	UK to Spain without flying: London to Paris by Eurostar in 2h20 from £78 return... ...then Paris to Barcelona by 320 km/h (199 mph) TGV Duplex in 6h25 from €39 each way.
	To Spain in an armchair: Watch the video!
	Holidays to Spain by train not plane

Breakfast in London, lunch in Paris, dinner in Barcelona...

It's easy to travel from the UK to Spain by train. A morning Eurostar to Paris in 2h20 from £52 one-way or £78 return, lunch at the remarkable Train Bleu restaurant at the Gare de Lyon, then the afternoon double-deck TGV Duplex to Figueres (for the Salvador Dali museum), Girona & Barcelona from €39 each way with cafe-bar & free WiFi. Buy some wine from the cafe-bar (or bring your own!), put your feet up & relax, watch the pretty French villages of the Rhone Valley pass by, catch up on your reading, perhaps watch a movie on your iPhone. Compared to the stress of airports & flights, it's a revelation and far more environmentally-friendly. This page explains the best routes & trains between the UK & Spain and how to buy tickets.

COVID-19 update: See COVID-19 updates & travel information. Trains are running between London & Spain. Both morning & afternoon Paris-Barcelona TGVs ran in summer 2021, but in 2022 the morning TGV will run all year, the afternoon TGV will only run in July, August & September.

Eurail passes - the pass for overseas visitors

Interrail passes - the pass for Europeans

Car hire in Spain

Cruises from Barcelona

Recommended guidebooks

Hotels & accommodation in Spain

Travel insurance, Curve Card & VPN

Interactive map: Click on a destination for train times & fares...

Country information

Train operator in Spain:		RENFE (originally Red Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Españoles). See www.renfe.com for train times, fares & online booking within Spain, but first see this advice on using it - it can be easier to use www.thetrainline.com or www.petrabax.com. Local trains around Bilbao, San Sebastian, French frontier: www.euskotren.eus. Local trains in northern Spain (ex-FEVE): www.renfe.com/viajeros/feve. To check for problems affecting trains through France (in French) see www.sncf.com/fr/horaires-info-trafic. Paris bus & metro: www.ratp.fr. Madrid metro: www.metromadrid.es. Barcelona metro: www.tmb.cat
Railpasses:		Beginner's guide to European railpasses Buy a rail pass online
Time zone:		GMT+1 (GMT+2 from last Sunday in March to last Saturday in October).
Dialling code:		+34
Currency:		£1 = approx 1.19 euros Check current exchange rates
Tourist information:		www.spain.info. Escorted holidays by train from UK to Spain
Cars & car hire:		Taking your car by train = Motorail Car hire in Spain
Hotels & hostels:		Find hotels in Spain Hotel reviews see www.tripadvisor.com.
Page last updated:		24 July 2022. Train times valid 12 Dec 2021 to 10 Dec 2022, some still subject to confirmation.

London to Barcelona

Chill out by high-speed train from London to Barcelona!

All aboard the new
high-speed train to Spain!

A morning Eurostar to Paris just 2½ hours, lunch at the remarkable Train Bleu restaurant at the Gare de Lyon, then the afternoon double-deck TGV Duplex to Figueres (home of the amazing Salvador Dali museum), Girona & Barcelona. I recommend a first class Club Duo seat on the upper deck (pictured, above), wonderful! Put your feet up & relax, watch the pretty French villages of the Rhone Valley pass by, catch up on your reading & your emails, perhaps watch a movie on your iPhone. You can buy some wine from the bar car or feel free to bring your own! To anyone who has only known the stresses of airports, flights & motorways, chilling out on a high-speed train is a revelation. Watch the video here...

A first class table for two on the TGV Duplex train to Spain

Breakfast in London, lunch in Paris, dinner in Spain...

You can travel from London to Figueres, Girona or Barcelona by train in a single day through great scenery with a glass of wine to hand and not an airport security queue in sight...

The Perpignan-Barcelona high-speed line was completed in 2013 and impressive 320 km/h (199 mph) double-deck TGV Duplex trains started running from Paris to Barcelona, 667 miles in around 6h30, city centre to city centre with cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi - passing some great scenery, especially viewed from an upstairs seat. There are now two Paris-Barcelona TGV trains every day in each direction, with a third train in high summer. They also serve Figueres & Girona.

Stay overnight in Barcelona (I suggest some good hotels near the station here) and continue next day to Madrid in 2h30 by AVE, Alicante in 4h45 by EuroMed or to Seville or Malaga by AVE in around 5h30.

If you have lots of luggage, small kids or mobility problems and want to avoid crossing Paris, how going London-Lille-Lyon then using the direct AVE high-speed train from Lyon to Barcelona? Or London-Lille-Nimes, overnight stop, then Nimes to Barcelona by AVE or TGV, see option 3 here.

Overnight trains: The Elipsos sleeper trains from Paris to Barcelona & Madrid were sadly discontinued in 2013, but it's still possible to travel overnight in a couchette between Paris & the Spanish border, see option 4 here using the Paris to Latour de Carol sleeper train then a scenic local train to Barcelona through the Pyrenees or option 5 using the Paris-Perpignan/Cerbère overnight train.

Which route to choose?

Option 1, by Eurostar & TGV via Paris - fastest way, multiple departures...

Train times London to Barcelona

Train times Barcelona to London

How much does it cost?

How to buy tickets

What are the trains like?

What is the journey like?

Option 2, by Eurostar & TGV via Lille & Lyon - avoids crossing Paris, if you don't mind an early start...

Option 3, by Eurostar & TGV with overnight stop in Nimes - also avoids crossing Paris...

Option 4, by overnight sleeper to Latour de Carol & local train - scenic option through the Pyrenees!

Option 5, by overnight sleeper to Perpignan or Cerbère - another overnight option...

Option 1, London-Barcelona by high-speed train...

This is the fastest and most frequent option, by Eurostar from London to Paris in 2h30 and by 320 km/h (199 mph) TGV Duplex from Paris to Barcelona in around 6h30...

COVID-19 update Trains are running between London & Spain! Eurostar is running a reduced service. There should be a morning & afternoon TGV between Paris & Barcelona, but in 2022 only the morning TGV will run all year, the afternoon TGV will only run in July, August & September. If the afternoon TGV isn't running, that means an overnight stop is needed in Paris when going southbound, unless you use the sleeper option. See COVID-19 travel information.

London ► Barcelona (morning departure, 14 June - 30 Sept 2022)

Step 1, travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 10:22, arriving Paris Gare du Nord 13:47.
Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare de Lyon, just 2 stops on RER line D. Why not take an earlier Eurostar and have lunch at the wonderful Train Bleu restaurant at the Gare de Lyon?
Step 2, travel from Paris to Barcelona by TGV Duplex, leaving Paris Gare de Lyon at 15:12 arriving Figures Vilafant 20:56, Girona 21:13 & Barcelona Sants 21:54.
This train should run all year round, but due to covid-19 it will only run 14 June to 30 September 2022.
The TGV Duplex is a 320 km/h (199 mph) double-deck high-speed train with 1st & 2nd class, café-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. I recommend an upper deck seat for the best views, any seat number >60 is upper deck.
The train speeds along the Rhône valley past pretty French villages & picturesque churches, then look out for colonies of flamingos on the étangs in southern France, the Fort de Salses on the right and great views of Mt Canigou in the Pyrenees. Figueres is worth a stop for the amazing Salvador Dali museum -Dali's home at Port Lligat is just a bus or taxi ride away on the coast, also a museum and well worth visiting. Map of Barcelona showing railway station.

London ► Barcelona (evening departure, overnight in Paris)

Day 1, travel from London to Paris by any evening Eurostar you like.
The last Eurostar usually leaves London St Pancras at 20.01 on Mondays-Saturdays arriving Paris Gare du Nord 23:17. On Sundays, the last one leaves at 20:31 arriving 23:47.

Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare de Lyon.
Stay overnight in Paris. See suggested hotels near the Gare de Lyon.
Day 2, travel from Paris to Barcelona by TGV Duplex, leaving Paris Gare de Lyon at 10:14 and arriving Figures Vilafant 15:56, Girona 16:13 & Barcelona Sants 16:54. This train runs daily all year round.
The TGV Duplex is a 320 km/h (199 mph) double-deck high-speed train with 1st & 2nd class, café-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. I recommend an upper deck seat for the best views, any seat number >60 is upper deck.
The train speeds along the Rhône valley past pretty French villages & picturesque churches, then look out for colonies of flamingos on the étangs in southern France, the Fort de Salses on the right and great views of Mt Canigou in the Pyrenees. Map of Barcelona showing railway station.

Barcelona ► London (morning departure, every day)

Step 1, travel from Barcelona to Paris by TGV Duplex, leaving Barcelona Sants at 09:10, Girona 09:51 or Figueres Vilafant 10:08, arriving Paris Gare de Lyon 15:46.
From 2 July to 28 August 2022 this train runs later, leaving Barcelona Sants at 10:00, Girona 10:41 or Figueres Vilafant 10:58, arriving Paris Gare de Lyon 16:47.
The TGV Duplex is a 320 km/h (199 mph) double-deck high-speed train with 1st & 2nd class, café-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.
Book an upper deck seat for the best views as the train rolls past Mt Canigou in the Pyrenees, colonies of flamingos on the étangs in southern France, then speeds along the Rhone Valley towards Paris. A cafe-bar is available. In Barcelona, there's a brief X-ray baggage check at the entrance to the platforms. If you have a 1st class ticket you can use the Sala Club 1st class lounge at Barcelona Sants or Girona for up to 2 hours before your train leaves.

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.
Step 2, travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 19:13 arriving London St Pancras at 20:30.

Barcelona ► London (afternoon departure, overnight in Paris, 15 June - 1 Oct 2022)

Day 1, travel from Barcelona to Paris by TGV Duplex, leaving Barcelona Sants at 14:00, Girona 14:41 or Figueres Vilafant 14:58 and arriving Paris Gare de Lyon at 20:48.
This train should run daily all year round, but due to covid-19 it will only run from 15 June to 1 October 2022 .
The TGV Duplex is a 320 km/h (199 mph) double-deck high-speed train with 1st & 2nd class, café-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.
Book an upper deck seat for the best views as the train rolls past Mt Canigou in the Pyrenees, colonies of flamingos on the étangs in southern France, then speeds along the scenic Rhone Valley towards Paris. A cafe-bar is available. If you have a 1st class ticket you can use the Sala Club 1st class lounge at Barcelona Sants or Girona for up to 2 hours before your train leaves. In Barcelona, there's a brief X-ray baggage check at the entrance to the platforms.
Stay overnight in Paris. See suggested hotels near the Gare de Lyon. Next morning, cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare du Nord.
Day 2, travel from Paris to London on any morning Eurostar you like. The first Eurostar of the day usually leaves Paris Gare du Nord at 07:13 on Mondays-Saturdays or 08:13 on Sundays, arriving London St Pancras at 08:32 Mondays-Saturdays or 09:30 Sundays. You can be in central London for the start of the working day!

How much does it cost?

London to Paris by Eurostar starts at £52 one-way or £78 return in standard class, £115 one-way, £199 return standard premier (1st class).
Paris to Barcelona by TGV Duplex starts at €39 each way in 2nd class or €59 in 1st class.
Fares are dynamic so vary like air fares. Book early and avoid busy days or dates for the cheapest fares. For a more detailed explanation of fares for the TGV see the Paris to Barcelona TGV page, for Eurostar see the London to Paris by Eurostar page.

How to buy tickets...



	Book your hotels... www.booking.com lets you book accommodation with free cancellation - so you can safely book with zero risk before train bookings open. Any hotel with a review score over 8.0 will usually be pretty good. Click here for suggested hotels in Barcelona, either near the station or in the old town.

Raileurope.com (formerly Loco2.com) is the easiest way to buy tickets from London or any station in Britain to Barcelona or any station in Spain.

All your tickets can be booked in one place in plain English, at the cheapest prices with print-at-home or collect-at-station tickets, as www.raileurope.com connects to the British, French (SNCF) and Spanish (Renfe) ticketing systems. There's a small booking fee. Who are Raileurope.com?

Please take a moment read the tips below before starting to book...

Overseas users welcome... Anyone from any country worldwide can use www.raileurope.com as international credit cards are accepted and you get print-at-home or collect-at-station tickets for Eurostar, TGVs & Spanish trains.
Booking usually opens 120 days ahead. Eurostar opens up to 180 days ahead, Paris-Barcelona TGVs up to 120 days ahead. I strongly recommend waiting until the TGV is open for booking so you can confirm actual times for your specific date before committing to a non-refundable Eurostar ticket - unless you're happy taking a calculated risk.

Spanish trains open up to 60 days ahead, but it varies as Renfe loads blocks of dates at a time, pretty much when they feel like it. UK domestic trains usually open 90 days ahead.

Travelling after mid-December? The big European timetable change happens on the 2nd Saturday in December every year, bookings for dates after this including Christmas & New Year always open late, usually in mid-October. The mid-June timetable change usually isn't a problem.

