Better to fly or train from Paris to Marseilles?
 

Is it better to fly from Paris to Marseilles? It is just my 22 year old son and I.

Better in what way - time, price??

Price getting a discounted train ticket may be the cheapest way - city centre to city centre - airlines cost getting out to the airports, etc.

Timewise train could be as quick also figuring getting to airport, waiting for plane, bags, etc.

Go to www.voyages-sncf.com or www.capitainetrain.com - both booking agents for French trains with same fares, etc and see what is available - cheapest tickets are sold in limited numbers and are non-refundable non-changeable I think so set in stone weeks or months early to guarantee - walk up train fares can be shockingly high.

Some sites to tell you more than you want to know about French trains - www.seat61.com - good info on discounted train tickets; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.

Hourly about trains from Marseille Saint-Charles train station to Paris Gare de Lyon take 3 hours and 15 minutes all told - quicker than flying really and what to you go to Europe to see - airports and tarmacs or the lie of the France in between - though not dramatically scenic it is pastorally pleasant countryside as the train blasts thru Provence and Burgundy to Paris.

I would prefer the train. The TGV uses approximately 4 hours, if I remember correct. From city center to city center.

The train takes exactly 3 hours, so it is faster than flying when you factor in airport security, check-in delays, and transportation to and from the airports.

The scenery is quite pleasant once you get about 100kms south of Paris.

Oops, PalenQ is correct -- travel time is 3h15.

Perfect, thank you all so much!

Many TGV trains these days are Duplex (sp?) ones - meaning double-deckers - and the views from the upper level IME are far far superior to those from the lower level where the window views are often IME marred by windblocks along the tracks and guard rails as those seats are sunk way below the normal level of a train.

It depends on the context. If you are starting the day from the center of Paris, the train is better in many ways. However, if you are landing in Paris and immediately heading to Marseilles, you might also want to look at flight options. If the latter is the case, it makes even more sense to fly into Marseilles or Nice to begin with.

In cases like that, often the "add-on" fare to Marseille or Nice is free, so the air ticket should be automatic if you thought to ask for it. And if it isn't, there are direct trains from CDG to the south of France, which would often be a better option than waiting around the airport for another flight.