France’s high-speed TGV trains aren’t actually very good… (Here’s why!)
The French TGV is well known all around the world, and today I’m taking a ride from Paris to Strasbourg to see if the hype over this iconic high-speed train is well-deserved. Join me as I travel from Paris to Strasbourg aboard the SNCF TGV Réseau.
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Journey Details:
Origin: Paris Est
Destination: Strasbourg
Company: SNCF
Train: SNCF TGV Réseau
Accommodation: Second Class Seat (2nd)
Distance: 441 kilometres / 274 miles
Price: €77.00 (£67.40 / $82.60)
Time: 1 hour 46 minutes, arrived 1 minute early
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38 Comments
Frankly, I couldn't see what he was complaining about. The dynamic pricing on TGVs means frequently he could have paid less for his trip than he did. He paid 77€; next Wednesday for example, the prices quoted are 59-68. The single-deck TGVs are the oldest design, older than the Strasbourg line itself, which is one of the newer hi-speed lines, inaugurated in 2007.
Of course seat reservation is mandatory in these trains. Imagine them being without 😮
As someone that way too often has to endure overfilled DB trains and often standing because I can't reach my booked seat, I prefer the French TGV system… a lot. The people complaining probably aren't regular commuters
I know you’re British and your country is known for bad infrastructure, but 10 mbps is not fast.
overly harsh.
Makes the uk's 125mph look like a joke
The TGV Reseaus are in poor condition because they are due to be replaced by 2026 with new trains, which are currently suffering major teething issues across the Pond as well.
Alstom has gone to shit.
Absolute picky nonsense.
9:56 prices very high? They are ok in my opinion for a train restaurant
celui ci et un tgv atlantique il et programmer pour la destruction d ici maximum 3 ans il sera remplacer par le tgv M nouvelle generation
apres tu trouve tout trop cher dans ce cas fallait prendre un ouigo apres moins cher tu peu y aller a pied sinon ! puis un chocolat a 3.80 dans un tgv ! bah c est pas plus cher que dans le centre ville de strasbourg je trouve ta video totalement inutile a par le fait que le train et mal nettoyer c est la seul critique recevable surtout que ice et pratiquement 3 fois plus cher a titre de comparaison munich berlin 500 km 175 euros et 4h de voyage donc ton commentaire et franchement deplacer quand on et faucher comme toi on voyage en ouigo ca te serais revenu a 50 euros puis autre chose sarrebruck strasbourg il y a un train toute les 30/40 minutes je sais pas d ou tu tires tes info 2 trains par jour mais c est totalement faux renseigne toi avant de dire des conneries
For me, this model is the quintessential tgv how I learned to know it back in 1982 between Paris and Lyon. I am happy to see it is still running and I would love to have the opportunity to travel on one of these.
I think it might be worth blurring out peoples' faces when they are clearly visible. Some other travel youtubers do it and I think it's a nice touch, especially because trains can be quite cramped quarters and camera-shy people can't hide their faces. Even though people won't know, it might still be the right thing to do. Just a thought!
Ridiculous jealous rosbeef
You obviously decided to do a hit job for clicks: I always thought you were a serious guy. Most of this piece is just unjustified whining based on the worst, oldest model TGV you could find and which is about to be decommissioned.. I use the TGV from Gare de Lyon and Gare de l'Est regularly. The queue and the ticket scan takes a couple of minutes; the train is smoother than the ICE(which is always late), the tickets are reasonable compared to other modes of transport anywhere if one plans ahead. Please show me those cheap HSR lines in the UK? Sorry to say, but you just sound like a whinging Brit who WANTS to be disappointed….Disliked and not respected.
Fun fact: The Korean high-speed trains (KTX) are also TGV Reseau…but cheaper, cleaner and without paint peeling off.
10:59 When i saw this on TGVs I THOUGHT IT WAS A CLOUD DESIGN
You got this seat because at the time when you booked the window seat was occupied. The person who planned to travel there canceled then his ticket.
We can see where Renfe go its inspiration from. Luckily, competition is sorting some of those things out. Not all, there is still onerous boarding procedures at stations, like in France or worse.
