21 June 2010. Train times valid from 13 June
to 11 December 2010.
UK to Spain by train?
It's very easy to travel from the UK
to Spain by train, in fact, it's amazing that some
people still think you need to fly. Take an afternoon
Eurostar from London to Paris in just 2 hours 20 minutes,
then the excellent Elipsos trainhotel
overnight from Paris to Madrid or Barcelona arriving next
morning, with onward train
connections in just a few hours for Seville, Malaga,
Granada, Valencia or Alicante, or ferries to Ibiza & Majorca. The trainhotel has cosy bedrooms, a
restaurant and a café-bar,
see the
photos below. The Gran Clase bedrooms
even have a private toilet and shower... It's
affordable, too, as fares start at £69 return for Eurostar
from London to Paris plus £67 each way for the trainhotel
from Paris to Madrid or Barcelona including a bed in a
4-berth sleeper for the night. Better still, how about
£146 each way per person in a 2-bed Gran Clase sleeper
with private shower & toilet, dinner with wine and breakfast
included in the fare? And it's far more
environmentally-friendly as
well. You can also sail to Spain on a twice-weekly
direct cruise ferry from Portsmouth or
Plymouth. This page will tell you
train times, fares, and the best way to buy tickets.
See the video -
Taking the train to Spain...
It's a PR video, of course, but this 4-minute film shows
how good travelling on the Paris-Madrid or
Paris-Barcelona trainhotels can be. Put the romance
back into a journey to Spain!
It couldn't be simpler. Take an
afternoon Eurostar from London to Paris, then the
overnight 'trainhotel' from Paris to Madrid. Enjoy
dinner in the restaurant or a drink in the bar before
retiring to your sleeper for the night, then wake up in
Spain to glimpses of snow-capped mountains in the distance
and the royal palace at El Escorial north of Madrid.
Fares start at £59 return for the Eurostar plus £66 each way
for the trainhotel with a bed in a 4-bed tourist class
sleeper, or better still, £146 each way per person in a
2-bed Gran Clase sleeper with private shower & toilet,
dinner with wine and breakfast included in the fare.
Train times
London ► Burgos, Valladolid, Madrid
Travel from
London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London
St Pancras at 14:04 and arriving in Paris Gare
du Nord at 17:26. By all means choose an earlier
Eurostar if if you'd like to stop off in Paris, or if this
has cheaper tickets available.
Cross Paris by
metro or taxi to the Gare d'Austerlitz.
Travel
overnight from Paris to Madrid on the Elipsos trainhotel 'Francisco de Goya'
leaving Paris Gare d'Austerlitz daily
at 19:47 and arriving next morning in Burgos at 05:20, Valladolid at 06:22 and Madrid (Chamartin
station) at 09:10.
What's the
trainhotel like?
Important: The Paris-Madrid trainhotel
normally runs daily, but it will not run on
Tuesday or Wednesday nights from 13 October 2009 until
17 March 2010 or from 13 October 2010 until March 2011
(but it
will run on 23 & 30 December 2009, and 6 January
2010).
On the days when it's not running, don't worry, an
alternative train service is available. The
Paris-Madrid trainhotel is also cancelled due to
engineering work on the following specific dates:
4, 5, 12, 19, 26 June or 3 July 2010, so
see this alternative
on those dates.
The Elipsos trainhotel
'Francisco de Goya' leaves Madrid Chamartin daily at
19:00, Valladolid at 21:20 and Burgos at 22:21, arriving
Paris Gare d'Austerlitz at 08:31 next morning. The
arrival time varies on certain dates, so check when
booking. Trainhotel passengers in Preferente and
Gran Clase sleepers may use the Sala Club (1st class
lounge) at Madrid Chamartin near platform 14, with
complimentary tea, coffee, juices and beer.
Important: The Madrid-Paris trainhotel
normally runs daily, but it will not run on Monday
or Tuesday nights from 12 October 2009 to 16 March 2010
or from 12 October 2010 until March 2011.
On the days when it's not running, don't worry, an
alternative train service is available. The
Paris-Madrid trainhotel is also cancelled due to
engineering work on the following specific dates:
4, 5, 12, 19, 26 June & 3 July 2010, so
see this alternative
on those dates.
A Eurostar leaves Paris Gare du
Nord at 11:13 and arrives London St Pancras at 12:29.
By all means choose a later Eurostar if if you'd like to
stop off in Paris, or if this has cheaper tickets
available.
The trainhotel
'Francisco de Goya' is a compact rolling hotel, run by a
consortium of the French & Spanish railways called
Elipsos.
It has Gran Clase, Preferente & Tourist class sleepers plus reclining seats.
It also has a restaurant & a cafe-bar. See
the photos below, and the
picture gallery & nifty virtual tour at
www.elipsos.com. It is entirely non-smoking.
The train is an articulated Spanish 'Talgo' train fitted with
adjustable axles. At the frontier in the small hours
of the morning it passes through a special shed, and the
axles are adjusted from European standard track gauge (4'
8½") to Spanish track gauge (5'
5.7"). Book early to
avoid disappointment, as the trainhotels are very popular,
and can leave full. Indeed, average occupancy has now
reached 87%. Paris to Madrid by trainhotel is 1,459 km
(906 miles), London to Paris by Eurostar is 492 km (305
miles).
...'Gran Clase'
sleepers: 1 or 2 berth with private shower &
toilet, dinner & breakfast included
The trainhotel is
an
articulated Spanish 'Talgo' train, run by Elipsos, a
consortium of French &
Spanish railways.
A 'Gran Clase' sleeper, in evening
mode with the seats folded out...
...return from dinner to find the
attendant has made up the beds...
Gran Clase sleepers have a private
toilet & shower...
You are greeted at the
carriage door by the sleeping-car attendant who checks your
tickets and shows you to your compartment. He gives
you a hotel-style card key for your door and vouchers for dinner and
breakfast in the restaurant car, which are both included in
the Gran Clase fare. He asks which sitting for dinner
you'd prefer and takes your table reservation. He
takes your passport and tickets so you are not disturbed by
ticket or passport checks during the night. Gran Clase rooms are
very small but cosy, just big enough for two
armchairs that disappear when the beds are folded out, see
the photos below. The attendant will make up the
berths while you are at dinner, one lower bed and one upper
bed. Each Gran Clase compartment has an adjoining
private shower room, just big enough to contain a shower,
toilet & washbasin. Fluffy towels, mineral water and a
complimentary toiletries pack with soap, shampoo & shower
gel are provided. A 3-course evening meal in the
restaurant car complete with
aperitif of sherry or sparkling cava, wine, coffee &
liqueurs, is included in the Gran Clase fare, as is
breakfast next morning. 'Gran Clase' is described as
first class single or double 'with shower' on online booking
websites. Travelling Gran Clase is a wonderful way to
reach Spain, but please remember that this is a real train
not a deluxe tourist experience - the photos accurately show
the compact size of the compartment, just big enough for two
seats convertible to two beds at night with space to stand
next to them.
...'Preferente'
sleepers: 1 or 2 berth with washbasin, breakfast
included
A
'Preferente' 2-berth sleeper, with beds folded away...
All aboard
for Spain!
You are greeted at the
carriage door by the sleeping-car attendant who checks your
tickets and shows you to your compartment. He gives
you a hotel-style card key for your door and vouchers for breakfast in
the restaurant car, included in the Preferente fare.
He takes your passport and tickets, so you are not disturbed
by ticket or passport checks during the night.
Preferente rooms are very small but cosy, just big enough
for two armchairs that disappear when the beds are folded
out. Your luggage stays with you, there's space in the
recess above the door, projecting over the ceiling of the
corridor. The attendant will make up the berths when
you ask, one lower and one upper berth. Each
Preferente compartment has a washbasin, and towels, mineral
water and soap are provided. Feel free to use the
restaurant or bar, although meals and drinks other than
breakfast aren't included in the fare. If you are
travelling alone but do not wish to pay the single-berth
fare, you can book one berth in a 2-berth room and share
with another passenger of the same sex. 'Preferente'
is described as first class single or double on online
booking websites.
...Tourist Class
sleepers: 4-berth with washbasin
Tourist Class 4-berth sleeper, in
evening mode with the seats folded out...
Tourist Class 4-berth sleeper, with
the beds folded out...
The Elipsos
trainhotel boarding at Paris Austerlitz...
Tourist class
sleepers have 4 berths, arranged as upper & lower on each
side of the compartment, plus a washbasin. Berths in
tourist sleepers are sold individually, so you can book one
or two berths in a shared 4-berth compartment and share with
other passengers of the same sex. A family or group of
4 passengers travelling together can of course book a
compartment to themselves. You are greeted at the carriage
door by the sleeping-car attendant who checks your tickets
and shows you to your compartment. He comes round
later to take your passport and tickets, so you are not
disturbed by ticket or passport checks during the night.
The Tourist sleepers are very small but cosy, just big enough
for four small armchairs that disappear when the beds are
folded out. The attendant will make up the berths when
you ask, two lower berths and two upper berths. These
are not couchettes, but proper beds with mattress, sheets
and blankets freshly made up for you. Each compartment
has a washbasin, and towels, mineral water and soap are
provided for each passenger. Feel free to use the
restaurant or bar, although meals
and drinks aren't included in the fare. Your luggage
stays with you, there's luggage space in the recess above
the door, projecting over the ceiling of the corridor.
All sleeper compartment doors have both a normal lock and a
security lock which cannot be opened from outside (even with
a staff key) so you're both safe and snug. 'Tourist class' is
described as second class 4-berth on online booking
websites.
Reclining
seats: The trainhotel has one small coach of first
class reclining seats, with plenty of legroom and leg
supports, but seats (even first class) are not recommended
for an overnight journey. Travelling with a bed in a
tourist sleeper is far more comfortable, and (as special
fares are available in tourist class) usually cheaper.
Online booking websites simply (and
misleadingly) call these seats 'first class'.
...the
cafe-bar & restaurant car
The trainhotel
has a café-bar serving drinks and tapas in the evening, and light breakfast in the
morning. There's an elegant restaurant car serving
à la carte dinner
and breakfast. Gran Clase fares include dinner, for
other passengers a starter in the restaurant car costs about
7-8 euros, a main course 15-18 euros, dessert 4-5 euros, a half bottle of wine
8 euros. All major credit cards are accepted.
Gran Clase and Preferente fares include breakfast, for
other passengers
continental breakfast in the café-bar or restaurant costs
6.70 euros, a cooked breakfast 9 euros. Alternatively,
unlike air
travel, you're free to bring your own picnic,
wine or beer and eat/drink it in your sleeper compartment if you
wish. In the
morning, enjoy coffee and croissant in the bar or restaurant as the
trainhotel twists and turns through the rocky hills North of
Madrid, with glimpses of mist-filled valleys and mountain
peaks in the distance. Look out for the walled city of
Avila on the right about 1 hour 20 minutes before Madrid,
and for the huge Spanish royal palace at El Escorial, on the hill
to the left of the train about 40 minutes before Madrid.
The
trainhotel's full-length bar, serving drinks & food. Grab a barstool early, it gets
crowded later on!
The elegant trainhotel restaurant
awaits first sitting for dinner. Gran Clase fares
include dinner & breakfast.
Diner on the trainhotel, as French
towns and picturesque villages swish past in the moonlight,
traffic lights glinting off the rainy streets...
Breakfast next morning, with the lights of the historic walled
city of Avila twinkling in the distance on the right...
£57 each way. You must occupy the whole compartment.
* Special fares: In Tourist Class the £66
fare (£81 in summer) is called 'Prems', book at least
14 days in advance, non-refundable, non-changeable.
In 1st Class & Gran Clase 2 people must travel
together & either the higher
price (Duo) or if you're lucky, lower price (Mini
à Deux) will be available on any given date.
Mini is non-refundable, non-changeable, limited
availability. Duo is refundable, exchangeable,
usually available.
** Child = 4-11 years old;
Youth = 12-25 years old; Senior = anyone over 60.
***
Fare includes breakfast. **** Fare includes
evening meal with wine in the restaurant & breakfast.
Children under 4 go free, as long
as the parents have sole use of a compartment.
10%-22% higher fares apply
mid-June to mid-September & at Easter (e.g.
£67 becomes £83).
How to buy tickets online...
The best way for UK residents to buy tickets
for both Eurostar and the Paris-Madrid trainhotel is online
at
www.raileurope.co.uk,
using the booking form below.
But
please read the booking tips first! To book by
phone or in person, click
here.
If you live in another European country,
click here. If you live in
the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand,
click here.
Tickets can be collected at St Pancras or stations in
France free of charge, or sent to a UK
address for a £1.95 fee.
There's no fee for debit cards, but they charge a 2% credit card fee. Only
UK credit cards are accepted.
Reservations for the trainhotels to Spain open 90 days before
departure. You can't book before reservations open,
but if you ask
www.raileurope.co.uk
for a date more than 90 days ahead, it will offer to send an
email
reminder when reservations open. A
useful facility!
