TGV Lyria trains provide the fastest transportation from Paris in France to Genève and Lausanne on Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Book early for the cheapest tickets and best deals.
The fastest and most comfortable way to travel from Paris in France to Genève and Lausanne on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland is by high-speed TGV Lyria trains. TGV trains take just over three hours from Paris to Geneva and just half an hour longer to Lausanne. Early reservations may lead to bargain deals and cheap tickets, e.g. on French Railways English websites RailEurope (US / World), or the very easy to use Trainline and Omio.
Fast TGV Lyria Trains from Paris to Geneva and Lausanne
TGV Lyria trains are high-speed trains operated by French Railways (SNCF) and Swiss Railways (SBB/CFF). These comfortable and oft luxurious TGV trains provide the most relaxing and generally fastest way to travel from Paris to Lake Geneva.
TGV Lyria trains connect Paris with the Lake Geneva region in Switzerland on two routes: Paris-Gare de Lyon to Genève-Cornavin station and Paris-Gare de Lyon to Lausanne station. Direct TGV trains to Neuchatel and Bern are no longer available.
TGV Lyria Trains from Paris-Gare de Lyon to Geneva-Cornavin
Daily eight TGV Lyria trains connect Paris-Gare de Lyon and Geneva-Cornavin station. Traveling times are usually just over three hours and depends largely on the number of stops en route.
All TGV trains on the Paris to Geneva routing stop in Bellegarde (Ain) and in Bourg-en-Bresse. TGV trains do not stop at Geneva Airport (GVA).
The first TGV Lyria train leaves Geneva around 6 am and the last train of the day just after 8 pm. The early train from Paris is just after 6 am and the last train to Geneva leaves Paris just after 7 pm.
TGV Lyria Trains from Paris-Gare de Lyon to Lausanne
Usually, six TGV Lyria trains connect Paris-Gare de Lyon and Lausanne in Switzerland. Traveling time is around 3h40 or just over four hours for trains via Geneva.
TGV Lyria trains from Paris to Lausanne follow two routes: either as an extension on the Geneva train, or on a different routing with stops en route in Dijon, Dole and Frasne in France and Vallorbe in Switzerland. This routing is around half an hour faster than TGV trains that stop in Geneva.
The first TGV Lyria train leaves Paris for Lausanne just after 6 am and the last train of the day departs just before 6 pm. The first TGV Lyria train departs from Lausanne just after 7 am and the last train of the day leaves for Paris just before 8 pm.
Buying TGV Lyria Train Tickets
Buying TGV Lyria tickets is reasonably straight forward but not as easy as buying train tickets for just French or just Swiss trains. TGV Lyria tickets cannot always be printed at home, if not the TGV Lyria tickets are either mailed or picked up at a station. Omio and Trainline usually offer simple mobile tickets but double-check when buying without having a printer at hand.
Swiss and French residents may buy TGV Lyria tickets through any of the regular channels selling railway tickets. Resident of other countries should buy TGV Lyria tickets through the various sellers appointed in respective countries such as French Railways English websites Oui.SNCF (Europe) and RailEurope (US / World), directly at Swiss Railways, or from the very simple to use Trainline and Omio (from anywhere in the world).
Note the delivery conditions before buying, especially if using a site not authorized for the country of residence. Some tickets can only be mailed and cannot be picked up at the station or refunded. Mobile or print at home is the only sensible option to consider when buying train tickets online.
Ticket Prices for TGV Lyria Trains from Paris to Geneva and Lausanne
Ticket prices for a second class trip from either Geneva or Lausanne to Paris range from around €50 to €148 one way. Early reservations usually ensure the best savings but are coupled with restrictions. TGV Lyria journeys can be booked up to 90 days in advance. All TGV tickets come with seat reservations, which are always compulsory even when using a rail pass. On holiday weekends, seats do sell out early.
Standard / normal one-way fares from Genève or Lausanne to Paris are around €150 in second class (€200 first class). However, several savings deals can vastly reduce the ticket prices. Trainline is easy to use and makes it easy to compare prices for travel on different trains (or even slow buses) on the same day.
Special deals are often advertised and especially common on weekends when fewer business travelers use the trains. It is often possible to upgrade to First Class for a fraction of the regular price. Except on Saturdays, first-class passengers receive a meal or snack at their seats.
TGV Lyria trains are generally faster for city-center to city-center travel than flying from Paris to Geneva and definitely faster than flying to Geneva and traveling to Lausanne by train.
Check-in times for TGV Lyria trains are around 2 minutes before departure but allow more time at Geneva station where custom check may be made. (On the Lausanne-Paris routing, customs are finalized onboard.)
The Lake Geneva region has very good railway links on the northern shore of Lac Léman with frequent train connections available from both Geneva and Lausanne to many other towns in the region.