See more information about when European train bookings open & why some dates may open later than others. You can reserve hotel accommodation risk-free before booking your trains if you use a site like www.booking.com with free cancellation.
Fares vary like air fares, so book as far ahead as you can: Fares for Eurostar, TGV & Spanish long-distance trains are yield-managed like air fares, cheaper in advance and on less busy days & dates, more expensive closer to departure and on busier dates & days, so book as early as you can and search for the cheapest departures, for example mid-week. Remember that the cheapest tickets are for a specific train only, limited or no refunds or changes to travel plans.
Any station in Britain to any station in Spain, but please engage brain! You can book from London (or Aylesbury, Oxford, Birmingham, wherever) to Barcelona as one same-day journey using the form on the right, one-way or round trip in either direction. But journeys which involve an overnight stop must be booked in stages. For example, London to Malaga involves an overnight stop in either Barcelona or Paris. So you'd book from London to Barcelona on day 1, add this to your basket, then book Barcelona to Malaga on day 2, add this to your basket and check out, paying for both journeys as one transaction. Or you'd book London to Paris day 1, add to basket, then Paris to Malaga on day 2. If you try booking from London to Malaga all in one go, you won't see any trains, as this journey is too long to be done in one day. Similarly, for (let's say) Edinburgh to Barcelona you'd book Edinburgh to Paris on day 1, add to basket, then book Paris to Barcelona on day 2, add to basket and check out. Simple when you know!
If you are starting from a UK station outside London, for example Oxford, Birmingham, Bristol or wherever, British domestic trains usually open 3 months ahead. However, if you don't want to wait you could book from London to Spain up to 4 months ahead, then buy a special ticket for the UK part of the journey separately as explained here.
Infants go free, but need a ticket for domestic journeys within Spain: On Eurostar & TGV, infants under 4 go free with no ticket necessary, just bring them along. However, for journeys on any train wholly within Spain, you'll need to obtain a free infant ticket at a Renfe ticket office before boarding, see the advice here. Children under 12 can travel at the child rate.
Tip 1: Book an upper deck seat for the best views on the TGV! Raileurope.com shows your seat numbers before you confirm and pay, any seat number greater than 60 is on the upper deck. If you get a lower deck seat, leave thus in your basket and simply try again until you get an upper deck seat. Then delete the tickets you don't want. It once took me 8 attempts, See TGV Duplex seat numbering plan - it's a EuroDuplex.
Tip 2: To give yourself time for lunch in Paris, perhaps at the wonderful Train Bleu restaurant at the Gare de Lyon, click 'More options', enter 'Paris Lyon', enter a duration of (say) 2 or 3 hours & hit 'Complete'. Adjust the stopover time as necessary.
Tip 3: Can you save money by split-ticketing at Perpignan? If you only see expensive €100+ fares from Paris to Barcelona, don't panic. Try splitting the booking at Perpignan as this can sometimes save a lot of money. On one date I picked last year, Paris-Barcelona by direct TGV cost €170, when Paris-Perpignan on exactly the same train cost €60 then Perpignan-Barcelona (on the same train) cost €29 = €89 in total, a 47% saving. On another date, Paris-Barcelona cost €111, when on the same train Paris-Perpignan was €39 + Perpignan-Barcelona €29 = €68, almost a 40% saving. Splitting the journey won't always save money, and this issue seems less common so far in 2015 than last yea, but it happens so regularly and can save so much money it's worth checking.

To see if splitting the booking at Perpignan saves money, simply click 'More options' and enter 'Perpignan' leaving the default time set to zero. Then run your London to Barcelona (or Paris to Barcelona) enquiry as normal, and Raileurope.com will automatically split the ticket at Perpignan for you. Compare the prices you see with the prices you get without the Perpignan split.

You'll need to switch seats at Perpignan of course, as you are unlikely to be given the same seat for both parts of the trip if you split-ticket. These trains often consist of two 8-car TGV units coupled together between Paris & Perpignan, each with a different train number, only one of which runs beyond Perpignan to/from Barcelona, usually with car numbers 11-18. The other unit (usually car numbers 1-8) only operates between Paris & Perpignan. If you're lucky your Paris-Perpignan seats will be in the Paris-Barcelona unit, and you can simply walk down the train any time to your new seats, but if you get Paris-Perpignan seats with a different train number you'll need to nip out onto the platform when the train arrives at Perpignan, walk forward to the front TGV unit and re-board, you won't be able to walk through the train. The trains stops at Perpignan for several minutes while the two units are coupled/uncoupled, it only takes a minute to nip out and walk forward.

Do engage brain and think through the ticket delivery options - if you get print-at-home tickets, no problem, but if you get a collect-at-station ticket from Perpignan to Paris remember that you cannot collect it in Barcelona as that's in Spain not France and you won't have time to fiddle with machines in the few minutes stop at Perpignan, so you should collect a northbound Perpignan to Paris collect-at-station ticket in Paris on your southbound journey, and not do the split-ticket thing if you won't be able to do that.

Tip 4: Upgrade to 1st class on the TGV, often for little extra cost! 1st class on a TGV can cost little more than 2nd class and can sometimes even be cheaper because of the way the price quotas work. With Raileurope.com you can easily see if there's a cheap 1st class fare for the Paris-Barcelona sector, without necessarily also upgrading to first class on the Eurostar, which can be expensive.
Tip 5: Choose your seat on Eurostar... After booking you can choose a specific seat from a Eurostar seating plan using the Manage booking link at eurostar.com, see tips on choosing the best seats on Eurostar.

Train seat numbering plans: Find Eurostar, TGV & Spanish train seat numbering plans here. On a TGV Duplex, seat numbers 11-58 are lower deck, 61-128 are upper deck. I recommend an upper deck seat for the best views. When two TGV units run coupled together, the first unit has cars 1-8, the second unit's cars will be numbered 11-18, so if your seat is in car 12 you'd look at car 2 on the seating plan.

Tip 6: Check if buying an SNCF Carte Avantage discount card will save you money on Paris-Barcelona. The saving can sometimes exceed the cost of the card on just one trip, especially if you see high prices when you first attempt to book and especially if there are two of you or you are a family.

A Carte Avantage costs €49 for 1 year and gives you and a companion 30% off normal fares on TGVs & Intercités (including the Paris-Barcelona TGV) for one-way journeys at weekends, or for round trips which include a Friday, Saturday or Sunday night away, or at any time if accompanied by a child under 12, see more information here. Up to 3 accompanying children under 12 get 60% off.

However, Rail Europe (ironically, given that it is owned by SNCF) can't sell tickets with Carte Avantage discount applied, so use www.thetrainline.com to book from London or Paris to Barcelona instead. There's no discount on Eurostar or on Spanish trains, but you will get the discount on the Paris-Barcelona part of the journey.

To see if the savings work for your specific journey, and to check if they justify the cost of the card, run an enquiry on www.thetrainline.com without any Carte Avantage added, then run the same enquiry again with a Carte Avantage Adulte added to just one of the adults

Or book at www.thetrainline.com...

I also recommend www.thetrainline.com for the same reasons as Raileurope: It connects to the Eurostar, SNCF and Renfe ticketing systems so you can easily book all your tickets in one place, in plain English, in €, £ or $ with overseas credit cards no problem. Who are Thetrainline.com?
Some people prefer www.raileurope.com, others prefer www.thetrainline.com, both are good and should show exactly the same prices, so use whichever you like the look of best.
Most of the same booking tips in the Raileurope advice above also apply, except that www.thetrainline.com can only sell journeys starting in London, Ebbsfleet or Ashford. But you can easily add a British domestic train ticket separately as explained here. If you want a stopover in Paris, simply book London-Paris and back separately from onward trains.

Or book at www.eurostar.com + sncf-connect.com + www.renfe.com...

You can of course book each train separately on the relevant operator's website, without a booking fee. This is more effort than using Raileurope.com or Thetrainline.com as you're now making 2 or 3 separate bookings on 2 or 3 different websites, these sites can be more fiddly to use, and it doesn't usually make it any cheaper, the plus side is avoiding a booking fee.

Step 1, go to www.sncf-connect.com and book from Paris to Barcelona, looking for the direct TGV train, and buy your tickets. You print your own ticket, or can show it on your smartphone. Read raileurope.com advice above about sometimes saving money by split-ticketing at Perpignan.
Step 2, now go to www.eurostar.com and book the connecting Eurostar from London to Paris & back, allowing at least 60 minutes to cross Paris on the outward, 90 minutes on your return (as this includes the 30-minute Eurostar check-in). You print your own ticket or can show it on your smartphone.
Use the train times above as your guide, but by all means book an earlier Eurostar outward from London, or a later one back from Paris, if you want to spend some time in Paris or if an it has cheaper fares available.
The Eurostar system allows you to choose an exact seat on Eurostar from a numbered seating plan, see these tips on choosing a Eurostar seat. You need to book your ticket with an allocated seat first, then change it using the Manage a booking link at the top of the eurostar.com home page.

Step 3, onward trains from Barcelona to Madrid, Seville, Malaga, Alicante, Algeciras and so on can be bought from Renfe (Spanish Railways) at www.renfe.com. However, given Renfe's quirky translations and fussy payment system which can reject a proportion of overseas cards, it's much easier to use www.thetrainline.com (in €, small booking fee), www.raileurope.com (in €, £ or $, small booking fee), or www.petrabax.com (in US$ with a small mark-up), all of which sell Renfe's cheap fares with Renfe's print-at-home tickets.

Or have your trip arranged as a package...

Byway (Byway.travel) is a new UK-based eco-holiday firm with a 5-star TrustPilot rating. If you're nervous about booking train travel yourself, they'll book a London-Spain journey for you as a package, including overnight hotels, starting from any British station you like.

To see pre-configured packages from London to Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Granada or San Sebastian, use the journey planner on their website.

Tip: First book a one-way outward journey to your destination city on your outward date. Then change the direction of the arrow and book an inward journey on your return date. The journey back to the UK can be from a different location if you like, if you plan to travel around a bit between outward & return journeys.

Alternatively they can build a trip to your requirements, email them or use the contact form. Please say you heard about them from Seat 61.

Byway includes package protection, a 100% Covid refund guarantee, free disruption & re-planning and on-demand WhatsApp support while you're away.

Railbookers are a train travel specialist who can put together a holiday or short break to Spain by train as a package, with trains, hotels & transfers. Their website offers a range of tours, holidays & breaks which can be customised to your requirements. As you're booking a package, they'll take care of you if anything happens to one part of the itinerary such as a strike or delay.

In the UK call 0207 864 4600, www.railbookers.co.uk.

In the USA call free 1-888-829-4775, www.railbookers.com.

Canada call free 1-855-882-2910, www.railbookers.com.

Australia call toll-free 1300 971 526, www.railbookers.com.au.

New Zealand call toll-free 0800 000 554 or see website.

Tailor Made Rail also offers packages from the UK to Spain by train which can be customised your own requirements, one-way or round trip, with any stopovers you want. Indeed, they can organise a trip for you entirely based on your own requirements, they welcome complex itineraries! As it's a package, they'll take care of you if anything happens on one part of the trip, for example, a national strike. They're TTA-protected - like ATOL, but not only for agencies that sell air travel.

Call their dedicated seat61 phone line 020 3778 1461 and quote seat 61 when booking. From outside the UK call +44 20 3778 1461. Lines open 09:00-17:30 Monday-Friday. Their website is www.tailormaderail.com/destinations/spain.

Escorted tours: If you'd prefer to go to Spain on an escorted tour with a convivial group of travellers rather than travelling solo, here are the two UK companies which arrange escorted tours by train from the UK to destinations all over Europe on various dates through the year. Both companies are part of the same group.

Rail Discoveries, www.raildiscoveries.com, 01904 730 727...

Great Rail Journeys, www.greatrail.com, 01904 527 120...

How to buy tickets by phone...

It's better to book online to avoid additional phone booking fees and so you can see for yourself which departures are cheapest for each stage of the journey. Most ticketing agencies only work office hours on weekdays, but online booking is possible 24/7. However, if you want to book by phone, see my list of UK ticketing agencies with phone numbers & opening hours.

What's the journey like?

1. London to Paris by Eurostar...

Eurostar trains link London & Paris in 2h20, travelling at up to 300 km/h (186 mph). There are two bar cars, power sockets at all seats and free WiFi. Standard Premier and Business Premier fares include a light meal with wine (or breakfast, on departures before 11:00). There's a 30-minute minimum check-in at London St Pancras (45 minutes minimum at Paris Nord) as all border formalities are carried out before you board the train. More information about Eurostar including check-in procedure. St Pancras station guide. Paris Gare du Nord station guide. How to change trains & stations in Paris by metro or taxi.


A Eurostar e320 about to leave London St Pancras...		Standard Premier/Business Premier. Larger photo.


Standard class seats. Larger photo.		One of two cafe-bars, in cars 8 & 9. Larger photo.

2. Paris to Barcelona by TGV: See video guide

The Paris-Barcelona trains are impressive 320 km/h (199 mph) TGV Duplex double-deck 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 carpeted 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, and power sockets at all seats. 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' table-for-two is easily the nicest option. Free WiFi is coming to these trains at some point. Paris Gare de Lyon station guide. Barcelona Sants station guide.

TGV Duplex at Paris Gare de Lyon. These 320 km/h double-deckers link Paris with Barcelona. Watch TGV Duplex video.


Cafe-bar on upper deck car 4, serving tea, coffee, soft drinks, wine, beer, snacks & microwaved hot dishes....		2nd class seats on upper deck with a mix of tables for 4 & unidirectional seating. 360º photo.


1st class seats on upper deck, club duo on the left, club quatre on the right. 360º photo.		A TGV Duplex at Barcelona Sants. The red near the door indicates 1st class, pale green indicates 2nd class.


The stairs to the upper deck. 9 steps, wide, shallow with double handrails. No problem!		Power sockets: All seats in both first & second class have power sockets, European 2-pin type, 230v.		Luggage racks: You take your bags on board with you and put them on the racks. There are racks upstairs & downstairs, at the car ends and (as here) between the seats.


1. Paris Gare de Lyon & the Train Bleu restaurant... The train to Barcelona leaves from the magnificent Gare de Lyon in central Paris. I recommend booking an earlier Eurostar and having lunch or at least a drink in the bar at the wonderful Train Bleu restaurant (pictured above right) inside the Gare de Lyon before catching your train to Spain.

