All aboard!
Rumours abound about getting bicycles around France. The TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) from Lille to Lyon and beyond to the South of France is a no-no unless your bike folds up and fits in the luggage rack or your pocket. There is some instant availability on Eurostar if you can shrink the bike to 85cm by 120cm long. For a solid bicyle built in this dimension rather some sci-fi paradise, this is quite difficult to achieve if you have mudguards, fairly de-rigueur on a touring steed. But, pick the right fare and take your fully assembled beast of burden to St Pancras two days before your Eurostar departure and you can both be enjoying the delights of the Gare du Nord for just £61.00. Well, you're in the middle of Paris - now what? You can take any number of regional TER services to the Massif Central, west, east. These services are quite slow compared to the out-of-bounds TGV ; there are the Intercitié night trains too but there is also the TGV Lyria service to Geneva, doorway, gateway, side entrance to the Alps. This train takes a fully assembled bike for a small fee.I've opted for an overnight Intercitié service: £25.00 + £10 for the bike and sleeping in the lower bunk of a six berth compartment. Alléz!
