There are lots of possibilities to commute within and around France from Dijon for leisure or business trips. Depending on your budget, time constraints, and distance to cover, you have various means to travel. We will give you some tips for transport by bus, train, flight, and car.
Bus
The bus is probably one of the cheapest options of transportation. For longer distances it might take a bit longer than for instance by taking the train, plane or car, but often the prices are very attractive. Besides, long bus rides give you the opportunity to sit back and enjoy the nature that you are passing by! The main bus companies you can use to travel within and around France are Flixbus, BlaBlaBus and Mobigo. The buses depart from Gare de Dijon-Ville train station. Besides, sometimes it is possible as well to depart from the University of Burgundy.
Flixbus
Flixbus is one of the easiest and cheapest options for the students to travel within France but also around Europe. Flixbus has more than 2,500 destinations around Europe. The bus tickets are starting from €5; the price of your trip depends on availability and distance to cover. Therefore, it is recommended to book your ticket in advance. The buses have toilets, free Wi-Fi connections, plug sockets on board, and there is the option to buy snacks and drinks. The buses drive during the day but also throughout the night. The plug sockets give a good opportunity to get some studying done while travelling. The buses are also quite comfortable during the nights, as the seats are adjustable, and curtains are established to cover the lights from outside which will give you the opportunity to sleep.
Flixbus has a very convenient application which you can use to buy your ticket, to find your QR code of the ticket, and to get travel updates. You can even track your bus to see whether there is a delay or change of arrival time.
BlaBlaBus
BlaBlaBus was started by SCNF and was first called iDBUS and was covering long distances around Europe. Expanding their network, the name changed into Ouibus. However, in 2019, the official name became BlaBlaBus after it was purchased by BlaBlaCar. Please be aware, as the change is still quite recent on some buses there is still written Ouibus. BlaBlaBus is as well a cheap and easy way to travel with. The buses contain: Electric/USB sockets, WIFI, toilet and reclining seats. BlaBlaBus has over 400 destinations across 10 countries in Europe. You are allowed to take two items of hold luggage and two items of hand luggage. Furthermore, they are open to people of all ages and provide assistance as well to passengers with reduced mobility.
BlaBlaBus also has an application on which you can buy tickets, see the latest bus schedules, and to have an overview of your purchases.
Mobigo
Mobigo is a transportation option for visiting nearby destinations. Mobigo is active in Burgundy-Franche-Comté and helps you to prepare your trips within the region. It is driven by the region and has partnerships with local communities and public transportation networks. Mobigo helps you to prepare your trip by using various transportation possibilities: train, bus, bus, tram, carpool, car-sharing, bicycle, hike. On the Website you can find a trip planner which helps you to find the best means of transportation suitable for your destination. They also have an application available for android and apple which you can use as well to plan your trips and to buy your ticket.
Train
You don’t like to sit in the bus for hours and prefer a bit faster but still cheap means of transport? Then why don’t you travel by train! France has a well-established railway system. For domestic travels the main company to use is SNCF, providing routes to almost everywhere in France. If you would like to travel abroad, there are several companies to be of use as well such as; Thalys, Eurostar, Lyria, and Thello. Read the information below, to see which company will suit your travel wishes and destination.
SNCF
SNCF stands for ‘’Société nationale des chemins de fer’’ and is a state owned railway company. SNCF is the main train operator in France for domestic routes. SNCF provides sustainable passenger and freight transport throughout France. SNCF operates regional express (TER) and high-speed Intercity TGV, iDTGV and Ouigo trains. TGV is of course the quickest option of travelling by train, however the high-speed intercity is only connected to the bigger cities.
The Dijon train station has an easy connection to for example the big cities around e.g. Lyon and Paris, but also towards further destinations. SNCF will bring you in less than two hours to the capital city of France. The price of the tickets depends again on the destination and availability. SNCF provides the possibility to book first-class tickets in order to have a comfortable travel. However, the standard class seats provide a lot of comfort as well. Besides, the bigger destinations, the train stops at various smaller cities as well when taking the TER.
Thalys
Thalys operates between France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. Their destinations are: Brussels, Amsterdam, Cologne, Rotterdam, Aachen, Dusseldorf, Antwerp, and Paris. Therefore, it is not possible to directly book a ticket from Dijon to one of the above mentioned destinations. However, it is possible to go by bus or SNCF train to Paris and then to transfer on the Thalys. Thalys operates on high-speed railroad which makes it a faster way of transport than by solely taking the bus.
Eurostar
Eurostar mainly connects the UK, France and Belgium mainly through London, Paris, and Brussels. The company uses the Channel Tunnel. They provide direct trains between London and Paris, Brussels, Lille, Disneyland Paris, the South of France, and Calais. Besides their direct connections, they also connect the Netherlands and Germany, with an easy change in either Paris, Lille or Brussels. So, Eurostar does not depart directly from Dijon, however, from Paris you can connect to all of their destinations.
