithearly-generationinteriorsdon't. Smoking: AllTGVsare entirelynon-smoking. Wheelchairs: AllTGVshave oneormorewheelchairsspaces&wheelchair-accessibletoiletsinboth classes. Baby-changing: AllTGVshaveat leastonebaby-changingfacility. Traveltips...     Ticketgates. These arebeinginstalledattheentrancetoTGVplatformsatmainParistermini.  Scanyourticketbarcodetoaccesstheplatforms. ThisisParis Montparnasse.         Train formationdisplay,showingwherealongtheplatformeachcarofa trainwillstop,soyoucanbewaitingintherightplacewhenyour traincomesin! Boarding:  AswithmostEuropeantrains,there'snocheck-in,youjust walkintothestation,lookattheTVscreensorindicator boardtofindyourtrainandgetonanytimebeforeit leaves. Atterminalstations,youmayseetheplatform announcedanythingfrom15to30minutesbeforedeparture. Accesstothe platformmaybestoppedaminuteortwobeforedeparturetimetoensurean on-timedeparture. Automaticticketgates: In2017-2019,TGVplatformsatthe mainParisstationsareprogressivelybeingfittedwithautomaticticketgates.  Youplacethebarcodeonyourticket,printoutorsmartphoneappagainst theglassscannerto openthegatesandaccesstheplatforms. There'susuallybeanextra-widegateifyouhave largeluggageorapushchair,forexample. 1stor2ndclass? 2ndclassisabsolutelyfine,thereisnoneedto payfor1stclassunlessyougetagoodprice. 1stclasssimplygivesyou morelegandelbowroomasyoucanseeinthephotosbelow,andaquieter environmentwithmorebusinesstravellerstappingawayonlaptopsandfewer familieswithkids. Thereisnodifferenceintheon-boardserviceasno foodordrinkisincludedin1stclassonFrenchdomesticTGVs. 1stclass isjustnicerseating,withtheoptionofsoloseatsorafacetofacetablefor two. Choosingyourseat: Infirstclass,selectClubDuoorDualface tofaceiftravellingasacoupleforanintimatetable-for-two,orClubQuatre (Clubfour) ifthreeorfourofyouaretravellingtogethersoyoucan sitcosilyaroundatable. Youcanchooseseating optionsifyoubookat www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com, butnotifyouusesomeothersites. Ondouble-deckTGVDuplex,askforanupperdeck seatforthebestviews. Stairstotheupperdeckarewideandeasysonot aproblem, onlychoosethelowerdeckifyouhaveseriousmobility impairment. Therearetoilets&luggageracksbothupstairsand downstairs,thebarcar&accessbetweencarsareupstairs. Youcanselectupperorlowerdeckifyoubook onlineatwww.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com, butifyouuseotherwebsitessuchasRailEuropeyouare notgiventhechoice. Itisnotpossibletospecifyaforward-facingseat onaTGVDuplex,astheunitcouldberunningeitherwayround,youcanttell whichwayrounditwillberunning. Forward-facingseats: It'spossibletospecifyforward-facingseats onahandfulofTGVrouteswhichhavetheChristianLacroixinteriorswhich featurevariableilluminatedseatnumbers-thecorrectsetofseatnumbers illuminatedependingwhichwayroundtheTGVunitentersservice. Such routesincludesingle-deckTGVserviceson TGVEst(ParistoReims,Metz, Strasbourg,Luxembourg,butnottrainsoperatedbyTGVDuplex). You'll onlybegiventheoptiontospecifyforwardfacingseatsif(a)youbookusing www.raileurope.com orwww.thetrainline.com or en.oui.sncfand(b)thespecificrouteandtypeofTGVsupportsthisfeature.  