To get an idea of prices if your date of travel is more than
90 days away, ask it for a date within the
next 90 days. Be aware that the 90 days is often
squeezed to less than 90 in the few weeks
immediately after the European timetable changes in
mid-June & mid-December. Ask for a date before the
timetable change to get an idea of price.
Top tip:
It's best to treat London to Madrid as two
separate journeys, one from London to Paris, the other
Paris to Madrid. This gives you more control, and
allows you to mix and match (for example) 2nd class Eurostar
with 2-berth sleeper (1st class). It also allows
stopovers in Paris if you like.
Step 1, change 'St Pancras' to 'Paris' and book from Paris to Madrid & back,
looking for the direct Elipsos train. 'With shower' =
gran clase. On the
confirmation page, clicking 'show itinerary details' shows the
specific coach number & berth or seat number
you've been given.
You may find this trainhotel berth numbering plan helpful.
Check trainhotel times before booking the Eurostar, as
engineering work sometimes affects arrival times, requiring
a later Eurostar connection.
Step 2, when you've booked the train from Paris to
Madrid & back,
click 'continue shopping' and book the Eurostar from London
to Paris & back. Use
the Eurostar times on this page as a guide, but feel free to
choose an earlier Eurostar from London or a later Eurostar
back from Paris, if these have cheaper seats available
or if you'd like to stop off in Paris. Don't forget
that on your return journey, your departure date from Paris
to London will be the day after your departure date from
Spain to Paris!
For a one-way
journey on Eurostar, see this advice.
Tickets are sent from Rail Europe's UK office and normally arrive in a couple of
days. If you need any help, you can call Rail Europe's
UK call centre on 0844 848 5 848.
Tip: In the event all the cheap fares for the
trainhotel are sold out on
www.raileurope.co.uk,
it's worth checking the Spanish Railways site,
www.renfe.com.
The prices shown on renfe.es come from a separate pool of
tickets held on the Spanish reservations system as opposed
to the French one.
See this advice on using renfe.es.
Buying onward train tickets
within Spain...
...using Rail Europe: You can book most (but not all)
connecting trains within Spain fairly painlessly at
www.raileurope.co.uk,
along with your other tickets. After booking your
London-Paris-Madrid tickets, click 'continue shopping' and
book any Spanish domestic trains you want, for example
Madrid to Seville, Malaga, Granada or Algeciras.
However,
www.raileurope.co.uk
can't sell the cheap 'web' or 'estrella' fares, only
full-price fully-flexible fares.
...using the Spanish Railways website www.renfe.com:
You can buy train tickets within Spain online at the Spanish
Railways website,
www.renfe.com.
This is the cheapest way to buy these tickets, as RENFE
offers many cheap fares online, such as their 'Web' &
'Estrella' fares. See these
step-by-step instructions for using renfe.es.
You
can book through a number of UK agencies, including Rail
Europe on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open
09:00-21:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 on Saturdays, no
longer open on Sundays, £8 booking fee applies) or Ffestiniog
Travel on 01766 772050 (8% booking fee). Rail Europe have a
travel centre for personal callers at 1 Regent Street, London SW1Y 4XT, open 10:00-18:00 Mon-Fri, 10:00-16:00 Saturdays. There
is also a Spanish Railways agency in London which can book
trains to and within Spain:
www.spanish-rail.co.uk or telephone 020 7725 7063
(lines open 09:30-13:30 & 14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday, £10 booking fee
applies). For more information about how to book
European train travel from the UK and overseas, see the How to buy European train
tickets page. For tailor-made holidays to Italy
with train travel & hotels arranged for you,
click here.
The Tortoise and the
Hare? At
breakfast approaching Madrid, the restaurant car of the
trainhotel is bathed in a warm red glow as the morning
sun rises over distant mountain tops. We're
running on time, which is more than can be said for most
airline passengers who tried to reach Spain for
Christmas. The day we
left London to spend Christmas week in Andalusia,
Heathrow was closed due to fog and all flights were
cancelled for several days. We arrived in Seville
by train from London, spot on time. A latter-day
case of the tortoise and the hare? Above right:
The Spanish royal palace at El Escorial, seen from your
breakfast table on the trainhotel as it snakes through
the hills north of Madrid...
www.voyages-sncf.com is the French Railways' (SNCF's) website, and like
www.raileurope.co.uk
it can sell tickets from London to Paris, and from Paris to
Madrid or Barcelona. The Spanish Railways website,
www.renfe.com,
can now also book the Paris-Madrid & Paris-Barcelona
trainhotels, in either direction, although it can't book
Eurostar, just the trainhotels.
The advantage over
www.raileurope.co.uk
for UK residents is that
www.voyages-sncf.com &
www.renfe.com sell fares in
euros so
are a bit
cheaper because you'll get a better exchange rate from your
own bank. And unlike
www.raileurope.co.uk
there's no credit card fee or postage fee (so ironically
SNCF will send tickets from France to the UK for free,
whilst it's own UK subsidiary now charges £1.95 to send them
from an office in Kent!). If you use renfe.es you
simply print out your own ticket. For non-UK
residents, both these sites accept all credit cards, so residents
of any country may use them.
The disadvantage over
www.raileurope.co.uk
is that they aren't as easy to use and if anything goes wrong
you'll be dealing with a French call centre in France or a
Spanish call centre in Spain, not a
UK company. If you live in the UK you may prefer
dealing with
www.raileurope.co.uk
which is backed by a UK call centre.
Tickets booked at
www.voyages-sncf.com can be sent to any address in Europe including the
UK, or collected from any main French station including
Paris. If you use renfe.es you simply print out your
own ticket. Remember that bookings open 90 days before departure, you
cannot book before bookings open!
How to buy tickets if you live
in the USA, Canada, Australia,
India etc.
Alternatively, you can buy the
London-Paris Eurostar online at
www.eurostar.com, selecting the option to pick up
tickets at the station. Then book the Paris-Spain
trainhotel online at either
www.renfe.com
following
this step-by-step advice and printing out your own
tickets, or at
www.voyages-sncf.com,
following this step-by-step advice
and choosing to pick up tickets at the ticket office at any
main station in France, including Paris Gare d'Austerlitz.
London to Madrid via the Paris-Barcelona trainhotel...
This takes a few hours longer than
using the Paris-Madrid trainhotel, and it costs a bit more as
you'll need to pay for an additional ticket between Barcelona
& Madrid. But it runs daily all year and takes a
different route to the Paris-Madrid trainhotel, so on days
when the Paris-Madrid trenhotel isn't running (in other words,
on Tuesdays or Wednesdays in winter, or if it's cancelled due
to engineering work) this is a good option. It gives you
the same excellent 'trainhotel' facilities, with restaurant,
cafe-bar and sleepers including some with private shower &
toilet. It's also a good option if you simply want to
see Barcelona on the way. All trains are ticketed
separately, so stopping off makes no difference to the cost.
London ► Madrid
(via Barcelona)
Travel from London
to Paris by Eurostar and from Pars to Barcelona by trainhotel
'Joan Miro', as shown in the London to
Barcelona section below. You leave London St Pancras
at 15:02 weekdays or 15:32 at weekends, arriving at Barcelona
França station at 08:24 next morning.
Transfer from
Barcelona França station to Barcelona Sants station by local
suburban train or by taxi.
Travel from
Barcelona to Madrid by high-speed AVE train, leaving Barcelona
Sants at 10:00 and arriving at Madrid Atocha at 13:23.
Madrid ► London (via
Barcelona)
Travel from Madrid
to Barcelona by high-speed AVE train, leaving Madrid Atocha at
17:00 (16:30 on Saturdays) and arriving at Barcelona Sants at
19:38 (19:27 on Saturdays). Transfer by suburban train
or taxi to Barcelona França station.
Travel from
Barcelona to Paris by trainhotel 'Joan Miro' then by Eurostar
to London, as shown in the London to
Barcelona section below. You leave Barcelona at
21:05, arriving at London St Pancras at 12:29 next day.
Fares from
Barcelona to Madrid start at 46 euros (£38) each way in
'turista' if you pre-book, 114 euros each way bought on the
day.
London to Madrid via the Paris-Irun
'Lunéa' couchette train...
This alternative London-Madrid journey runs daily all year
round except 24 & 31 December. It involves a French
'Lunéa'
couchette train, so is much less comfortable than the
trainhotel options above, but can be a bit cheaper. It takes an hour or two
longer than the trainhotel, but it's useful if the trainhotel
is fully-booked or if you need to leave London later in the
day, or if you need to travel on Tuesdays & Wednesdays in
winter when the trainhotel isn't
running. Note that this option takes the same route as
the Paris-Madrid trenhotel, so if the latter isn't running due
to engineering work, this option will most probably also be
cancelled.
Train times
London ► Madrid
Travel from
London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London
St Pancras at 17:55 (17:25 on Saturdays) and arriving in Paris Gare
du Nord at 21:17 (20:53 on Saturdays). By all means choose an earlier
Eurostar if if you'd like to stop off in Paris, or if this
has cheaper tickets available.
Cross Paris by
metro or taxi to the Gare d'Austerlitz.
Travel
overnight from Paris to Irun (on the Spanish side of the
Franco-Spanish frontier) using a
Lunéa sleeper train. The train leaves Paris Gare
d'Austerlitz at 23:10 and arrives at Irun at 07:36 next
morning. The train has 1st class 4-berth
couchettes, 2nd class 6-berth couchettes & reclining
seats, all air-conditioned, see the
Lunéa information on the France page for more
details & photos. A couchette is the recommended
option for an overnight journey, rather than a reclining
seat. Couchettes are basic padded bunks in shared
compartments, each supplied with a fresh clean pillow,
lightweight sleeping bag (a welcome innovation from the
traditional sheet & blanket) and small bottle of mineral
water.
Travel from Irun to Madrid by
high-speed air-conditioned 'Alvia' train, leaving Irun
at 08:25 and arriving Burgos 11:30, Valladolid at 12:40
and Madrid Chamartin at 14:00. A complimentary
airline-style meal & drinks are included in fare in 1st
class (Preferente). A buffet car is available to
all passengers.
Travel from Madrid to Hendaye
(on the French side of the Franco-Spanish frontier) by high-speed air-conditioned Alvia
train, leaving Madrid at 16:10, Valladolid at 17:34 or
Burgos at 18:37, arriving Hendaye at 22:03. Hendaye
& Irun are only a few miles apart, but for historical
reasons in the southbound direction French trains
interchange with Spanish ones at Irun on the Spanish side,
whereas northbound the Spanish trains continue to Hendaye
and interchange with French trains there.
Travel from Hendaye to Paris
overnight by Lunéa
sleeper train, leaving Hendaye at 22:18 and arriving Paris Gare
d'Austerlitz at 07:11.
A Eurostar leaves Paris Gare du
Nord at 09:13 arriving London St Pancras at 10:34.
By all means choose a later Eurostar if if you'd like to
stop off in Paris, or if this has cheaper tickets
available.
How much does it cost?
Fares by
Eurostar + Lunéa overnight train via Paris...
Turista class: Web fare 20 euros, Estrella 29 euros,
Normal 49 euros.
Preferente:
Estrella fare 45 euros, Normal fare 76 euros.
If you book with
Rail Europe:
All seats £41 in
Turista, £63 in preferente.
How to buy tickets...
The best way for UK residents to
book the London-Paris & Paris-Irun/Hendaye trains is at
www.raileurope.co.uk.
The Irun-Madrid train can also be booked very easily at
www.raileurope.co.uk,
but as you can see from the fares quoted above, it's usually
cheaper to buy this ticket online direct from Spanish Railways
as they offer special cheap 'Web' & 'Estrella' fares.
Here are step-by-step booking instructions:
1. Go to
www.raileurope.co.uk.
There's no booking fee, and tickets can be sent to any UK
address or collected at St Pancras. Only UK-issued
credit cards are accepted, if you live outside Europe
see here.
Reservations for the Paris-Irun & Hendaye-Paris trains open 90 days before
departure. You can't book before reservations open,
but if you make a journey enquiry at
www.raileurope.co.uk
for a date outside this period, it will offer to send you a
reminder email on the day when reservations open. A
useful feature!
2.
First, book the train from Paris to Irun.
Enter your dates of travel and select 'evening', then click
'search for fares'. When the results appear, find the
overnight direct train and click on 'more details' and it
will show the available prices for each type of seat and
couchette.
Select the cheapest fare for the type of seat or couchette that you
want, enter your name when prompted, and add this ticket to
your basket.
3. Now click
'continue shopping' and book the train from Hendaye back
to Paris as a second separate journey. Add it to
your basket.
4. Now
click 'continue shopping' and book the Eurostar from London
to Paris & back as a third separate journey. Use
the Eurostar times on this page as a guide, but feel free to
choose an earlier Eurostar from London, or a later Eurostar
returning from Paris, if these have cheaper seats available
or if you'd like to stop off in Paris. Don't forget
that if travelling by overnight train on your return journey, your departure date from Paris
to London will be the day after your departure date from
Madrid to Paris!
For a one-way
journey on Eurostar, see this advice.
