On 28 January 2026, log in for the spring ticket sales opening. Treat yourself to a spring break by booking your trips for the spring holidays and May long weekends.
Book a train ticket
Book a train ticket
1) Spring ticket sales: the practical details
What happens when ticket sales open?
On 28 January 2026, on SNCF Connect, you will be able to book your spring journeys and start planning your upcoming train getaways in France and across Europe.
Why book as soon as sales open?
- More availability: Trains are less likely to be full, making it easier for groups to sit together.
- More schedule options: Choose from a wider range of departure times.
- Plan ahead: Secure your tickets well in advance for peace of mind.
Which routes are available for booking?
The opening of spring sales will allow you to book your TGV INOUI, OUIGO, TER and INTERCITÉS tickets for journeys taking place from 30 March to 3 July 2026.
2) Key dates for your spring break
Spring school holidays in France – 2026
- Zone A (Bourgogne‑Franche‑Comté, Auvergne‑Rhône‑Alpes, Nouvelle‑Aquitaine): 4 April to 20 April 2026
- Zone B (PACA, Grand Est, Hauts‑de‑France, Normandy, Brittany, Pays de la Loire, Centre‑Val de Loire): 11 April to 27 April 2026
- Zone C (Île‑de‑France, Occitanie): 18 April to 4 May 2026
Public holidays in spring 2026 (France):
- Easter Monday: 6 April 2026
- Labour Day: 1 May 2026
- Victory in Europe Day: 8 May 2026
- Ascension Day: 14 May 2026
- Pentecost Monday: 25 May 2026
Long weekends in May 2026:
- 1–3 May: Public holiday on Friday 1 May
- 8–10 May: Public holiday on Friday 8 May
- 14–17 May: Take Friday 15 May off
3) Traveling with family during the spring holidays
There’s nothing like a family vacation in Spring to take you back into history and pair the useful with the pleasant.
Nîmes and the Roman Games
Nîmes and nearby Arles are Roman-era cities where the remnants are very well preserved and will take you back into history. Easily accessible by rail, once you arrive in Nîmes, you can visit its impressive arena, the, the Musée de la Romanité, go to the top of the Magne Tower while touring the Jardins de la Fontaine...
From Nîmes, you can head to Arles by train to continue learning Roman history, as well a medieval history in a city that was also marked by the passage of Van Gogh. A shuttle from Nîmes can take you to the Pont du Gard, listed a a UNESCO world heritage site, and the most visited ancient site in France.
On the trail of the Châteaux of the Loire
Leaving from Blois, which is accessible by train, you can head out to discover the kings of the French Renaissance through their châteaux. The château of Blois is an architectural summary of the wonders that await you.
Shuttles connect the châteaux of Chambord, Cheverny, and Beauregard. The fantastic château of Chambord, with its jagged roofline, features a double spiral staircase. The Chambord estate also offers the possibility of nature activities for the family. The château of Cheverny is the Marlinspike Hall from Tintin. Its maze and its 3D exhibition dedicated to Tintin promise to be a good time for the family. The Château of Beauregard was the home to the kings’ ministers. The estate of Chaumont-sur-Loire and its International Garden Festival are accessible by train, as is the Château of Amboise.
Another fun way is to follow the Loire by bicycle. Shuttles and TER trains along the Loire are equipped to transport bicycles when you are tired of pedalling on the marked Châteaux by Bike routes. The châteaux are located about 15/20km from one to the next.
4) Romantic escapes for May long weekends
To find yourself again as a couple, there is nothing like a getaway to reconnect and breathe in unison.
La Rochelle and the Île de Ré
Arrive in La Rochelle by train, and a shuttle will take you to the Île de Ré. There you can rent a bike (the island is just 26 km long and 70m to 5 km wide) to pedal around the island.
Ride to Saint-Martin-en-Ré, the "Capital" fortified by Vauban, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to share an out-of-the-ordinary ice cream at La Martinière (Île de Ré Seaweed Praline ice cream, Oyster Sorbet, Grenailles Potato ice cream) or simply a strawberry-chocolate ice cream, eat oysters at the oyster farms facing the sea to the north of the city walls. Cross the saltworks and their lunar landscapes. See the donkeys in pyjamas (folk tradition). You can go through pine forests or hug the coastline as you breathe in the sea air.