Mostroutes&TGVsdon't,it'sonlyafewthatdo.TGVDuplex trainswiththeverylatestOcéaneinteriorhave 1stclassseatsthatrotatetofacethedirectionoftravel, seehere. Compostez! RemembertovalidateFrenchtrainticketsbyputtingtheminto theslotontheorangeoryellowCompostezmachinesattheentranceto eachplatform. Obviously,youdon'tneedtovalidateprint-your-ownor e-tickets! Whereonthe platformtowaitforyourtrain? At mostmainstations,youcanseewhereontheplatformyour carriagewillstopbyconsultinga'CompositiondesTrains'chartshowingthetrain formationwithcoachnumbers. Skipthequeuein thecafe-bar: Readthetoptipinthefood& drinksectionaboveaboutorderingyoufoodfromthecafe-baronlineonTGVs fittedwithWiFi. Takingyourbike:  Seethebikesby trainpage. Takingyourdog:  Seethedogsby trainpage. Backtotop Single-deckTGVs... TheChristianLacroixinterior... MostTGVshavebeenrefurbishedwithaninteriorbydesigner ChristianLacroix,includingallsingle-deckTGVsontheTGV-Estroute fromParisEsttoReims,Strasbourg,Metz,Luxembourg&some remainingsingle-deckTGVsontheTGV-Atlantique routefromParisMontparnassetoTours,Bordeaux,Nantes,Lourdes,Rennes. Incidentally,SNCF'sin-housedesigner stillhasn'tforgivenChristianLacroixforbreakingthe long-standingunwritten'rules'andusingwarmcoloursin 2ndclass,coolercoloursin1stclass,soseewhatyou think... Seatnumberingplans:  TherearevarioustypesofTGV,youcanfindplansof theseatinglayoutsonthe trainseat numberingpage.   Food fromthecafebar...   ATGVAtlantique atParisMontparnasse.   2ndclass withamixorunidirectionalseats&tablesfor4. Seatsare2+2 acrosscarwidth.  Panoramaphoto.   1stclass withamixofunidirectionalseats,soloseats,tablesfor2&for4.  Seats2+1acrosscarwidth.  Panoramaphoto.   BoardingaTGV atParisGaredeLyon...   Cafe-bar...  Seesample TGVbarmenu Thelatestinterior... AnotherTGVrefurbishmentisin progress,soyou'llseeinteriorslikethisstartingtoappearalongwithanew grey,silver&redTGV livery... TGV1stclasslatest interiorcolourscheme. TGV2nd class,latestinteriorcolourscheme. TGV1stclasslatest interiorcolourscheme. TGV2nd class,latestinteriorcolourscheme. Olderinteriors... TherearestillsomeunrefurbishedTGVs knockingabout, andtheseolderinteriorsoften don'thavepowersocketsin2ndclass. TGV1stclasswithtwoclubduoseatsontheleft,abayof4clubquatre ontheright,androwsofsolo&duoseatsbehind. TGV2nd class. Mostseatsare face-to-back,buttherearesomebaysof4 face-to-faceseats,askwhenbooking. Video guide:  TGVwithChristianLacroixinterior Backtotop Double-deckTGVDuplex...    WatchtheTGVDuplexvideo Onwhatroutesdotheyoperate?  Theseimpressive186mphdouble-deckhigh-speedtrainsnow operatemostParis-Cannes-Nicetrains,mostParis-Lyon trains,manyParis-Bordeaux-Biarritz-Hendaye/Lourdestrains,manyParis-Avignon-Marseilletrainsandevenafew Lille-Lyon-AvignonMarseilletrains. Theyalsooperatesomeor allservicesfromParis toBasel,Zurich,Geneva,Stuttgart,Munich&Frankfurt,andFrankfurtto Marseille. SNCFisnolongerbuyingsingle-deckTGVs,allfutureTGV constructionwillbeDuplex. Onboardthetrain... Youboardthetrainthroughawidesliding externaldoorintoasmallhallatoneendofthelowerdeck. Aninternal dooropensintoalowerdeckseatingarea,andawide,short&easyflightof stairsleadstoalandingatoneendoftheupperdeck. Youwalkalongthe trainfromcartocarattheupperlevel,andthecafé-barisalsoattheupper level. Therearetoiletsbothupstairs&downstairs. Upperorlowerdeck? Whenreserving,youcanusuallychooseaseatoneitherupperorlower decksifyoubuyonlineat www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com orbookbyphone,althoughyou'renotgivenachoiceofdeckifyoubuytickets atsomeothersitesorontheroutetoBarcelona. Ifyouhave majorproblemsclimbingstairsthelowerdeckmightbebest, butforanyoneelsethetopdeckisstronglyrecommendedfor thebestviewsofthescenery,asyou'llbeabletoseeover thetopoftheoccasionalsoundbarrieralongthehighspeed lines. Forcouples,anupperdeckfirstclasstablefortwo(shown variouslyasClub duoorDualfacetoface)isas goodasitgets. FamiliescanbookaClubquatre(Clubfour)in firstclassorCarréin2ndclass(also shownasFamilyorfacing),bothtermsmeanatablefor four. Seatnumberingplan:  TGV Duplexseatingplan. Seatnumbers11-58=lowerdeck. 