5. You now have a choice. You can click 'continue
shopping' and buy the Irun-Madrid & Madrid-Hendaye trains
easily at
www.raileurope.co.uk,
but every seat on every train is sold at the normal flexible
fare. Or you can try booking at the Spanish Railways
website, www.renfe.com.
This has cheap fares available, but sometimes requires a
little perseverance to use.
Before trying to book tickets at www.renfe.com, see this
advice on using it. Note that 'Hendaye' doesn't
initially appear in the drop-down list of destinations, so
use 'Irun', and after the first set of results appear switch
it to English bottom left, then you should see 'Irun-Hend(*)'
as a destination, which means either Irun or Hendaye which
is what you want.
Tickets are sent from Rail Europe's UK office and normally arrive in a couple of
days. If you need any help, you can call Rail Europe's
UK call centre on 0844 848 5 848. On
www.renfe.com, you print
out your own tickets.
Arrive relaxed, not stressed... Splurge on
a Gran Clase 2-berth sleeper, and your compartment
comes with a private toilet & shower. Dinner with
wine & a continental breakfast are included in the fare.
A hot shower and breakfast on the trainhotel really sets
you up for the day...
It couldn't be simpler. Just hop on an afternoon
Eurostar from London to Paris, then take the Elipsos
'trainhotel' from Paris to Barcelona overnight. Enjoy dinner in
the restaurant or a drink in the bar as French villages
swish past in the moonlight before retiring to your
sleeper for the night, then wake up in Spain. Fares
start at £59 return for the Eurostar plus £66 each way for
the trainhotel, including a bed in a 4-bed Tourist class
sleeper. Or better still, £146 each way per person in
a 2-bed Gran Clase sleeper with private shower and toilet,
dinner with wine and breakfast next morning included in the
fare. There's also a
London-Paris-Barcelona daytime option,
although it's not as convenient as the trainhotel.
Train times London ► Figueres,
Girona, Barcelona
Travel from
London to Paris by
Eurostar,
leaving London St Pancras at 15:02 (15:32 at weekends) and arriving in Paris
Gare du Nord at 18:17 (18:47 at weekends). By all means choose an
earlier Eurostar if if you'd like to stop off in Paris, or
if this has cheaper tickets available.
Cross Paris by
metro or taxi to the Gare d'Austerlitz.
Travel from
Paris to Barcelona overnight on the trainhotel 'Joan Miro', leaving Paris Gare d'Austerlitz daily at 20:34 and
arriving next morning in Figueres (for the Salvador Dali
museum) at 06:24, Girona at 06:54 and Barcelona França
station at 08:24.
What's the
trainhotel like?
Trainhotel tickets are valid
on the frequent local trains from Barcelona Franca to
Barcelona Paseo de Gracia or Barcelona Sants, if these
are better stations for you. The nearest metro to
the Estacion França is
Barceloneta.
Train times Barcelona, Girona,
Figueres ► London
The trainhotel
'Joan Miro' leaves Barcelona França
station at 21:05, Girona at 22:17, Figueres at 22:47,
arriving Paris Gare d'Austerlitz at 09:01 next morning. The arrival time varies on certain dates,
so check exact times when you book.
Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare du Nord.
Travel
from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du
Nord at 11:13 and arriving London St Pancras at
12:29.
By all means choose a later Eurostar if if you'd like to
stop off in Paris, or if this has cheaper tickets
available.
The trainhotel
'Joan Miro' is a compact rolling hotel, run by a consortium
of the French & Spanish railways called
Elipsos.
It has Gran Clase, Preferente & Tourist class sleepers plus
one small coach of reclining seats. It also has a
restaurant & a cafe-bar. See
the photos below, and the
picture gallery & nifty virtual tour at
www.elipsos.com. It is entirely non-smoking.
The train is an articulated Spanish 'Talgo' train fitted with
adjustable axles. At the frontier in the small hours
of the morning it passes through a special shed, and the
axles are adjusted from European standard track gauge (4'
8½") to Spanish track gauge (5'
5.7"). Book early to
avoid disappointment, as the trainhotels are very popular,
and can leave full. Indeed, average occupancy has now
reached 87%. Paris to Barcelona by trainhotel is 1,137
km (706 miles), London to Paris by Eurostar is 492 km (305
miles).
...'Gran Clase'
sleepers: 1 or 2 berth with private shower & toilet,
dinner & breakfast included
You are greeted at the
carriage door by the sleeping-car attendant who checks your
tickets and shows you to your compartment. He gives
you a hotel-style card key for your door and vouchers for dinner and
breakfast in the restaurant car, which are both included in
the Gran Clase fare. He asks which sitting for dinner
you'd prefer and takes your table reservation. He
takes your passport and tickets so you are not disturbed by
ticket or passport checks during the night. Gran Clase rooms are
very small but cosy, just big enough for two
armchairs that disappear when the beds are folded out, see
the photos below. The attendant will make up the
berths while you are at dinner, one lower bed and one upper
bed. Each Gran Clase compartment has an adjoining
private shower room, just big enough to contain a shower,
toilet & washbasin. Fluffy towels, mineral water and a
complimentary toiletries pack with soap, shampoo & shower
gel are provided. A 3-course evening meal in the
restaurant car, complete with
aperitif of sherry or sparkling cava, wine, coffee &
liqueurs, is included in the Gran Clase fare, as is
breakfast next morning. 'Gran Clase' is described as
first class single or double 'with shower' on online booking
websites. Travelling Gran Clase is a wonderful way to
reach Spain, but please remember that this is a real train
not a deluxe tourist experience - the photos accurately show
the compact size of the compartment, just big enough for two
seats convertible to two beds at night with space to stand
next to them.
The
trainhotel is an articulated Spanish 'Talgo' train, run by
Elipsos, a consortium of French & Spanish railways.
Gran Clase sleeper, in evening
mode with the seats folded out...
...return from dinner to find the
attendant has made up the beds...
Gran Clase sleepers have a private
toilet & shower...
...'Preferente'
sleepers: 1 or 2 berth with washbasin, breakfast
included
You are greeted at the
carriage door by the sleeping-car attendant who checks your
tickets and shows you to your compartment. He gives
you a hotel-style card key for your door and vouchers for breakfast in
the restaurant car, included in the Preferente fare.
He takes your passport and tickets, so you are not disturbed
by ticket or passport checks during the night.
Preferente rooms are very small but cosy, just big enough for
two armchairs that disappear when the beds are folded out.
Your luggage stays with you, there's space in the recess
above the door, projecting over the ceiling of the corridor. The attendant will make up the berths when you ask, one
lower and one upper berth. Each Preferente compartment
has a washbasin, and towels, mineral water and soap are
provided. Feel free to use the
restaurant or bar, although meals and drinks other than
breakfast aren't included in the fare. If you are
travelling alone but do not wish to pay the single-berth
fare, you can book one berth in a 2-berth room and share
with another passenger of the same sex. 'Preferente'
is described as first class single or double on online
booking websites.
A
'Preferente' 2-berth sleeper, with beds folded away...
All aboard
for Spain!
...Tourist Class
sleepers: 4-berth with washbasin
Tourist class
sleepers have 4 berths, arranged as upper & lower on each
side of the compartment, plus a washbasin. Berths in
tourist sleepers are sold individually, so you can book one
or two berths in a shared 4-berth compartment and share with
other passengers of the same sex. A family or group of
4 passengers travelling together can of course book a
compartment to themselves. You are greeted at the carriage
door by the sleeping-car attendant who checks your tickets
and shows you to your compartment. He comes round
later to take your passport and tickets, so you are not
disturbed by ticket or passport checks during the night.
The Tourist sleepers are very small but cosy, just big enough
for four small armchairs that disappear when the beds are
folded out. The attendant will make up the berths when
you ask, two lower berths and two upper berths. These
are not couchettes, but proper beds with mattress, sheets
and blankets freshly made up for you. Each compartment
has a washbasin, and towels, mineral water and soap are
provided for each passenger. Feel free to use the
restaurant or bar, although meals
and drinks aren't included in the fare. Your luggage
stays with you, there's luggage space in the recess above
the door, projecting over the ceiling of the corridor.
All sleeper compartment doors have both a normal lock and a
security lock which cannot be opened from outside (even with
a staff key) so you're both safe and snug. 'Tourist class' is
described as second class 4-berth on online booking
websites.
Tourist Class 4-berth sleeper, in
evening mode with the seats folded out...
Tourist Class 4-berth sleeper, with
the beds folded out...
The Elipsos
trainhotel boarding at Paris Austerlitz...
Reclining
seats: The trainhotel has one small coach of first
class reclining seats, with plenty of legroom and leg
supports, but seats (even first class) are not recommended
for an overnight journey. Travelling with a bed in a
tourist sleeper is far more comfortable, and (as special
fares are available in tourist class) usually cheaper.
Online booking websites simply (and
misleadingly) call these seats 'first class'.
...the
cafe-bar & restaurant car
The trainhotel
has a café-bar serving drinks and tapas in the evening, and light breakfast in the
morning. There's an elegant restaurant car serving
à la carte dinner
and breakfast. Gran Clase fares include dinner, for
other passengers a starter in the restaurant car costs about
7-8 euros, a main course 15-18 euros, dessert 4-5 euros, a half bottle of wine
8 euros. All major credit cards are accepted.
Gran Clase and Preferente fares include breakfast, for
other passengers
continental breakfast in the café-bar or restaurant costs
6.70 euros, a cooked breakfast 9 euros. Alternatively,
unlike air
travel, you're free to bring your own picnic,
wine or beer and eat/drink it in your sleeper compartment if you
wish. In the
morning, enjoy coffee and croissant in the bar or restaurant as the
trainhotel twists and turns through the rocky hills North of
Madrid, with glimpses of mist-filled valleys and mountain
peaks in the distance. Look out for the walled city of
Avila on the right about 1 hour 20 minutes before Madrid,
and for the huge Spanish royal palace at El Escorial, on the hill
to the left of the train about 40 minutes before Madrid.
Above: The
trainhotel's full-length bar, serving drinks & food. Grab a barstool early, it gets
crowded later on!
The elegant trainhotel restaurant
awaits first sitting for dinner. Gran Clase fares
include dinner & breakfast.
Diner on the trainhotel, as French
towns and villages swish past in the moonlight...
* Special fares: In Tourist Class the £67
fare (£83 in summer) is called 'Prems', book at least
14 days in advance, non-refundable, non-changeable.
In 1st Class & Gran Clase 2 people must travel
together & either the higher price
(Duo) or if you're lucky, lower price (Mini
à Deux) will be available on any given date.
Mini is non-refundable, non-changeable, limited
availability. Duo is refundable, exchangeable,
usually available.
** Child = 4-11 years old;
Youth = 12-25 years old; Senior = anyone over 60.
***
Fare includes breakfast. **** Fare includes
evening meal with wine in the restaurant & breakfast.
Children under 4 go free, as long
as the parents have sole use of a compartment.
10%-22% higher fares apply
mid-June to mid-September & at Easter (e.g.
£67 becomes £83).
The best way for UK residents to buy tickets
for both Eurostar and the Paris-Barcelona trainhotel is online
at
www.raileurope.co.uk,
using this booking form.
But
please read the booking tips first! To book by
phone or in person, click here.
If you live in another European country,
click here. If you live in
the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand,
click here.
Tickets can be collected at St Pancras or stations in
France free of charge, or sent to a UK
address for a £1.95 fee.
There's no fee for debit cards, but they charge a 2% credit card fee. Only
UK credit cards are accepted.
Reservations for the trainhotels to Spain open 90 days before
departure. You can't book before reservations open,
but if you ask
www.raileurope.co.uk
for a date more than 90 days ahead, it will offer to send an
email
reminder when reservations open. A
useful facility!
To get an idea of prices if your date of travel is more than
90 days away, ask it for a date within the
next 90 days. Be aware that the 90 days is often
squeezed to less than 90 in the few weeks
immediately after the European timetable changes in
mid-June & mid-December. Ask for a date before the
timetable change to get an idea of price.
Top tip:
It's best to treat London to Barcelona as two
separate journeys, one from London to Paris, the other
Paris to Barcelona . This gives you more control, and
allows you to mix and match (for example) 2nd class Eurostar
with 2-berth sleeper (1st class). It also allows
stopovers in Paris if you like.
Step 1, change 'St Pancras' to 'Paris' and book from Paris to
Barcelona & back, looking for the direct Elipsos train.
'With shower' = gran clase. On the
confirmation page, clicking 'show itinerary details'
will show the specific coach number & berth or seat number
you've been given -
You may find this trainhotel berth numbering plan helpful.
Check trainhotel times before booking the Eurostar, as
engineering work sometimes affects arrival times, requiring
a later Eurostar connection.
Step 2, when you've booked the train from Paris to
Barcelona & back,
click 'continue shopping' and book the Eurostar from London
to Paris & back. Use
the Eurostar times on this page as a guide, but feel free to
choose an earlier Eurostar from London or a later Eurostar
back from Paris, if these have cheaper seats available
or if you'd like to stop off in Paris. Don't forget
that on your return journey, your departure date from Paris
to London will be the day after your departure date from
Spain to Paris!
