Taking Bikes on French Trains

I've had a variety of different experiences with taking bikes on French trains, but without a doubt, the trains are one of the best parts about biking in France. They allow you to travel far outside of Paris and then ride through many different regions and cities. I've found that in true French form, the train experiences can be inconsistent and dependent on the train staff. There have been some easy journeys and then some journeys that have involved heated debates with train conductors about bike travel rules. For anyone looking to travel with your bike on French trains, here are the rules coupled with real life experiences.

There are a few different types of trains in France, each with its own set of rules. Here is their official page that lists out the rules. Below is my own interpretation with my experience.

Metro - no bikes allowed unless they fold up, like a Brompton bike. You could also probably get away with having a bike in a bike bag, but it would be difficult to maneuver, would not recommend.

TER hanging space

TER - the best choice for bikes because they require no disassembly and there's often dedicated bike space. You also may not have to pay any extra money to bring them, although we've found that this has changed for 2024 summer months. We went to Loire valley and did have to book a space but it was very cheap and not an issue. Once on the train, you can simply find space to stand with your bike or find the bike car with dedicated space.

On the way back to Paris from Provins, on a Transilien line

Transilien lines - similar to the TER trains, they are good for bikes because often they are newer trains with dedicated bike space. Their rules say that they will be accepted within the limits of the train's capacity and if it's placed in a location that does not impede traffic. The rules also say to not bring them on during peak commuting hours.

RER - You can bring your bike, but it's never ideal. If you get stranded and need to take the RER, this is OK. But I would never recommend going out on an RER with a bike, it's a last resort. Also never try to take your bike on the RER during commuting hours, it's impossible and not allowed.

TGV - 90% of the time you will need to disassemble your bike and put it in a bike bag, which then gets treated like luggage. Depending on the type of TGV there's no extra fee for this and you don't have to reserve a spot but with OUIGO there Is a charge of 5 euros for disassembled bikes upon ticket booking. I recommend booking upper deck tickets because in most trains, there is no space to put your bike on the lower decks. You basically will have to put your bike next to the luggage rack, which partially blocks the hallway. I personally like to strap it to the railing so it doesn't fall over as people pass and it keeps it much more secure. Some people I ride with like to keep an eye on their bike between stops to make sure it stays put as people are swinging their luggage around. You can also check the trains to see if you can find a TGV with a limited number of bike spots, meaning you don't have to disassemble the bike and you pay 10 euros for the spot. Your seat will be in the car with the bike storage. The one time I did this, it had wall straps.

EuroStar (train to London) - During Covid, the Eurostar paused allowing bikes on the train. They've resumed allowing bikes on the train now. It didn't stop me from taking a bike to London, it just made my route much longer. Departing from Paris, I biked up to Normandy, took the ferry across, then finished the ride to London on the other side. I'll write about my experience and route in another post. In order to take your bike on the EuroStar, you basically need to treat it like you're flying on an airplane. You have to disassemble it, pack it in a protected bag, and hand it over to them for the ride. When buying your ticket, you have to contact them and reserve space.

On a TER coming back from La Vosges mountains, after the Tour de France Femmes, we were told by the conductor that the bike space was full, so we would have to take the next train... which was 6 hours later. There was only 1 bike car, which meant there were only about 3 bike spots, so our group figured that the likelihood of the next train being full was also very likely. There were also a total of five in our group, which made the situation worse, since we would take up a lot of room. Luckily we had one native French man in our group. When you're with a French person and another French person tells you you're not allowed to do something, your absolute best bet is to let the two French people debate it out. You need the French mind set to be able to convince them. In summary, my French friend said that we needed to get back to Paris to get to work and that the next train was likely to be full as well. We compromised that we would "disassemble" our bikes. This meant that we took the front wheels off and we turned the handle bars sideways, in attempt to take up less space. I don't think this saved space, but the point was that we found a compromise that the conductor was willing to accept.

On a TGV train, I was once told that bicycles aren't allowed. To which I responded that the bike is disassembled and it's luggage. My group didn't wait to hear the response, we simply got on the train and they didn't stop us.

A couple things I highly recommend you consider doing if you're taking your bike on a train in France. Be aware of your surroundings and be ready to possibly hear from the train staff that you are not allowed on the train with your bike. If this happens, stay calm and explain to them why you're allowed or be ready to find a compromise. French people love a good debate and they also like to say "pas possible". But this is only the starting point, it does not mean you can't do it. Sometimes you can continue doing what you're doing without getting their approval but other times you may need to work with them to find the acceptable compromise. A lot of train staff don't speak English very well and you can also try the "confused English" response and tell them that you don't understand, while continuing to get on the train. Some French people will give up on the confused English folk and walk away. Another recommendation is that if you're in a group, split up on the trains. Book different cars so you don't have 5 bikes blocking 1 small hallway. Or if you're on a TER, you don't have 5 bikes in 1 train car blocking the flow of traffic. This will help immensely!

In regards to bike bags, if you're doing a 1 way trip, this means you'll have to transport your bike bag with you. The majority of bike bags out there are big and heavy. The bike bag I use comes from Fairmean, it was specifically fitted for my own bike and it folds up very small and doesn't have much weight to it. They're a little pricey at 150 euros, but I think it's worth it for my own purposes. For Anna, she doesn't often need a bike bag. So I crafted a cheaper solution from a bike storage cover that came from Decathlon. You can pack your bike the same way that's shown in the Fairmean instructions, and then use the Decathlon bag upside down. Note that there's a lot of extra fabric, but I used some small bungee cords to tuck it in and keep it tight and secure. It's not nearly as good as the Fairmean bag, but it's 130 euros cheaper and you can pick it up same day at Decathlon.