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5 train routes cheaper or equivalent to flying from Paris

Written by Sophie Renassia

Published on January 15, 2025, modified yesterday

"I'd like to take the train, but it's too expensive!", "The train ride takes longer, and I don't have many vacation days..." Even when we are aware of the environmental impact of the airplane...it's often practical considerations that take precedence over our convictions, due to a lack of time or money... What if we told you that some European train routes are actually cheaper than flying or about the same price, and for a equivalent or even shorter door-to-door travel time ?!

To prove it to you, we had some fun making a Comparison of Train vs. Plane Travel from Paris to several major European cities accessible by TGV. And if you look a little closer, you’ll quickly realize that flying is far from being as advantageous as you might think, whether in terms of travel time or cost… Here’s why.

Ready to get started? Here are all our tips To travel by train:

Article

Traveling by Train: The Complete Guide to Traveling Without Flying

Methodology Used

Before getting into the details, here’s how we conducted this comparison. For our calculations, we chose:

• a starting point that isn't too central in Paris*: the 18th arrondissement,
• the same dates every time: departure on Saturday, March 15, 2025, and return on Saturday, March 22, 2025,
• a similar level of flexibility in terms of schedules: no need to get up before 6 a.m.,
• A comparison of prices as of January 15, 2025.

→ Trip to CDG by public transportation = 1 hour 10 minutes and €10.30 = €21 round-trip (via RER B + metro).
→ Trip from Paris’s 18th arrondissement to the train station = 10 to 30 minutes + 15 minutes to allow for traffic and €2.50 = €5 round trip (by metro).
→ Trip from the airport to downtown = by public transportation, always choosing the cheapest fare.

*For the sake of simplicity, we have chosen to use Paris as our reference point within France. We are well aware that this comparison is “Paris-centric,” but we wanted to provide a single starting point to ensure consistency in our calculations. To explore hundreds of routes from different cities in France, visit here !

5 European Destinations from Paris

1. 🇨🇭Paris–Zurich (Switzerland)

Duration:

✈️ Flight = 1 hr 10 min (transport from CDG) + 1 hr 30 min (check-in time) + 1 hr 20 min (flight) + 1 hr (deplaning + transport to downtown) = 5 hr 35 min

🚆 Train = 4 hours 30 minutes on the TGV Lyria + 15 minutes (early arrival) + 30 minutes (travel time at Gare de Lyon) = 5 hours 15 minutes

The door-to-door travel time is therefore faster by train.

Price (round trip):

✈️ Plane - carry-on luggage under the seat = 140€ round-trip (flight) + 21€ (round-trip to CDG) + 7.5€ x 2 (airport to downtown via public transportation) = 176€

✈️ Flight - checked baggage = 208€ round-trip + 21€ + 7.5€ x 2 = 244€

🚆 Train = €81 one-way + €103 round-trip + €5 = €189

So the train fare is cheaper than by plane with checked luggage.

2.🇨🇭 Paris–Geneva (Switzerland)

Duration:

✈️ Flight = 1 hour 30 minutes (transport from CDG) + 1 hour 30 minutes (check-in time) + 1 hour (flight) + 30 minutes (deplaning + transport to downtown) = 4 hours 30 minutes

🚆 Train = 3 hours 10 minutes on the TGV Lyria + 15 minutes (early arrival) + 30 minutes (travel time to Gare de Lyon) = 3 hours 55 minutes

The door-to-door trip is therefore faster by train.

Price (round trip):

✈️ Plane - carry-on luggage under the seat = €129 round-trip (flight) + €21 (round-trip CDG) + €3.20 x 2 (airport to downtown) = €156.40

✈️ Flight - checked baggage = 195€ round-trip + 21€ + 3.20€ x 2 = 222.4€

🚆 Train = 84€ one-way + 54€ return + 5€ = 143€

So the train fare is cheaper than by plane.

3. 🇩🇪 Paris–Frankfurt (Germany)

Duration:

✈️ Flight = 1 hour 30 minutes (transport from CDG) + 1 hour 30 minutes (check-in time) + 1 hour 20 minutes (flight) + 20 minutes (deplaning + transport to downtown) = 4 hours 40 minutes

🚆 Train = 3 hours 50 minutes on the TGV Inoui + 15 minutes (early arrival) + 10 minutes (travel to Gare de l'Est) = 4 hours 15 minutes

The door-to-door trip is therefore faster by train.