For a one-way
journey on Eurostar, see this advice.
Tickets are sent from Rail Europe's UK office and normally arrive in a couple of
days. If you need any help, you can call Rail Europe's
UK call centre on 0844 848 5 848.
Tip: In the event all the cheap fares for the
trainhotel are sold out on
www.raileurope.co.uk,
it's worth checking the Spanish Railways site,
www.renfe.com.
The prices shown on renfe.es come from a separate pool of
tickets held on the Spanish reservations system as opposed
to the French one.
See this advice on using renfe.es.
Buying onward train tickets
within Spain...
...using Rail Europe: You can book most (but not all)
connecting trains within Spain fairly painlessly at
www.raileurope.co.uk,
along with your other tickets. After booking your
London-Paris-Madrid tickets, click 'continue shopping' and
book any Spanish domestic trains you want, for example
Madrid to Seville, Malaga, Granada or Algeciras.
However,
www.raileurope.co.uk
can't sell the cheap 'web' or 'estrella' fares, only
full-price fully-flexible fares.
...using the Spanish Railways website www.renfe.com:
You can buy train tickets within Spain online at the Spanish
Railways website,
www.renfe.com.
This is the cheapest way to buy these tickets, as RENFE
offers many cheap fares online, such as their 'Web' &
'Estrella' fares. See these
step-by-step instructions for using renfe.es.
You
can book through a number of UK agencies, including Rail
Europe on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open
09:00-21:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 on Saturdays, no
longer open on Sundays, £8 booking fee applies) or Ffestiniog
Travel on 01766 772050 (8% booking fee applies). Rail Europe
have a travel centre for personal callers at 1 Regent Street, London SW1Y 4XT, open 10:00-18:00 Mon-Fri,
10:00-16:00 Saturdays. There
is also a Spanish Railways agency in London which can book
trains to and within Spain:
www.spanish-rail.co.uk or telephone 020 7725 7063
(lines open 09:30-13:30 & 14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday, £10 booking fee
applies). For more information about how to book
European train travel from the UK and overseas, see the How to buy European train
tickets page. For tailor-made holidays to Italy
with train travel & hotels arranged for you,
click here.
Quality time on the
trainhotel...
Travelling by train gives you quality time with your
family. Here, we're getting ready for bed in
our Gran Clase sleeper, en route to spend a week in
Andalusia. Little Nate loves being with Mum
and Dad in the sleeper...
www.voyages-sncf.com is the French Railways' (SNCF's) website, and like
www.raileurope.co.uk
it can sell tickets from London to Paris, and from Paris to
Madrid or Barcelona. The Spanish Railways website,
www.renfe.com,
can now also book the Paris-Madrid & Paris-Barcelona
trainhotels, in either direction, although it can't book
Eurostar, just the trainhotels.
The advantage over
www.raileurope.co.uk
for UK residents is that
www.voyages-sncf.com &
www.renfe.com sell fares in
euros so
are a bit
cheaper because you'll get a better exchange rate from your
own bank. And unlike
www.raileurope.co.uk
there's no credit card fee or postage fee (so ironically
SNCF will send tickets from France to the UK for free,
whilst it's own UK subsidiary now charges £1.95 to send them
from an office in Kent!). If you use renfe.es you
simply print out your own ticket. For non-UK
residents, both these sites accept all credit cards, so residents
of any country may use them.
The disadvantage over
www.raileurope.co.uk
is that they aren't as easy to use and if anything goes wrong
you'll be dealing with a French call centre in France or a
Spanish call centre in Spain, not a
UK company. If you live in the UK you may prefer
dealing with
www.raileurope.co.uk
which is backed by a UK call centre.
Tickets booked at
www.voyages-sncf.com can be sent to any address in Europe including the
UK, or collected from any main French station including
Paris. If you use renfe.es you simply print out your
own ticket. Remember that bookings open 90 days before departure, you
cannot book before bookings open!
How to buy tickets if you live
in the USA, Canada, Australia,
India, etc.
Alternatively, you can buy the
London-Paris Eurostar online at
www.eurostar.com, selecting the option to pick up
tickets at the station. Then book the Paris-Spain
trainhotel online at either
www.renfe.com
following
this step-by-step advice and printing out your own
tickets, or at
www.voyages-sncf.com,
following this step-by-step advice
and choosing to pick up tickets at the ticket office at any
main station in France, including Paris Gare d'Austerlitz.
It's possible
to get from London to Barcelona in a day, although
it may cost more and feel longer than the trainhotel option.
The outward journey now requires a very early start from
London, an only runs Mondays-Fridays.
Travel from London
to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 06:55
on Mondays-Saturdays (there's no departure early enough on
Sundays),
arriving Paris Nord at 10:17. Take the metro to the
Gare de Lyon (2 stops on RER line D).
Travel from Paris
to Montpellier by high-speed TGV train, leaving Paris
Gare de Lyon at 11:20 and arriving Montpellier at 14:47.
Cafe-bar available.
TGV trains are
generally punctual, and the connection at Montpellier
is easy, as the TGV normally arrives from Paris at one
side of the platform, the Talgo for Barcelona departs from
the other side.
Travel from
Montpellier to Barcelona by modern 'Talgo' train,
leaving Montpellier at 15:09 and arriving in Barcelona
(França station) at 19:59.
This train is the 'Catalan Talgo', with cafe-bar serving
drinks and snacks.
Barcelona ▶ London
by daytime train...
Travel from Barcelona
to Montpellier, leaving Barcelona França
station at 08:45 by 'Talgo' train, arriving Montpellier at
13:22. This train is the 'Catalan Talgo', with
cafe-bar.
Travel from
Montpellier to Paris by high-speed TGV train, leaving
Montpellier at 14:21 and arriving Paris Gare de Lyon at
17:49. Take the RER or metro to the Gare du Nord (2
stops on RER line D).
Take Eurostar from
Paris to London, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 20:13 and arriving London
St Pancras at 21:29 (21:36 on Saturdays & Sundays).
Fares for daytime
travel...
Please double-check
these train times for your date of travel at
http://bahn.hafas.de
(click 'English', then enter 'London' to 'Barcelona
Franca'). Fares start at £59 return for the Eurostar
(also the cheapest price for a one-way trip), 40-75 euros
each way for the TGV, and 49 euros each way for the Talgo.
How to buy daytime tickets online...
You can buy tickets at
www.raileurope.co.uk
(in English, for UK users, tickets sent to any UK address,
recommended if you're a UK resident)
or
www.voyages-sncf.com (in several languages, English
button at the bottom, tickets sent to any European
address, see this advice for using it).
If you use
www.raileurope.co.uk,
book this as two separate journeys. First book Paris
to Barcelona and back, and add to basket. Then click
'continue shopping' and book from London to Paris and
back. In other words, first buy a return ticket from
London to Paris and back, looking for the 08:32 out and
the 19:13 back, then click 'add another ticket' and book
from Paris to Barcelona and back, looking for the 13:20
out from Paris and the 08:45 from Barcelona on the return.
If you use
www.voyages-sncf.com, you will probably need to book in
3 stages, booking each of the three trains separately.
How to buy daytime tickets, by phone...
Call Rail Europe UK on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open
09:00-21:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-18:00 Saturdays, £8
booking fee for phone bookings).
An on-time arrival from London... The AVE
from Madrid has just arrived in Seville's modern
city-centre station, 6 minutes ahead of schedule...
Take
Eurostar from London to Paris and the trainhotel from Paris
to Madrid,
as shown above. Then take a 186 mph 'AVE' (Alta
Velocidad Española) from Madrid to Cordoba or Seville in
just 2 hours. The Madrid-Seville high speed line is very scenic, as it
passes directly through the mountains which are by-passed by
the more roundabout conventional line. AVE trains from
Madrid to Seville run every hour or better. AVE trains
are very punctual: Your ticket will be refunded in full if
the AVE is more than 5 minutes late..!
Travel from Madrid to Cordoba and Seville by high-speed
AVE train, leaving Madrid Atocha station at 11:00 and
arriving Cordoba at 12:44 and Seville at 13:30. Or
take any AVE you like, they run every hour.
Train times
Seville ► London
Travel from Seville and
Cordoba to Madrid by high-speed AVE, leaving Seville at
14:45 (13:45 on Saturdays) and Cordoba at 15:29 (15:56
on Saturdays) arriving in Madrid Atocha
station at 17:15 (earlier on Saturdays).
Easy
transfer to Madrid Chamartin station.
Estrella
fare 43 euros (£31) one-way in Turista, 65 euros (£46) in
Preferente.
Full fare £51 (71 euros) one-way, £81 (114 euros) return in Turista,
£77
(108 euros) one-way, £123 (173 euros) in Preferente,
£93
(130 euros) one-way, £149 (208 euros) in Club,
Preferente
& club fares include a hot meal & wine.
On board the AVE from Madrid to Cordoba & Seville...
AVE trains run at up to 186 mph over the new line between
Madrid, Cordoba & Seville. Based on the French TGV,
they have three classes, Club (premium 1st class),
Preferente (1st class) and Turista (2nd class).
AVE Club
class...
AVE
Preferente...
AVE
Turista...
All AVE
trains have a cafe-bar serving drinks and snacks...
Or bring your own food, wine or beer on board.
An
at-seat airline-style hot meal is included in the Club
and Preferente fare, with aperitif of sherry or cava
and a selection of wines...
Club and
Preferente passengers may use the Sala Club (1st class
lounge) at Madrid Atocha, Cordoba & Seville, with
complimentary coffee, juices & beer...
How to buy tickets online...
Step 1, book the
London-Paris-Madrid part of this journey online, following
the step-by-step instructions in the
London
to Madrid section.
Step 2, still
on
www.raileurope.co.uk,
click 'continue shopping' and book the train from Madrid
to Seville & back. Remember that the outward date
will obviously be the day after your departure from
London.
If you book the Madrid-Seville train using
www.raileurope.co.uk
as suggested above, all your tickets can be bought as one
transaction, painlessly, in English. However,
www.raileurope.co.uk
only sells full-price fully-flexible fares between Madrid
& Seville, it can't sell the discounted 'Web' or 'Estrella'
fares offered by Spanish Railways themselves. So you can save a
lot of money if you book the
Madrid-Seville train separately
using the Spanish Railways website
www.renfe.com, looking for these cheap deals.
To book cheap Spanish train tickets using renfe.es,
follow the step-by step instructions here.
If you have any
difficulty booking online at renfe.es, you can buy the
Madrid-Seville/Cordoba tickets by phone with Spanish
Railway's UK agents,
www.spanish-rail.co.uk, on
020 7725 7063 (lines open 09:30-13:30 &
14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday). They can sell the cheap Estrella &
Web fares, but they charge a small booking fee.
How to buy tickets by phone...
You
can buy tickets through a number of UK agencies, including
www.raileurope.co.uk on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open 09:00-21:00 Monday to Friday,
09:00-18:00 on Saturdays, no longer open on Sundays, £8
booking fee) or
Spanish Railways' UK agents,
www.spanish-rail.co.uk, call
020 7725 7063 (lines open 09:30-13:30 &
14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday). For more information
about how to buy European train tickets from the UK and
overseas, see the Europe page.
All aboard for Malaga! A high-speed train
for Malaga waits to leave Madrid Atocha station...
It's easy to travel from London to Malaga without flying.
You simply take an afternoon Eurostar to Paris, the
excellent overnight 'trainhotel' from Paris to Madrid, then a
high-speed 'AVE' train through the mountains on the
scenic high-speed line from Madrid to Malaga.
Travel from
Madrid to Malaga by 186mph AVE train, leaving Madrid
Atocha station at 11:35 and arriving Malaga at 14:07. The final section of new high-speed line from
Cordoba to Malaga opened on 24 December 2007, cutting
Madrid-Malaga journey time to just 2 hours 40 minutes
using the same AVE trains as used between Madrid and
Seville.
Change in
Malaga for local trains to Torremolinos & Fuengirola or
buses to Marbella, see below for details.
Train times
Malaga ► London
Travel from
Malaga to Madrid by high-speed AVE train, leaving Malaga
at 15:05 and arriving Madrid Atocha station at 17:40.
Then
transfer to
Madrid Chamartin station.The new
high-speed line from Cordoba to Malaga opened on 24
December 2007, cutting Madrid-Malaga journey time to 2
hours 40 minutes by AVE train.
Estrella
fare 45 euros (£32) one-way in Turista, 68 euros (£48) in
Preferente.
Full fare £54 (76 euros) one-way, £86 (121
euros) return in Turista,
£81
(113 euros) one-way, £129 (181 euros) in Preferente,
£97
(136 euros) one-way, £156 (218 euros) in Club.
The
Preferente & Club fares include a hot meal &
wine.
Connections to
Torremolinos & Fuengirola...
Local trains
link Malaga station with Torremolinos (journey time 23
minutes, fare 1.40 euros) and Fuengirola (journey 47
minutes, fare 2.50 euros). They run every 30 minutes from
05:30 to 22:30. If you need further information, see
www.renfe.com,
leaving the site in Spanish, select 'Malaga' in the lower
drop down box under the words 'Seleccione su trayecto
Cercanias'. On the next page, 'horarios' means
timetables, 'precios' means prices, 'plano' means route map.