You can climb to the top of the Phare des Baleines lighthouse: 257 steps and a 360° overlooking the beach, the headland with the old lighthouse, the island, and the sea... At the foot of the Phare des Baleines lighthouse, a stop at the Ile de Ré soap factory is a must for its range of donkey milk based organic cosmetics. For a spa visit, the Hotel Atalante proposes its Atalante Relais Thalao and Spa.
Plan for a full day to visit La Rochelle: the Old Port and its towers, the historic city centre, one of the most beautiful aquarium in France...
Pamper yourself in the heart of the Auvergne
The Vichy train station is in the city centre. Vichy is the queen of the spa towns, the only French city enshrined by UNESCO among the eleven spa towns listed a World Heritage sites. Emperor Napoleon III transformed it in the 19th century: wooded parks along the Allier River, great hotels, the Art Nouveau opera house, byzantine, Moorish, and English architecture and its hot spring resorts. The Vichy Célestins Spa is the biggest spa in Europe, ideal for having a few relaxing treatments. The bistro and gastro restaurant, Les Caudalies, in the Second Empire style is ideal for a dinner for two.
A bus from the Moulins station can take you to the Bourbon-l'Archambault thermal baths, the city of the Borvo, Celtic god of healing springs The thermal baths are magnificent, classified an Historical Monument, surrounded by porcelain, coffered ceilings, and soothing frescoes. The city of Bourbon is as pretty and picturesque as the Thermal Baths, with its medieval chateau, its charming little streets, and it location in the heart of a verdant, rolling hedgerow country.
5) Reconnect with nature in spring
The gardens of the Côte d'Azur
The Côte d'Azur has so some extraordinary, heavenly gardens with their dazzling colours, exotic aroma, created in the years after 1860, and which are so lush due to its most favourable climate. The cities of the Côte d'Azur are served by TER Zou trains, and the villages in the back country are accessible by bus.
Some of the most beautiful gardens have been awarded the “remarkable garden” label, like the botanical garden at Villa Thuret d'Antibes, the Exotic Garden of Eze, the Garden at the Château de la Napoule in Mandelieu, the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild gardens in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, the botanical garden and Parc Phoenix in Nice. Menton with three labelled gardens: the Citronneraie at the Mas Flofaro, the garden of Val Rahmeh, and the Serre de la Madone.
In the Forêts National Park accessible by rail
To immerse yourself in Nature’s reawakening, between Champagne and Bourgogne, there are hundreds of kilometres of hiking trails in the lowland deciduous forests which have existed since the French Revolution. It is possible to hike the trail accompanied by a donkey. On your way, you will encounter foxes and deer, and rare black storks and European wildcats. With a keen eye, you’ll spot protected flowers, like the spring snowflake, with its white bell-like flowers, and the lady’s slipper, an orchid which features a lower petal shaped like a sack.
The park is served by the train stations of Dijon, Montbard, Chaumont, Langres, Is-sur-Tille. In Côte d'Or, the coach lines 54, 50, 55, and 56 serve the park.
6) Spring weekend getaways in France
Fun at them parks :
Rediscover Disneyland Paris, Parc Astérix, or lesser-known gems like Futuroscope or Vulcania.
Five cities to visit
- Le Mans: Marvel at Roman walls and medieval architecture.
- Caen: Visit D-Day beaches and the Peace Memorial.
- Nantes: Explore the Château des Ducs de Bretagne and the Machines de l’Île.
- Cannes: Enjoy the glamour of the Croisette and its beaches.
- Troyes: Stroll through its historic center and admire stunning stained glass windows.
Five must-see sites
And the easiest sites to access by train which must be seen at least once in your life:
- The Mont Saint-Michel
- The Château of Versailles
- The medieval town of Provins
- Arcachon Basin and the Dune of Pilat
- The Calanques of Marseille