Scenery from the train along the Rhone Valley

2. Speeding down the Rhone Valley... The train joins the Sud-Est high-speed line and accelerates smoothly to 186mph through the Paris suburbs, soon emerging into open country. The train now speeds along the scenic Rhone Valley, passing pretty French villages with picturesque churches. The dark line of the Massif Central mountains are on the far side of the valley to your right, and on a clear day you can see the snow-capped French Alps in the far distance to your left. The TGV leaves the high-speed line towards Nîmes, continuing on the classic line.

...Between Valence and Nîmes the train crosses a broad stretch of the River Rhone with a view of the wine-producing Chateau de Montfaucon on the right, www.chateaumontfaucon.com.

3. Béziers... After calling at Nimes and Montpelier, the train passes non-stop through Béziers station and crosses the River Orb. Look to your right for a magnificent view of Béziers' 13th century cathedral.

Time for dinner? Above left, food from the cafe-bar, a magret de canard avec pommes de terre and some wine. Or feel free to bring your own picnic and bottle of red!


4. The Mediterranean coast... Between Montpellier & Perpignan the train skirts the glistening Mediterranean coastline with deserted beaches & marshland...		5. Vineyards. The train passes countless vineyards. Glass o' red from the bar car, anyone?

6. Étangs & flamingos... The train passes numerous étangs (lakes), where flocks of flamingos stand one-legged in the shallows.


7. The Fort de Salses... Just before Perpignan, the train passes by the impressive Fort de Salses on the right, a 15th-century Catalan fortress captured in 1642 and French-held ever since, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_de_Salses.

8. 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.


9. Barcelona Sants station is in central Barcelona, with plenty of taxis available, and a clean & modern metro to all parts of Barcelona. There are left luggage lockers (consigna), bars & restaurants. More information about Barcelona Sants station.

Video guide: Barcelona-Paris by TGV

The video takes you on a journey by TGV Duplex from Barcelona to Paris, showing the train & scenery...

Back to top

Option 2, London to Barcelona via Lyon in a day, avoiding Paris...

Crossing Paris by metro or taxi isn't that difficult when you know how, and lunch at the Train Bleu restaurant at the Gare de Lyon can be wonderful. But if you have lots of luggage, small kids or mobility problems you can avoid having to cross Paris by going via Lille & Lyon. It's an early start from London and you arrive In Barcelona only an hour earlier than leaving London at a more civilised 09:22 via Paris, but it's a useful option. Did I mention that there's no need to cross Paris..?

London ► Barcelona not currently running...

Step 1, travel from London to Lille by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 06:47 Mon-Fri or 06:57 Saturdays, arriving Lille Europe at 09:26.

Important: Eurostar is still running a reduced timetable post-pandemic and this early Eurostar isn't running at the moment. That means this route doesn't work in this direction, so please use another option for your outward journey.

Step 2, travel from Lille to Lyon by direct TGV, leaving Lille Europe at 11:03 and arriving Lyon Part Dieu at 14:00. A cafe-bar is available.

Step 2, travel from Lyon to Barcelona by direct AVE-S100 high-speed train with cafe-bar, leaving Lyon Part Dieu at 14:28 and arriving Figueres Vilafant 18:35, Girona 18:52 and Barcelona Sants at 19:33.

See photos & information about AVE-S100 trains here. Apart from the Paris by-pass line and the loop through central Lyon, this journey takes the same route as a Paris-Barcelona TGV and you'll see the same enjoyable scenery, see the journey photos & video above.

Barcelona ► London

Step 1, travel from Barcelona to Lyon by AVE-S100 high-speed train with cafe-bar, leaving Barcelona Sants at 08:15, Girona at 08:56, Figueres Vilafant at 09:13, arriving Lyon Part Dieu at 13:20.

See photos & information about AVE-S100 trains. Apart from the loop through central Lyon and the Paris by-pass line, this journey follows the same route as a Barcelona-Paris TGV and you'll see the same great scenery, see the journey photos & video above.

Step 2, travel from Lyon to Lille by TGV leaving Lyon Part Dieu at 14:00 and arriving Lille Europe 16:57.

The TGV has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.

Step 3, travel from Lille to London by Eurostar, leaving Lille Europe at 18:36 daily, arriving London St Pancras at 18:57.

How much does it cost?

London to Lille by Eurostar starts at £52 one-way, £78 return standard class or £115 one-way, £199 return in standard premier (1st class).

Lille to Lyon starts at €20 each way.

Lyon to Barcelona starts at €39 one-way in 2nd class or from €59 one-way in 1st class.

Fares vary like air fares, rising as departure date approaches & the cheaper tickets are sold, book ahead for the best prices.

Children under go 4 free.

How to buy tickets...

Buy tickets at www.raileurope.com, this allows you to book all your trains together in one place as one transaction.

Anyone from any country can use www.raileurope.com, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, and you'll get print-at-home or show-on-smartphone tickets. There's a small booking fee.
Booking for the TGV & AVE opens 120 days ahead. Eurostar opens up to 180 days ahead, but I recommend waiting until all trains are open for booking so you can confirm onward times before committing to a non-refundable Eurostar ticket.

Tip: Click More options and enter Lyon (any station), leaving the duration set to zero. Otherwise it may only find journeys via Paris. In the search results, look for the journey with just 1 change which matches the times given above.
Tip: If necessary, book each train separately, adding each to your basket and paying at the end.
But if you're returning, make sure you book London-Lille as a round trip, because Eurostar return fares are significantly cheaper than two one-ways. Beyond Lille, all the other trains are one-way ticketed where a return is simply two one-ways, so it makes no difference how you book and you may find it easier to book one way at a time.

Alternatively, you can of course book the London-Lille Eurostar at www.eurostar.com, then the Lille-Lyon TGV & Lyon-Barcelona AVE at the French Railways website www.sncf-connect.com without any booking fee, but this is more work and www.sncf-connect.com can be more fiddly to use.

What's the journey like?

1. London to Lille by Eurostar...

Eurostar trains link London & Lille in 1h22, travelling at up to 300 km/h (186 mph). There are two bar cars, power sockets at all seats and free WiFi. Standard Premier and Business Premier fares include a light meal with wine (or breakfast, on departures before 11:00). There's a 30-minute minimum check-in as all border formalities are carried out before you board the train. More information about Eurostar including check-in procedure. St Pancras station guide. Lille station guide & tips on changing trains.


A Eurostar e320 at St Pancras. More about Eurostar.		1st class: Standard Premier or Business Premier.


Standard class seats. Larger photo.		One of two cafe-bars, in cars 8 & 9. Larger photo.

2. Lille to Lyon by TGV...

TGV or Train á Grande Vitesse is French Railways high-speed train, with 1st & 2nd class and a cafe-bar. They come in various types, some single-deck, some double-deck TGV Duplex, you could get either on cross-France routes from Lille. Most have power sockets at seats, most now have free WiFi. The photos below show a single-deck TGV with the Christian Lacroix designer interior. The direct TGVs from Lille to Lyon by-pass Paris on a high-speed avoiding line via Charles de Gaulle Airport station. More information about TGV.


2nd class with mix of unidirectional seats & tables for 4. Seats 2+2 across car width. Larger photo.		Business end of a TGV...


Cafe-bar selling tea, coffee, beer, wine, cold snacks & microwaved dishes. Larger photo.		1st class with a mix of unidirectional seats, solo seats, tables for 2 & for 4. Seats 2+1 across car width. Larger photo.

3. Lyon to Barcelona by AVE: See the AVE S100 page

An AVE-S100 at Barcelona Sants.


1st class seats on an AVE S100. 360º photo of 1st class.		Cafe-bar...


These S100 AVE trains operate the TGV/AVE services from Madrid to Marseille, Barcelona to Lyon, Toulouse. This is an AVE-S100 at Barcelona Sants.		2nd class seats on the S100 AVE, all with power sockets. Luggage goes on the racks at the car ends or above the seats. 360º photo of 2nd class More photos & info about AVE S100.

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 Girona to Perpignan, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canigou.

Option 3, London to Barcelona with overnight stop in Nîmes...

This is well worth considering as it runs daily, avoids having to cross Paris and you can spend a pleasant evening in Nimes if you like. I think Nîmes makes the best stopover point given the timings, but as the AVE from Nimes to Barcelona also calls at Avignon TGV, Montpelier and Perpignan, you could equally well stop for the night at any of those places instead.

London ► Barcelona

Day 1, travel from London to Lille by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 13:01 & arriving Lille Europe at 15:25.

The Eurostar has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. At Lille Europe it's an easy same-station change.
Day 1, travel from Lille to Nimes by TGV, leaving Lille Europe at 17:03 & arriving Nimes at 21:34.

The TGV has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.

Stay overnight in Nîmes. The very inexpensive Ibis Budget Nimes Gare is just 50 yards from the station and gets good reviews. The Ibis Styles Nimes Gare next door is a more upmarket option, but also inexpensive with good reviews.
Day 2, travel from Nîmes to Barcelona by AVE-S100 high-speed train, leaving Nimes at 09:04 arriving Barcelona Sants at 12:38.

The AVE-S100 has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.

Barcelona ► London

Day 1, travel from Barcelona to Nîmes by AVE-S100 high-speed train, leaving Barcelona Sants at 16:45 arriving Nimes at 20:22.

The AVE-S100 has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.

Stay overnight in Nîmes. The very inexpensive Ibis Budget Nimes Gare is just 50 yards from the station and gets good reviews. The Ibis Styles Nimes Gare next door is a more upmarket option, but also inexpensive with good reviews.
Day 2, travel from Nîmes to Lille Europe by high-speed TGV, leaving Nimes Pont du Gard at 09:32 and arriving Lille Europe at 14:24.

Nimes Pont du Gard is a new out-of-town station several kilometres outside the city, so you'll need a taxi or bus to reach it, or there's a regional train leaving Nîmes' city centre station at 08:45 which connects with the TGV, check times when you book.

The TGV has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. At Lille Europe it's an easy same-station change onto Eurostar.
Day 2, travel from Lille to London by Eurostar, leaving Lille Europe at 16:35 arriving London St Pancras at 17:01.

The Eurostar has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.
Alternatively, you could spend a morning in Nimes and leave Nîmes' city centre station at 15:21 on Mondays-Fridays & Sundays arriving London St Pancras 22:00, or at 12:25 on Saturdays arriving London St Pancras 18:57. See the UK to France page for full details of London-Nimes train service.

How much does it cost?

London to Lille by Eurostar starts at £52 one-way, £78 return standard class or £115 one-way, £199 return in standard premier (1st class).
Lille to Nimes by TGV starts at €25 each way.
Nimes to Barcelona by AVE high-speed train starts at €39 each way in 2nd class or €79 in 1st class.
Fares work like air fares, so book ahead and avoid busy days or dates for the cheapest rates. Children under 4 free.

How to buy tickets...

Step 1, book London to Nimes at www.raileurope.com and add it to your basket. If making a round trip, book it as a return.
Step 2, still on www.raileurope.com, now book from Nimes to Barcelona, add to basket and check out.
You print your own tickets. When does booking open?

What's the journey like?

1. London to Lille by Eurostar...


A Eurostar e320 at St Pancras. More about Eurostar.		1st class: Standard Premier or Business Premier.


Standard class seats. Larger photo.		One of two cafe-bars, in cars 8 & 9. Larger photo.

2. Lille to Nimes by TGV...


2nd class with mix of unidirectional seats & tables for 4. Seats 2+2 across car width. Larger photo.		The business end of a TGV...


Cafe-bar selling tea, coffee, beer, wine, cold snacks & microwaved dishes. Larger photo.		1st class with a mix of unidirectional seats, solo seats, tables for 2 & for 4. Seats 2+1 across car width. Larger photo.

3. Nimes to Barcelona by AVE: See the AVE S100 page

Barcelona to Avignon & Marseille by AVE... An AVE-S100 ready to leave Barcelona Sants.


1st class seats on an AVE S100. 360º photo of 1st class.		Cafe-bar...


These S100 AVE trains operate the TGV/AVE services from Madrid to Marseille, Barcelona to Lyon, Toulouse. This is an AVE-S100 at Barcelona Sants.		2nd class seats on the S100 AVE, all with power sockets. Luggage goes on the racks at the car ends or above the seats. 360º photo of 2nd class More photos & info about AVE S100.

Option 4, London to Barcelona overnight via Latour de Carol & the Pyrenees...

The scenic route! The Elipsos sleeper trains from Paris to Barcelona & Madrid were sadly discontinued in December 2013, but it's still possible to leave London in the late afternoon by Eurostar, sleep in a couchette on an overnight train from Paris to the Pyrenees, then take a scenic local train into Barcelona. It's an interesting alternative to the high-speed option with great scenery through the Pyrenees, watch the video here. See route map.

London ► Barcelona

Step 1, travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, normally leaving London St Pancras at 16:31 arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 19:47.
Cross Paris by taxi or métro to the Gare d'Austerlitz.
Tip: Why not take an earlier Eurostar and have dinner in Paris at the amazing Train Bleu restaurant at the Gare de Lyon, just 5-10 minutes walk across the bridge over the river Seine from the Gare d'Austerlitz?

