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Soon, tickets from Paris to Marseille will be much cheaper!

undefined undefined 26 janvier 2025 undefined 09h30

The Editor

© Giannis Papanikos / Shutterstock

This is the most traveled TGV line in France. And one thing's for sure, following this announcement from the Trenitalia railway company, it’s not likely to see a drop in passenger numbers anytime soon. Indeed, in just a few months, the now-famous red trains will be making 4 round trips a day between the capital and the port city of Marseille. To top it all off, the ticket prices might just catch your interest.

On Tuesday, January 21, during an exceptional press conference, Trenitalia — which has been making its mark in the French railway landscape for a few years now — made several exciting announcements. After officially declaring the reopening of the Paris-Milan route, which had been closed for 19 months due to a landslide last March, the company shared another fantastic piece of news. Starting in June, it will offer travelers heading to Marseille an alternative to the Ouigo and TGV from SNCF.


A new classic

Beginning on June 15, Trenitalia will be rolling into the Phoceean city. After establishing a strong presence on the Paris-Lyon route, the made in Italy company is determined to expand its footprint in France by offering services to the the most used TGV line in France. Every day, it will offer 4 round trips operated by the Frecciarossa, the « Red Arrows », in addition to the journeys already provided by SNCF.

Despite its name suggesting unmatched speed, the journey on this new Paris-Marseille route will take a cozy 3 hours and 20 minutes, which is the same duration as our good old SNCF TGVs. From the Gare de Lyon, it will then stop at Lyon-Saint-Exupéry, Avignon TGV, Aix-en-Provence TGV, and finally, of course, Marseille Saint-Charles, probably one of the places with the most Parisians in France. And to compete with Thierry Marx, who handles the dining experience on SNCF trains, the Italian-flavored meals will be crafted by the star chef Carlo Cracco.


Travelers Are the Real Winners

But the big question that remains in all of this is: what about the price? Well, for now, the company has kept us in suspense, revealing nothing specific yet.

Only information available to us for now, they announced a "pricing range based on the train's occupancy rate", with very attractive initial fares.

If we believe the experience of the Paris-Lyon, this new offer should make travelers very happy, as it would force the SNCF to lower its prices in response to the competition. Plus, France Bleu reminds us that, according to a study, Trenitalia's fares are on average 40% cheaper than those of our good old French railway company. Just giving you a heads up, starting June 15th, you probably won’t see us anymore, we’ll likely be cozying up in Marseille all the time.