Gibraltar ► London

• Day 1, morning, transfer from Gibraltar & La Linea to Algeciras:  Walk (15 minutes), taxi (£4-£6) or bus (£1) from Gibraltar town to the border with Spain and walk through British and then Spanish passport control into La Linea.  In La Linea, you'll find a taxi rank and bus stop right outside the border.  Now either take a taxi from La Linea to Algeciras railway station for a fixed price of €24.75 (taxis don't use the meter on this run) or take an M-120 bus from La Linea to Algeciras bus station.  On weekdays, buses leave La Linea every 30 minutes at xx.15 and xx.45 past each hour, at weekends they run every 45 minutes.  The fare is €2.45.  In Algeciras, the buses stop just 50 metres away from the railway station.  Alternatively, your hotel may be able to arrange a private transfer direct from Gibraltar town to Algeciras station for around £50 - however, neither Gibraltar taxis nor Spanish taxis will normally cross the border.

• Day 1, travel from Algeciras to Barcelona by train.  You leave Algeciras at 11:45 by regional train to Antequera-Santa Ana and change there onto a high-speed AVE train which passes through Cordoba, by-passes Madrid and arrives Barcelona Sants at 20:22.  You'll see the same wonderful scenery shown in this Gibraltar to Madrid video guide, the train to Barcelona takes exactly the same route as far as the outskirts of Madrid.

• Stay overnight in Barcelona.  Suggested hotels close to Barcelona Sants station with good or great reviews include the Hotel Barcelo Sants (4-star, situated directly above Barcelona Sants station itself, £79-£120 per night), Gran Hotel Torre Catalunya (4-star, £95-£110, across the road from the station), Hotel Just Style (around £105), AC Hotel Sants by Marriott (4-star from around £85, located just 50m from the station), Hotel Catalonia Roma (3-star from £79), Hostal Baler (2-star from £58), Hotel Transit (1-star from £58 per night)...

• Day 2, morning, travel from Barcelona to Paris by double-deck high-speed TGV Duplex, leaving Barcelona Sants at 09:25 and arriving Paris Gare de Lyon at 15:53.  Book an upper deck seat for the best views as the train rolls past colonies of flamingos on the étangs in southern France, then speeds along the scenic Rhone Valley towards Paris.  There's a cafe-bar on board.  If you have a 1st class ticket for the TGV you can use the Sala Club at Barcelona, details here.

• Cross Paris by metro or taxi, just 2 stops on RER line D.  Why not have an early dinner in Paris and catch a later Eurostar?  The Brasserie Terminus Nord (www.terminusnord.com) is good and typically French, and it's directly opposite the Gare du Nord.

• Day 2 early evening, travel from Paris to London by Eurostar.  A Eurostar leaves Paris Gare du Nord at 18:13 (19:13 on Saturdays) arriving London St Pancras at 19:39 (20:39 on Saturdays).

How much does it cost?

• London to Paris by Eurostar starts at £44 one-way or £58 return in 2nd class, £112 one-way or £168 return in 1st class.  Like air fares, the price rises as cheaper seats are sold, so book early for the best price.

• Paris-Barcelona by TGV starts at €59 each way in 2nd class, €79 in 1st class.

• Barcelona to Algeciras by AVE+regional train starts at around €55 each way in Turista.

• Fares for each of these trains vary like air fares, rising as the cheaper tickets are sold.  Book early for the cheapest fares.  You'll find a more detailed explanation for the fares for the TGV on the Paris to Barcelona TGV page.

How to buy tickets online...

The easiest and cheapest way to book your London to Gibraltar train journey is online.

• Step 1, book the London to Paris Eurostar and the Paris-Barcelona TGV following the simple instructions on the London to Spain page.  UK residents can book both tickets together at uk.voyages-sncf.com (formerly www.raileurope.co.uk), although I recommend splitting the journey into London to Paris and Paris to Barcelona, and using the 'add to basket' facility.

• Step 2, book the Spanish trains from Barcelona to Algeciras & back separately at the Spanish Railways website www.renfe.com, looking for cheap Promo or Promo+ fares.  Click here for advice on using Renfe.com.  If you have any problems booking or paying at Renfe.com, simply use www.petrabax.com/renfe instead, in plain English with no payment problems and also providing print-at-home tickets, but with a small mark-up added.

• Step 3, you simply buy the bus ticket from Algeciras to La Linea on the bus.

How to buy tickets by phone:  UK 0844 248 248 3, overseas +44 844 2482483...