What happened to the original orange TGV Train
This was an Inouï train, the low-cost service SNCF provides with older TGVs, hence the outside peeled paint and stained seats. In my experience, it was still very good, I went from Lyon to Rennes in 4 h with 2 stops (Paris and Le Mans), and I paid 52 € with Inouï. It was a 2-decker and the trip was as smooth as it can be, and the WiFi connection actually included movies, books and magazines for free to access, just like on the plane, the only difference was that I had to use my phone or computer instead of a screen on the seat in front of me. Of course a 30-year old train will look a bit rugged, but that’s still very convenient. And in comparison, you might be able to get flights for a lower price, but comfort on a budget airline is not excellent either. And airlines have subsidies for kerosene while the TGV is not as subsidised. That creates a paradox where plane tickets are cheaper than train trips for a national connection.
I was on th hi speed Spanish train from Barcelona to Madrid. Fastest was 311k. Cleaner and shinier and newer trains with better seating. Enjoyable
ähhh, no
€77 for a 400km trip seems pretty reasonable. Also, the last TGV I took, the price difference between 1st and 2nd class was €2. The only reason to travel 2nd is if 1st is booked out.
The capacity is an issue, but as you say, they are replacing the single deck trains with double deck ones, which should significantly increase the capacity.
The train may have been a little bit tatty. Usually they would have a mid life service at about 20 years old, but since they are phasing out the single deck models, they may be just keeping them running until the new trains arrive.
You like them less than the ICE, but you are comparing the newest ICE to the oldest TGV. Personally I'd rather have a slightly tatty train that runs on time than a state of the art one running an hour late, or worse, cancelled.
Frequent traveller on TGV trains, it's fast, comfortable and reliable.
11:56, worth noticing lorraine tgv is not the station to reach Metz. There are >8 tgvs per day reaching directly to Metz city centre in 1h30
German ICE are always late and in similar conditions. However, they're much slower and capacity is comically low. Not even mentionning all the surprise cancellations that aren't properly communicated to the public…
A Brit ranting about the TGV because of minor inconveniences that nobody sane enough notices (scratched paint of a 25 years old train, small stains on seats, and "foggy" windows) seems highly hypocritical when you think about the British high-speed rail service (non-existant even after 50 years of "planning")
This clown is from england where tickets are crazy expensive and trains are pieces of shit from the 80s mostly and travelling to Spain and France to say they have bad trains…
click-bait alert ! all critics of the TGV relate to petty issues with the service, not the train itself. and when did it become OK to film people's face up close in Europe ? this isn't USA !
You litteraly took the oldest train in the TGV fleet, that will be replaced pretty soon, and in the end you compared it with the newest ICE fleet. Not really honest imo, you should've done your video with a TGV 2N2, the newest model in France.
You have no idea yes some of these of trains are old but they are 100% better than the crap airlines
They’re pretty clean by Australian standards tbh 😂 (also the fact they even have HSR 💀)
I must say, travelling in from Aus, I couldn’t use my adapter just from the way the ports are configured, meaning I had to use my own battery, which was kind of annoying (first world problems lol) but other than that a really good service
Why don't you make a video on English trains.
I remember being at Gare du Mans in 2005, surrounded by countless sleek, grey TGV trains lined up next to each other. The scene was surreal, almost like a vision of the future. Even then, these trains were probably, on average, 25 years old—yet they still felt incredibly advanced. Back in the Netherlands, we didn’t even have a single high-speed train to compare. I couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy at the sheer modernity of French rail travel.
review a trains 31 years old ok
Thanks for the video! I do agree with your observations regarding dirty windows, worn chairs, poor cleaning, expensive tickets and coffee, worn exterior (partly thanks to SNCF's use foil to wrap many surfaces instead of painting).
Some remarks/points of criticism:
Champagne-Ardenne has a train service to/from Reims city center that is much faster than using the tram, the empty window seat could be the result of a cancelled reservation, sold-out train vs having a ticket but no seat (which one would you prefer?), mentioning unnecessary queues at stations without researching why the gates were installed, unfair comparison of a 30 year old TGV with a brand-new ICE.
va chialer
Food has never been that good, but you can get from Marseille to paris in hours.