SNCF opens ticket purchases online for Christmas period
Buying tickets in advance for major journeys such as Paris-Marseille could save you up to 60%
SNCF is also laying on 29,000 extra tickets per week from November 27 to December 23 for trains to and from Strasbourg and Colmar, for their famous Christmas markets
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Train tickets for journeys in France over the Christmas and New Year period are now available to buy online, with potential savings available for people who book well in advance.
Tickets for the holiday period became available on the SNCF Voyageurs website at the start of this month.
Specifically, the journeys now available for booking are:
TGV InOui (full national service) and Intercités: December 14, 2025 to January 7, 2026
TGV InOui (full international service to Spain, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland): December 14 to March 29, 2026
TGV Ouigo (budget service): December 14, 2025 to July 3, 2026
The company is also laying on 29,000 extra tickets per week (22% more than normal) from November 27 to December 23 for trains to and from Strasbourg and Colmar, which have famous Christmas markets.
A new TGV Ouigo service to Hendaye via Bordeaux, Dax, Bayonne, Biarritz, and Saint-Jean-de-Luz is set to begin on December 14. There will also be a third daily return service to Rennes, and a second daily return service between Nancy and Lyon.
Tickets for InOui and Intercités journeys taking place between January 8, 2026 to March 29, 2026 will open on November 12.
Millions of tickets
An estimated five million people are expected to visit the SNCF website today. Last year, 1.5 million tickets for the holiday period were sold on the first day they became available.
SNCF operates a waiting list system. You can sign up for an alert via email or app that can let you know if a seat becomes available. If a seat does open up, “we will put it in your basket [automatically] for up to two hours,” explains François Ozanne, product director at SNCF, to TF1 Info. “So you have to be quick.”
Trainline added that trains to Marseille, Bordeaux, Rennes, and Toulouse tend to get 70% booked up or more within two months of tickets becoming available.
Ticket savings
Buying tickets in advance can often net considerable savings for travellers.
“We are seeing record low prices,” said Cédric Dufour, head of train ticket comparison website Trainline, to TF1 Info. “On average, prices are 30% cheaper [now than if bought just before the journey]. But for Paris-Marseille, they might be up to 50-60% cheaper. Time will tell.”
Trainline always reports a spike in searches and bookings as soon as sales open, and a second spike at the last minute. However, at the later point, “70-80% of trains are already full on the main lines”.
“You really need to book early to get access to the best trains, the best times, and the best fares,” said Mr Dufour.
Booking at the last minute can cost a lot more, added Trainline. This can reach as much as 159% more for Paris-Lille, 32% more for Paris-Rennes, 25% for Paris-Bordeaux, and 18% for Paris-Strasbourg.
SNCF competitors
SNCF may not always offer the cheapest tickets, however. Depending on your destination and journey preferences, other services may be cheaper, and open for sale earlier.
For example, Trenitalia makes tickets available for sale for the Paris-Lyon, Paris-Marseille, and Paris-Milan lines six months in advance. And just like SNCF, Trenitalia also serves several Alps stations in France (Chambéry, Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, and Modane).
Eurostar is also another option. It is already selling tickets for journeys up to May 16 for the Paris-London and Brussels-London lines; and May 17 for Paris-Brussels and Paris-Amsterdam.
