Food in First Class on TGV

[MotCO]

I will be travelling from Paris Gare De Lyon to Nice, travelling first class, leaving Paris at 14.18. Will any food be provided free of charge?

I've tried the TGV 'contact us' without success.

 

[newmilton]

No, but you should get at seat service IIRC.

(Ed. Actually, now I think about it, my experience of at-seat service has been on the Paris-Milan services, not on domestic TGVs, even though I do treat myself to first class when I can.)

 

[hexagon789]

I will be travelling from Paris Gare De Lyon to Nice, travelling first class, leaving Paris at 14.18. Will any food be provided free of charge?

I've tried the TGV 'contact us' without success.

No, all food is chargeable on domestic TGV services in France.

See this page on the useful seat61 site for more details: https://www.seat61.com/tgv.htm

This bit is particularly relevant to your question though:

1st or 2nd class? 2nd class is absolutely fine, there is no need to pay for 1st class unless you get a good price. 1st class simply gives you more leg and elbow room as you can see in the photos below, and a quieter environment with more business travellers tapping away on laptops and fewer families with kids. There is no difference in the on-board service as no food or drink is included in 1st class on French domestic TGVs. 1st class is just nicer seating, with the option of solo seats or a face to face table for two.

 

[MotCO]

Thanks for your replies. Is there any view as to the quality of the food served? Is it closer to Travellers' Fare (for those senior members who can remember!) or cordon blue?

 

[hexagon789]

Thanks for your replies. Is there any view as to the quality of the food served? Is it closer to Travellers' Fare (for those senior members who can remember!) or cordon blue?

Example menu:

 

[MotCO]

Example menu:
View attachment 67300

Thanks - but is the quality of the food as good as the pictures suggest?

 

[hexagon789]

Thanks - but is the quality of the food as good as the pictures suggest?

I had a look and can't find any comments/reviews online - perhaps mostly not in English which Google tends to filter out.

You can pre-order online and receive 15% off.

The seat61 website which often includes pictures of catering in this instance simply suggests pre-ordering online to save waiting in a queue and states that the 'coffee is good'.

If I find any reviews I'll get back to you.

 

[newmilton]

I happen to have been on one of the refurbished TGV inouï trains from Lyon to Lille last week (albeit not in first class on this occasion) and did use the snack bar. It's microwaved snack bar type food, but the choice is better than similar facilities in the UK, and the layout of the coach is more spacious and includes an area for eating and drinking without going back to your seat if you prefer. I didn't try ordering in advance but just queued up.

I've always found the service on SNCF friendly, though being married to a French-speaker I am pretty fluent in the language. And the coffee is definitely better!

 

[AlbertBeale]

I happen to have been on one of the refurbished TGV inouï trains from Lyon to Lille last week (albeit not in first class on this occasion) and did use the snack bar. It's microwaved snack bar type food, but the choice is better than similar facilities in the UK, and the layout of the coach is more spacious and includes an area for eating and drinking without going back to your seat if you prefer. I didn't try ordering in advance but just queued up.

I've always found the service on SNCF friendly, though being married to a French-speaker I am pretty fluent in the language. And the coffee is definitely better!

I've found the food on the Paris-Milan TGV perfectly acceptable (and on the Paris Zurich, if I'm remembering right). Certainly a bit of fresher and healthier stuff than in a British buffet car.

 

[30907]

Only one sample of the TGV bar food. The hot food is microwaved, served in plastic, and not generous portions, but tastes fine - better than it looks.