It’s a long-standing rivalry among short-haul travelers: hop on a fast plane or relax on a train?
And while most people have their preferences, in France the rules have changed to force the hand of those who prefer jet setting to train travel.
In May 2023, the French government banned all internal flight routes where an existing competing train route of less than two and a half hours is available, in order to reduce French aircraft emissions. The move irritated aviation officials and left Paris for Marseille, one of the few remaining routes served by Air France and high-speed TGV trains.
This new rule – which destroyed flight routes between Paris and Nantes, Lyon and Bordeaux – caught the team’s attention The points man (TPG), which regularly organizes high-speed races pitting a train against a plane to the same destination, to compare comfort, costs and speed.
TPG decided to compare and contrast the experience of crossing from Paris to Marseille by plane or TGV – with the resulting video a fun take on the long-standing competition between flights and trains. The hectic 780 kilometer journey started on foot, with the two participants setting off from the famous Louvre pyramid in Paris before making their own way to the old port of Marseille. Read on to see
THE TRAIN
France has banned most domestic short-haul flights where a competing train route of less than two and a half hours is available. That’s why travel experts at The Points Guy decided to compare one of the few remaining internal competition routes: Paris to Marseille
TPG editor at Large Nicky Kelvin (above) paid £151 for a business premiere seat from Paris Gare de Lyon to Marseille
Traveling with the TGV InOui was Nicky KelvinEditor at Groot voor TPGwho paid £151 for a business premiere seat from Paris Gare de Lyon to Marseille (spending travelers could of course opt for a cheaper economy ticket).
The TGV high-speed train network has been running for four decades and promises to take you from Paris to Marseille at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour. The duration? A tough three hours and 18 minutes.
What were the positive aspects of his TGV experience?
Nicky told MailOnline Travel: ‘The train station was very convenient for departing from central Paris and as it was a domestic train there were no security or immigration procedures so the boarding process couldn’t have been easier.’
The TGV high-speed train network has been in existence for four decades
During the journey, Nicky took herself to the dining car and treated herself to a train picnic: a croque monsieur, yoghurt, biscuit and coffee, which raised about £15. But he expected better hospitality for the price of his ticket
TGVs between Paris and Marseille reach speeds of up to 320 km/h. Nicky’s train is pictured above
‘The train itself was very comfortable. It was smooth and quiet, with plenty of room to rest and work.”
Any disadvantages?
Nicky said: ‘The metro in Paris was moving slowly the morning I travelled. For those who are purely dependent on public transport, you may want or need to allow plenty of time, even if the train station of departure is centrally located.’
During the journey, Nicky took herself to the dining car and treated herself to an extensive train picnic: a croque monsieur, yoghurt, biscuit and coffee, which raised about £15. But he expected better hospitality.
He added: ‘For the price of a first class ticket you might have expected complete free food and drink service.’
THE PLANE
Racing for ‘team plane’ was TPG Senior Marketing Manager Liam Spencer. The aviation enthusiast managed to catch his Air France flight from Paris Orly despite getting to the airport just an hour before the plane was due to take off
Flying start: Liam was thrilled when he boarded the plane and discovered the seat next to him was empty
‘Team plane’ for this venture was TPG Senior Marketing Manager Liam Spencerwith his economy ticket from Paris Orly Airport to Marseille Provence Airport setting him back £138.
He left his trip to Orly until the last minute, departing only an hour before his scheduled flight time.
As a convinced jetsetter who always preferred to be in the air rather than in a train carriage, Liam discovered several positives about his journey.
Liam told MailOnline Travel: ‘As this was a domestic flight I didn’t have to go through passport control at either end of my journey.
‘This made the airport experience a lot smoother and allowed me to travel from plane to taxi in just five minutes.
Liam’s flight cost him £138, with the added bonus of not having to go through passport control
Liam was impressed when he was offered a small snack despite only having an hour’s airtime from Paris to Marseille
‘I wasn’t expecting any food or drink on this hour-long flight, but after take-off I was given a free cup of coffee and a biscuit.
‘This, together with the free seat next to me, made it a very pleasant short-haul experience.’
However, he came into the race a cropper and eventually lost to Nicky by 20 minutes.
He mentioned the following negatives: ‘My flight ended up leaving 30 minutes after the scheduled departure time. For such a short flight this was a disappointing delay and ultimately meant I lost the race.
‘The taxi from Marseille airport to the Old Port felt expensive at £50. Public transport would have been considerably cheaper, but I was aiming for speed over price on this occasion.’
For more information from The Points Guy, visit thepointsguy.com/uk-travel. To see the original video visit here.