One of the most common reasons people tell us they chose France is its location at the heart of Europe — a short ride from Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain. And on paper, that’s absolutely true.
But there’s a gap between the brochure version of French rail travel and the reality on the ground — and it’s worth understanding before you choose where to land.
France’s Rail System Is Impressive. Just Not Everywhere.
France’s rail network serves roughly 2 billion riders a year, offering rapid, comfortable travel across the European continent. In the major hubs, it’s genuinely world-class.
The catch? Much of that network is made up of regional trains that travel at 50–70 mph — not much faster than driving. Only a handful of routes carry the true high-speed TGV trains that zip along at nearly 200 mph. That’s the part we didn’t fully grasp before we moved.
What This Looks Like in Real Life
We live in Southwest France. Getting to Spain? Easy — it’s a straight shot south. But almost everywhere else means a full day of travel with one, two, or even three connections.
In 2022, we took the train to the famous Christmas markets in Strasbourg. The trip took about 6½ hours each way and cost roughly the same as flying. Later, we spent days trying to work out train routes to Amsterdam and Budapest to meet family during school breaks. Both times, we gave up and booked flights.
That’s not a complaint — it’s just the reality of where we chose to live.
Location Within France Matters More Than You’d Think
Cities like Paris, Lyon, and Lille sit at major high-speed rail hubs, with direct connections threading out across the continent. Towns like Bergerac or Agen, on the other hand, have perfectly pleasant train stations — they’re just not launching pads for frequent, fast European travel.
When you’re scouting locations, this map of major European train lines is genuinely useful. It shows at a glance which cities connect by high-speed rail versus regional lines, and how that shapes your real-world options.
So Why Did We Still Choose Southwest France?
We knew the trade-offs going in — and we made peace with them.
With a child in school, we were always going to travel less than a retired couple or a family without kids. The landscape here captured our hearts. And the affordability of Southwest France gives us something just as valuable as a TGV connection: the flexibility to actually be present, to spend time with our daughter instead of working extra hours to fund a higher cost of living elsewhere.
The trade-off feels right for us.
The Question Worth Asking Yourself
Decisions like this one are exactly why getting clear on your top two or three priorities is so important before you choose a place. Not five priorities, not ten — two or three.
What does your life in France actually need to look like? If you could boil it down to just two words, what would they be?
Baguettes and Butter 4eva, Raina ❤️