Connections to
Marbella & Estepona...
Option 1 is to
take a train to Fuengirola then a frequent connecting bus.
Option 2 is to take a direct bus from Malaga to Marbella.
Buses run from Malaga bus station (right next door to the
railway station) every hour or so, fast buses take 45
minutes, slow buses take 75 minutes, fare about 4.70 euros.
See
www.gomarbella.com/costadelsolbuses. There are
also buses from Malaga to Estepona, journey time 2 hours,
fare about 6.80 euros, see
www.gomarbella.com/costadelsolbuses.
On board the
AVE from Madrid to Malaga...
AVE trains run at up to 186 mph over the new line between
Madrid & Malaga, the final section of which opened on 24
December 2007. Some trains on the Malaga route are the
French TGV-based AVE trains like the ones used on the
Madrid-Seville line, but others are little articulated
'Talgo' carriages sandwiched between strange-looking
'duck-billed' power cars. Whichever type you travel
in, all AVEs have three classes, Club (premium 1st class),
Preferente (1st class) and Turista (2nd class). These
photos show the TGV-based AVE.
AVE Club
class...
AVE
Preferente...
AVE
Turista...
All AVE
trains have a cafe-bar serving drinks and snacks...
Or bring your own food, wine or beer on board.
An
at-seat airline-style hot meal is included in the Club
and Preferente fare, with aperitif of sherry or cava
and a selection of wines...
Club and
Preferente passengers may use the Sala Club (1st class
lounge) at Madrid Atocha, with
complimentary coffee, juices & beer...
How to buy tickets online...
Step 1, book the
London-Paris-Madrid part of this journey online, following
the step-by-step instructions in the
London
to Madrid section.
Step 2, still
on
www.raileurope.co.uk,
click 'continue shopping' and book the train from Madrid
to Malaga & back. Remember that the outward date
will obviously be the day after your departure from
London.
If you book the Madrid-Malaga train using
www.raileurope.co.uk
as suggested above, all your tickets can be bought as one
transaction, painlessly, in English. However,
www.raileurope.co.uk
only sells full-price fully-flexible fares between Madrid
& Malaga, it can't sell the discounted 'Web' or 'Estrella'
fares offered by Spanish Railways themselves. So you can save a
lot of money if you book the
Madrid-Malaga train separately
using the Spanish Railways website
www.renfe.com, looking for these cheap deals.
To book cheap Spanish train tickets using renfe.es,
follow the step-by step instructions here.
If you have any
difficulty booking online at renfe.es, you can buy the
Madrid-Malaga tickets by phone with Spanish
Railway's UK agents,
www.spanish-rail.co.uk, on
020 7725 7063 (lines open 09:30-13:30 &
14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday). They can sell the cheap Estrella &
Web fares, but they charge a small booking fee.
How to buy tickets by phone...
You
can buy tickets through a number of UK agencies, including
www.raileurope.co.uk on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open
09:00-21:00 Monday to Friday,
09:00-18:00 on Saturdays, no longer open on Sundays, £8
booking fee) or
Spanish Railways' UK agents,
www.spanish-rail.co.uk, call
020 7725 7063 (lines open 09:30-13:30 &
14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday). For more information
about how to buy European train tickets from the UK and
overseas, see the Europe page.
London to Granada,
Almeria, Murcia, Ronda, Algeciras
Train times
London ► Granada, Almeria, Murcia, Cartagena, Ronda, Algeciras
Take a
lunchtime Eurostar to Paris and the overnight trainhotel to Madrid Chamartin station, as shown in the London to Madrid
section. Spend a day exploring Madrid.
If you need to transfer between Madrid Chamartin &
Madrid Atocha stations,
see here. The Madrid metro (www.metromadrid.es)
also links Madrid Chamartin station with the city centre
&
Madrid Atocha station.
For
Granada, travel
from Madrid to Granada by
air-conditioned articulated 'Altaria' train, leaving Madrid Atocha at
17:05 and arriving Granada at 21:30.
For
Almeria, travel from Madrid to Almeria by
air-conditioned Talgo train, leaving Madrid Chamartin at
15:14 or Madrid Atocha (closer to the city centre) at 15:32, arriving Almeria at
21:36.
For
Murcia or Cartagena, travel from Madrid to Murcia by
air-conditioned Altaria train, leaving Madrid Chamartin at
12:34 or Madrid Atocha (closer to the city centre) at 12:53, arriving
Murcia at
16:44 & Cartagena at 17:26. This train runs
daily except Saturdays (though it also runs on Saturdays
in August). So on Saturdays, you need to leave
Madrid Chamartin at 16:29 or Madrid Atocha closer to the
city centre at 16:47, arriving Murcia at 20:47 &
Cartagena at 21:32.
For Ronda &
Algeciras, leave Madrid Atocha station at
15:05, arriving Ronda at 19:02 & Algeciras at 20:39. For ferry
connections to Morocco & bus connections round the bay
to Gibraltar, see the Morocco page
or Gibraltar page.
You can
check train times between Madrid and Granada, Almeria,
Ronda & Algeciras at
www.renfe.com.
Train times
Granada, Almeria, Ronda, Algeciras ► London
From
Granada, leave Granada by
air-conditioned 'Altaria' train at 09:45, arriving
Madrid Atocha (for the city centre) at 14:10.
From
Almeria,
leave at 07:05 by daily air-conditioned Talgo train
for Madrid, arriving Madrid Atocha (for city centre) at
13:05 and Madrid Chamartin at 13:20.
From
Murcia or Cartagena,
leave Cartagena at 08:50 or Murcia at 09:36 by daily air-conditioned
Altaria train
for Madrid, arriving Madrid Atocha (for city centre) at
13:59 and Madrid Chamartin at 14:15. Daily except
Saturdays there's also a train from Murcia at 12:58,
arriving Madrid Chamartin at 17:18, check train times
for your travel date at
www.renfe.com.
From
Algeciras & Ronda, leave Algeciras at 08:24 and Ronda at
10:01
by fast air-conditioned Altaria train, arriving Madrid
Atocha at 14:29.
If you need
to transfer between Madrid Chamartin & Madrid Atocha
stations,
see here.
Travel
from Madrid Chamartin to London by trainhotel and Eurostar as
shown in the London to
Madrid section.
How much
does it cost?
Fare
from
Madrid to Granada
by Altaria:
Web fare 24 euros (£17) one-way
in Turista.
Estrella fare 36 euros (£26) one-way in Turista, 55
euros (£39) in Preferente.
Full fare:
£42 (59 euros) one-way, £67 (94 euros) return in Turista.
£66
(92 euros) one-way, £105 (147 euros) return in Preferente, including meal &
wine.
Fares to other destinations will
be similar.
How to buy tickets online...
Step 1, book the
London-Paris-Madrid part of this journey online, following
the step-by-step instructions in the
London
to Madrid section.
Step 2, still
on
www.raileurope.co.uk,
click 'continue shopping' and book the train from Madrid
to Granada (or Murcia, Algeciras, etc) & back. Remember that the outward date
will obviously be the day after your departure from
London.
If you book the Madrid-Granada
(or Madrid-Almeria, Madrid-Murcia, Madrid-Algeciras, etc.) train using
www.raileurope.co.uk
as suggested above, all your tickets can be bought as one
transaction, painlessly, in English. However,
www.raileurope.co.uk
only sells full-price fully-flexible fares for journeys
within Spain, it can't sell the discounted 'Web' or 'Estrella'
fares offered by Spanish Railways themselves. So you can save a
lot of money if you book the Spanish train separately
using the Spanish Railways website
www.renfe.com, looking for these cheap deals.
To book cheap Spanish train tickets using renfe.es,
follow the step-by step instructions here.
If you have any
difficulty booking online at renfe.es, you can buy the
Spanish train tickets by phone with Spanish
Railway's UK agents,
www.spanish-rail.co.uk, on
020 7725 7063 (lines open 09:30-13:30 &
14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday). They can sell the cheap Estrella &
Web fares, but they charge a small booking fee.
How to buy tickets by phone...
You
can buy tickets through a number of UK agencies, including
www.raileurope.co.uk on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open
09:00-21:00 Monday to Friday,
09:00-18:00 on Saturdays, no longer open on Sundays, £8
booking fee) or
Spanish Railways' UK agents,
www.spanish-rail.co.uk, call
020 7725 7063 (lines open 09:30-13:30 &
14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday). For more information about how to
buy European train tickets from the UK and overseas, see
the Europe page.
On board an
Altaria train from Madrid to Granada, Ronda or Algeciras...
Train times
London ► Valencia (using the trainhotel)
Travel from London to
Barcelona by afternoon Eurostar & the overnight 'Joan Miro' trenhotel, as shown in the London
to Barcelona section. The trainhotel arrives
at Barcelona França station.
For
Tarragona & Salou: Leave Barcelona França station
at 09:19 by local train (2nd class only), arriving
Tarragona 10:37 and Salou at 10:50.
For
Valencia: Leave Barcelona França station at 09:19
by regional train arriving Valencia (Nord station) at 14:12.
If you like, by changing at Barcelona Sants you can take
the 10:00 EuroMed high-speed train, arriving Valencia
13:00, though this will cost slightly more and involve
that extra change.
For
Zaragoza: Transfer to Barcelona Sants station
by the 09:19 local train or by taxi. A high-speed
AVE leaves Barcelona Sants at 10:00 arriving Zaragoza at
11:50.
Train times
Valencia ► London (using the trainhotel)
From
Zaragoza: Leave Zaragoza at 17:49 by
high-speed AVE, arriving Barcelona Sants at 19:22.
Transfer to Barcelona França station by taxi or local
train.
From Salou
& Tarragona: A local train (2nd class only) leaves
Salou at 18:18 and Tarragona at 18:30 arriving Barcelona
França at 19:53.
From
Valencia: Leave
Valencia on a modern air-conditioned 'EuroMed' train at 15:05 arriving Barcelona
Sants at 18:09, change there for a frequent local train
to Barcelona França.
Travel
from Barcelona (França station) to Paris and London by trainhotel
&
Eurostar as shown in the London
to Barcelona section.
Travel from Paris
to Portbou (on the Spanish frontier) by overnight train, leaving
Paris Gare d'Austerlitz at 21:56 and arriving Portbou at 08:21 next
morning. This train has reclining seats, 6-berth 2nd
class couchettes & 1st class 4-berth couchettes.
What
are French couchettes like? Not Dec 24, 31.
Travel from Portbou direct to
Valencia on the 'Mare
Nostrum', leaving Portbou at 09:52 and going direct to Tarragona at 12:54,
Salou 13:07, and arriving at
Valencia at 15:15. The 'Mare
Nostrum' is an air-conditioned articulated 'Talgo'
train with a restaurant car.
Above: The
'Mare Nostrum' to Alicante at Portbou.
Above:
Tourist class on the 'Mare Nostrum'.
Above:
The bar-cafeteria on the 'Mare Nostrum'.
Train times
Valencia ► London (option 2)
Travel
from Valencia and Tarragona to Barcelona on the 'Mare Nostrum'
air-conditioned Talgo train, leaving Valencia at 13:08,
Salou 15:20, Tarragona at
15:39, Barcelona Sants at 16:42 and arriving at Cerebère (on the French side of the
frontier) at 19:02.
Travel
from Cerebère to Paris by overnight train, leaving Cerebère at
21:21
arriving Paris
Gare d'Austerlitz at
07:27. 1st & 2nd class couchettes and 2nd class reclining
seats are available.
What
are French couchettes like?. Not Dec 24, 31.
Cross Paris by
metro.
Travel
from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at
09:13
and arriving London St Pancras at 10:34.
Step 2, still
on
www.raileurope.co.uk,
click 'continue shopping' and book the train from
Barcelona
to Valencia or Tarragona & back. Remember that the outward date
will obviously be the day after your departure from
London.
If you book
the Barcelona-Valencia train using
www.raileurope.co.uk
as suggested above, all your tickets can be bought as one
transaction, painlessly, in English. However,
www.raileurope.co.uk
only sells the normal flexible fares, it can't sell the cheap 'Web' or 'Estrella'
fares. You can save quite a bit if you book the
Barcelona-Valencia train separately
using the Spanish Railways website
www.renfe.com, looking for these cheap deals.
You'll need to book in Spanish, but that's no real
problem, just
follow the step-by step instructions here.
If you have any
difficulty booking online at renfe.es, you can buy the
Barcelona-Tarragona/Salou/Valencia tickets by phone with
Spanish Railway's UK agents,
www.spanish-rail.co.uk, on
020 7725 7063 (lines open 09:30-13:30 &
14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday).
How to buy tickets by phone...
You
can buy tickets through a number of UK agencies, including
www.raileurope.co.uk on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open
09:00-21:00 Monday to Friday,
09:00-18:00 on Saturdays, no longer open on Sundays, £8
booking fee) or
Spanish Railways' UK agents,
www.spanish-rail.co.uk, call
020 7725 7063 (lines open 09:30-13:30 &
14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday). For more information
about how to buy European train tickets from the UK and
overseas, see the Europe page.
