Family holiday - south of France - by train?

[stellakis]

Hi all, 

I’m hoping to book a family holiday with 2 teenage boys (16 & 14) to the South of France. We need to travel by train so thinking Eurostar to Paris then TGV somewhere south. 
 

Does anyone have any recommendations please? Any do’s or dont’s? 
 

thank you 🙏🏻 

[ed_pete]

While I can't recommend any destination, for European train travel advice take a look at the man in seat 61 website - it's a mine of useful information.

[Cyclemonkey]

We go to the South of France by train most summers.  

It is pretty easy and you get to arrive right in the centre of the city.  TGVs are generally efficient, reliable and comfortable. Unfortunately the direct London to Marseille Eurostar train seems to have been a  victim of Brexit so you have to change in Paris - most South bound service go from  Gare de Lyon - about a 15 min RER rise from Gare du Nord.

Allow plenty of time travelling back from Gare du Nord, it always was horrid but has reach new levels of chaos since Brexit.

I would recommend, at least for the home leg, booking the entire journey through Eurostar. That way if your French train is delayed or cancelled and you miss your Eurostar connection back to London,  Eurostar will get you on to a different train home.

As for destinations - there is a lot of the South of Fra.ce to choose from.  What are you looking for?

 

 

Also Ouigo trains can be a cheaper option than TGVs, but watch out you have to pay extra for things like luggage and seat reservations.  Also they sometimes stop at TGV stations outside the city centre.

[Moovart]

Do check out changing at Lille if it's possible, as is much easier than changing stations in Paris. 

I did London to Montpellier changing at Lille which was very straightforward but it was a little while ago.

[HeadNun]

We did London to Avignon, which was a dream - changed at Lille and the journey south was smooth and so much more relaxing and scenic than the inside of an airport / Easy jet plane. I'd thoroughly recommend it. 

[Peckhampam]

On 02/06/2025 at 11:17, Cyclemonkey said:

We go to the South of France by train most summers.  

It is pretty easy and you get to arrive right in the centre of the city.  TGVs are generally efficient, reliable and comfortable. Unfortunately the direct London to Marseille Eurostar train seems to have been a  victim of Brexit so you have to change in Paris - most South bound service go from  Gare de Lyon - about a 15 min RER rise from Gare du Nord.

Allow plenty of time travelling back from Gare du Nord, it always was horrid but has reach new levels of chaos since Brexit.

I would recommend, at least for the home leg, booking the entire journey through Eurostar. That way if your French train is delayed or cancelled and you miss your Eurostar connection back to London,  Eurostar will get you on to a different train home.

As for destinations - there is a lot of the South of Fra.ce to choose from.  What are you looking for?

 

 

Also Ouigo trains can be a cheaper option than TGVs, but watch out you have to pay extra for things like luggage and seat reservations.  Also they sometimes stop at TGV stations outside the city centre.

London to Marseille you are much better going via Lille.  5 Minute walk between stations

[Cyclemonkey]

Agreed, it absolutely is, but not as easy to get these days.  We are going to Narbonne next month by train and I tried almost every permutation to avoid going to Paris, but to no avail.

[green bean]

We once did Eurostar to Paris (1 night stop), Paris to St Jean de Luz (near Spanish border & Biarritz - lovely town with great beach - 7 night stop), St Jean de Luz to Bordeaux (4 night stop) then Bordeaux to Lille (1 night stop) then home. With a 7 year old.

Have done most holidays all over Europe by train for years with growing child - we all love it! Pre-child took sleeper from Lille to Nice then local train on to Antibes. Not sure if that sleeper still runs.

Man in Seat 61 has impeccable advice! My top tip, if you have the time is try to stop over for every train change -  makes it so much more relaxing not worrying about connections. 

[eb949013]

It's a lovely journey via train, particularly with older children. Another vote for man in Seat 61 as the best source of info!

[QueenMab]

We went to Provence on the Eurostar, it was great. I would recommend booking first class if you can, it's probably cheaper than a plane and the food you get is amazing. It's also great for a large family group, we had two tables across from each other so we could play cards, chat etc. It was so relaxing. Journey back less so as we had to go through passport control in Lille but I would follow the advice above about booking the return journey from the French Eurostar booking to smooth out any potential problems. 

[cath_r]

Just to note (as someone who has regularly travelled across France by train from London) that SNCF and Eurostar are very good at sorting out situations when trains have been delayed. If an SNCF train is delayed, the conductor will invite people to get their tickets stamped if they have an onward Eurostar. I've been late to Eurostar on numerous occasions and they've just put me on the next service. Mostly they've already been aware of SNCF delays.

Ditto when I told the TGV staff that my Eurostar was late, they just told me to board and they would help me find a seat. Delays are common and they have procedures in place to handle them in both directions. I've always been pleasantly surprised by how simple it's been. 

Also, definitely agree with QueenMab re first class seats on the French TGV trains. They are spacious and relaxing and when my son was under 5, he could have his own ticket/seat for just 9 euros.