Description:

Brittany has an excellent rail network which allows travellers to reach the rest of France and Europe easily.  Within Brittany there are over 1,151 kms of railway track crossing most of the towns with TGV, Corail and TER.  However, in some of the more rural areas you may also need to use other transport such as a car or bus as well. 

It is no surprise that some airline companies are thinking of buying in to the European rail network, with high-speed rail lines and super fast trains now providing a viable alternative to short haul air travel. There are already existing TGV links from Paris to some of the major towns in Brittany including Rennes, Brest and Quimper.

The following summarises the key services available:

The TER network are the SNCF regional trains which generally use modern and comfortable carriages to link the larger towns and villages within Brittany.  Due to the good coverage of the network the TER is useful for linking to a final destination after taking a TGV mainline route (see below).

For further information on ticket prices, routes and timetables visit the TER SNCF website or call 3635 from in France or 08 92 35 35 35 outside of France.

The TGV network is a high speed train line which travels at up to 320 km per hour (200mph) in commercial services, but has reached 574.8 km per hour (357mph) in trial conditions.  

Paris is the hub of TGV services and the TGV train runs almost hourly from Paris Montparnasse to Saint Malo (2 hrs 45), Rennes (2 hrs), Brest and Quimper (4 hrs);

For further information on ticket prices, routes and timetables visit the TGV website or call 3635 from in France or 08 92 35 35 35 outside of France.

The Corail Lunea is an overnight service provided by SNCF which provides an ideal way to arrive at you holiday destination ready to go. Some services have a restaurant car, providing breakfast and dinner, check the Corail Lunea website for details.

You can catch the Corail Lunea in Brittany from Quimper, Rosporden, Quimperle, Lorient, Auray, Vannes and Redon.

Eurostar operate a number of services from London, Ebbsfleet and Ashford that link up with the SNCF network at Paris and Lille, allowing easy access to the north and west of France. The Eurostar website has up to date timetables.

Taking the Eurostar to Paris or Lille gives good access to the SNCF network and a choice of routes to Brittany.

www.eurotunnel.com

Corail Teoz is provided by SNCF and links the larger towns in France at lower speeds and with more stops than the TGV.  Two classes are provided first, which can be reserved, and second.  First class seats are each provided with a reading lamp and a power socket for recharging mobile phones or laptops.

Corail Teoz is not available within Brittany but may be useful when travelling around France.

This is the official SNCF ticket distributor in the UK and can supply tickets for the whole French train network including Eurostar. The Rail Europe website is in English and can be used to plan and purchase tickets for your complete trip around Europe.

Further Information

For information on other ways of travelling to, from and around Brittany please visit the Guide2Brittany 'Guide to Travel to and around Brittany'.