It's easy to travel from London to Alicante
without flying - you simply take an afternoon Eurostar to Paris, the
excellent overnight 'trainhotel' from Paris to Barcelona,
then a connecting high-speed 'EuroMed' train from Barcelona to
Alicante.
Train times
London ► Alicante (using the trainhotel)
Travel from London to
Barcelona by afternoon Eurostar and overnight trainhotel as shown in the London to Barcelona
section. The trainhotel arrives at Barcelona
França station.
Travel from
Barcelona to Alicante, first taking the 09:19 local train from Barcelona Franca to
Barcelona Sants arriving 09:33, then taking the 10:00 'EuroMed'
high-speed train from Barcelona Sants to Alicante,
arriving 15:00.
Train times
Alicante ► London (using the trainhotel)
Daily
except Saturdays, leave
Alicante at 14:20 on a
fast air-conditioned 'EuroMed' train, arriving Barcelona Sants
at 19:10. On
Saturdays, depart Alicante 11:09 on the Talgo train
'Mare Nostrum', arriving Barcelona Sants at 16:37.
Transfer by
frequent local train from Barcelona Sants to Barcelona
França, journey time 15 minutes.
Travel from
Barcelona to London by overnight trainhotel and morning Eurostar,
as shown in the London to Barcelona
section.
Fares...
Fare
from
Barcelona
to Alicante
by
EuroMed train:
Web
fare 17 euros (£12) one-way in Turista.
Estrella fare
25 euros (£18) one-way in Turista, 38 euros (£27) in
Preferente.
Full
fare £30
one-way, £48 return in Turista, £46 one-way, £74
return in Preferente
Travel overnight from Paris
to Portbou (on the Spanish frontier) leaving
Paris (Gare d'Austerlitz) at 21:56 and arriving Portbou at
08:21 next
morning. This train has reclining seats, 2nd
class 6-berth couchettes & 1st class 4-berth couchettes.
What
are French couchettes like?. Not Dec 24, 31.
Travel from Portbou direct to Alicante on the 'Mare
Nostrum', leaving Portbou at 09:52 and arriving at Alicante at 17:24. The 'Mare
Nostrum' is an air-conditioned articulated 'Talgo'
train with a restaurant car. See the
photos above.
Train times
Alicante ► London (option 2)
Travel
from Alicante to Cerebère on the French frontier aboard
the 'Mare Nostrum' Talgo train, leaving Alicante at 11:09
and arriving at Cerebère (on the French side of the
frontier) at 19:02. See the
photos above.
Travel
from Cerebère to Paris by overnight train, leaving Cerebère at
21:21 and
arriving Paris
Gare d'Austerlitz at
07:27. This train has 1st class
4-berth couchettes, 2nd class 6-berth couchettes & 2nd
class reclining seats. Not Dec 24, 31.
Cross Paris
by metro to the Gare du Nord.
Travel
from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at
09:13
and arriving London at 10:34.
Benidorm..
To reach Benidorm, you first
travel by train to Alicante. On arrival at Alicante
mainline station, walk, taxi or take a number 21 or 22 bus
(every 10 mins, 1 euros) 1 km to Alicante Mercado tram
station. Trams leave Mercado station every 30 minutes
or so throughout the day for Benidorm, journey time 1 hour 9
minutes, fare 4.40 euros one-way, 5.65 euros day return (the
tram was extended to Benidorm in early 2009, so there's no
longer any need to switch to a conventional local train to
reach Benidorm). You can find timetables
& fares at
www.fgvalicante.com. Alternatively, buses are
available to Benidorm from just outside Alicante station.
Step 2, still
on
www.raileurope.co.uk,
click 'continue shopping' and book the train from
Barcelona
to Alicante & back. Remember that the outward date
will obviously be the day after your departure from
London.
If you book
the Barcelona-Alicante train using
www.raileurope.co.uk
as suggested above, all your tickets can be bought as one
transaction, painlessly, in English. However,
www.raileurope.co.uk
only sells the normal flexible fares, it can't sell the cheap 'Web' or 'Estrella'
fares. You can save quite a bit of money if you book
the Barcelona-Alicante train separately
using the Spanish Railways website
www.renfe.com, looking for these cheap deals.
You'll need to book in Spanish, but that's no real
problem, just
follow the step-by step instructions here.
If you find booking
at renfe.es too difficult, you can buy the
Barcelona-Alicante tickets by phone with Spanish
Railway's UK agents,
www.spanish-rail.co.uk, on
020 7725 7063 (lines open 09:30-13:30 &
14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday).
How to buy tickets by phone...
You
can buy tickets through a number of UK agencies, including
www.raileurope.co.uk on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open
09:00-21:00 Monday to Friday,
09:00-18:00 on Saturdays, no longer open on Sundays, £8
booking fee) or
Spanish Railways' UK agents,
www.spanish-rail.co.uk, call
020 7725 7063 (lines open 09:30-13:30 &
14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday). For more information
about how to buy European train tickets from the UK and
overseas, see the Europe page.
Travel overnight from Paris
to Hendaye (on the Spanish frontier) leaving
Paris Austerlitz at 23:10 and arriving Hendaye at 07:24 next
morning. This train has 1st class 4-berth couchettes, 2nd class
6-berth couchettes & reclining seats.
What
are French couchettes like? Not 24, 31
December. A couchette is the recommended option.
Travel from
Hendaye to San Sebastian by narrow
gauge local service run by
EuskoTren. This runs every 30 minutes between Hendaye, Irun (Colon station, near the Irun mainline
station) and San Sebastian (Amara station).
Journey time 37 minutes. At Hendaye, the Euskotren
platforms are just across the forecourt from the main SNCF
station.
Travel from Paris to Hendaye
on the Spanish frontier by high-speed TGV, leaving Paris
Montparnasse at 15:50 and arriving Hendaye at 21:25.
A narrow gauge train run by
EuskoTren leaves Hendaye
at 21:33 arriving San Sebastian (Amara) about 37 minutes
later. These run every 30 minutes until about
23:00.
There's also another daytime option which leaves London
at 07:10-07:20 and arrives San Sebastian correspondingly
earlier, just go through the booking process shown below
to see what's available.
San Sebastian
► London overnight
Travel from San Sebastian to
Hendaye by local train. There's a
narrow gauge train service run by
EuskoTren every 30 minutes from Sebastian (Amara
station) to Hendaye SNCF station. Journey time 37
minutes, but allow plenty of time for the connection at
Hendaye.
Travel overnight from Hendaye to Paris, leaving Hendaye at 22:18 and
arriving Paris
Gare d'Austerlitz at
07:11. 1st class (4-berth) and 2nd class
(6-berth) couchettes are available, plus reclining seats.
A couchette is recommended, not a seat.
Not 24, 31 December.
Travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 09:13
and arriving in London St Pancras at 10:34.
San Sebastian
► London in a day
From San Sebastian, there's a
narrow gauge train service run by
EuskoTren every 30 minutes from Sebastian (Amara
station) to Hendaye SNCF station. Journey time 37
minutes, but allow plenty of time for the connection at
Hendaye.
Travel from Hendaye to Paris
by high-speed TGV, leaving Hendaye daily at 10:21 and
arriving Paris Gare Montparnasse at 15:55. Cross
Paris by métro to the Gare du Nord. Please check
this train, it may change after 13 December 2009.
Travel from Paris to London
by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 18:13 (19:13
on Saturdays) and arriving in London St Pancras at 19:34 (20:34 on
Saturdays).
Using
the overnight train, London to Hendaye costs as
little as £111 return including a couchette.
Advice on
one-way
Eurostar fares.
The local
train from Hendaye to San Sebastian only costs a few
euros, easily bought locally at the station at Hendaye.
How to buy
tickets online...
This is the
cheapest way to buy tickets, and it's really easy.
1. Go
to
www.raileurope.co.uk
(in English, tickets sent to any UK address, backed by
UK call centre) or
www.voyages-sncf.com (in several languages, tickets
sent to any European address or can be picked up in
France at the station).
2. On
Rail Europe, click 'advanced options'. On
voyages-sncf.com, the English button is at the bottom.
3. To
book the daytime option, simply enter 'London'
and 'Hendaye' and your dates of travel. Select a
morning departure. It will book your whole trip in
one go, Eurostar and TGV.
4. To
book the overnight option, it's better to split
the trip into London-Paris & Paris-Hendaye. You'll
also need to book the daytime option in two stages if
you want to stop off in Paris, or want 2nd class
Eurostar but 1st class on the TGV, for example.
First book Paris-Hendaye & back. Then click
'add another ticket' and book London-Paris & back as a
separate journey. This way you can select 2nd
class for London-Paris & 1st class for Paris-Hendaye.
Use the train times recommended on this page as a guide.
When
booking the overnight train, make sure you select the
departure with the 'Lunéa' logo, and not the
alternative overnight TGV train which may also be shown
and which only has sit-up-all-night seats. When
you find the Lunéa train, click on the price,
then click the 'choose my place' link which appears, and
make sure the drop-down box shows 'couchette' not
'reclining seat'.
5. Just buy the local ticket
from Hendaye to San Sebastian at the station
when you get there.
How to buy
tickets by phone...
You can buy
tickets by phone from Rail Europe, on 0844 848 5 848,
lines open 09:00-21:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-18:00 on
Saturdays, £8 booking fee.
If Rail
Europe have any difficulty booking the Spanish train,
call Spanish Railways' UK agents,
www.spanish-rail.co.uk, on 020 7725 7063
(lines open 09:30-13:30 & 14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday, £10 booking fee
applies).
Travel overnight from Paris
to Irun on the Spanish frontier, leaving
Paris Austerlitz at 23:10 and arriving Irun at 07:36 next
morning. This Lunéa train has 1st class 4-berth couchettes, 2nd class
6-berth couchettes and reclining seats, but no longer
any sleeping-car.
What
are French couchettes like? Not 24, 31
December.
For Pamplona,
leave Irun at 08:00 on an air-conditioned 'Alvia' train,
arriving Pamplona at 10:03.
From Pamplona, leave
Pamplona at 16:37 by local train (2nd class only)
arriving Vitoria/Gasteiz at 17:52. Travel from
Vitoria/Gasteiz to Hendaye by air-conditioned 'Arco'
train leaving Vitoria/Gasteiz at 18:28 and arriving at
Hendaye on the French frontier at 20:40.
Travel overnight from Hendaye to Paris, leaving Hendaye at 22:18 and
arriving Paris
Gare d'Austerlitz at
07:11. This is a Lunéa train with 1st class (4-berth) and 2nd class
(6-berth) couchettes are available, but no sleeping-car.
Not 24, 31 December.
Travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 09:13 and arriving in London St Pancras at
10:34.
Fares...
London
to Paris by Eurostar starts at £59 return 2nd
class or
£149 return 1st class (non-refundable, non-changeable,
price rises as cheaper seats are sold).
One-way
Eurostar fares.
If you book in advance, Paris
to Irun by Lunéa train costs from £26 one-way, £52 return travelling in
2nd class 6-berth couchettes, or from £44 one-way, £88
return travelling in 1st class 4-berth couchettes.
These are special limited-availability 'prems' fares.
If you travel at short notice (or all offers are sold
out), full fare is £75 one-way, £97 return travelling in
2nd class couchettes.
The Talgo
from Irun to Pamplona costs 15 euros (£11) one-way, 30
euros (£22) return in turista 2nd class, 20 euros (£14)
one-way or £40 euros (£28) return in preferente 1st
class. Irun to Pamplona costs 24 euros (£17)
one-way, 48 euros (£34) return in 2nd class, 31 euros
(£22) one-way or 62 euros (£44) return in 1st class.
How to buy tickets online...
Go
to either
www.raileurope.co.uk
(in English, tickets sent to any UK address, backed by
UK call centre, recommended if you're a UK resident) or
www.voyages-sncf.com (in several languages, tickets
sent to any European address or can be picked up in
France at the station, see this
advice on using it).
Step 1, book the overnight
Lunéa train one-way from Paris to Irun, using the
train times on this page as your guide.
Always book a couchette, never go for a reclining seat,
it's a false economy.
Step 2, once you've booked from Paris to Irun, click 'continue
shopping' and book the return leg from Hendaye to
Paris, again looking for the direct overnight Lunéa train.
Step 3, now click 'continue
shopping' again, and book the
Eurostar from London to Paris and back. Use the
Eurostar times on this page as a guide, but feel free to
take an earlier Eurostar from London on the outward
journey, or a later one back from Paris on your return,
if it has cheaper seats available or if you want to stop
off in Paris.
Step 4, click 'continue
shopping' again, and book the Irun-Pamplona/Zaragoza
train.
Step 5,
click 'continue shopping' yet again, and book the
Pamplona/Zaragoza to Hendaye train.
Alternatively, you can book the Irun-Pamplona/Zaragoza
trains using the Spanish Railways website,
www.renfe.com.