• To buy tickets by phone, call International Rail on 0844 248 248 3, lines open 09:00-17:00 Monday-Friday.  Overseas callers call +44 844 2482483.  Unlike some other agencies, International Rail are equipped with both the French and Spanish rail ticketing systems, so can sell the cheapest fares for all the trains from the UK to Gibraltar.  They charge a £10 booking fee for bookings under £100, £20 for £100-£300, £30 above £300.  Eurostar, Trainhotel & Renfe tickets will usually be emailed to you as e-tickets, so there's no postage fee or delay.  For more information on buying European train tickets, see the How to buy European train tickets page.

What's the journey like?

By Eurostar from London to Paris...     See the Eurostar guide

A Eurostar about to leave London St Pancras...  All you need to know about Eurostar.		Why not have lunch between trains at the wonderful Train Bleu restaurant at Paris Gare de Lyon?  See the Train Bleu Restaurant page.

By TGV Duplex from Paris to Barcelona...      See the TGV Duplex video guide

These are impressive 186mph TGV Duplex double-decker high-speed trains.  You board the train through a wide sliding external door into a small hall at one end of the lower deck, where an internal door opens into a lower deck seating area.  A wide, short & easy flight of stairs leads from the entrance door to a landing at one end of the upper deck.  You walk along the train from car to car at the upper level, and the café-bar is also at the upper level.  There are toilets & luggage racks both upstairs & downstairs.  If you have problems with stairs or very heavy luggage, the lower deck might be best.  But for the best views (over the top of the occasional sound barrier along the high speed lines!), definitely choose an upper deck seat.  For couples in first class, an upper deck 'club duo' face to face table for two is easily the best option.  More pictures & an account of what to see on the Paris to Barcelona journey.

TGV Duplex at Paris Gare de Lyon. These 200 mph double-deckers link Paris with Barcelona.  Watch TGV Duplex video.		2nd class table for 4 on TGV Duplex upper deck...

The cafe-bar on the upper deck in car 4, serving tea, coffee, soft drinks, wine, beer, snacks & microwave-style hot dishes....		2nd class seats, this is upper deck seating.  There's a mix or tables for 4 and unidirectional seating.

1st class seats on the upper deck, with a club duo on the left, a club quatre on the right.		A TGV Duplex at Barcelona Sants.  The red near the door indicates 1st class, pale green indicates 2nd class.

Mt Canigou & the Pyrenees...  One of the highest peaks in the mighty Pyrenees, the 2,784m (9,137 feet) high Mt Canigou dominates the skyline on the right all the way from Perpignan to Girona, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canigou.

By AVE from Barcelona to Antequera & regional train to Algeciras...

These superb-quality AVE high speed trains are amongst the classiest trains in Europe. They have 3 classes, Preferente (premium 1st class), Turista Plus (1st class seating but without any food) & Turista (2nd class). AVE trains run at up to 186 mph over the Spanish high-speed lines. Most trains between Barcelona and Andalucía are the S102 type shown below, little articulated single-axle Talgo carriages sandwiched between strange-looking duck-billed power cars, hence the nickname 'pato', Spanish for duck. The final destination of the Barcelona-Antequera train will be shown on the departure boards as Malaga.  The train runs to the outskirts of Madrid on the high-speed line, by-passes the city and joins the Madrid-Malaga high-speed line for the journey south...

AVE S102.  Known to staff as pato (duck).  No prizes for guessing why...		AVE Preferente class...  Leather reclining seats, all with power sockets...

AVE Turista class...  Comfortable seats, 2 abreast each side of the aisle, mainly unidirectional but some bays of 4 around a table like this...		AVE Turista Plus...  Reclining seats, power sockets for laptops & mobiles, mainly unidirectional but some tables for 2 and tables for 4...

1st class lounge:  Club & Preferente ticket holders (including Promo+ tickets, but not Promo) may use the Sala Club 1st class lounge at Barcelona Sants, with coffee, juice & beer.		All aboard the train to Andalusia!  All AVE trains have a cafe-bar serving drinks and snacks, or feel free to bring your own food, wine or beer on board.

Don Quixote country...  Arid Andalusian scenery seen from the train to Algeciras.  The line from Madrid to Algeciras, especially the last part from Antequera southwards, is one of my favourite routes, a scenic treat.  Watch the video...

By bus or taxi from Algeciras to La Linea, the gateway to Gibraltar...

Bus M-120 boarding at Algeciras bus station		Rock of Gibraltar, seen from a taxi near La Linea.

In Algeciras, the bus station is just across the road (well, around the roundabout) from the railway station.  This is an M-120 bus for La Linea boarding at the bus station.  The bus links Algeciras with La Linea, 250m from the Gibraltar frontier, every 30 minutes on weekdays at xx.00 & xx.30 past each hour, every 45 minutes at weekends, fare €2.45, journey time 45 minutes.  The bus station is directly across the road (well, around the roundabout) from Algeciras railway station, behind the Octavio Hotel.