Step 2, travel from Paris to Latour de Carol by sleeper train, leaving Paris Gare d'Austerlitz at 21:14, arriving Latour de Carol at 09:12.
This is a French Intercité de Nuit overnight train with 1st class 4-berth couchettes, 2nd class 6-berth couchettes & reclining seats. WiFi is being fitted. More information about Intercité de Nuit trains.
If you want privacy you can book a whole 1st class 4-berth compartment for 1, 2 or 3 people (or a whole 2nd class 6-berth compartment for 5 people) by paying the Espace Privatif supplement.
This train runs every day all year round, but engineering work sometimes affects it so check that it's running on your specific date using www.raileurope.com, www.thetrainline.com or www.sncf-connect.com. It should open for booking 4 months ahead, but sometimes less than this.
The last hour into the Pyrenees is wonderfully scenic, past the castle at Foix (on the right hand side just after the station) and up into the mountains - at Porté-Puymorens (the last station just before Latour) the train reaches the highest point on any normal standard-gauge railway in Europe, 1,562m (5,125 feet) above sea level. The railway from Toulouse to Foix opened in 1862, but the difficult line beyond Foix through the Pyrenees to Latour de Carol only opened in 1929.
Latour de Carol is a vast but little-used border station in the middle of nowhere, ringed by mountains, where the French Railways standard gauge line ends and the Spanish Railways Iberian gauge line to Barcelona begins. It's almost unique in being served by trains of three different track gauges: Spanish broad gauge from Barcelona, French standard gauge to Toulouse and Paris, and French narrow gauge as it's also the terminus for the celebrated Petit Train Jaune. It's sometimes known as Latour de Carol-Enveitg, and in Catalan it's La Tor de Querol-Enveig.
You can have breakfast in the Bistro de la Gare on the station forecourt, www.facebook.com/bistrotdutrainjaune.

Step 3, travel from Latour de Carol to Barcelona by local train, leaving Latour at 10:48 (11:13 weekends) & arriving Barcelona Sants at 13:54 (14:11 weekends).
The local train is comfortable, air-conditioned with 2nd class seats. It's a lovely & scenic run, twisting through the Spanish side of the Pyrenees before reaching the Barcelona suburbs. There's no catering, so bring your own food & drink.
Important: You will not, I repeat, not find this train listed on normal journey planners, so read the following paragraph carefully!!!!
You can check times from La Tor de Querol to Barcelona Sants at the special Barcelona suburban trains website, rodalies.gencat.cat/en as this route is classed suburban in spite of being rural.
You can also check times at www.renfe.com, but it will not be shown in the main Renfe journey planner, you have to do it like this: Click the globe symbol top right & select Ingles for English. Ignore the main journey planner, hover over Cercanias (Commuter) top left and click on Rodalies Catalunya. Search from La Tor de Querol-Enveig to Barcelona Sants. Easy when you know how...

Barcelona ► London

Step 1, travel from Barcelona to La Tour de Carol by local train, leaving Barcelona Sants at 15:01 (15:10 Saturdays) arriving Latour de Carol at 18:07 (18:17 Saturdays).
The local train is comfortable, air-conditioned with 2nd class seats. There's no catering, so bring your own food & drink. It's a lovely scenic run up into the Pyrenees. There's not much at Latour de Carol, a huge but under-used border station in the middle of nowhere, ringed by mountains, so bring your own supplies or check if the Bistro de la Gare on the station forecourt will be open, see www.facebook.com/bistrotdutrainjaune.
You will not, I repeat, not find this local train listed on normal journey planners, so read the following paragraphs carefully!!
You can easily check times for the Barcelona Sants to La Tor de Querol train for your date of travel at the special Barcelona suburban trains website rodalies.gencat.cat/en, as this route is classed as a Barcelona suburban train in spite of being very rural.

You can also check times at www.renfe.com, but it will not be shown in the main Renfe journey planner, you have to do it like this: Click the globe symbol top right & select Ingles for English. Ignore the main journey planner, hover over Cercanias (Commuter) top left and click on Rodalies Catalunya. Search from Barcelona Sants to La Tor de Querol-Enveig. Easy when you know how...
Step 2, travel from Latour de Carol to Paris by sleeper train, leaving Latour de Carol at 19:25 & arriving Paris Gare d'Austerlitz 07:09.
This is a French Intercité de Nuit overnight train with 1st class 4-berth couchettes, 2nd class 6-berth couchettes & reclining seats. WiFi is being fitted. More information about Intercité de Nuit trains.
If you want privacy you can book a whole 1st class 4-berth compartment for 1, 2 or 3 people (or a whole 2nd class 6-berth compartment for 5 people) by paying the Espace Privatif supplement.
This train runs every day all year round, but engineering work sometimes affects it so check that it's running on your specific date using www.raileurope.com, www.thetrainline.com or www.sncf-connect.com. It should open for booking 4 months ahead, but sometimes less than this.
In summer when it's light, the first hour and a half twisting and turning through the Pyrenees is beautifully scenic. At Porté-Puymorens, the first station after Latour, the train passes the highest point on any normal standard-gauge railway in Europe, 1,562m (5,125 feet) above sea level. Watch out for the impressive castle at Foix, on the left. The railway from Foix to Toulouse opened in 1862, but the difficult line through the Pyrenees from Latour de Carol to Foix only opened in 1929.
In Paris, cross by métro or taxi to the Gare du Nord.

Step 3, travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 09:13 and arriving London St Pancras 10:30.

How much does it cost?

London to Paris by Eurostar starts at £52 one-way or £78 return in standard class, £115 one-way, £199 return standard premier (1st class).
Paris to Latour de Carol starts at €20 in a reclining seat, €35 in a 6-berth 2nd class couchette or €63 in a 4-berth 1st class couchette. Like Eurostar, fares vary dynamically like air fares.
Latour de Carol to Barcelona costs a fixed-price €12, paid in cash on the train, no reservation or pre-booking necessary or possible.

How to buy tickets...

Step 1, book from London to Latour de Carol at www.raileurope.com.
It's easy to use, in €, £ or $, overseas credit or debit cards no problem, and you either print your own tickets or can show them on your smartphone. There's a small booking fee.
Although you can book from London to Latour all in one go, it's better to split the booking like this: First book from London (or any station in Britain) to Paris and back, add to basket, then book the overnight train from Paris to Latour de Carol one-way and add to basket, then book Latour de Carol to Paris one-way and add to basket, then check out.

This way you can mix & match a 2nd class seat on Eurostar with a 1st class 4-berth couchette on the overnight train, and you can book an earlier Eurostar if it has cheaper seats available or if you'd like more time in Paris. Always allow at least 60 minutes between trains in Paris, when catching a sleeper I'd allow more than this, say 2 hours.

Alternatively, you can book from London to Paris at www.eurostar.com, then book the Paris to Latour couchette train at the French Railways website www.sncf-connect.com, this is more work and www.sncf-connect.com can be more fiddly to use, but there's no booking fee.

Step 2, the local ticket from Latour de Carol to Barcelona cannot be booked online and doesn't need to be booked in advance.
Southbound, simply get on the train and pay the conductor on board in cash, no reservation is necessary or possible, it cannot sell out. This ticket can't even be bought from the French SNCF-run ticket office at Latour de Carol. I repeat, simply get on the train and pay on board! It's a good idea to have cash on you in case their card machine doesn't work, but conductors on this route can now take credit cards.

Northbound, buy a ticket to Latour de Carol on the day at Barcelona Sants station, either from the staffed counters or self-service ticket machines. Tickets cannot sell out, it's only a local train.

What's the journey like?

1. London to Paris by Eurostar...


A Eurostar e320 about to leave London St Pancras...		Standard Premier/Business Premier. Larger photo.


Standard class seats. Larger photo.		One of two cafe-bars, in cars 8 & 9. Larger photo.

2. Paris to Latour de Carol by French overnight train...

The intercité de nuit overnight train from Paris to Latour de Carol has 1st class couchettes in 4-berth compartments & 2nd class couchettes in 6-berth compartments, each bunk supplied with lightweight sleeping-bag & mineral water. More information about intercité de nuit trains. Watch the video guide. Paris Austerlitz station guide.

Intercite de nuit overnight train in Paris

An intercité de nuit sleeper train boarding at Paris Gare d'Austerlitz. Photo courtesy of Philip Dyer-Perry.


1st class 4-berth couchettes, as recently refurbished. Courtesy of @Bristol_Phil. Photo in 2nd class courtesy Dan Chester.		2nd class 6-berth couchettes		Couchette car corridor. Courtesy Dan Chester.


Upper berths, 2nd class, showing compartment lighting & temperature controls above door. Courtesy of Dan Chester.		Each couchette is provided with pillow, lightweight sleeping bag, bottled water & kit with ear plugs and eye mask.

The sleeper train heads into the Pyrenees beyond Foix...


More mountain scenery in the Pyrenees...

The huge international station at Latour de Carol

Latour de Carol, where two nations, two trains and three track gauges meet. This is the huge international station building. The station bistro is on the forecourt, just out of shot to the left.


The inexpensive Bistro de la Gare (above right) on the forecourt at Latour de Carol is ideal for breakfast or a coffee between trains, check opening hours at www.facebook.com/bistrotdutrainjaune. Courtesy of Adrian Fuentes.

3. Latour de Carol to Barcelona by local train...

This is a simple local train, technically classified suburban (Cercanias in Spanish, Rodalies in Catalan) even though this is a very rural route. 2nd class only, no catering so have some supplies with you.

Night train from Paris and local train to Barcelona at Latour de Carol

Latour de Carol, where two nations, two trains and two track gauges meet. On the right, the French standard-gauge overnight couchette train arrived from Paris. On the left, the Spanish broad-gauge suburban train about to leave for Barcelona. In Fact, there's also a third train & gauge at Latour, the narrow-gauge Petit Train Jaune to Perpignan, its platform is behind the couchette cars shown here.


The air-conditioned local train from Latour to Barcelona. 2nd class only. Bring your own food & drink. The 'R' stands for Rodalies, Catalan for suburban network.

Scenery from the local train to Barcelona

The snow gives way to autumnal browns & golds as the train to Barcelona wends its way south...

Watch the video here - By slow train across the Pyrenees

Option 5, London to Barcelona overnight via Perpignan/Cerbère...

This is similar to option 4 above, but instead of going straight through the Pyrenees using the overnight train from Paris to Latour de Carol, you travel in Paris-Perpignan-Cerbère portion of the same night train and go around the southern end of the Pyrenees. There's a choice of connecting train: You can either get off in Perpignan and take a high-speed AVE from Perpignan to Figueres Vilafant, Girona & Barcelona over the modern high-speed line (reservation required, dynamic pricing so book in advance), or stay on the sleeper along the scenic Côte Vermeille coastline through Collioure & Port-Vendres to Cerbère, then take a local train from Cerbère to Figueres, Girona & Barcelona (cheaper, fixed-price, no reservation necessary, buy at the station). The Perpignan/Cerbère sleeper is a useful alternative to the Latour de Carol train, as sometimes the Paris-Perpignan-Cerbère train runs when the one to Latour de Carol is affected by engineering work. However, the Paris-Perpignan/Cerbère sleeper isn't daily all year: It's daily in summer, usually only on Fridays & Sundays at other times. See route map.

London ► Barcelona

Step 1, travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 16:31 arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 19:47.
Tip: Why not take an earlier Eurostar and have dinner in Paris at the amazing Train Bleu restaurant at the Gare de Lyon, just 5-10 minutes walk across the bridge over the river Seine from the Gare d'Austerlitz?
Cross Paris by taxi or métro to the Gare d'Austerlitz.

Step 2, travel from Paris to either Perpignan or Cerbère by sleeper train, leaving Paris Gare d'Austerlitz at 21:14 and arriving Perpignan at 08:31 & Cerbère at 09:17. Exact timings may vary.
This train runs daily in summer, but usually only on Fridays & Sundays at other times, check whether it runs on your date using www.raileurope.com, www.thetrainline.com or www.sncf-connect.com. Booking should open up to 4 months ahead, but it's sometimes less than this.
This is a French Intercité de Nuit overnight train with 1st class 4-berth couchettes, 2nd class 6-berth couchettes & reclining seats. WiFi is being fitted. More information about Intercité de Nuit trains.
If you want privacy you can book a whole 1st class 4-berth compartment for 1, 2 or 3 people (or a whole 2nd class 6-berth compartment for 5 people) by paying the Espace Privatif supplement.
If you stay on board to Cerbère, the train runs along the beautiful Côte Vermeille through Port Vendres & Collioure, with great sea views.

Step 3 if you go via Perpignan: Travel from Perpignan to Barcelona by AVE train, leaving Perpignan 11:12, arriving Barcelona Sants 12:34.
This AVE-S100 train uses the modern high-speed line with great views of Mt Canigou as it rounds the southern end of the Pyrenees. There's a cafe-bar, free WiFi & power sockets at all seats. It also stops at Figueres Vilafant (for the wonderful Salvador Dali museum) & Girona.

Step 3 if you go via Cerbère: Travel from Cerbère to Barcelona by local train, leaving Cerbère 10:12 on weekdays, arriving Barcelona Sants 13:10. On Saturdays, leave Cerbère 09:34, arriving Barcelona Sants 13:10. On Sundays, leave Cerbère 10:41, change at Portbou, arriving Barcelona Sants 13:40.
This uses the classic low-speed line. This is a local train and you won't find it in normal journey planners, you can check times using rodalies.gencat.cat/en. It also stops at Figueres (for the wonderful Salvador Dali museum) and Girona.

Barcelona ► London

Step 1 if you travel via Cerbère: Travel from Barcelona to Cerbère by local train, leaving Barcelona Sants at 15:16 arriving Cerbère 18:04.
This uses the original line to the French border via Girona & Figueres. This is a local train, you won't find it in normal journey planners, but you can check times using rodalies.gencat.cat/en.