61-128= upperdeck. HowtotellifyourTGVwillbeaDuplex: Runanenquiryon www.thetrainline.com andfindthetrainyou'replanningtotravelon. Selectanyfare,click theSeatinglinkandclickthedropdownboxthatsaysNopreference. Iftheoptionsinclude upstairsanddownstairs, it'saDuplex! Ifyouseeanupstairsanddownstairsoptionandalsoseea Forwardfacingseatoption,it'sscheduledtobeanewTGVDuplex Océane. AndifthetrainisduetohaveWiFi,it'llsayFreeWiFi atlowerright. 1stgenerationTGVDuplex... 1stgenerationTGVDuplexoperateonFrenchdomesticroutesincludingParis-Lyon, Paris-Marseille,Paris-Nice,wheretheyworkalongsidenewer2nd&3rd generationtrains. Therearepowersockets atall1stclassseats,butusuallynotin2ndclasson thesefirst-generationtrains. Thefirst-generationtrainsarenot equippedtorunoninternationalroutes.   1stclass:  TGVDuplex1stclassupperdeck. 2ndclass:  TGVDuplex2ndclassupperdeck.   ATGV DuplexatNiceinthe originalbluecolourscheme. Cafe-bar,upperdeckincar 4. 2nd&3rdgenerationTGVDuplex... TGVDuplextrainsetsofthe2nd&3rdgenerations(knowntechnicallyasDasye& Euroduplex)haveblue&purpleinteriors,withpowersocketsatallseatsin bothclasses. TGVDuplexesofthistypeoperatetheinternationalroutesfromParisto Barcelona,ParistoGermany,andall TGV-LyriaservicesfromParistoSwitzerland. TheyalsooperatetheMarseille-Frankfurt TGVservice. 2nd&3rdgenerationTGVDuplexworkalongside1st generationTGVDuplexonFrenchdomesticroutessuchasParistoLyon,Avignon, Marseille&Nice. Somearestillpaintedblue& silver,butthey'rebeingprogressivelyrepaintedintothelatestgrey,silver& redcolours.   TGVDuplexatFrankfurt. Theseimpressive320km/hdouble-decktrainslinkPariswithNice,Marseille, Frankfurt,Munich, Barcelona&Switzerland...   2ndclasstablefor4 onTGVDuplexupperdeck...   Cafe-baron theupperdeckincar4(or14),servingtea,coffee,softdrinks,wine,beer, snacks&microwave-styledishes.   2ndclassseatsonupperdeck withamixoftablesfor4& unidirectionalseating.  360ºphoto.   1st classseats onupperdeck,clubduoontheleft,clubquatreontheright.  360ºphoto.   ATGVDuplex. The 1nearthedoorindicates1stclass,2indicates2ndclass.     Thestairsfromentrancehalltoupper deck.Just9wideshallowstepswithdouble handrails. Notusuallyanyproblem!   Powersockets: All1stclassseats havepowersockets,2-pin230v. 2ndclass seatshavepowersocketson2nd&3rdgeneration Duplex,butmaynothaveon1stgeneration Duplex.   Luggageracks. Youtakeyourbagson boardwithyouandplacethemontheracks. Thereare racksbothupstairsanddownstairs,bothatthe carendsand(ashere)betweentheseats,which Ipersonallyprefer. TGVDuplexOcéane... 3rdgenerationtrainswithacompletelyredesignedinteriorknownasTGVOcéane enteredservicefrom2017,initiallyontheTGVAtlantique routefromParisMontparnasse toBrittany,Bordeaux,Biarritz,Lourdes& HendayeontheSpanishborder. Allseatsinbothclasseshavepowersockets,1stclassseatsalso haveUSBports,andthere'sfreeWiFi. Amajorinnovationisthat1st classseatsrotatetofacedirectionoftravel,ortocreateaface-to-facebay of2or4seats. Torotatetheseats,pressthesmallpedalon theaislesideoftheseatplinth,undertheseat. Theseatsatthevery endofeachcarmaynotrotate. ThenewOcéaneinteriormaybe retrofittedtoearlierTGVDuplexsetsinduecourse.   ATGVDuplexOcéane fromParisarrivedatBordeauxStJean. TheseTGVDuplexcarrythe latestgrey,silverandredTGVcoloursandhaveanall-newinterior.   TGVOcéanecafe-bar, upperdeckcar4(or14)   TGVOcéane2ndclass seats...     TGVOcéane1stclass seats. AninnovationonTGVOcéane,all1stclassseats (excepttheveryendones)rotatetofacethedirectionoftravel,or canberotatedtomakeaface-to-facegroupof2or4seats. The drop-downtablesopentorevealUSBand2-pinpowersockets. Videoguide:  TGVDuplex... Backtotop SampleTGV café-barmenu... ThisphotoofaTGVbarmenugivesyouanideaofwhat'sonofferinatypicalTGVcafe-bar.  PricesarefromAutumn2017. Clicktheimagetoenlarge. Backtotop Backtohome page