Alternatively, a taxi from Algeciras station to Gibraltar town charges a fixed price (non-meter) of €24.75.  There are normally plenty of taxis available when the train from Madrid arrives.

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Gibraltar - Tangier ferries...

A fast ferry occasionally operates from Gibraltar to Tangier, run by www.frs.es.  There were Friday & Sunday evening crossings a few years ago, there may be none now.  At other times, simply take the bus from La Linea (Gibraltar's frontier with Spain) round the bay to Algeciras (every 30 minutes, journey time 30 minutes) for the ferry from there to Tangier.  See www.trasmediterranea.es, www.comarit.com or www.balearia.com to check sailing times & fares.

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Watch the video:  A train ride from Gibraltar to Madrid...

This video shows the fabulous scenery between Gibraltar and Madrid.  Although the video shows an Altaria train from Algeciras to Madrid, the trains from Algeciras to Barcelona take exactly the same route as far as the outskirts of Madrid.

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In Gibraltar...

The Governor's residence...		Typically British telephone kiosk....

The cable car up to the top of the Rock...		The Rock of Gibraltar viewed from the top cable car station.  It's a cloudy day, and we're above the clouds...

The famous apes.  There's a fine for feeding them, but watch it, they'll pinch your own food right out of your hand!		The Rock of Gibraltar, seen from one of the regular Dolphin safaris leaving from Marina Bay - www.dolphinsafari.gi

European Rail Timetable & map

The European Rail Timetable (formerly the Thomas Cook European Timetable) has train & ferry times for every country in Europe plus currency & climate information.  It is essential for regular European train travellers and an inspiration for armchair travellers.  Published since 1873, it had just celebrated 140 years of publication when Thomas Cook decided to pull the plug on their entire publishing department, but the dedicated ex-Thomas Cook team have set up a private venture and published the first edition of a reborn European Rail Timetable in March 2014.  You can buy it online with worldwide shipping at either www.stanfords.co.uk or www.europeanrailtimetable.eu.  More information on what the European Rail Timetable contains.

A Traveller's Railway Map of Europe covers the whole of Europe from Portugal in the west to Moscow & Istanbul in the east, Finland in the north to Sicily & Athens in the south.  On the back are detailed maps of Switzerland, Benelux & Germany, plus city plans showing stations in major cities.  Scenic & high-speed routes highlighted.  Buy it online for £14.50 + postage worldwide (UK addresses £2.80) at www.stanfords.co.uk/Continents/Europe-A-Travellers-Railway-Map_9789077899090.htm or (in the Netherlands) for €13 + €5.50 postage from www.treinreiswinkel.nl.

Find hotels in Gibraltar...

Rock Hotel, Gibraltar...

Opened in 1932, Gibraltar's Rock Hotel nestles under the Rock at the far end of town, with a relaxing pool area across the road, complete with poolside bar.  Many famous people have stayed here, from Winston Churchill to Sean Connery to Errol Flynn.  Don't expect cutting edge design - if anything the rooms are a little tired and in need of refurbishment - but it's one of the classic hotels in Gib, a stone's throw from the lower cable car station and a 10 minute walk from the heart of Main Street.  In the summer, dinner is served al fresco by the pool.  The breakfast buffet is good, but ask for fried egg rather than taste their powdered scrambled egg!

Travel insurance & health card...

Take out decent travel insurance, it's essential...

Never travel without proper travel insurance from a reliable insurer with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover.  It should also cover loss of cash & belongings (up to a limit), and trip cancellation.  An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheapest even for just 2 or 3 trips a year - I have an annual policy myself.  However, don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed connection, see the advice on missed connections here.  Here are some suggested insurers, Seat61 gets a little commission if you buy through these links, and feedback from using insurance for rail & ferry travel is always welcome.

In the UK, use www.confused.com to compare prices & policy features across major insurance companies.

If you have a pre-existing medical condition or are over 65, see www.JustTravelCover.com - 10% discount with code seat61.

        If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the EU, try Columbus Direct's other websites.

  If you live in the USA try Travel Guard USA.

Get an EU health card, it's free...

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 ww.nhs.uk.  It doesn't remove the need for travel insurance, though.

Carry a spare credit card, designed for travel with no currency exchange loading & low/no ATM fees

Taking out an extra credit card costs nothing, but if you keep it in a different part of your luggage you won't be left stranded if your wallet gets stolen.  In addition, some credit cards are better for overseas travel than others.  Martin Lewis's www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money explains which UK credit cards have the lowest currency exchange commission loadings when you buy something overseas, and the lowest cash withdrawal fees when you use an ATM abroad.