Step 1 if you travel via Perpignan: Travel Barcelona to Perpignan by AVE train, leaving Barcelona Sants 16:36 arriving Perpignan 17:57.
This AVE-S100 train uses the modern high-speed line with great views of Mt Canigou as the train rounds the southern end of the Pyrenees. There's a cafe-bar, free WiFi & power sockets at all seats. It also picks up at Girona & Figueres.
Step 2, travel from Cerebère or Perpignan to Paris by sleeper train, leaving Cerebère at 19:07 or Perpignan at 19:57, arriving Paris Gare d'Austerlitz at 07:09 next morning. Exact timings may vary.
This train runs daily in summer, but usually only on Fridays & Sundays at other times, check whether it runs on your date using www.raileurope.com, www.thetrainline.com or www.sncf-connect.com. Booking should open up to 4 months ahead, but it's sometimes less than this.
This is a French Intercité de Nuit overnight train with 1st class 4-berth couchettes, 2nd class 6-berth couchettes & reclining seats. WiFi is being fitted. More information about Intercité de Nuit trains.
If you want privacy you can book a whole 1st class 4-berth compartment for 1, 2 or 3 people (or a whole 2nd class 6-berth compartment for 5 people) by paying the Espace Privatif supplement.
In summer when it's light, it's a lovely run from Cerebère to Perpignan along the Côte Vermeille coastline through Collioure & Port Vendres. with sea views.
In Paris, cross by métro or taxi to the Gare du Nord.

Step 3, travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, normally leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 09:13 and arriving London St Pancras 10:30.

How much does it cost?

London to Paris by Eurostar starts at £52 one-way or £78 return in standard class, £115 one-way, £199 return standard premier (1st class).
Paris to Perpignan or Cerbère starts at €20 in a reclining seat, €35 in a 6-berth 2nd class couchette or €63 in a 4-berth 1st class couchette. A couchette is recommended whatever your budget, for comfort & security. Like Eurostar, fares vary dynamically.
Cerbère to Barcelona costs a fixed-price €14 or so, any day, any date, buy at the station.
Perpignan to Barcelona by high-speed train starts at €29. Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

How to buy tickets...

Step 1, book from London to Perpignan or Cerbère at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com. Anyone can use these sites, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, you print your own tickets or can show them on your smartphone. There's a small booking fee.
It's best to split the booking like this: First book from London to Paris & back and add to basket. Then book the overnight train from Paris to Perpignan or Cerbère & back and add to basket, then check out.

This way you can mix & match a 2nd class seat on Eurostar with a 1st class 4-berth couchette on the overnight train, and you can book an earlier Eurostar if it has cheaper seats available or if you'd like more time in Paris. Always allow at least 60 minutes between trains in Paris, when catching a sleeper I'd allow 2 hours.

Step 2 if you plan to use the AVE between Perpignan and Barcelona: Book this as a one-way or round trip at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com and add it to your basket as a final booking before checking out.
Step 2 if you plan to use the local train between Cerbère & Barcelona: Buy this at the station, the price is fixed, it cannot sell out, no prior reservation is necessary or even possible, it's only a local ticket,

Travel tips...

Why not take a slightly earlier Eurostar and have dinner in Paris, perhaps at the amazing Train Bleu restaurant at the Gare de Lyon, 5-10 minutes walk across the bridge over the River Seine from the Gare d'Austerlitz?
On Intercité de Nuit trains you can book sole or dual occupancy of a 1st class 4-berth compartment, this facility is called Espace Privatif, see details of the cost & how to buy tickets here. Espace Privatif (if it's available) can be booked online at www.thetrainline.com & www.sncf-connect.com but not at Raileurope.com or other websites selling French train tickets. If Espace Privatif is not available, you'll have to buy 4 tickets in 4-berth to get sole or dual or triple occupancy.
In Perpignan, a local hotel may let you have a buffet breakfast for a small fee.

What's the journey like?

1. London to Paris by Eurostar...


A Eurostar e320 about to leave London St Pancras...		Standard Premier/Business Premier. Larger photo.


Standard class seats. Larger photo.		One of two cafe-bars, in cars 8 & 9. Larger photo.

2. Paris to Perpignan or Cerbère by French overnight train...

The intercité de nuit overnight train from Paris to Perpignan & Cerbère has 1st class couchettes in 4-berth compartments & 2nd class couchettes in 6-berth compartments, each bunk supplied with lightweight sleeping-bag & mineral water. More information about intercité de nuit trains. Watch the video guide. Paris Austerlitz station guide.

The intercité de nuit sleeper train boarding at Paris Gare d'Austerlitz. Photo courtesy of Philip Dyer-Perry.


1st class 4-berth couchettes, as recently refurbished. Courtesy of @Bristol_Phil. Photo in 2nd class courtesy Dan Chester.		2nd class 6-berth couchettes		Couchette car corridor. Courtesy Dan Chester.


Upper berths, 2nd class, showing compartment lighting & temperature controls above door. Courtesy of Dan Chester.		Each couchette is provided with pillow, lightweight sleeping bag, bottled water & kit with ear plugs and eye mask.

View from the sleeper train along the coast

Wake up to coastal views like this... Photo courtesy of Philip Dyer-Perry.

3. Cerbère to Figueres, Girona & Barcelona by local train...

This is a simple local train, technically classified suburban (Cercanias in Spanish, Rodalies in Catalan). 2nd class only, no catering so have some supplies with you.


The local train from Cerbère to Barcelona. Courtesy of Philip Dyer-Perry.

London to Madrid & Zaragoza

The Paris to Madrid Elipsos sleeper train was discontinued in December 2013 and is sadly missed, but it's still easy to travel from London or Paris to Madrid by train, with an overnight stop in Paris or Barcelona. If you'd prefer not to have to cross Paris, no problem, option 2 takes you London-Lille-Nimes on day 1 and after an overnight stop in Nimes, by direct high-speed AVE train from Nimes to Madrid. Also worth considering is the northern route in option 3 with an overnight in San Sebastian, this can often be cheaper.

Which route to choose?

Option 1, by Eurostar & Paris-Barcelona TGV with overnight stop in either Paris or Barcelona - fastest way, with two departures per day...

Option 2, by Eurostar & Lille-Nimes TGV, with overnight stop in Nimes - avoids crossing Paris if that's important to you...

Option 3, by Eurostar & Paris-Hendaye TGV with overnight stop in San Sebastian - often cheapest, with a chance to see Basque country.

Option 1, London to Madrid by high-speed train via Paris...

London ► Madrid - with morning departure & overnight stop in Barcelona

Day 1, travel from London to Barcelona as shown above.
You leave London St Pancras at 10:22 by Eurostar to Paris Nord, then by TGV Duplex from Paris Gare de Lyon to Barcelona Sants arriving 21:54.
The Eurostar & TGV both have a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. Relax and enjoy the ride across southern France & past the Pyrenees, see the journey in photos here.
The afternoon Paris-Barcelona TGV should run all year round, but due to covid-19 it will only run 14 June to 30 September 2022.

Stay overnight in Barcelona, see suggested hotels near the station. The Hotel Barcelo Sants is the top choice.
Day 2, travel from Barcelona Sants to Madrid Atocha by AVE-S103 high-speed train using any suitable departure.
These leave almost every hour taking as little as 2h30 at up to 320 km/h. For example, you could leave Barcelona Sants at 07:10 arriving Madrid Atocha at 10:10, or at 09:00 arriving Madrid Atocha 11:45, or there are earlier or later trains. See www.raileurope.com, www.thetrainline.com or www.renfe.com for train times & fares.
You can also travel from Barcelona to Madrid by lo-cost Ouigo or Avlo train, see the Barcelona to Madrid page for more information.

Remember that at Spanish stations there's a brief X-ray baggage check at the entrance to the platforms for long-distance & high-speed trains. If you have a 1st class ticket you can use the Sala Club 1st class lounge at Barcelona Sants (and at Madrid Atocha on your return) for up to 2 hours before your train leaves.

London ► Madrid - with evening departure & overnight stop in Paris

Day 1, travel from London to Paris by any evening Eurostar you like.
The last Eurostar usually leaves London St Pancras at 20.01 on Mondays-Saturdays arriving Paris Gare du Nord 23:17. On Sundays, the last one leaves at 20:31 arriving 23:47.

Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare de Lyon.

Stay overnight in Paris, see suggested hotels near the Gare de Lyon.
Day 2, travel from Paris to Barcelona by TGV Duplex, leaving Paris Gare de Lyon at 10:14 and arriving Barcelona Sants at 16:54.
The TGV Duplex is a 320 km/h (199 mph) double-deck high-speed train with 1st & 2nd class & café-bar. Book an upper deck seat for the best views as the train speeds along the scenic Rhône valley past pretty French villages & picturesque churches, then look out for colonies of flamingos on the étangs in southern France.

Day 2 afternoon, travel from Barcelona to Madrid by AVE-S103 high-speed train, leaving Barcelona Sants at 17:25 daily except Saturdays non-stop to Madrid Atocha arriving 19:55. Alternatively, you can leave Barcelona Sants at 18:00 every day, arriving Zaragoza Delicias at 19:40 and Madrid Atocha at 21:10.

If you have a 1st class ticket you can use the Sala Club 1st class lounge at Barcelona Sants (and at Madrid Atocha on your return) for up to 2 hours before your train leaves. Remember that at Spanish stations there's a brief X-ray baggage check at the entrance to the platforms for long-distance & high-speed trains.

Madrid ► London - Madrid to London in a day, runs 2 July to 28 August 2022...

Step 1, travel from Madrid to Barcelona, leaving Madrid Atocha at 06:30 Mondays-Fridays arriving Barcelona Sants at 09:20 by AVE-S103 high-speed train. Any day of the week you can leave Madrid Atocha at 06:20 by Avlo lo-cost train arriving Barcelona Sants at 08:50. Times may vary, so check for a train arriving in Barcelona 09:30 or earlier using www.raileurope.com or www.renfe.com.

Step 2, travel from Barcelona to London as shown in detail in the London-Barcelona section above, leaving Barcelona Sants at 10:00 by TGV Duplex to Paris Gare de Lyon, changing trains & stations in Paris, then taking a Eurostar from Paris Nord to arriving London St Pancras at 20:30.
The morning Barcelona-Paris TGV leaves at 10:00 from 2 July to 28 August 2022, at other times it leaves at 09:10, too early for connections from Madrid.

Madrid ► London - with overnight stop in Paris & morning arrival in London...

Day 1 morning, travel from Madrid to Barcelona by AVE-S103 high-speed train leaving Madrid Atocha at 09:30 or Zaragoza Delicias at 10:46, arriving Barcelona Sants at 12:34.
Day 1 afternoon, travel from Barcelona to Paris by TGV Duplex, leaving Barcelona Sants at 14:00 and arriving Paris Gare de Lyon at 20:48.
This afternoon Barcelona-Paris TGV should run all year round, but due to covid-19 it will only run 15 June to 1 October 2022.
The TGV Duplex is a 320 km/h (199 mph) double-deck high-speed train with 1st & 2nd class & café-bar. 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.
If you have a 1st class ticket for the TGV you can use the Sala Club 1st class lounge at Barcelona Sants for 2 hours before the TGV leaves.

Stay overnight in Paris, see suggested hotels near the Gare de Lyon. Next morning, cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare du Nord.
Day 2, travel from Paris to London on any morning Eurostar you like. The first Eurostar usually leaves Paris Gare du Nord at 07:13 on Mondays-Saturdays or 08:13 on Sundays, arriving London St Pancras at 08:32 Mondays-Saturdays or 09:30 Sundays. You can reach central London for the start of the working day!

How much does it cost?

London to Paris by Eurostar starts at £52 one-way or £78 return in standard class, £115 one-way, £199 return standard premier (1st class).
Paris to Barcelona by TGV starts at €39 each way 2nd class, €59 each way 1st class.
Barcelona to Madrid by AVE high-speed train starts at around €32 each way in Standard class, €58 in Comfort class.
Fares vary like air fares, so book as early as you can and shop around for the cheapest departure. Children under 4 free.
Free suburban train travel in Barcelona & Madrid: Remember that if you have a long-distance Barcelona-Madrid train ticket you can get free suburban train (Cercanias) travel between any Renfe Rodalies (suburban) station in the Barcelona area and Barcelona Sants, and between Madrid Atocha and any Renfe Cercanias (suburban) station in the Madrid area, see details of the CombinadoCercanias offer here.

How to buy tickets?

Buy tickets from London or any station in Britain to Madrid using raileurope.com as explained here.
If you want to go from London to Madrid in a single day, book from London to Madrid all in one go.
If overnighting in Barcelona, you should book from London to Barcelona on day 1, add to basket, then book from Barcelona to Madrid on day 2, add to basket and check out, paying for both journeys as one transaction.
If overnighting in Paris, you should book from London (or any other station in Britain) to Paris on day 1, add to basket, then book from Paris to Madrid as one journey on day 2, add to basket, and check out, paying for both journeys as one transaction.
Book a hotel in Barcelona here.

What's the journey like?

1. London to Paris by Eurostar...


A Eurostar e320 at St Pancras. More about Eurostar.		1st class: Standard Premier or Business Premier.


Standard class seats. Larger photo.		One of two cafe-bars, in cars 8 & 9. Larger photo.

2. Paris to Barcelona by TGV Duplex...

Sit back with a glass of red and enjoy the ride - book an upper deck seat for the best views. The train is equipped with power sockets for laptops & mobiles at all seats in both classes, and a cafe-bar serves drinks, snacks & microwaved hot dishes. More information about Paris-Barcelona TGVs. Paris Gare de Lyon station guide. Barcelona Sants station guide.

TGV Duplex at Paris Gare de Lyon. These 320 km/h double-deckers link Paris with Barcelona. Watch TGV Duplex video.


Cafe-bar on upper deck car 4, serving tea, coffee, soft drinks, wine, beer, snacks & microwaved hot dishes....		2nd class seats on upper deck with a mix of tables for 4 & unidirectional seating. 360º photo.