This can save a pound or two, though not much in this
case, and the booking needs to be done in Spanish - but
it's easy,
see this step-by-step guide to booking tickets with renfe.es.
Note that 'Hendaye' doesn't initially appear in the
drop-down list of destinations, so use 'Irun', and after
the first set of results appear switch it to English
bottom left, then you should see 'Irun-Hend(*)' as a
destination, which means either Irun or Hendaye which is
what you want.
If you have any difficulty booking the
Spanish train, book this bit by phone instead, with
Spanish Railways' UK agents,
www.spanish-rail.co.uk, call 020 7725 7063
(lines open 09:30-13:30 & 14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday, £10 booking fee
applies).
How to buy
tickets by phone...
You can buy
tickets by phone from Rail Europe, on 0844 848 5 848,
lines open 09:00-21:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-18:00 on Saturdays.
If Rail
Europe have any difficulty booking the Spanish train,
call Spanish Railways' UK agents,
www.spanish-rail.co.uk, on 020 7725 7063
(lines open 09:30-13:30 & 14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday, £10 booking fee
applies).
Regular trains
link Madrid with Segovia and Toledo, and a slightly
less regular one links Madrid with Salamanca. See
www.renfe.com
for train times and fares. It's easy to buy the
Madrid-Segovia/Toledo/Salamanca ticket when you get to
Madrid, or try booking at
www.renfe.com.
Travel overnight from Paris
to Irun (on the Spanish frontier) leaving
Paris Austerlitz at 23:10 and arriving Irun at 07:36 next
morning. This Lunéa train has 1st class 4-berth couchettes, 2nd class
6-berth couchettes & reclining seats, but no longer
any sleeping-car.
What
are French couchettes like? Not 24, 31
December.
Now take a
connecting express train right across Spain, departing
Irun at 08:45 and arriving Ourense 18:30, Santiago de
Compostela at 20:02 and A Coruña at 20:35. A
portion of this train attached at Miranda de Ebro is
detached again at Ourense and goes to Vigo, arriving at
20:06. The train is comfortable & air-conditioned with refreshment
counter. Relax and enjoy the ride - bring your own food
and bottle of wine if you like.
Santiago de
Compostela, Vigo, A Coruña ► London
Travel
right across Spain by air-conditioned express, leaving A
Coruña at 08:48, Santiago de Compostela at 09:25,
Ourense at 11:15, arriving Hendaye on the French
frontier at 20:40. Refreshments available on board. Relax and enjoy the ride -
bring your own food and bottle of wine if you like.
A portion of this train leaves Vigo at 09:25 and is
coupled up at Ourense - remember to transfer to the A
Coruña to Hendaye section before the Vigo-Bilbao portion
is detached at Miranda de Ebro.
Travel overnight from Hendaye to Paris, leaving Hendaye at 22:18 and
arriving Paris
Gare d'Austerlitz at
07:11. This is a Lunéa train, with 1st class (4-berth) & 2nd class
(6-berth) couchettes are available, but no sleeping-car.
Not 24, 31 December.
Cross Paris
by metro to the Gare du Nord
Travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 09:13 and arriving in London at 10:34.
Fares...
It's
possible to travel from London to Santiago de
Compostela, A Coruña or Vigo for about £169 return, city
centre to city centre, as follows.
London to
Paris by Eurostar starts at £59 return 2nd class, £149
return 1st class.
One-way
Eurostar fares.
If you book
in advance, Paris to Irun costs from £26 one-way, £52
return travelling in 2nd class 6-berth couchettes , or
from £44 one-way, £88 return travelling in 1st class
4-berth couchettes. These are special
limited-availability 'prems' fares. If you travel
at short notice (or all offers are sold out), full fare
is £75 one-way, £97 return travelling in 2nd class
couchettes.
Irun to
Santiago de Compostela costs 43 euros (£31) one-way, 77
euros (£56) return. Irun to A Coruña or Vigo costs
45 euros (£31) one-way, 81 euros (£58) return.
Step
1, book a ticket from Paris to Irun as a one-way trip, looking for the direct
overnight Lunéa train. Always
book a couchette, never go for a reclining seat, it's a
false economy. Add it to your basket.
Step 2, click 'continue
shopping' and book a ticket from Hendaye to
Paris, again looking for the direct overnight Lunéa train. Add it to your basket.
Step 3, click 'continue
shopping' again, and book the
Eurostar from London to Paris & back. Use the
Eurostar times on this page as a guide, but feel free to
take an earlier Eurostar from London on the outward
journey, or a later one back from Paris on your return,
if it has cheaper seats available or if you want to stop
off in Paris.
Step 4, click 'continue
shopping' again, and book the westbound train from Irun
to Santiago or A Coruña.
Step 5,
click 'continue shopping yet again and add a ticket for
the eastbound A Coruña or Santiago to Hendaye train.
Alternatively, you can book the Irun-Santiago/A Coruña
and A Coruña/Santiago to Hendaye trains using the
Spanish Railways website,
www.renfe.com,
which can save a pound or two. You need to book in
Spanish, but that's no real problem,
see this step-by-step guide to booking tickets with renfe.es.
Note that 'Hendaye' doesn't initially appear in the
drop-down list of destinations, so use 'Irun', and after
the first set of results appear switch it to English
bottom left, then you should see 'Irun-Hend(*)' as a
destination, which means either Irun or Hendaye which is
what you want.
If
you have any difficulty booking the Spanish train, book
this bit by phone instead, with Spanish Railways' UK
agents,
www.spanish-rail.co.uk, call 020 7725 7063
(lines open 09:30-13:30 & 14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday, £10 booking fee
applies).
How to buy
tickets by phone...
You can buy
tickets by phone from Rail Europe, on 0844 848 5 848,
lines open 09:00-21:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-18:00 on Saturdays, £8 phone booking fee.
If Rail
Europe have any difficulty booking the Spanish train,
call Spanish Railways' UK agents,
www.spanish-rail.co.uk, on 020 7725 7063
(lines open 09:30-13:30 & 14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday, £10 booking fee
applies).
Above:
A Trasmediterranea ferry from Barcelona to Palma.
Photo courtesy of Acciona Trasmediterranea.
It's easy to travel from
London to Ibiza, Majorca or Minorca without flying.
You take an afternoon Eurostar to Paris, the overnight
'trainhotel' from Paris to Barcelona, spend the day there, then
take an overnight ferry from Barcelona to the
islands. See the London to
Barcelona section for train times and fares to Barcelona, then see the ferry information below:
Barcelona to
Palma (Majorca)
Travel from London to Barcelona as
shown in the London to Barcelona
section, leaving London by Eurostar after lunch and
arriving in Barcelona by trainhotel sleeper train next
morning.
Spend the day in
Barcelona, then take the overnight ship to Palma de Majorca.
The crossing takes 8 hours, and comfortable cabins are
available. See www.trasmediterranea.es
or call Acciona Trasmediterranea's UK agent,
Southern Ferries on
0844 815 7785 for
details.
Barcelona to
Ibiza
Travel from London to Barcelona as
shown in the London to Barcelona
section, leaving London by Eurostar after lunch and
arriving in Barcelona by trainhotel sleeper train next
morning.
An overnight ship sails to Ibiza on most nights of the week,
either at 20:30 or 23:30, arriving either 06:30 or 08:30.
Times and dates vary, so see www.trasmediterranea.es
or call Acciona Trasmediterranea's UK agent,
Southern Ferries on
0844 815 7785 for
details.
Fares
from Barcelona to Ibiza, Minorca or Majorca:
By
overnight ferry: £64 return in a seat, rising to £173 return
in a deluxe single cabin.
By catamaran:
£76 return in tourist class. Club class also
available.
How to buy
tickets...
Book the rail
journey (Eurostar + trainhotel) online or by phone, as shown
in the London to
Barcelona section above.
UK to the
Canary Islands by train & ferry (via Spain)...
A weekly Trasmediterranea Line
cruise ferry links Cadiz in mainland Spain with Arrecife
(Lanzarote), Las Palmas
and Tenerife in the Canary Islands, a 2-night voyage.
The whole journey from London to Tenerife will take 3 or 4
nights.
From Madrid (Atocha station)
take high-speed AVE to Seville, leaving at 11:00
and arriving at 13:25. A connection for Cadiz leaves
at 14:05 and arrives in Cadiz at 16:04. Check
Madrid-Seville-Cadiz train times using
www.renfe.com.
The ship to the Canaries
sails from Cadiz weekly, usually on a Tuesday or Saturday
night, taking 2 days 1 night or 2 nights 1 day, depending on
the sailing.
You can check times, sailing dates & fares at either the
Seat61 Ferry Shop or
www.trasmediterranea.es.
Allow plenty of
time for connections in Cadiz, staying overnight if
necessary. Leave Cadiz at
11:10 on a local train to Seville, arriving 12:57.
Leave Seville at 15:00 on high-speed 'AVE',
arriving Madrid at 17:30. AVEs are very, very
punctual, so you should have plenty of time in Madrid to
take the suburban train to Chamartin station to catch the
trainhotel back to Paris and the Eurostar back to London.
Approximate
ferry fares
from Cadiz to Las Palmas / Tenerife:
It's not cheap! £550
return for two people travelling in a 2-berth cabin, £720
in a single-berth cabin. Check fares with
Southern Ferries on 0844 815 7785
How to buy
tickets...
Buy your London
to Madrid train tickets either online or by phone
as shown above.
Book the ferry tickets either
online at the Seat61 Ferry Shop
or
www.trasmediterranea.es, or by phone with Trasmediterranea's UK agent, Southern Ferries on
0844 815 7785.
UK to the
Canary Islands by train & ferry (via Portugal)...
A new weekly ferry
service has started operating from southern Portugal (Portimao
in the Algarve) to Gran Canaria & Tenerife, taking 2 nights
1 day. Departures from Portugal every Sunday, see
www.navieraarmas.com for sailing dates, times, fares &
online booking. See the London
to Portugal page for trains travel UK to southern
Portugal.
Two ferry
companies sail year-round from the UK direct to Spain, using
ferries that have more in common with luxury liners than
Channel ferries. All ships have cabins, restaurants,
cinemas, open sun decks, shops and bars. Both ferry
services can be booked online at the
Seat61 Ferry Shop.
Twice a week,
Brittany Ferries' excellent cruise ferries 'Pont Aven' and
'Cap Finistère' sail from either Plymouth or Portsmouth to
Santander in Northern Spain. With a choice of
restaurants & bars, standard and deluxe cabins all with en
suite toilet & shower, cinemas, swimming pool, sun decks, not
to mention WiFi internet access, they make getting to Spain as
much a cruise as a ferry crossing. A great way to reach
Spain with or without your car, flight-free.
The Plymouth-Santander
route operates once a week from February to November, with
departures usually on Sundays at either 12:00 or 16:00.
The voyage takes 18 hours. The Portsmouth to
Santander route operates once a week from March to October,
usually sailing from Portsmouth on Wednesdays at 11:00,
returning from Santander on Mondays at either 16:00 or 16:30. From Santander there are daily
fast trains to Madrid and beyond, see
www.renfe.com
for times & fares (see
this advice on using renfe.es to buy cheap Spanish train tickets
online). Visit
www.brittanyferries.co.uk
for fares & sailing dates, with online booking or call
0871 244 0744, lines open
08:30-19:30 Mondays-Fridays, 09:00-17:00 Saturdays,
09:00-16:30 Sundays. This services goes from strength to strength, the
Portsmouth-Santander route being a relatively new addition.
Above:
Brittany Ferries superb 'Pont Aven' sails from Plymouth to
Santander in Spain, with their brand-new 'Cap Finistère'
sailing from Portsmouth to Santander. Photo
courtesy of Brittany Ferries.
Above:
A 4-berth cabin on the 'Pont Aven'. Photo
courtesy of Brittany Ferries.
Portsmouth
► Bilbao
with P&O
ferries (service closing September 2010)
P&O's
'Pride of Bilbao' sails from Portsmouth to Bilbao two or three
times
a week,
taking 35 hours (two
nights and a day). Normally, departure from
Portsmouth is at 21:15 and arrival
at Bilbao is at 08:00 two nights later. Returning, the
ship normally sails from Bilbao at 13:15, arriving Portsmouth at about
17:15 the next
day. Days of the week vary. For sailing days, fares and online
booking visit
www.poferries.com or the Seat61
Ferry Shop.
Update 2010: P&O have announced that their
Portsmouth-Bilbao ferry service
will cease operating after the sailing on 27 September 2010.
They say this is due to losses and the lease on their ship
coming to an end. The competing (and
recently-introduced) Brittany Ferries service from Portsmouth
to Santander makes an excellent alternative, see
www.brittanyferries.co.uk.
