Our high-speed Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV) train trip from Mulhouse to Paris was efficient, punctual, and very inexpensive. It made so much more sense than flying.
French TGV High-Speed Train Review: Mulhouse – Paris
I enjoy flying from Basel to Paris on Air France, but the train made so much more sense here. My journey from Mulhouse-Ville to Paris Gare De Lyon cost only €135.00 for four tickets in second class (two adults, two kids). I booked it less than three days prior to travel. Interestingly, adding on a leg from Basel to Mulhouse doubled the price.
We arrived at Mulhouse-Ville at 7:00am…the sun was just beginning to rise.
The train pulled up at 7:25am and we found our seats onboard and settled in. The train was on the fuller side, but there were open seats (we picked up more passengers as we approached Paris). We had pre-reserved seats and I tend to reserve table seating (four seats facing eachother with a table in the middle) which is ideal for families (and also for me to work).
Each seat has 220-volt outlet.
The kids love rice cakes and snacked throughout the journey.
I spent most of the 3.5-hour journey working and it was a very producive time…internet worked well (it went out a couple times, but only briefly).
At one point, my son Augustine wanted to visit the café car so we went and checked it out. Coffee, tea, water, soft drinks, beer, wine, cookies, muffins, and other packaged snacks were avilable for purchase. We did not buy anything…
We arrived at Paris Gare De Lyon on time and were soon on our way to our hotel via Uber…a very smooth journey.
CONCLUSION
Considering the ticket price, I scored an excellent deal on this train ride, and it was indeed pleasant and productive. I find intercity rail travel in Europe to generally be a pleasure and this journey was no exception.
> Read More: TGV First Class from Stuttgart to Paris Review
If you’re connecting at Paris and going to a city outside of Paris, AF sells fares where you take the TGV instead of a small narrowbody. It’s a transfer that’s a bit of a hassle if you’re not flying on AF LP, but the TGV itself has always been fine as I’ve always been lucky to avoid SNCF strikes.
We took a long distance train in France for the first time in 2001. We didn’t know the language and were confused by the stops, the general timeline etc. This was of course before cell phones and Apple Maps. We flagged an employee and he asked us what arrival time our ticket showed. We told him 6am or whatever it was. He said “at 6am you get off the train”. Sure enough it was a 12 hr train ride and it was right on the dot. So efficient.
We did trains for 6 weeks in Italy. No brainer. Arrive in the center of town mostly. No security. Room to spread out. Scenery. Can walk around.
Ditto Japan.
I *Heart* high speed rail
I’m on a French train each year, often a TGV. I always plan ahead and buy the train ticket as soon as reservations open up. For that reason, I always go first class, as the price is reasonable with discounts available when you book early. That means I can get the solo seat in the 1-2 1st class sections (2nd class is 2-2) for peanuts.
Have done that exact trip and it was a breeze. Wish more Americans would get the chance to experience fast, efficient train travel so they could advocate more! And if you get a chance, the Musée National de l’Automobile, Collection Schlumpf in Mulhouse is worth the trip!
Love the TGV. Reminder to book early as the above commenter indicated so you can boom a INOUI ticket and aren’t forced into purchasing a OUIGO ticket with no bar car
How did you find the prices in the cafe car?
I took my daughter to Italy, Switzerland, and Austrial several years ago and we took 17 trains. Except for the lack of luggage space occasionally, we loved them, far better than airports and flights.
Thank you for sharing! Love to watch the kids grow up. Fun little seasoned travelers.
The fact that an additional 40 km (Basel-Mulhouse) doubled the price of the 500km journey from Mulhouse to Paris highlights why international rail travel in many parts of Europe remains a complicated mess.