1st class seats on upper deck, club duo on the left, club quatre on the right. 360º photo.		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.

3. Barcelona to Madrid by AVE...

AVEs have a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats, and they're now being fitted with free WiFi. Madrid Atocha station guide.


Comfort XL class (premium 1st class) seating on the AVE train, meal with wine included on some trains.		An S103 AVE train as used between Figueres, Barcelona & Madrid, seen here at Madrid Atocha station... See virtual tour


Standard (2nd class) on the AVE train.		Comfort (1st class) seating.

Scenery from the high-speed AVE between Barcelona & Madrid. Courtesy of DiscoverByRail.com.


Madrid Atocha station: One of my favourite stations, the grand old trainshed has been preserved and turned into a tropical garden complete with turtle pool. See the Madrid Atocha station guide for more information.

Option 2, London to Madrid with overnight stop in Nîmes...

This is well worth considering as it avoids having to cross Paris and can give you a pleasant evening in Nimes if you like. I think Nîmes makes the best stopover point given the timings, but as the direct AVE from Nimes to Madrid also calls at Avignon TGV, Montpelier and Perpignan, you can equally well stop for the night at any of those places instead.

London ► Madrid

Day 1, travel from London to Lille by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 13:01 & arriving Lille Europe at 15:25.

The Eurostar has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. At Lille Europe it's an easy same-station change.
Day 1, travel from Lille to Nimes by TGV, leaving Lille Europe at 17:03 & arriving Nimes at 21:34.

The TGV has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.

Stay overnight in Nîmes. The inexpensive Ibis Budget Nimes Gare is just 50 yards from the station and gets good reviews. The Ibis Styles Nimes Gare next door is a more upmarket option, but also inexpensive with good reviews.
Day 2, travel from Nîmes to Madrid by AVE-S100 high-speed train, leaving Nimes at 09:06 arriving Zaragoza 14:19 & Madrid Atocha at 15:41.

The AVE-S100 has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.

Madrid ► London

Day 1, travel from Madrid to Nîmes by AVE-S100 high-speed train, leaving Madrid Atocha at 13:25 or Zaragoza 14:51, arriving Nimes 20:22.

The AVE-S100 has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.

Stay overnight in Nîmes. The inexpensive Ibis Budget Nimes Gare is just 50 yards from the station and gets good reviews. The Ibis Styles Nimes Gare next door is a more upmarket option, but also inexpensive with good reviews.
Day 2, travel from Nîmes to Lille Europe by high-speed TGV, leaving Nimes Pont du Gard at 09:32 and arriving Lille Europe at 14:24.

Nimes Pont du Gard is a new out-of-town station several kilometres outside the city, so you'll need a taxi or bus to reach it, or there's a regional train leaving Nîmes' city centre station at 08:45 which connects with the TGV, check times when you book.

The TGV has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. At Lille Europe it's an easy same-station change onto Eurostar.
Day 2, travel from Lille to London by Eurostar, leaving Lille Europe at 16:35 arriving London St Pancras at 17:01.

The Eurostar has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.
Alternatively, you could spend a morning in Nimes and leave Nîmes' city centre station at 15:21 on Mondays-Fridays & Sundays arriving London St Pancras 22:00, or at 12:25 on Saturdays arriving London St Pancras 18:57. See the UK to France page for full details of London-Nimes train service.

How much does it cost?

London to Lille by Eurostar starts at £52 one-way, £78 return standard class or £115 one-way, £199 return in standard premier (1st class).
Lille to Nimes starts at €25 each way.
Nimes to Madrid by AVE high-speed train starts at €49 each way in 2nd class or €89 in 1st class.
Fares work like air fares, so book ahead and avoid busy days or dates for the cheapest rates. Children under 4 free.

How to buy tickets...

Step 1, book from London to Nimes at www.raileurope.com & add to your basket. If making a round trip, book this as a return & add to your basket.
Step 2, still on www.raileurope.com, book from Nimes to Madrid one-way and add to basket. If returning, now book Madrid to Nimes one-way, add to basket and check out.
You print your own tickets. When does booking open?

What's the journey like?

1. London to Lille by Eurostar...


A Eurostar e320 at St Pancras. More about Eurostar.		1st class: Standard Premier or Business Premier.


Standard class seats. Larger photo.		One of two cafe-bars, in cars 8 & 9. Larger photo.

2. Lille to Nimes by TGV...


Boarding a TGV...		Cafe-bar...


2nd class with a mix or unidirectional seats & tables for 4. Seats are 2+2 across car width. 360 degree photo.		1st class with a mix of unidirectional seats, solo seats, tables for 2 & for 4. Seats 2+1 across car width. 360 degree photo.

3. Nimes to Madrid by AVE: See the AVE S100 page

An AVE train to Seville ready to leave Madrid Atocha

An AVE-S100 arrived at Madrid Atocha.


1st class seats on an AVE S100. 360º photo of 1st class.		Cafe-bar...


These S100 AVE trains operate the TGV/AVE services from Madrid to Marseille, Barcelona to Lyon, Toulouse. This is an AVE-S100 at Barcelona Sants.		2nd class seats on the S100 AVE, all with power sockets. Luggage goes on the racks at the car ends or above the seats. 360º photo of 2nd class More photos & info about AVE S100.

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.

Option 3, London to Madrid with overnight stop in San Sebastian...

This is slower than options 1 or 2, but often cheaper. And what's not to like about a stopover in San Sebastian?

London ► Madrid

Day 1, travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 10:22, arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 13:47.
Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare Montparnasse.

Day 1, travel from Paris to Hendaye on the Spanish border by high-speed TGV Duplex Océane, leaving Paris Gare Montparnasse at 16:11 arriving Hendaye on the French side of the border at 20:47. Times may vary.
The TGV has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi, see the TGV photos above. Times can vary so check for your date at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com.

Day 1, at Hendaye walk out of the station and turn right, walk across the forecourt to the Euskotren station (www.euskotren.eus). Buy a ticket and hop on the half-hourly local train to San Sebastian.
Hendaye to San Sebastian Amara station takes 37 minutes. San Sebastian Amara (Euskotren) station is 10 minutes walk from San Sebastian Renfe station. See the Euskotren photos & information on the Paris to San Sebastian page.

Stay overnight in San Sebastian - it's a lovely city, well worth a longer stop. The Pension San Ignacio Centro is just 10 minutes walk from San Sebastian Renfe station and gets great reviews. If you want somewhere in the old town try the Pension Garibai or Pension Alameda.

Day 2, travel from San Sebastian to Madrid by air-conditioned Alvia train, leaving San Sebastian Renfe station at 08:57 arriving Madrid Chamartin at 14:28. If you fancy a day in San Sebastian, the afternoon train leaves San Sebastian at 16:33 arriving Madrid Chamartin at 22:06.

These smart Alvia trains have a cafe-bar and power sockets at all seats, a pleasure to travel in. There's great scenery winding down out of the Pyrenees after leaving San Sebastian. These trains also have an interesting party trick: Half way through the journey they pass slowly through a shed, and axles adjust from Iberian gauge (5'6") to standard gauge (4'8½") before joining the modern high-speed line the rest of the way to Madrid.

Madrid ► London

Day 1, travel from Madrid to San Sebastian by air-conditioned Alvia train, leaving Madrid Chamartin at 16:05 and arriving San Sebastian Renfe station at 21:28. If you'd like an afternoon in San Sebastian, there's also a morning train leaving Madrid Chamartin at 08:00 and arriving San Sebastian at 13:24.

These smart Alvia trains have a cafe-bar and power sockets at all seats. They've an interesting party trick: After travelling at up to 250km/h on the standard gauge high-speed line from Madrid, they slow right down and pass through a shed where axles adjust from standard gauge (4'8½") to Iberian gauge (5'6"). They then complete the second half of the journey over classic lines, with great scenery winding up into the Pyrenees approaching San Sebastian.

Stay overnight in San Sebastian - it's a lovely city, well worth a longer stop. The Pension San Ignacio Centro is just 10 minutes walk from San Sebastian Renfe station and gets great reviews. If you want somewhere in the old town try the Pension Garibai or Pension Alameda.
Day 2, transfer from San Sebastian to Hendaye on the French border by Euskotren (www.euskotren.eus), leaving San Sebastian Amara station (10 minutes walk from the Renfe station) every 30 minutes all day, journey time 37 minutes, fare around €2.75, buy at the station and hop on the next train. In Hendaye the Euskotren station is in the station forecourt of the mainline SNCF French Railways station, but obviously make sure you get to Hendaye in plenty of time for your train to Paris. See the Euskotren photos & information on the Paris to San Sebastian page.
Day 2, travel from Hendaye to Paris by high-speed TGV Duplex Océane, leaving Hendaye at 09:36 and arriving Paris Gare Montparnasse at 14:20. The TGV has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi, see the TGV photos above. Times vary (and earlier or later departures are possible), so check train times for your date of travel using www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com. Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare du Nord.
Day 2, travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 17:13 arriving in London St Pancras at 18:30.

How much does it cost?

London to Paris by Eurostar starts at £52 one-way or £78 return in standard class, £115 one-way, £199 return standard premier (1st class).
Paris to Hendaye by TGV starts at €25 each way.
Hendaye to San Sebastian costs €2.75, paid at the station on the day.
San Sebastian to Madrid starts at €17 in 2nd class (standard) or €22 in 1st class (comfort), again fares work like air fares so book ahead for the cheapest prices.

How to buy tickets online...

Go to www.raileurope.com. Anyone can use raileurope.com, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, and you print your own tickets. Raileurope.com links to both the British, French and Spanish ticketing systems so you can easily buy all your tickets in plain English at the cheapest prices, all in one place. There's a small booking fee.
Step 1, book from London or any station in Britain to Hendaye (and back, if you're returning) and add this to your basket.
Step 2, now book from San Sebastian to Madrid one-way and add this to your basket. If returning, book Madrid to San Sebastian as a second one-way journey and add that to your basket. Then check out and pay for all journeys as one transaction.
The Euskotren metro ticket between Hendaye & San Sebastian can be bought on the day at the station, no problem.
Alternatively, you can book each train separately at the relevant website like this, more work and more fiddly but avoids payi9ng a booking fee. I recommend doing a dry run on all three sites first...
Book from London to Paris at www.eurostar.com with print-at-home tickets and no booking fee.

Book from Paris to Hendaye and (and back, if returning) at www.sncf-connect.com, with print-your-own, show-on-smartphone or collect-at-station tickets and no booking fee. Make sure you allow at least 60 minutes to change trains & stations in Paris southbound, 90 minutes northbound as this needs to include the 30-minute Eurostar check-in.

Book the train from San Sebastian to Madrid using the Spanish Railways website, www.renfe.com, see this step-by-step guide to booking tickets with renfe.com, no booking fee. If you have any problems with Renfe.com's quirky English translations or credit card payment stage, you can also use www.raileurope.com (prices in €, £ or $, small booking fee) or www.thetrainline.com (small booking fee) or www.petrabax.com (in US$, small mark-up) in plain English with no payment problems.

How to buy tickets by phone...

It's better to book online to avoid additional phone booking fees and so you can see for yourself which departures are cheapest for each stage of the journey. Most ticketing agencies only work office hours on weekdays, but online booking is possible 24/7. However, if you want to book by phone, see my list of UK ticketing agencies with phone numbers & opening hours.

What's the journey like?

1. London to Paris by Eurostar: See the Eurostar page

2. Paris to Hendaye by TGV Duplex: See TGV Duplex Océane information

3. Hendaye to San Sebastian by Euskotren: See the photos in the San Sebastian section below

4. San Sebastian to Madrid by fast Alvia train: See the AVE S100 page

These smart Alvia trains have a cafe-bar and power sockets at all seats. There's great scenery winding down out of the Pyrenees after leaving San Sebastian. Alvia trains have adjustable axles so they can leave San Sebastian on the classic Iberian-gauge line, then run on the standard-gauge high-speed line at up to 250km/h the rest of the way to Madrid Chamartin.


An Alvia train at San Sebastian...		Comfort (1st class)...


Standard (2nd class)...		The cafe-bar does an excellent cafe con leche...

Scenery between San Sebastian & Barcelona

On a misty morning, the train descends from the foothills of the Pyrenees onto the plain below...

London to Malaga & Seville

Which route to choose?

Here are three good options for travel from the UK to Andalusia & the Costa del Sol. Option 1 is fastest, simplest and usually cheapest, if you don't mind changing trains & stations in Paris. It's too far to do in a day, so an overnight stop is necessary in Barcelona. Option 2 takes a little longer, but involves a same-station connection in Lille so avoids having to cross Paris. The overnight stop is in Nimes in the south of France. Option 3 uses a French couchette train so avoids having to stop overnight in a hotel and involves some nice scenery. You can of course go out one way and back another.

Option 1, London to Cordoba, Seville, Malaga by Eurostar & TGV via Paris, with overnight hotel stop in Barcelona. Simplest, fastest, usually cheapest.

Option 2, London to Cordoba, Seville, Malaga by Eurostar & TGV via Lille, with overnight hotel stop in Nimes. Avoids having to cross Paris!

Option 3, London to Cordoba & Seville by Eurostar, French sleeper train & onward connections - the sleeper option!

Option 1, London to Seville & Malaga with overnight stop in Barcelona...

You can easily travel from London to Seville or Malaga by high-speed trains with an overnight stop in Barcelona. Here's how...

