Paris Train Strike - Need Advice

Posted by gardn128 on 04/30/25 06:03 PM

Hello Paris Experts,

I have a train booked on May 9th from Paris to Geneva and received an email this morning that there will be a strike and my trip may be impacted. We check out of our AirBNB in Paris that day and into a hotel in Lausanne that night. Can anyone tell me how likely this strike is to impact my trip and if so, what other options do I have? What actions should I take now?

BTW, ideally I'd love to cancel this train and reroute directly to Lausanne, but it's non-refundable/changeable...

Thanks!!!

Posted by Tocard

Panguitch, Utah

04/30/25 07:47 PM

2865 posts

You very well could be affected. However, if your train is targeted for delay or cancellation, I would jump on any train headed to Geneva, even if you do not have an assigned seat. You should be able to reach your destination if you start early.

Posted by Elizabeth

L'Occitanie, France

04/30/25 08:29 PM

10999 posts

I am faced with possible strikes about once or twice a year. This week, I moved my trip to Paris forward due to the strike notification and plan to be back home by the time the first potential strike begins. I changed my train reservations online using the SNCF app. I negotiated with my hotel in Paris to change the dates of my non- changeable hotel reservation.

In your shoes. I’d leave the 8th, if it is still a non-strike day, and just pay a hotel in Switzerland for an extra night. Use the SNCF to change the date, not cancel the tickets.

Note, sometimes strikes don’t happen. Last November on our way to the US, we added to our time in Paris to avoid a potential strike which would have cost us our plane tickets to the US. The strike didn’t happen, and we had an extra day in Paris.
Bottom line: I don’t wait to see if the train is running or not.

Posted by gardn128 OP

04/30/25 09:26 PM

70 posts

Our scheduled train departs at 614 am that day and the strike window is the 5th to 15th. So sounds like we’ll just get there for the train we have and if that gets cancelled, we’ll just keep trying that day…