Lyria
If you want to travel to Switzerland, you can take a train from the company Lyria. Lyria trains connect France and Switzerland by railway. You can go to the major Swiss stations (e.g. Geneva, Basel, Zurich from Dijon! The other departure places include Paris, Lyon, Lille, Marseille and Nice. Depending on the departure place and your destination the train leaves once every day. Therefore, it is recommended to book your ticket in advance and to know the correct departure times.
Thello
Thello operates between France and Italy for affordable prices. The company has three lines: Paris – Venice (via Dijon!), Milan – Marseille, and Milan – Nice. If you would like to continue your travels to Rome, you could buy a ticket at their partner Trenitalia which provides a direct line from Milan to Rome.
Flights
You want to travel further distances in France or abroad and don’t have the time to be in the bus or train for hours? Then taking the plane is a good option as well. Of course, taking the plane is the most comfortable and quickest way to cover longer distances. However, the prices are often higher than by taking the bus or train. Nevertheless, sometimes cheap tickets can be found as well, you can use Skyscanner to search for the cheapest tickets available. Sometimes you will be surprised how affordable some tickets are, all depending on the location and travelling time.
Dole-Jura Airport
This airport is rather small, and therefore only has flights to and from London, Stansted; France, Bastia; Portugal, Porto; Morocco, Fes and Marrakech. However on the plus side, this airport is the closest and is about 50 km away. Aside from rideshare and taxis, it is possible to get there by a combination of bus and train. From Dole, take the line 2 bus from Tavaux Tennis to Dole Gare. From here switch to the train TER or TGV from Dole Gare to Dijon Gare. The overall trip time will vary depending on the train schedule, but takes about 1 hour 45 minutes.
Paris-Orly and Charles De Gaulle
As Paris is the capital, and biggest city in France, there are many flights to and from Paris regardless of where you are traveling from. As well as a large variety of ways to get from Paris to Dijon. Paris to Dijon is about 350km, so there are many options of ways to get from Paris to Dijon.
Lyon- Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport:
Lyon’s airport is the fourth largest in France, which means that it also has many domestic and international flights. Lyon is a major city in France, however smaller than Paris. So there is easy access to many transportation options, but it’s a bit easier to navigate the city center if you are unfamiliar with the city. It is also closer to Dijon than Paris, so overall, transportation will be cheaper, easier and shorter than Paris.
To get from the airport to the city center, you can take the Rhône-Express or bus. It takes about 45 minutes to reach the city center and costs between €9-€16 with the bus being slightly cheaper. The Rhône-Express goes directly from the airport to the main railway station Part-Dieu. From there you can use the trams or metro to get to other destinations. Tickets can be purchased online, about 13.50€. Tickets can also be purchased from the machine on the concourse above the platform but these will be a little more expensive. The machines are easily recognisable as they are branded with the name of the service and are all red.
Recently though, there is also a local bus that goes to the outskirts of the city, from there you can take the tram which stops right in front of the bus stop, and costs €2.
From the center of Lyon, the cheapest way to get to Dijon will be by bus with buses starting at €3. There are also frequent buses from Lyon to Dijon and it’s easy to find one most times of the day. The bus will take about 2 hours 45 minutes and will usually be direct. Another option is the train from Lyon Gare Perrache, tickets range from about €20-€35 and will take about 2 hours if direct.
Geneva- Aéroport de Genève:
Geneva airport is also a good option as it is relatively large and not too far away from Dijon. This means that it is usually less expensive, simpler, and faster to get to Dijon than Paris. It is also pretty convenient to get from Geneva to Dijon due to the number of transportation options, though a bit less convenient than Lyon due to the fact that Lyon has more direct options than Geneva.
From Geneva Airport, there is a free bus that goes directly to the city center, which is near both the bus and train station. However you must get the free ticket for the bus from baggage claim, be aware, you won’t be able to get this ticket once you leave this area.
Once at the city center, you can take a bus, rideshare or train to easily reach Dijon, however trips tend to be less frequent than from Paris or Lyon.
There are on average 3 direct buses and plenty of buses with a stop daily to Dijon that are usually between €5-€ 20 through BlaBlaBus and FlixBus. The trip takes 3 hours and 45 minutes if direct and can be about 6 hours or more if there is a stop or change. There are also plenty of trains daily to Dijon from Geneva, which start at about €40 and go up from there. Train times vary, and frequently will have a stop or two, but you can expect a typical trip to take anywhere from 3-6 ½ hours.
Ridesharing
BlaBlaCar
This is a more expensive option but a relatively fast option. The ridesharing options will vary greatly depending on what is being offered on that specific day. Be aware that rideshare options can be posted anytime, and often are posted closer to the date so don’t be worried if you don’t see many options weeks in advance. However, from Paris to Dijon, there are usually many rideshares offered per day. Meeting points, drop off points, travel duration, and price will all vary greatly however you can expect to pay between €15-€35 and will take about 2 1/2 – 3 hours depending.
Note: If you possess a driver’s license to rent your own car, you can do so at one of the rental car companies located in Dijon.