London ► Malaga, Cordoba, Seville

Day 1, travel from London to Barcelona as shown above.
You leave London St Pancras at 10:22 by Eurostar to Paris Nord, then by TGV Duplex from Paris Gare de Lyon to Barcelona Sants arriving 21:54.
The Eurostar & TGV both have a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. Relax and enjoy the ride across southern France & past the Pyrenees, see the journey in photos here.
The afternoon Paris-Barcelona TGV should run all year round, but due to covid-19 it will only run 14 June to 30 September 2022. As an alternative outside this period, see option 2 below.

Stay overnight in Barcelona, see suggested hotels near the station. The Hotel Barcelo Sants is the top choice.
Day 2, travel from Barcelona to Cordoba, Seville or Malaga by AVE-S112 high-speed train, leaving Barcelona Sants at 08:30 arriving Cordoba 13:11, Seville Santa Justa 14:04.
Change at Cordoba for an AVE/Avant high-speed train to Malaga Maria Zambrano arriving 14:56.
This train is an AVE-S112 Pato with Standard & Comfort class seats, a cafe-bar, power sockets & free WiFi see the photos & information here.
Alternatively, spend the morning in Barcelona, an afternoon AVE leaves Barcelona Sants at 15:45 arriving Cordoba 20:27, Seville Santa Justa at 21:18 and Malaga Maria Zambrano at 21:46.
Remember that at Spanish stations there's a brief X-ray baggage check at the entrance to the platforms for high-speed trains. If you have a 1st class ticket you can use the Sala Club 1st class lounge at Barcelona Sants, Malaga, Cordoba or Seville for up to 2 hours before your train leaves.

Malaga, Seville, Cordoba ► London

Day 1, travel from Malaga, Seville or Cordoba to Barcelona by AVE-S112 high-speed train.
You leave Malaga Maria Zambrano at 14:32, Seville Santa Justa 14:48 & Cordoba 15:40, arriving Barcelona Sants at 20:22.
This AVE-S112 has Standard & Comfort class seats, a cafe-bar, power sockets & free WiFi, see the photos & information here.

Alternatively, there's a morning AVE train from Seville & Cordoba to Barcelona, you can then spend a pleasant afternoon in Barcelona.

Stay overnight in Barcelona, see suggested hotels near the station. The Hotel Barcelo Sants is the top choice.
Day 2, travel from Barcelona to London as shown above.
You leave Barcelona Sants at 09:10 (10:00 from 2 July to 28 August 2022) by TGV Duplex to Paris Gare de Lyon, change trains & stations, then take Eurostar from Paris Nord to London St Pancras arriving 20:30.

The TGV & Eurostar both have a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.

How much does it cost?

London to Paris by Eurostar starts at £52 one-way or £78 return in standard class, £115 one-way, £199 return standard premier (1st class).
Paris to Barcelona by TGV starts at €39 each way 2nd class, €59 each way 1st class.
Barcelona to Malaga, Seville or Cordoba by AVE starts at around €46 each way in Standard class, €56 in Comfort class.
Fares vary like air fares, so book as early as you can and shop around for the cheapest departure. Children under 4 free.

How to buy tickets online...

Buy tickets from London or any station in Britain to Malaga, Cordoba or Seville as explained here.
If overnighting in Barcelona, you should book from London (or another British station) to Barcelona on day 1, add to basket, then book from Barcelona to Malaga, Cordoba or Seville on day 2, add to basket and check out, paying for both journeys as one transaction.
If overnighting in Paris, you should book from London (or any other station in Britain) to Paris on day 1, add to basket, then book from Paris to Malaga, Cordoba or Seville on day 2, add to basket, and check out, paying for both journeys as one transaction.
Book your hotel in Barcelona here.

How to buy tickets by phone...

It's better to book online to avoid additional phone booking fees and so you can see for yourself which departures are cheapest for each stage of the journey. Most ticketing agencies only work office hours on weekdays, but online booking is possible 24/7. However, if you want to book by phone, see my list of UK ticketing agencies with phone numbers & opening hours.

...or ask Byway to arrange it as a package...

Byway (Byway.travel) is a new UK-based eco-holiday firm, with a 5-star TrustPilot rating. If you're nervous about booking train travel yourself, they'll book a trip from the UK to Spain for you as a package, including hotels and starting from any British station you like. Byway also includes package protection, a 100% Covid refund guarantee, free disruption and re-planning and on-demand WhatsApp support while you're away.

They can build a trip to your requirements if you email them or use this contact form. Please say you heard about them from Seat 61.

...or ask Railbookers to arrange it as a package.

If you need hotels as well, the easy option is to get specialist agency Railbookers to arrange your whole trip as a package, with trains, hotels & transfers sorted in one phone call. As they are selling you a package they'll look after you if anything happens such as a strike or major delay. Tell them when and where you want to go and they'll advise you on the best trains, routes & hotels and sort it out for you. They get positive reviews.

UK call 0207 864 4600, www.railbookers.co.uk.

US call free 1-888-829-4775, see website.

Canada call free 1-855-882-2910, see website.

Australia call toll-free 1300 971 526, see website.

New Zealand call toll-free 0800 000 554 or see website.

Torremolinos & Fuengirola...

Local Cercanias trains link Malaga's main Maria Zambrano station with Torremolinos (journey time 23 minutes, fare €1.95) and Fuengirola (journey 47 minutes, fare €3.50). They run every 20 minutes from 05:30 to 22:30. If you need further information, see www.renfe.com, click 'welcome' for English, click 'Commuter trains' then select 'Malaga'. You won't need to pay for a local train ticket if you have a Spanish long-distance train ticket, see the advice here about Renfe's CombinadoCercanias offer.

Marbella & Estepona...

Option 1 is to take a train from Malaga 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 €6.74. See www.avanzabus.com. There are also buses from Malaga to Estepona, journey time 2 hours, fare about €9.90, see www.avanzabus.com.

Other routes & options...

You can of course use any of the routes & options between London & Barcelona suggested in the London to Barcelona section above, including options using the overnight couchette train between Paris & Latour de Carol or Paris & Perpignan/Cerbère. Then use either the 08:30 or 15:50 direct trains between Barcelona and Cordoba, Seville & Malaga, booked at www.raileurope.com.

What's the journey like?

1. London to Paris by Eurostar...


A Eurostar e320 at St Pancras. More about Eurostar.		1st class: Standard Premier or Business Premier.


Standard class seats. Larger photo.		One of two cafe-bars, in cars 8 & 9. Larger photo.

2. Paris to Barcelona by TGV Duplex...

TGV Duplex at Paris Gare de Lyon. These 320 km/h double-deckers link Paris with Barcelona. Watch TGV Duplex video.


Cafe-bar on upper deck car 4, serving tea, coffee, soft drinks, wine, beer, snacks & microwaved hot dishes....		2nd class seats on upper deck with a mix of tables for 4 & unidirectional seating. 360º photo.


1st class seats on upper deck, club duo on the left, club quatre on the right. 360º photo.		A TGV Duplex at Barcelona Sants. The red near the door indicates 1st class, pale green indicates 2nd class.

3. Barcelona to Malaga, Cordoba or Seville by AVE...

These superb-quality AVE high speed trains are amongst the classiest trains in Europe. They have three classes, Comfort for Premium ticket holders (true 1st class with real leather seats), Comfort (1st class seating) and Standard (2nd class). AVE trains run at up to 310 km/h (193 mph) over the new high-speed lines from Barcelona to Malaga & Seville. Most trains on this route are the S112 type shown below, little articulated single-axle Talgo carriages sandwiched between strange-looking duck-billed power cars, hence the nickname pato, Spanish for duck. AVEs are now being fitted with free WiFi.


AVE S112, known by Renfe staff as pato, Spanish for duck. No prizes for guessing why...		AVE Comfort class: Leather reclining seats arranged 2+1 across the car width...


AVE Standard class: Comfortable seats arranged 2+2 across the car width, mainly unidirectional, but with some bays of 4 around a table.		AVE Comfort class: Reclining seats arranged 2+1 across the car width, mainly unidirectional but some tables for 2 and tables for 4, all seats with power sockets...


1st class lounge: Premium ticket holders may use the Sala Club 1st class lounge at Barcelona Sants, Cordoba, Seville & Malaga, with coffee, juice & beer.		All aboard the train to Malaga & Seville! This is an S112 AVE high-speed train. All AVE trains have a cafe-bar serving drinks & snacks, or feel free to bring your own food, wine or beer.

Option 2, London to Seville & Malaga with overnight stop in Nîmes...

This is well worth considering as it runs daily all year and avoids having to cross Paris. I think Nîmes makes the best stopover point given the timings, but as the AVE from Nimes to Barcelona also calls at Avignon TGV, Montpelier and Perpignan, you could equally well stop for the night at any of those places instead.

London ► Malaga, Cordoba, Seville

Day 1, travel from London to Lille by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 13:01 & arriving Lille Europe at 15:25.

The Eurostar has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. At Lille Europe it's an easy same-station change.
Day 1, travel from Lille to Nimes by TGV, leaving Lille Europe at 17:03 & arriving Nimes at 21:34.

The TGV has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.
Stay overnight in Nîmes. The very inexpensive Ibis Budget Nimes Gare is just 50 yards from the station and gets good reviews. The Ibis Styles Nimes Gare next door is a more upmarket option, but also inexpensive with good reviews.
Day 2, travel from Nîmes to Barcelona by AVE-S100 high-speed train, leaving Nimes at 09:04 arriving Barcelona Sants at 12:38.

The AVE-S100 has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.

Have lunch in Barcelona.
Day 2, travel from Barcelona to Cordoba, Seville or Malaga by AVE-S112 high-speed train, leaving Barcelona Sants at 15:45 arriving Cordoba 20:27, Seville Santa Justa 21:18, another portion arrives Malaga Maria Zambrano at 21:46.

Seville, Cordoba, Malaga ► London

Day 1, travel from Malaga, Seville or Cordoba to Barcelona by AVE-S112 high-speed train, leaving Seville Santa Justa 08:48 & Cordoba 09:43, arriving Barcelona Sants at 14:20.
This AVE-S112 has Standard & Comfort class seats, a cafe-bar, power sockets & free WiFi, see the photos & information here.

From Malaga, you'd need the 08:08 AVE from Malaga Maria Zambrano to Madrid, change onto the 11:30 AVE to Barcelona, arriving Barcelona Sants at 14:42 (in this direction, option 1 above works better from Malaga).
Day 1, travel from Barcelona to Nîmes by AVE-S100 high-speed train, leaving Barcelona Sants at 16:45 arriving Nimes at 20:22.

The AVE-S100 has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.

Stay overnight in Nîmes. The very inexpensive Ibis Budget Nimes Gare is just 50 yards from the station and gets good reviews. The Ibis Styles Nimes Gare next door is a more upmarket option, but also inexpensive with good reviews.
Day 2, travel from Nîmes to Lille Europe by high-speed TGV, leaving Nimes Pont du Gard at 09:32 and arriving Lille Europe at 14:24.

Nimes Pont du Gard is a new out-of-town station several kilometres outside the city, so you'll need a taxi or bus to reach it, or there's a regional train leaving Nîmes' city centre station at 08:45 which connects with the TGV, check times when you book.

The TGV has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. At Lille Europe it's an easy same-station change onto Eurostar.
Day 2, travel from Lille to London by Eurostar, leaving Lille Europe at 16:35 arriving London St Pancras at 17:01.

The Eurostar has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.
Alternatively, you could spend a morning in Nimes and leave Nîmes' city centre station at 15:21 on Mondays-Fridays & Sundays arriving London St Pancras 22:00, or at 12:25 on Saturdays arriving London St Pancras 18:57. See the UK to France page for full details of London-Nimes train service.

How much does it cost?

London to Lille by Eurostar starts at £52 one-way, £78 return standard class or £115 one-way, £199 return in standard premier (1st class).
Lille to Nimes by TGV starts at €25 each way.
Nimes to Barcelona by AVE high-speed train starts at €39 each way in 2nd class or €79 in 1st class.
Barcelona to Malaga, Seville or Cordoba by AVE starts at around €46 each way in Standard class, €56 in Comfort class.
Fares work like air fares, so book ahead and avoid busy days or dates for the cheapest rates. Children under 4 free.

How to buy tickets...

Step 1, book London to Nimes at www.raileurope.com and add it to your basket. If making a round trip, book it as a return.
Step 2, still on www.raileurope.com, now book from Nimes to Cordoba, Seville or Malaga, add to basket and check out.
You print your own tickets. When does booking open?

What's the journey like?

1. London to Lille by Eurostar...

Eurostar trains link London & Lille in 1h22, travelling at up to 300 km/h (186 mph). There are two bar cars, power sockets at all seats and free WiFi. Standard Premier and Business Premier fares include a light meal with wine (or breakfast, on departures before 11:00). There's a 30-minute minimum check-in at London St Pancras (45 minutes minimum at Paris Nord) as all border formalities are carried out before you board the train. More information about Eurostar including check-in procedure. St Pancras station guide. Lille station guide & tips on changing trains.


A Eurostar e320 at St Pancras. More about Eurostar.		1st class: Standard Premier or Business Premier.


Standard class seats. Larger photo.		One of two cafe-bars, in cars 8 & 9. Larger photo.

2. Lille to Nimes by TGV...


2nd class with mix of unidirectional seats & tables for 4. Seats 2+2 across car width. Larger photo.		The business end of a TGV...


Cafe-bar selling tea, coffee, beer, wine, cold snacks & microwaved dishes. Larger photo.		1st class with a mix of unidirectional seats, solo seats, tables for 2 & for 4. Seats 2+1 across car width. Larger photo.

3. Nimes to Barcelona by AVE: See the AVE S100 page

Barcelona to Avignon & Marseille by AVE... An AVE-S100 ready to leave Barcelona Sants.


