A great journey ruined by one thing... France to Switzerland with SNCF

My wife and I had much better views of Le Lac du Bouget through the clean windows of our Paris-bound Frecciarossa.

For most of the film I sat worried that there would come a conductor giving you a hard time for forgetting to stamp the ticket before boarding, that it would be the problem.

I much prefer your subtitled videos. No disrespect to you Dylan but they are somehow less distractive than a commentary. Great video as ever. Shame about the filthy windows!

You can find these seats also on southern and southeastern

I still hate the text videos. I can't read and watch the film at the same time. I am constantly reading and don't see all the beauty of the things around.
Then i have to rewind all the time, because the text is already gone and I was still reading. Tahts nothing form me.
If there is a text only video, then please only with the text that is needed to explain the video. Then let the film and the pictures talk and don't write books under the video.

As a French fan of your videos, I prefer captioned ones (but I like your voice too😅) And as a train traveller I also complain about dirty windows almost seen at lower decks. Anyway thanks for your great job 👏

I used to like your earlier videos without voiceover, not saying I don’t like the new ones but I think if you do some with and some without, everyone’s happy 😊

Nooo the voice overs are better

For me, I am less likely to watch the captioned videos as I often watch your videos while I'm working or otherwise occupied. That way I can perceive the scenery, etc but I don't have to read the captions.

Thank you for this interesting video. The SNCF Class Z26500 units are excellent in every way, and should be the envy of any U.K rail traveller. It appears the only thing you found wrong with the train was dirty windows, which could have been due to the carriage washing plant being out of action in order to preserve water in the very hot weather ! Yesterday I had the misfortune to travel in a GWR HST from Exeter to Cardiff, yes, one of those units so eulogised by U.K fail fans. Apart from the fact it was 40 years old, had creaking suspension, and no air conditioning, it had absolutely filthy windows, and an interior which was unbelievably dirty. How I wish any rail operator in the U.K had the equivalent of a SNCF double deck regional train !

At first sight this service is not shown in the European Rail Timetable.The line between Chambéry and Bellegarde is marked on the map as covered by Tables 341/345, but these show no trains between Chambéry and Geneva Cornavin. The line between Valence and Chambéry is marked as Table 364, and that table does have Geneva in the title. Table 364 shows the train: Valence dep 06.44, Chambéry 08.39/08.42,Geneva arr 10.00. (2022 edition)

I'll be taking the California Zephyr from SLC to WNN later this month - at night, and there is nothing to see out there anyway. (Approximately 7 hour trip)

I like both but i find it difficult to read the caption unless i keep rewinding. Great video as always

Ahhh it’s just like old times when I first started watching Dylan’s travel reports. I wouldn’t mind having no voice over at all! I would like some of the future videos to be like this too!

As always a good presentation. Thank you.

Great trip. Yeah cleanliness is important, especially on exterior.

I like the layout of these specific TER-trains. Other operators have other layouts which are not so good ( Looking at you SJ ) When the windows are clean it is also a scenic route 😀

I've been through that area a few times on the motorbike and the scenery certainly is stunning, so it's a real shame that SNCF can't be bothered to clean the train windows. Oh well, c'est la vie ... 😞

The captions were a nice step back in time but for me I prefer the voice overs. It’s been nice over the past 2 years to see your confidence grow and your great personality coming across though the voice overs. For me (again only my opinion) I find the captioned videos harder to follow and I fear it missing out on the visual content, also hard to read on some backgrounds. Ultimately though it’s up to you what format to use and that might change week to week (imagine voice overs are more work) I prefer the voice overs though with your great personality showing though 😊

Dirtiness seems to be a French thing. Air France plans are notorious for the being some of the least washed in the industry too.

Made a change going back to the captions. Hope the jobs going OK

Excellent video, as always. Thanks Dylan. What a shame the windows were so filthy. SNCF always used to take pride in the cleanliness of their trains. A Swiss operator would, I’m sure, have never let a dirty train loose on the rail network. I enjoy the captioned videos as well as the narrated ones. If they’re easier to do then I’d say do them that way, especially as you now have less free time. Good luck with the new job.

