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Train tickets for the May long weekends go on sale tomorrow!

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The Editor

© Enzo JIANG / Flickr

Every year, it's like a gold rush! Everyone tries to grab the best deals as early as possible, so they won't spend a month's salary just to enjoy a little weekend getaway during the spring holidays. And because we're nice like that, we're sharing with you the date when SNCF tickets go on sale for the year 2025!

We all know that the key to successful train journeys — meaning snagging a ticket without breaking the bank — is planning ahead. So even though the February holidays haven't happened yet, we're already dreaming about maximizing the many long weekends coming up in April and May. And for that, be ready to head over to the SNCF website tomorrow. Indeed, this Wednesday at the crack of dawn, the train company will release tickets for the period from March 31 to May 11, which includes the spring holidays, Easter Monday, and the 1st and 8th of May.


A pretty flexible rule

For years now, tickets for upcoming trains have been available 4 months before the departure date. It's a fact everyone knows! If you want to travel to Cobrils, in Hérault (the smallest SNCF station in France) on June 6, 2025, you can…

You can start buying your tickets from February 6th of the same year. However, there are 4 periods that deviate from this rule, and for good reason, as these are the times when trains in the French railway network are the most popular. Not surprisingly, we're talking about the school holidays, specifically winter (in February), Christmas, summer, and, as you've probably guessed, spring. For these exceptions, all tickets for the relevant dates are released all at once, creating a true digital stampede.


3, 2, 1, here we go!

And for this year 2025 and its pretty well-placed long weekends — lots of Thursdays, Fridays, and Mondays in sight — the die is cast (or almost) since SNCF has announced that the various tickets for TGV, Intercités, and Ouigo trains between March 31 and May 11 (and even on July 4 for the Ouigo Grande Vitesse) will be available for sale starting January 22, which is tomorrow. And let's be honest, we’re not quite psychologically ready to organize our May Day plans yet… Whatever happens, we only have one piece of advice for you, even if you’re unsure about your schedule: don’t hesitate to grab your tickets as soon as possible! After all, they’re 100% refundable up to 7 days before for TGV tickets at least!t the start. This gives you plenty of time to change your mind, right ?