Ouigo trains

Ouigo is SNCF's low-cost, high-speed train brand. SNCF, France's national railway company, launched it in 2013 to sell TGV seats at budget-airline prices: one class of seating, minimal catering, strict baggage limits. It worked, and in May 2021 SNCF took the same model into Spain through its own subsidiary, Ouigo España, which ran the country's first open-access high-speed service, on the Madrid to Barcelona line. Renfe, Spain's state railway, is a competitor here, not a partner. Its own answer to Ouigo is a separate low-cost brand called Avlo.

In France, Ouigo covers more than 60 destinations, including Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Nantes, Strasbourg, Lille and Nice. Some of those trains use city-centre stations, others use out-of-town ones such as Marne-la-Vallée near Paris or Lyon Saint-Exupéry. Check the exact station before you book, not just the city name. In Spain, Ouigo España's flagship route is Madrid to Barcelona, alongside Valencia, Zaragoza, Alicante, Albacete, Tarragona, Cuenca, Valladolid and Segovia.

Every ticket is sold online, at ouigo.com or in the app, never at a station counter or by phone. French bookings open up to nine months ahead. The ticket itself does not arrive until three or four days before departure, by email and in the app, so you may not know your seat number until then unless you paid to choose one.

A basic ticket includes one hand bag and one cabin bag. Anything larger costs €5 extra, or comes bundled into the €9 Ouigo Plus option along with a seat choice and the onboard entertainment platform. A pet in its own carrier costs €10. Fares are dynamic, advertised from €16 in France and from around €9 to €16 in Spain, but they climb as the train fills. Book as soon as your dates are fixed rather than waiting.

Interrail Pass and Eurail Pass holders became able to use Ouigo in France from July 2026, including the low-cost Ouigo Classique service between Paris and Brussels. A paid seat reservation is still compulsory on top of the pass. That change has not reached Ouigo España: an Interrail Pass or Eurail Pass is not accepted on the Spanish side, so budget for a normal ticket there rather than assuming pass coverage carries over.

Get to the station at least 30 minutes before departure. Boarding closes five minutes before the train leaves, and staff do check baggage size at the gate, so an oversized bag without a paid option can mean being turned away.