TGV Lyria

TGV Lyria is the joint France-Switzerland high speed brand run by SNCF Voyageurs and SBB, the Swiss national railway. Fares are quoted in both EUR and CHF, and the crew on board are train managers rather than ticket inspectors, French and Swiss.

Where TGV Lyria runs

Four Swiss cities connect to Paris on TGV Lyria. Geneva to Paris takes around 3 hours 11 minutes, with 8 round trips a day. Lausanne to Paris runs about 3 hours 41 minutes, on 6 daily round trips. Basel to Paris is quicker, roughly 3 hours 4 minutes, also on 6 round trips. Zurich to Paris is the longest core route, at about 4 hours 4 minutes. There is also a year-round Switzerland-Dijon route, and in summer the network stretches further south with a seasonal service to Marseille and the Mediterranean coast. Trains reach a top speed of 320 km/h and carry close to 5 million passengers a year between the two countries.

Published timetables can shift by a few minutes around planned engineering works. Tickets and booking platforms already build in any such change, so go by the departure time printed on your ticket if it differs from an older schedule you saw elsewhere.

Classes and fares

Three fare classes run on every route. Standard starts from €29 or CHF 28 one way, and includes luggage and access to the Le Bistrot menu in the bar coach. Premiere adds a first class seat, seat selection and lounge access at Paris Gare de Lyon, from €49 or CHF 47. Premiere Signature sits above both, sold only on Paris-Geneva, Paris/Dijon-Vallorbe/Lausanne and Paris/Dijon-Basel/Zurich, with a seat-served menu and full flexibility, from €179 or CHF 171.

What you can change later depends on the fare flexibility you buy, not the class you sit in. A partially flexible ticket can be exchanged free up to 7 days before departure; after that, an exchange costs €25 or CHF 24, and any price difference is still due on top. Refunding a partially flexible ticket before departure costs a €40 or CHF 38 deduction, while a fully flexible fare allows unlimited free changes and refunds. Children under 12 exchange or refund free, but only before the train leaves.

Booking ahead tends to bring the fare down, and a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday departure is often cheaper than a weekend one.

Luggage and bikes

Hand luggage is capped at 130 x 90 x 50 cm, and passengers carry and stow it themselves. A standard, unpacked bicycle does not travel as ordinary luggage. Only folding bikes, or bikes with the wheels removed and packed in a cover, are accepted, within that same 130 x 90 cm limit. Skis, snowboards, folded pushchairs and scooters, and musical instruments in a case travel under similar size rules. Since May 2025, double basses up to 1.95 metres are allowed in a soft case, but you need to arrive 30 minutes early at an origin station and check in with the train manager, or find the train manager on board if you join at an intermediate stop. On a full train, the train manager can still refuse a double bass.

Documents and border checks

TGV Lyria crosses the France-Switzerland border on every route, so keep your passport or national ID within reach rather than packed in your suitcase, and check the current document rules for your nationality before you travel.