€1 train tickets in France: budget travel to beach resorts draws crowds

Two regions in France are selling regional ‘TER’ train tickets for €1, in a bid to boost local economies in the summer months and provide accessible travel across the country.

In the south, €1 tickets for trains between Nîmes and Le Grau du Roi in Occitanie saw over 100,000 passengers take advantage of the deal in 2024, and it is being repeated for 2025. 

So far passenger numbers in June this year are up 9%, indicating further success is on the way. 

The tickets can include a return back to Nîmes for €1, and this year have seen mandatory train selection as opposed to the previous day-ticket format.

This has been put in place to prevent over-crowding, and has staff checking tickets prior to entry to make sure people do not board the wrong service. 

Journeys take just over an hour, with two morning services, a lunchtime, and an early afternoon train departing from Nîmes daily, with a late afternoon train Monday - Friday and an additional evening train at the weekends.

In the opposite direction, six trains make the return journey to Nîmes between 16:00 and 20:00 to allow daytrippers to return home after spending a day at the seaside resort.

The scheme runs until August 31 between the two stations, granting several opportunities for people to take a trip. 

In addition, €1 ticket sales for other journeys in the region are available throughout the year. 

Routes where certain trains are fully comprised of €1 tickets include:

• Carcassonne - Quillan

• Perpignan - Villefranche-Vernet-les-Bains

• Marvejols - La-Bastide-St-Laurent-les-Bains

• Béziers - Bédarieux - St-Chély-d'Apcher

However, sporadic €1 ticket sales across the region are available throughout the summer.

These can be purchased no more than 10 days in advance of the date of travel, online via the regional SNCF website, SNCFConnect or via SNCF-approved vendors.

€1 regional train scheme also in the north 

It is not only people in the south who can benefit, however.

In the northern Hauts-de-France, 200,000 €1 tickets between more than 30 destinations are available, ranging from cities such as Amiens, Lens and Lille, to beach hotspots including Wimille-Wimereux, Dunkerque, and Boulogne-sur-Mer. 

These ‘éTER’ train tickets are also tied to a specific date and train to spread out passenger numbers, with the scheme running until August 24. 

A second round of tickets, covering journeys between August 1 and 24, go on sale next Tuesday (July 22), meaning people who missed out on the first round still have the opportunity to take a trip.

As in the south, both one-way and return tickets can be purchased for €1 each and are purchased through the local or national SNCF websites. 

In some cases, travellers must take public transport from the train station to the beach, but this is also limited to a €1 fare. 

Read also: ‘Handiplages’ for disabled people in France: what they offer and where to find them