Don’t like caption videos. You spend more time reading them then actually watching the video

Not for me with no voiceovers

There is a world beyond the borders of the U.S.A. , one of those items you mentioned is still a first choice in the vast majority of it.

Too! many! exclamation! marks!

Can't even watch it without a voice-over. The videos significantly improved once you started and now it seams to have gone backwards

I do like your voiceovers, you have the most engaging and personable delivery. Still, this was a great throwback to earlier times, and we did get the "Dylan Wave." BTW, what is your proper job?

that amount of dirt gives me LIRR flashbacks

The trouble with captions for me is that I spend too much time reading them and cannot concentrate on viewing the scenery . In this instance I gave up watching very early on . I must stress that this is my personal opinion and I understand that many people prefer captions to voice over .

Some right miserable looking people on that train

SNCF, Lavez les fenetres s'il vous plait! As you can see I studied french at school = 50 years ago!

As good as your voice overs are (clearly spoken, easy to follow etc), I've always preferred captioned trip reports because it captures the sounds of the experience so well it almost feels like I'm actually there. Almost like an ASMR experience. Still, I've also enjoyed your voice over vids and watch them regularly. All your videos, wether captioned or ''voice-overed,'' are exceptionally well done and informative 👍

First class is not declassified. It rarely is. The region AURA is one of the ones with the most first class I believe. Although as you have noticed, the seats are the exact same in 1st and 2nd (no difference whatsoever) there tends to be a significant difference in “quietness”.

And yes, dirty windows… thank SNCF.

How to travel with 2 kids in Switz without Railpass cards? I just want to see some places in 1-2 days. Of course I would be grateful for some cheap options.

Great idea Dylan, especially if you’re working a lot more these days. Make it easier on you and your family.

I always liked the CC videos, this’ll be a treat

The thing that nearly ruined my France to Switzerland journey with SNCF on a TGV was that the advertised 5 minute guaranteed connection at Basle to a Eurocity for Milan was not maintained. We were just a couple of minutes late in and to my amazement the connection was not cross-platform. Black mark to the French for lack of recovery time at the end of the schedule (we were on time most of the way) and the Swiss for not making a tight connection easy, unusual for them. Luckily I know Basle station and had just enough time to hare over the stairs with my luggage and dive into the nearest doors as they closed. Anyone else missed it. Poor effort for what was shown as a through international connection, so don't believe European trains are always as reliable as they say!

Sorry Dylan, but it’s a hard NO from me. Your presentations have helped me immensely to understand what to expect on various rail travels throughout the Continent BUT I’m not going to toggle between reading captions, pause, watch, pause and read captions, watch. It’s dizzying for me to say the least. So those that you decide to do in this style I’ll just skip over entirely. Otherwise, keep up the great work! 😉👍🏻

France to Switzerland is quite a unique train ride. With lots of breathtaking scenes to look out the window whilst travelling on the train. Plus Gare de Chambéry - Challes-Les-Eaux railway station is very big and massive.

Sorry Dylan but I do not read videos.

Congratulations on the new "real" job, Dylan. The interior of this train appears quite comfy and the upper deck is similar in dimensions to Sydney Train's units down here in Aus. I noted your displeasure at the state of the windows and one thing occurred to me that it may not be a lack of cleaning but that SNCF may have put sacrificial anti-graffiti coating over all windows (except the driver's of course). The worst windows I have seen on a train are those on Adelaide's Class 3000 units. They are a hybrid of hardened perspex and glass and almost impossible to view through when attacked by scratch vandals. Now let's hear your cherpy voice again!🙂🙂🙂

You have a good Narrator voice, but I personally prefer the captions. It's easier for me to read and watch the video than the other way

I'm sure that would be a beautiful journey if it was visible through the filthy windows. I was hoping to see Aix-les-Bains, because I've just written an article about an Englishwoman who had a villa there (now the Mairie of Tresserve) with a famous garden in the 19th & 20th centuries. I prefer the captions to your commentary, because I don't have to watch your trips with my earbuds in.

Thanks SNCF for dirty windows 💤

I've never understood why the SNCF doesn't clean its trains more. I don't know if they've got some water/soap saving policy. I often travel to Geneva and it's embarrassing to turn up on such a grotty-looking train alongside the SBB's largely white, and usually massively cleaner, livery.