How to get the cheapest Paris-Switzerland train tickets

Day trains between France and Switzerland: TGV Lyria

The high-speed TGV Lyria train offers direct services from Paris to several Swiss cities. You can reach Basel and Geneva in slightly over 3 hours, and Zurich in 4 hours. We highly recommend this comfortable train over flying and driving.

There are several train stations in Paris. The TGV Lyria trains arrive at and depart from Gare de Lyon.

The trains offer 3 classes of travel: Standard (2nd class), Standard 1^ÈRE (1st class) and Business 1^ÈRE (a quiet, spacious working environment with unlimited drinks). There is an on-board bar and catering service at your seat.

Night trains between France and Switzerland: not available

There are no night trains between France and Switzerland.

How to get the cheapest tickets

• Book as early as possible. You can usually book up to 6 months before traveling. Find prices here.
• For some connections, a fixed low fare of CHF 54 / EUR 49 (single journey in Standard/2nd class) is available between Paris and Zurich, Basel, Geneva or Lausanne. These tickets can sell out and they're non-refundable and non-exchangeable.
• It helps if your travel date and time are flexible. This makes it easier to get the best price.
• When booking early, even tickets for the direct trains are cheap. If a low price is your top priority, you may also consider connections with one or more changes.
• Check if there are promotions.
• If you have a Swiss rail pass, be sure to consider a ticket to the Swiss border (Basel SBB, Geneva or Vallorbe) only. For example: with a Swiss Travel Pass, there is no need for a ticket all the way from Paris to Lucerne, because the leg from Basel SBB to Lucerne is covered by the pass. Just book to Basel SBB and enjoy the rest of the trip for free with your pass.
• An alternative to booking a ticket to the Swiss border station, is to book a ticket for the "passholder fare". That's a ticket for the entire route for people who own a rail pass for Switzerland or France. The ticket is cheaper than a regular ticket because the leg covered by the rail pass is free. An advantage of this fare is that it includes a seat reservation for the entire route, not just to the border. Passholder fares are not always available, nor needed (because reservations are not required for the legs within Switzerland). If they're unavailable, you simply book to/from the border.
• If you have a rail pass that covers both France and Switzerland, you don't need a ticket at all. You just need a seat reservation.