Price (round trip):

✈️ Plane - carry-on luggage under the seat = 154€ round-trip (flight) + 21€ (round-trip CDG) + 6.30€ x 2 (airport to downtown) = 187.6€

✈️ Flight - checked baggage = 228€ round-trip + 21€ + 6.30€ x 2 = 261.6€

🚆 Train = 44€ one-way + 64€ round-trip + 5€ = 113€

So the train fare is cheaper than by plane.

4. 🇳🇱 Paris–Amsterdam (Netherlands)

Duration:

✈️ Flight = 1 hour 30 minutes (transportation from CDG) + 1 hour 30 minutes (check-in time) + 1 hour 30 minutes (flight) + 1 hour (deplaning + transportation to downtown) = 5 hours 30 minutes

🚆 Train = 3 hours 20 minutes on the Eurostar + 15 minutes (arrival time) + 10 minutes (travel time to Gare du Nord) = 3 hours 45 minutes

The door-to-door trip is therefore faster by train.

Price (round trip):

✈️ Plane - carry-on luggage = 140€ round-trip (flight) + 21€ (round-trip to CDG) + 6.50€ x 2 (airport-to-downtown transfer) = 174€

✈️ Flight - checked baggage = 194€ round-trip + 21€ + 6.60€ x 2 = 228€

🚆 Train = €104 one-way + €104 return + €5 = €213

So the train fare is cheaper than by plane.

5. 🇪🇸 Paris–Barcelona (Spain)

Duration:

✈️ Flight = 1 hour 30 minutes (transport from CDG) + 1 hour 30 minutes (check-in time) + 1 hour 50 minutes (flight) + 1 hour 10 minutes (deplaning + transport to downtown) = 6 hours

🚆 Train = 6 hours 50 minutes on the TGV Inoui + 15 minutes (early arrival) + 30 minutes (travel time to Gare de Lyon) = 7 hours 35 minutes

The door-to-door travel time is therefore slightly longer by train.

Price (round trip):

✈️ Flight - carry-on luggage = 80€ round-trip (flight) + 21€ (round-trip to CDG) + 24€ (round-trip Aerobus shuttle to Barcelona) = 125€

✈️ Flight - checked baggage = 186€ round-trip + 21€ + 24€ = 231€

🚆 Train = €129 one-way + €99 return + €5 (round-trip to the station) = €233

The total cost of the train trip is therefore equivalent compared to that of a flight.

Train vs. Plane: The Bottom Line

In summary, based on 5 trips to iconic European cities:

- Travel time (door-to-door): 4 trips that are shorter by train than by plane, and 1 trip that takes only slightly longer by train,

- Price (door-to-door): 4 train trips are cheaper, and 1 is the same price.

Traveling to these major European cities by train rather than by plane is not only significantly reduce the carbon footprint of their trip, but it's also increase comfort :

• To be able to set out from a city center,
• Arrive just 15 minutes before departure,
• Bringing a large suitcase without paying an extra fee,
• Sitting comfortably while working, reading, listening to podcasts, or taking in the scenery...
• Being able to get up whenever you want,
• Arrive right in the heart of downtown.

And all that for a equivalent door-to-door travel time or even lower, and prices that are comparable or even lower than the same trip by plane!

Ready to take the plunge?

Written by Sophie Renassia

Issue du monde de la communication et des médias, Sophie est Responsable éditoriale chez HOURRAIL ! depuis août 2024. Elle est notamment derrière le contenu éditorial du site ainsi que La Locomissive (de l'inspiration voyage bas carbone et des bons plans, un jeudi sur deux, gratuitement dans ta boîte mail !).

Convaincue que les changements d’habitude passent par la transformation de nos imaginaires, elle s’attache à montrer qu’il est possible de voyager autrement, de manière plus consciente, plus lente et plus joyeuse. Son objectif : rendre le slow travel accessible à toutes et tous, à travers des astuces, des décryptages et surtout, de nouveaux récits.

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