Transportation

France has a wonderfully organized transport system, which makes it really easy to travel from one city to another and with the cities.

Arriving and Departing

Airports

Most of the major French cities have an international airport, linking France to almost any other country in the world. The busiest airport is Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris, which receives most of the international flights. But many other cities, such as Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Paris Strasbourg and Toulouse have important international airports allowing you to plan your vacation depending on which region you are heading to.

>>more information on France Airports

Trains

France is linked via railroad to all adjacent countries, except Andorra. The most popular train link is between UK and France via the Channel Tunnel. There are TGVs on this line.

Buses

Several European companies offer direct bus connections to France.

Traveling between cities

France has many airports (45 domestic ones to be exact), which makes traveling by plane from one city to another really effective and quite affordable. Although the tickets are cheap, you need to add the other costs such as the price of transportation from the airport to the city.

You can get to most French cities by using the French Rail System. It’s fast, it’s reliable and it will drop you right in the middle of the city. Plus, it’s always worth to try the TGV and meet some people to share your travel experiences with.

There is always the possibility to rent a car and explore the country at your own pace, stopping wherever you want (even if it’s just for taking a superb photo).

Public Transportation

The public transportation system in France is really well organized so all you need is a map and to practice French. This is extremely useful because you are not forced to stay at a hotel or hostel right in the center but can save on accommodation and choose a place to stay almost anywhere in the cities, as long as you are near a metro or tram station.

Metros

Metro services operate in the following French cities:

• Paris
• Laon
• Lille
• Lyon
• Marseille
• Rennes
• Toulouse

Tramways and light railways

Although most of the old tram railways have been closed in France, a new kind of transport has been growing rapidly: light rail networks. You will find such transport networks in: Paris, Lyon, Montpellier, Nantes, St Etienne and Strasbourg.

The tram still runs in Bordeaux but don’t expect to get its power from the suspended power line; it uses a ground level power supply. Lille, Marseille and St. Etienne still use the old tram systems. And if you go in Nancy you’ll find trolleybus “masquerading” as trams.

To sum up, in the following cities you will find either trams or light tram system: Bordeaux, Caen, Clermont-Ferrand, Grenoble, Paris, Lille, Lyon, Le Mans, Marseille, Montpellier, Mulhouse, Nancy, Nice, Nantes, Orléans, Rouen, Saint-Etienne, Strasbourg, and Valenciennes.

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