Green Traveller's guide to taking the train from London St Pancras International Railway Station to Brive in the centre of France.
Journey Time: from 7 hours 28 minutes
Sample timetable: Depart London 9.22am, arrive Brive 7.00pm
Changes: 1
Transfer: Paris Gare du Nord to Paris Gare de Austerlitz
Frequency of Departures: 11/day
Carbon emissions: 18.3kg (flight would be 247.2kg)*
Car hire at Brive Railway Station: Yes
What's the journey like?
You have to change stations in Paris from Gare du Nord to Gare de Austerlitz, which can take 20-30 minutes on the Paris metro (9 stops), but we recommend you leave at least 50 minutes for the entire transfer. See our guide to How to transfer between train stations across Paris. At Gare de Austerlitz, you board an intercity train to 'Brive-La-Gaillarde' station. Remember, whenever you’re connecting trains in France, always remember to validate your onward train ticket ('compostez votre billet') at the machine on the platform before departing (these are often coloured yellow).
Stopover hotels to break the journey in Paris
If you want to break the journey and stay overnight to see a bit more of Paris while you're travelling through, there are lots of lovely places to stay near both Gare du Nord and Gare de Austerlitz. Here are some examples of hotels that are conveniently near these stations:
Hotels near Gare de Austerlitz
On arrival at Brive-La-Gaillarde station
Bienvenue à Brive! At the station, there are onward train connections to several large French cities, including Limoges, Périgueux, Clermont-Ferrand, Bordeaux and Toulouse, as well as several regional destinations.
Brive is a market town in the farming department of Corrèze (hence there are lots of weekly farmers markets). In particular, there's a weekly food market at the Georges Brassens market hall on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings. There are a number of fine 15th and 16th century houses and mansions, including Maison Cavaignac, Maison Treilhard and the Tour des Echevins. Brive is also a great base for exploring the upper reaches of the Dordogne and the department of Correze.
(ticket provided by thetrainline.com)
Bon Voyage!