TGV Lyria is the high-speed train that links France to Switzerland. In just a few hours, TGV Lyria will whisk you from the heart of one city to that of another, passed the breathtaking snow-capped Swiss mountains, making each trip very special trip.
TGV Lyria will take you from France to major Swiss cities, ski resorts and lakes. TGV Lyria enables you to reach Basel and Zurich from Gare de l’Est, and Bern, Lausanne and Geneva from Gare de Lyon in less than 5 hours.
From December 2011, the TGV Lyria network is developing even further with upgrades to the Paris-Basel/Zurich services. Frequency will increase with up to six daily return services linking Paris to Basel and Zurich; this will also see journey times will be reduced by more than 30 minutes. Double decker trains with new technological innovations will run on this line for added comfort and the new Lyriapremière service will be introduced into First Class.
Routes and Travel Times
Best Travel Time:
Paris-Dijon-Lausanne: 3h39
Paris-Dijon-Neuchâtel-Berne: 4h38
Paris-Genève: 3h05
Paris-Basel: 3h03
Paris-Zurich: 4h03
Number of Services:
Paris-Dijon-Lausanne: 4 services daily
Paris-Dijon-Neuchâtel-Berne: 1 service daily
Paris-Genève: up to 9 services daily
Paris-Basel: 6 services daily
Paris-Zurich: 6 services daily
Onboard Services
1st Class:
• Comfortable and spacious reclining seats with generous legroom
• Welcome drink
• Electric power outlets (not available on all TGV LYRIA trains)
• Access to the bar-buffet car
• Onboard taxi booking service (refer below for details)
• Lyriapremiere service, as detailed below is currently available on selected routings.
Lyriapremière service includes:
• A gourmet cold meal, served at seat: breakfast, brunch, lunch, afternoon tea or evening meal, depending on the time of day.
• The meal will be served on porcelain plates decorated in TGV Lyria’s new colours.
• The menu will be revised on a seasonal basis.
• Enhanced service from bilingual train attendants in a new uniform.
• A wider range of daily newspapers and magazines.
The Lyriapremière service is featured in 1st class on all Paris-Geneva, Paris-Basel / Zurich and Paris-Lausanne/Bern routes.
2nd Class:
• Comfortable seats
• Access to the bar-buffet car
Taxi service:
Upon arrival in Paris Gare de Lyon, Paris Gare de l’Est and Strasbourg:
From Monday to Friday, passengers can take advantage of a taxi booking service upon arrival, by simply asking the on-board ticket inspector who can arrange a booking on their behalf.
This reservation service is free of charge.
The passenger is responsible for settling the taxi fare directly with the driver (which will include the distance travelled by the taxi to the station to collect the passenger). A 14€ surcharge is applied by the taxi driver to cover the distance travelled by the taxi from its origin to the station to collect the passenger.
Upon arrival in Switzerland:
Passengers can book their taxi over the phone by dialling + 41 800 44 22 66 (free of charge). The RailTaxi meeting point is located in the centre of the train station.
Travelling with young children:
Travelling with a baby, you will more than likely have to change a nappy. TGV is fitted with baby changing facilities complete with changing table. Restaurant staff will be happy to warm up a baby's bottle, jar or meal
There are baby changing facilities in coaches 7 or 17 and 1st Class.
Some trains feature an on board nursery which is equipped with a dressing table and a bottle-warmer, where available these can be found in the 2nd class.
Facilities for disabled travellers:
On all major routes, the TGV have a special coach in 1st class.
This seating is also accessible with a second class ticket. Seating must be requested at time of booking.
Facilities include built-in wheelchair lift, accessible toilet facilities and a Train Manager call button for additional assistance when required.
Luggage:
Take everything you need on board the TGV: each type of luggage has its own special area. For security reasons all luggage must be labelled. The traveller's full name must be legible on every item.
There are special areas for outsize luggage on board the TGV. These are located at the entrance or in the middle of the coaches. If you prefer to keep your bag with you, place it in the luggage rack above your seat.
Hand luggage only is accepted (suitcases, travel bags, rucksacks) on board the TGV. In addition to bags and suitcases, you can also take the following items on board: skis, pushchairs and dismantled cycles in a bike bag, and watersport boards (which must be easy to carry and place in special areas).
Fares
TGV services can only be booked up to 90 days in advance.
Seat reservations are compulsory and must be booked in conjunction with a ticket or a rail pass.
Validation of the ticket before boarding is mandatory in France only. Travellers will find yellow automatic stamping machines at the entrance of the platform prior to entering the train.
Fare application:
Adult:
Child: 4-11yrs
Youth: 12-25yrs
Senior: 60+yrs
Traveller’s ages are based on age at travel departure date
Fare types:
Book Early (Piccolo) Fares: 14 advance purchase
Leisure Fares: Advance purchase recommended
Passholder Fares: Several options available, depending on pass type.
Not all fares options are available on every TGV service.
Passholder fares:
Holders of flexi passes will have to use one day of validity from the pass.
Customers must validate the rail pass prior to boarding the train.
Customers are not allowed to purchase a first class passholder fare with a second class pass.
Passholder fare: are valid for travellers carrying a rail pass. The fare option available will depend on the type of pass and the applicable countries covered by the pass. At a minimum passes must be valid for at least one of the countries that the journey travels through. Some fares will require all transited countries to be covered by the pass.
Exchange/Refund
Exchange and refund policies vary depending on the type of fare purchased
Refunds, when authorised, can only be performed in the country of purchase up to 60 days after the train departure date.
Exchange can only be performed by the issuing office. To exchange a ticket, a new ticket must be issued and the unused one sent back to the issuing office for a refund within the time frame allowed for such refund.
The refund granted on the returned ticket depends on the refund policy of that particular fare.
Tickets have to be endorsed as UNUSED at station.
Check-in and Immigration Procedures
There are no check-in or customs procedures before boarding TGV’s trains.
Ticket inspectors will check your ticket during the journey. You should be able to produce valid proof of eligibility for the fare you have chosen at any time.
To ensure the prompt departure of national and international high-speed trains, all passengers must be aboard at the latest 2 minutes prior to the departure time, after which time access to the train cannot be guaranteed.
Other Information
Seasonal Routes:
During winter, TGV Lyria des Neiges service connects to the charming resorts of the canton of Vaud (including Château-d’Oex, Leysin, Les Diablerets and Villars) and Valais (Verbier, CransMontana, Leukerbad, Saas-Fee and Zermatt).
The continuation of the Paris-Lausanne line to Brig calls at Montreux, Aigle, Martigny, Sion, Siders, Leuk, Visp and Brig. Upon arrival at these stations, short train or bus shuttle services are available to take you on to the ski resorts.
Rail Protection Plan
Many rail passes and tickets are non refundable and cannot be reissued, our Rail Protection Plan offers peace of mind knowing that you are financially covered if things do go wrong.
