One will connect Paris to Cantal. The other will travel between the French and German capitals. Two night train lines are inaugurated one day apart at the beginning of December. After being canceled in 2003, the Paris-Aurillac night Intercités returns this Sunday, December 10. For its part, the Berlin-Paris will set off on the evening of Monday, December 11 before making the reverse journey from Paris Gare de l’Est the following day, Tuesday.

The Paris-Aurillac will initially run every day during school holidays in zones A and C and only on Friday and Sunday evenings the rest of the year, before moving to a daily frequency from 2025. It will leave the station from Austerlitz at 7:27 p.m. for an arrival in Aurillac at 7:30 a.m., a 12-hour journey. In the opposite direction, departure will be in Aurillac at 10:42 p.m. for arrival in Paris at 8:31 a.m. or 9:31 a.m. depending on the day. Trains serve Les Aubrais (near Orléans), Saint-Denis-près-Martel, Bretenoux-Biars and Laroquebrou until arrival.

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They are coupled with Paris-Toulouse to Brive-la-Gaillarde from where a few cars continue towards the Cantal prefecture. At the Aurillac terminus, a TER connection then allows access to the Lioran ski resort (the only French station located directly at the foot of the slopes) or to join the Aubrac line which crosses the Massif Central.

On board, comfort and services are identical to those of other night Intercités. Tickets start at €19 for a reclining seat and €29 for a berth. The compartments can be privatized from €40; the price varies depending on the number of people occupying it. Holders of a 1st class ticket can use the showers at Paris-Austerlitz station free of charge. If trains do not have a bar car, travelers can reserve their meal and breakfast before boarding.

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Paris-Berlin at night is also making a comeback, nine years after its cancellation. Operated by the Austrian ÖBB in partnership with SNCF and Deutsche Bahn, it will run in the France-Germany direction on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays (departure at 7:12 p.m. from Paris Gare de l’Est for arrival at 8:26 a.m. at Berlin Hauptbahnhof) and in the opposite direction on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (departure at 8:18 p.m. from Berlin for arrival at 10:24 a.m. in Paris) stopping in Strasbourg, Frankfurt, Erfurt and Halle. This offer will become daily from next October. The train will be coupled to the Paris-Vienna, which has already been running since December 2021, from which it will separate during a technical stop in Germany.

Reservations have been open since mid-October on SNCF Connect and nightjet.com. Allow at least €29.90 per seat, €59.90 per berth in a shared compartment and €94.90 per person for a bed in a private cabin, with integrated shower and breakfast included.

At the end of 2024, Paris and Berlin will be even better connected thanks to the launch of a direct TGV managed by both French and German companies. If the line will first pass through Saarbrücken in the first year, it should serve Strasbourg by 2025-2026, as committed by the Minister of Transport, Clément Beaune. Currently, making this journey during the day involves a connection in Karlsruhe or Frankfurt.

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