5 train routes cheaper or equivalent to flying from Paris
“I'd like to take the train but it's too expensive!”, ”The train journey is longer and I don't have many days off...” Even when we're aware of the ecological impact of flying, it's often practical reasons that outweigh our convictions, due to lack of time or budget... And what if we told you that some European train lines are cheaper than flying, or at an equivalent price, and for an equivalent or shorter door-to-door journey time?
To prove it to you, we had some fun comparing train vs. plane from Paris for several major European cities accessible by TGV. And if you dig a little deeper, you'll soon realize that air travel isn't nearly as advantageous as you might think, either in terms of journey time or price... Let's see how it works.
Our methodology
Before getting to the heart of the matter, here's how we went about this comparison. To make our calculations, we chose :
- a starting point that's not too central in Paris: the 18th arrondissement,
- the same dates each time: departure on Saturday March 15, 2025 and return on Saturday March 22, 2025,
- comparable comfort in terms of timetables: no need to get up before 6 a.m,
- a comparison of prices as of January 15, 2025.
→ Journey to CDG by public transport = 1h10 and 10.30€ = 21€ AR (by RER B + metro).
→ Journey Paris XVIIIe - Gare = 10 to 30 min + 15 min in advance and 2.5€ = 5€ AR (by metro).
→ Airport - city center = by public transport, systematically taking the cheapest price.
Of course, for simplicity's sake, we've used Paris as our reference point from France, but we're doing our utmost to break away from the “Parisian-centric” logic by offering departures from different French cities on the hundreds of itineraries on our site!
5 European destinations from Paris
1. 🇨🇭Paris-Zurich (Switzerland)
Duration:
✈️ Plane = 1h10 + 1h30 + 1h20 + 35min = 4h35
🚆 Train = 4h30 by TGV Lyria + 15min (advance) + 30min (to go to Gare de Lyon) = 5h15
Door-to-door travel time is therefore equivalent.
Price (round trip) :
✈️ Plane - hand luggage under seat = €140 AR (flight) + €21 (round trip to CDG airport) + €7.5x2 (airport-city center by public transport) = €176
✈️ Plane - checked baggage = 208€ AR + €21 + €7,5x2 = 244€
🚆 Train = €81 A + €103 R + €5 = €189
The train journey is therefore cheaper than by plane with hold baggage.
2.🇨🇭 Paris-Geneva (Switzerland)
Duration:
✈️ Plane = 1h30 + 1h30 + 1h + 30min = 4h30
🚆 Train = 3h10 by TGV Lyria + 15min (advance) + 30min (to go to Gare de Lyon) = 3h55
The door-to-door journey is therefore faster by train.
Price (round trip) :
✈️ Plane - hand luggage under seat = €129 AR (flight) + €21 (round trip to CDG airport) + €3.20x2 (airport-city center) = €156.4
✈️ Plane - hold baggage = 195€ AR + €21€ + €3,20x2 = €222,4
🚆 Train = €84 A + €54 R + €5 = €143
The train journey is therefore cheaper than by plane.
3. 🇩🇪 Paris-Francfort (Germany)
Duration:
✈️ Plane = 1h30 + 1h30 + 1h20 + 20min = 4h40
🚆 Train = 3h50 by TGV Inoui + 15min (advance) + 10min (to go to Gare de l'Est) = 4h15
The door-to-door journey is therefore faster by train.
Price (round trip) :
✈️ Plane - hand luggage under seat = €154 AR (flight) + €21 (AR CDG) + €6.30x2 (airport-city center) = €187.6
✈️ Plane - checked baggage = 228€ AR + 21€ + 6,30€x2 = 261,6€
🚆 Train = €44 A + €64 R + €5 = €113
The train journey is therefore cheaper than by plane.
4. 🇳🇱 Paris-Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Duration:
✈️ Plane = 1h30 + 1h30 + 1h30 + 45 min + 20 min = 5h35
🚆 Train = 3h25 by Eurostar + 15min (advance) + 10 min (to go to Gare du Nord) = 3h45
The door-to-door journey is therefore faster by train.
Price (round trip) :
✈️ Plane - hand luggage = €140 AR (flight) + €21 (AR CDG) + €6.50x2 (airport to city center) = €174
✈️ Plane - hold baggage = 194€ AR + 21€ + 6,60€x2 = 228€
🚆 Train = €104 A + €104 R + €5 = €213
The train journey is therefore cheaper than by plane.
5. 🇪🇸 Paris-Barcelone (Spain)
Duration:
✈️ Plane = 1h30 (transport) + 1h30 (advance) + 1h50 (flight) + 1h10 (plane exit + downtown transport) = 6h
🚆 Train = 6h50 by TGV Inoui + 15min (advance) + 30min (to go to Gare de Lyon) = 7h35
Door-to-door travel time is therefore almost equivalent.
Price (round trip) :
✈️ Plane - hand luggage = €80 AR (flight) + €21 (AR CDG) + €24 (AR aerobus shuttle Barcelona) = €125
✈️ Plane - checked baggage = €186 AR + €21 + €24 = €231
🚆 Train = €129 A + €99 R + €5 (AR to station) = €233
The total price of a train journey is therefore equivalent to that of a plane journey.
Train VS plane: how does it compare?
In summary, over 5 journeys in emblematic European cities:
- Duration (door-to-door): 3 trips shorter by train than by plane, 1 trip of equivalent duration, 1 trip of almost equivalent duration by train,
- Price (door-to-door): 4 journeys cheaper by train and 1 of equivalent price.
In short, travelling to these major European cities by train rather than by plane not only considerably reduces the carbon footprint of your trip, but also makes it more comfortable:
- Depart from a city center,
- Arrive only 15 minutes before departure,
- Carrying a large suitcase without paying extra,
- Sitting comfortably to work, read, listen to podcasts, admire the scenery...
- Get up whenever you like,
- Arrive in the heart of downtown.
And all this for the same or even shorter door-to-door travel time, and at prices comparable or even cheaper than the same journey by plane!
Want to take the plunge?
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.