The
ship has a full range of cabins, deluxe 'Club' cabins,
restaurants, bars, cinemas, nightclub, and there's even a
wildlife officer on board who gives a free presentation on the
whales and dolphins you might see from the deck as the ship
crosses the Bay of Biscay. You will need to
leave London (Waterloo) at around 16:00 to connect with plenty
of time to spare, taking a train to Portsmouth & Southsea
station then a taxi or bus to the Continental Ferry Port - you
can check UK trains times and fares at
www.nationalrail.co.uk. In Bilbao the ship docks at Santurtzi, 13 km north west of
Bilbao city centre. The ferry terminal is a stone's
throw from Santurtzi railway station, from where there are
suburban trains every few minutes into central Bilbao (Bilbao Abando
station) taking 21-23 minutes and costing about 1.50
Euros. There is plenty of time for you to visit Bilbao's
famous Guggenheim Museum before taking the late afternoon train from Bilbao Abando station to Madrid, which leaves
daily at 17:10 and arrives in Madrid at 22:08 - see
www.renfe.com
for times, fares and online booking. This train is an
air-conditioned 'Alvia' service, cafe-bar.
Spanish ferry operator Acciona Trasmediterranea
(www.atferries.com)
started sailings Portsmouth-Bilbao in May 2006, but withdrew
this service in March 2007 due to 'difficulties'.
The trainhotel from Paris arrives at Madrid's modern
Chamartin
station in the north of the city. The trains to Seville, Granada, Malaga leave
from Madrid Atocha station (also known as Puerta de Atocha) about 20 minutes walk south of the city
centre. It's easy to transfer between stations by frequent suburban train.
The Spanish for suburban train is 'Cercanias', look for the orange and white 'C'
logo.
Above: An air-conditioned Spanish suburban train at Madrid Chamartin, about to leave
for Madrid
Atocha...
Madrid Atocha station: The old historic trainshed at Madrid Atocha has been turned into
an attractive tropical garden, with café... High-speed trains to
Barcelona, Malaga & Seville leave
from a modern concourse, out of shot directly behind the photographer.
For train departures to Seville, Malaga, Barcelona & Algeciras, you must
climb the stairways or escalators shown in the right and left of this
photo to a first-floor departure area and X-ray check. Suburban trains
to/from Chamartin station (plus a few mainline trains that start at
Chamartin) use underground through platforms shown in the renfe.es
timetables as 'Atocha Cercanias'.
Madrid Chamartin ▶ Madrid Atocha
If you have a trainhotel ticket from Paris to Madrid Chamartin you're
allowed to use the suburban (Cercanias) trains from Chamartin to Atocha free
of charge (although this doesn't seem to be written down anywhere!). Just
show your trainhotel ticket at the suburban (Cercanias) ticket office next to
platform 5 (or if closed, at the suburban window inside the main ticket
office) and they will give you a gate pass to get you through the automatic
ticket gates at Atocha. Alternatively, jut buy a suburban ticket to
Atocha from the self-service machines, which have an English language
facility. The fare is only about
1.15 euros, the machines accept euro notes and coins.
Go to platforms 8 & 9.
Trains from these platforms all go to Atocha, leaving every 5-10 minutes.
The journey is 3 stops and it
takes just 10-15 minutes.
Alternatively, the Madrid metro (www.metromadrid.es)
links Chamartin station with Madrid city centre and Atocha station, though this
takes longer.
Or you can take a taxi. A taxi from Chamartin to
Atocha will cost around 10 euros.
On arrival at Puerta de Atocha
Cercianas platforms,
follow the 'Salida' ('Way out') then 'Grandes Lineas' ('Main Line Trains') signs to the mainline concourse.
For departures, take the escalators one floor up. Your luggage will be
X-rayed before access to the departure area. When your train is ready
for boarding you descend via a travelator to the
platform to board your train. Note that a handful of mainline trains
start at Chamartin and call at Atocha suburban platforms (Atocha Cercanias)
rather than starting from Atocha's terminal platforms like other mainline
trains.
If you have a Preferente or Club
class ticket, you can use the Sala Club (1st class lounge) at Madrid
Atocha station just off the departure area (turn right after going through the
luggage X-ray check). In the Sala Club
you'll find a quiet, civilised and relaxing lounge in which to wait, with complimentary
tea, coffee, juices and free beer.
Madrid Atocha ▶
Madrid Chamartin
If you have a trainhotel ticket from Madrid Chamartin to Paris you're
allowed to use the suburban (Cercanias) trains from Atocha to Chamartin free
of charge, although this doesn't seem to be written down anywhere! Just
show your trainhotel ticket at the suburban (Cercanias) ticket office and they
will give you a gate pass to get you through the automatic ticket gates.
Alternatively, jut buy a suburban ticket to Chamartin from the self-service
machines, which have an English language facility. The fare is only about
1.15 euros, the machines accept euro notes and coins.
Go to platforms 1 & 2.
Trains from these platforms all go to Chamartin, every 5-10 minutes.
The journey is 3 stops and it
takes just 10-15 minutes.
Alternatively, the Madrid metro (www.metromadrid.es)
links Atocha station, Madrid city centre and Chamartin station, though this
takes longer.
Or you can take a taxi. A taxi from Atocha to
Chamartin will cost around 10 euros.
If you have a Preferente or Gran
Clase trainhotel ticket, you can use the Sala Club (1st class lounge) at
Madrid Chamartin station, through a poorly marked door next to platform 14.
In the Sala Club you'll find a quiet, civilised and relaxing place to wait,
with complimentary tea, coffee, juices and free beer.
If you want a holiday to Spain by
train not plane, but want someone else to organise all the
train tickets & hotels for you, several specialist companies
do just that, for a holiday without airport hassles or whole
days in cramped coach seats on motorways. Railbookers &
Erail offer tailor-made individual holidays with departure on
any date you like, whereas Treyn Holidays & Great Rail
Journeys offer escorted tours with specific departure dates.
Railbookers can
tailor-make a flight-free holiday to Spain for you, with train
travel, transfers & hotels, for however long you like, leaving
on any date you like. If you tell them what you
want, they'll advise you on the best trains, routes & hotels
and sort it all out for you. They get a lot of repeat
business!
See their Spain page for details.
Erail,
www.erail.co.uk, 020 7619 1080. Please quote 'Seat61.com'
when you call...
ERail can also
tailor-make a holiday to Spain by train for you, with
departure on any date you like. they suggest a Highlights of
Andalusia tour, 10 days to Seville, Cordoba, Granada, from
around £675 per person. Call 020 7619
1080 to enquire or book, but please quote 'Seat 61' when
you call.
Treyn Holidays
offers train-based escorted tours to Spain, with 3* hotels and travel
by Eurostar and onwards train. Check details & departure
dates at
www.treynholidays.co.uk,
then book online or call 0845 402 2069.
GRJ offers
five-star upmarket rail-based escorted tours to Spain,
including a tour to Barcelona, Madrid and Seville with travel
from London by train and a range of departure dates.
Great Rail Journeys also offer rail-based escorted tours to
other European countries. Check the holiday details
online, then call
01904 527120 to book or use their
online booking form.
The Thomas Cook European Timetable
The
Thomas Cook European timetable
has train & ferry times for every country in Europe plus currency
& climate
information. Published since 1873, it costs £13.99.
It's essential for any serious traveller
and an inspiration for armchair travellers. Still
not convinced you need one? More information
on what the Thomas Cook Timetable contains. You can
buy the latest monthly edition online at
www.thomascooktimetables.com with worldwide delivery or
buy it in person from any UK branch of Thomas Cook (ask at the
bureau de change), or from W H Smiths in Victoria or Kings
Cross stations in London.
Or
buy the twice-yearly independent traveller's edition with
laminated cover from Amazon.co.uk:
Summer 2010 edition (June to December 2010)
The Thomas Cook Rail Map of
Europe is the best and most comprehensive
map of train routes right across Europe, from Portugal in the
west to Istanbul, Moscow & Ukraine in the east, from Finland
in the north to Sicily & Crete in the south. High speed
&
scenic routes are highlighted. Highly recommended!
Buy online
at
www.amazon.co.uk
(worldwide delivery).
See an extract from
the map.
Paying
for a guidebook may seem an unnecessary expense, but it's a tiny
fraction of what you're spending on your whole trip. You
will see so much more, and know so much more about what you're
looking at, if you have a decent guidebook. For the
independent traveller I'd recommend either the Lonely Planet or
the Rough Guide, both provide an excellent level of practical
detail and useful background. You won't regret buying either of
these guides! My own book, an essential handbook for train
travel to Europe based on this website called "The
Man in Seat 61", was published in June 2008, and
is available from Amazon with shipping worldwide.
Find a hotel or guesthouse in Barcelona, Madrid or anywhere
else in Spain...
It's
easy to book hotels online to go with your train tickets, just
use the form below. This links to
www.hotelscombined.com, a free search tool
which checks all the main hotel booking sites for you
(including Expedia, Travelocity, LateRooms, Opodo, Venere and many
others) to find the cheapest hotel rates. Set
up in 2005, it's an amazing system and probably the best place
to start for booking any hotel online in any country,
worldwide. It saves me hours going round in circles on
umpteen different hotel sites!
www.laterooms.com
negotiates discounts for hotel rooms booked within 3 months
of travel, making it ideal for anyone booking train travel
within the normal 90 days booking horizon.
www.mrandmrssmith.com (no relation!) is the place to start
if you want something special for an anniversary, honeymoon,
romantic break or other special occasion.
www.mrandmrssmith.com lists hand-picked boutique hotels in
Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Ronda, Granada an a few other
Spanish destinations.
www.tripadvisor.com
is a good place to find independent travellers' reviews of the
main hotels, and it has the low-down on destination sights &
attractions, too.
Backpacker hostels...
If you're on a tight budget,
don't forget about the hostels. For a dorm bed or an
ultra-cheap private room in a backpacker hostel in most
European cities try
www.hostelbookers.com.
For environmentally-aware guesthouses offering walking,
hiking, riding or nature-watching in the Spanish countryside
and national parks, try
www.wildsideholidays.com, a new site listing
independent, environmentally-aware properties across Spain.
It was started by British ex-pats Clive Muir and Sue Eatock,
when they found nowhere to advertise their own wonderful
property deep in the heart of the Sierra de Grazelema near
Ronda in Southern Spain. Clive and Sue can show you the
local sights and wildlife, from wild orchids to ibex (wild
mountain goats) to colonies of Griffon vultures. See
www.natural-images.co.uk for details.
Spanish city centres and
cars don't mix well, so stick with the train for city-based
tours. But if you want to get out of the cities and into
the countryside, hiring a car can be a great idea. Start
by trying
Holiday Autos,
www.holidayautos.co.uk, they're part of Lastminute.com so are reliable and have a wide range of
locations and very good prices.
The award-winning
website
www.carrentals.co.uk compares many different car hire
companies including Holiday Autos, meaning not only a cheapest
price comparison but a wider choice of hire and drop off
location.
Never travel without insurance from a
reliable travel insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover. It should also cover loss of
cash (up to a limit) and belongings, and cancellation. An annual
multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip
policies even for just 2 or 3 trips
a year (I have an annual policy myself). Here are some suggested insurers.
Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these
links.
If you live in the UK, get quotes from
Columbus Direct or
Go Travel Insurance, or go to
Confused.com to run a price comparison on a whole range of
travel insurance providers for your dates of travel, seeing
their policy's features at a glance.
Don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed
connection, but European international rail conditions of
carriage (known as the 'CIV') contain consumer protection
provisions that entitle you to travel forward by the next
available train if you miss a connection because of a delay to
the first train, irrespective of who operates which train, and
even if your ticket is in theory train-specific and
non-changeable.
Feedback from using
insurance for rail & ferry travel is always welcome.
If you're a
UK citizen travelling in Europe, you should apply for a free
European Health Insurance Card, which entitles you to free or
reduced rate health care if you become ill or get injured in
many European countries, under a reciprocal arrangement with
the NHS. This replaced the old E111 forms
as from January 2006. The EHIC card is available from
www.ehic.org.uk. It doesn't remove the need for
travel insurance, though.
Get a pre-paid euro currency MasterCard from Caxton FX...
You can save money on ATM charges and exchange rates using a
Caxton FX euro currency MasterCard, or indeed the
multi-currency 'Global Traveller' MasterCard.
Find out about these cards & sign up here.
Get an international SIM card...
Mobile phones can cost a fortune to use abroad, and if you're
not careful you can return home to find some huge bills
waiting for you. I've known people run up over £1,000 in
data charges just by leaving their iPhone connected during a
simple trip to Europe. However, if you
buy a global SIM card for your mobile phone from a company
such as
www.Go-Sim.com you can slash the cost by up to 85% and
limit any damage to the amount you have pre-paid. Go-Sim
cuts call costs in 175 countries worldwide,
and you can receive incoming calls and texts for free in 75 countries. It's pay-as-you-go, so no nasty bills
when you get home. It also allows cheap data access for laptops
& PDAs. A Go-Sim account and any credit on it doesn't
expire if it's not used between trips, unlike some
others, so a Go-Sim phone number becomes your 'global phone
number' for life.
How to buy tickets online...
How
to buy tickets online at
How to buy tickets if you live
in the 
Plymouth &
Portsmouth ► Santander
with
Take
the train to Spain, then hire a car:
If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the
EU, see