1st class seats on an AVE S100. 360º photo of 1st class.		Cafe-bar...


These S100 AVE trains operate the TGV/AVE services from Madrid to Marseille, Barcelona to Lyon, Toulouse. This is an AVE-S100 at Barcelona Sants.		2nd class seats on the S100 AVE, all with power sockets. Luggage goes on the racks at the car ends or above the seats. 360º photo of 2nd class More photos & info about AVE S100.

Option 3, London to Cordoba & Seville via sleeper train

The Paris-Barcelona trainhotel was sadly discontinued in 2013, but you can still use a French sleeper train between Paris and the Spanish border, then onward trains. This can be a useful alternative to using daytime TGV service, which requires an overnight stop along the way. You can of course go one way by TGV, the other way using a sleeper train, just remember to book the Eurostar as a round trip, because Eurostar return fares are significantly less than two one-ways.

London ► Cordoba, Seville, Malaga

Step 1, travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 16:31 arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 19:47.
Cross Paris by taxi or métro to the Gare d'Austerlitz.

Step 2, travel overnight from Paris to Latour de Carol in the Pyrenees or from Paris to Cerbère on the Spanish border by French sleeper train, leaving Paris Gare d'Austerlitz around 22:00. Then take a local train from Latour or Cerbère to Barcelona Sants arriving around 14:00.

See the Paris to Barcelona by sleeper train page for full details, train times, tips & photos.

Step 3, travel from Barcelona to Cordoba, Seville or Malaga by AVE-S112 train leaving Barcelona Sants at 15:45 arriving Cordoba 20:27, Seville Santa Justa at 21:18 and Malaga Maria Zambrano at 21:46.

The AVE-S112 has Standard & Comfort class seats, a cafe-bar, power sockets & free WiFi, see the photos & information here.

Seville, Cordoba ► London

Step 1, travel from Seville or Cordoba to Barcelona by AVE-S112 high-speed train leaving Seville Santa Justa at 08:48 or Cordoba at 09:41 arriving Barcelona Sants at 14:20.

The AVE-S112 has Standard & Comfort class seats, a cafe-bar, power sockets & free WiFi, see the photos & information here. AVEs are very punctual, so this connection should be fine. There is no suitable connection from Malaga in this direction.

Step 2, travel from Barcelona to Paris overnight, taking a local train around 15:00 from Barcelona Sants to either Latour de Carol in the Pyrenees or to Cerebère on the French border, then a French sleeper train overnight to Paris Gare d'Austerlitz.

See the Barcelona to Paris by sleeper train page for full details, train times, tips & photos.

Step 3, travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, normally leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 09:13 and arriving London St Pancras 10:30.

How much does it cost?

London to Paris by Eurostar starts at £52 one-way or £78 return in standard class, £115 one-way, £199 return standard premier (1st class).

Paris to Latour de Carol or Cerbère starts at €20 in a reclining seat, €35 in a 6-berth 2nd class couchette or €63 in a 4-berth 1st class couchette. A couchette is recommended whatever your budget, for comfort & security. Like Eurostar, fares vary dynamically.

If you go via Latour de Carol, Latour to Barcelona costs a fixed-price €12. If you go via Cerbère, Cerbère to Barcelona costs a fixed-price €14 or so. No reservation or pre-booking is necessary or possible for these tickets.

Barcelona to Cordoba or Seville starts at around €45. Fares vary like air fares, book ahead for the cheapest prices.

How to buy tickets...

Step 1, book from London to Latour de Carol at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com and add to basket. Anyone can use these sites, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, and you can print your own tickets or show them on your smartphone. Small booking fee.
Although you can book from London to Latour all in one go, it's better to split the booking like this: First book from London (or any station in Britain) to Paris and back, add to basket, then book the overnight train from Paris to Latour de Carol one-way and add to basket, then book Latour de Carol to Paris one-way and add to basket.

This way you can mix & match a 2nd class seat on Eurostar with a 1st class 4-berth couchette on the overnight train, and you can book an earlier Eurostar if it has cheaper seats available or if you'd like more time in Paris. Always allow at least 60 minutes between trains in Paris, when catching a sleeper I'd allow more than this, say 2 hours.

Alternatively, you can book from London to Paris at www.eurostar.com, then book the Paris to Latour couchette train at the French Railways website www.sncf-connect.com, this is more work and www.sncf-connect.com can be more fiddly to use, but there's no booking fee.

Step 2, still on www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com, book from Barcelona to Cordoba or Seville, add to basket & check out.
Alternatively you can book this at the Spanish Railways website www.renfe.com, in €, much more fiddly, see my advice for using it.

Step 3, the local ticket from Latour de Carol to Barcelona cannot be booked online and doesn't need to be booked in advance. It can't even be bought from the SNCF ticket office at Latour de Carol. Southbound, simply get on the train and pay the conductor on board, no reservation necessary, it cannot sell out. I repeat, simply get on the train and pay on board! Northbound, buy a ticket to Latour de Carol on the day at Barcelona Sants station and hop on the next train. It cannot sell out, it's only a local train.
Similarly, Cerbère to Barcelona can be bought at the station on the day.

An intercité de nuit sleeper train boarding at Paris Gare d'Austerlitz. Photo courtesy of Philip Dyer-Perry.

1st class 4-berth couchettes, as recently refurbished. Courtesy of @Bristol_Phil. Photo in 2nd class courtesy Dan Chester.

2nd class 6-berth couchettes

Couchette car corridor. Courtesy Dan Chester.

Upper berths, 2nd class, showing compartment lighting & temperature controls above door. Courtesy of Dan Chester.

Each couchette is provided with pillow, lightweight sleeping bag, bottled water & kit with ear plugs and eye mask.

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London to Granada

London ► Granada

Day 1, travel from London to Barcelona as shown above.
You leave London St Pancras at 10:22 by Eurostar to Paris Nord, then by TGV Duplex from Paris Gare de Lyon to Barcelona Sants arriving 21:54.
The Eurostar & TGV both have a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. Relax and enjoy the ride across southern France & past the Pyrenees, see the journey in photos here.
The afternoon Paris-Barcelona TGV should run all year round, but due to covid-19 it will only run 14 June to 30 September 2022.

Stay overnight in Barcelona, see suggested hotels near the station.

Day 2, travel from Barcelona to Granada by direct AVE-S112 high-speed train leaving Barcelona Sants at 08:30 and arriving Granada 14:52.
This train is an AVE-S112 Pato with Standard & Comfort class seats and a cafe-bar, see the photos & information here. This direct AVE runs once a day. Later departures are possible, taking an AVE to Madrid & changing onto another AVE to Granada.

Remember that at Spanish stations there's a brief X-ray baggage check at the entrance to the platforms for high-speed trains. If you have a 1st class ticket of the Premium type you can use the Sala Club 1st class lounge at Barcelona Sants for up to 2 hours before your train leaves.

Granada ► London

Day 1, travel from Granada to Barcelona by direct AVE-S112 high-speed train leaving Granada at 08:15 arriving Barcelona Sants at 14:20.
This train is an AVE-S112 Pato with Standard & Comfort class seats and a cafe-bar, see the photos & information here. This direct AVE train runs once a day. A later departure is possible taking an Avant from Granada to Antequera & changing onto an AVE to Barcelona.

Stay overnight in Barcelona, see suggested hotels near the station. The Hotel Barcelo Sants is the top choice.

Day 2, travel from Barcelona to London as shown in the London to Spain by high-speed train section above, leaving Barcelona Sants at 09:10 (10:00 from 2 July to 28 August 2022) by TGV Duplex to Paris Gare de Lyon, then take Eurostar from Paris Nord arriving London St Pancras at 20:30.

How much does it cost?

London to Paris by Eurostar starts at £52 one-way or £78 return in standard class, £115 one-way, £199 return standard premier (1st class).

Paris to Barcelona starts at €39 each way 2nd class, €59 each way 1st class.

Barcelona to Granada by AVE train starts at €45 in Standard class, €55 in Comfort class.

Fares vary like air fares, so book as early as you can and shop around for the cheapest departure. Children under 4 free.

How to buy tickets...

Buy tickets from London or any station in Britain to Granada using Raileurope.com as explained here.

If overnighting in Barcelona, you should book from London (or another British station) to Barcelona on day 1, add to basket, then book from Barcelona to Granada on day 2, add to basket and check out, paying for both journeys as one transaction.

How to buy tickets by phone...

It's better to book online to avoid additional phone booking fees and so you can see for yourself which departures are cheapest for each stage of the journey. Most ticketing agencies only work office hours on weekdays, but online booking is possible 24/7. However, if you want to book by phone, see my list of UK ticketing agencies with phone numbers & opening hours.

...or ask Railbookers to arrange it as a package.

If you need hotels booked for you as well, the easy option is to get specialist agency Railbookers to arrange your whole trip as a package, with train bookings, hotels & transfers all sorted in one phone call. Tell them when and where you want to go and they'll advise you on the best trains, routes & hotels and sort it all out. They get very positive reviews.

UK call 0207 864 4600, www.railbookers.co.uk.

US call free 1-888-829-4775, see website.

Canada call free 1-855-882-2910, see website.

Australia call toll-free 1300 971 526, see website.

New Zealand call toll-free 0800 000 554 or see website.

Other routes & options...

You can of course use any of the routes & options between London & Barcelona suggested in the London to Barcelona section above, including options using the overnight couchette train between Paris & Latour de Carol or Paris & Perpignan/Cerbère. Then use onward trains between Barcelona and Granada, booked at www.raileurope.com.

What's the journey like?

1. London to Paris by Eurostar...

Eurostar trains link London & Paris in 2h20, travelling at up to 300 km/h (186 mph). There are two bar cars, power sockets at all seats and free WiFi. Standard Premier and Business Premier fares include a light meal with wine (or breakfast, on departures before 11:00). There's a 30-minute minimum check-in at London St Pancras (45 minutes minimum at Paris Nord) as all border formalities are carried out before you board the train. More information about Eurostar including check-in procedure. St Pancras station guide. Paris Gare du Nord station guide. How to change trains & stations in Paris by metro or taxi.

A Eurostar e320 at St Pancras. More about Eurostar.

1st class: Standard Premier or Business Premier.

Standard class seats. Larger photo.

One of two cafe-bars, in cars 8 & 9. Larger photo.

2. Paris to Barcelona by TGV Duplex...

Sit back with a glass of red and enjoy the ride - book an upper deck seat for the best views. The train is equipped with power sockets for laptops & mobiles at all seats in both classes, and a cafe-bar serves drinks, snacks & microwaved hot dishes. More information about Paris-Barcelona TGVs. Paris Gare de Lyon station guide. Barcelona Sants station guide.

TGV Duplex at Paris Gare de Lyon. These 320 km/h double-deckers link Paris with Barcelona. Watch TGV Duplex video.

Cafe-bar on upper deck car 4, serving tea, coffee, soft drinks, wine, beer, snacks & microwaved hot dishes....

2nd class seats on upper deck with a mix of tables for 4 & unidirectional seating. 360º photo.

1st class seats on upper deck, club duo on the left, club quatre on the right. 360º photo.

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.

3. Barcelona to Granada by AVE...

These superb-quality AVE high speed trains are amongst the classiest trains in Europe. They have three classes, Comfort class for Premium ticket holders (true 1st class with real leather seats), Comfort (1st class) and Standard (2nd class). AVE trains run at up to 310 km/h (193 mph) over the new high-speed lines from Barcelona to Malaga & Seville. Most trains on this route are the S112 type shown below, little articulated single-axle Talgo carriages sandwiched between strange-looking duck-billed power cars, hence the nickname pato, Spanish for duck. AVEs are now being fitted with free WiFi.

AVE S112, known by Renfe staff as pato, Spanish for duck. No prizes for guessing why...

AVE Comfort class: Leather reclining seats arranged 2+1 across the car width...

AVE Standard class: Comfortable seats arranged 2+2 across the car width, mainly unidirectional, but with some bays of 4 around a table.

AVE Comfort class: Reclining seats arranged 2+1 across the car width, mainly unidirectional but some tables for 2 and tables for 4, all seats with power sockets...

1st class lounge: Premium ticket holders may use the Sala Club 1st class lounge at Barcelona Sants, with coffee, juice & beer.

All aboard! This is an S112 AVE high-speed train. All AVE trains have a cafe-bar serving drinks and snacks, or feel free to bring your own food, wine or beer along.

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London to Valencia & Alicante

Which route to choose?

Here are three good options for travel from the UK to Valencia, Alicante, Benidorm and the Costa Blanca. Option 1 is fastest, simplest and usually cheapest, if you don't mind changing trains & stations in Paris. It's too far to do in a day, so an overnight stop is necessary either in Paris or Barcelona. Option 2 takes a little longer, but involves a same-station connection in Lille so avoids having to cross Paris, with an overnight stop in Nimes. Option 3 uses a French couchette train so avoids having to stop overnight in a hotel and involves some nice scenery. You can of course go out one way and back another.

Option 1, London to Valencia & Alicante by Eurostar & TGV with overnight hotel stop in either Paris or Barcelona. Simplest, fastest and usually cheapest.

Option 2, London to Valencia & Alicante by Eurostar & TGV with overnight hotel stop in Nimes. Slightly slower, but avoids crossing Paris.

Option 3, London to Valencia & Alicante by Eurostar, French sleeper train & onward connections - the sleeper option!

Option 1, London to the Costa Blanca by high-speed train...

This is the fastest and most comfortable option, by high-speed train with an overnight stop in either Paris or Barcelona.

London ► Tarragona, Valencia, Alicante (morning departure)

Day 1, travel from London to Barcelona as shown above.
You leave London St Pancras at 10:22 by Eurostar to Paris Nord, then by TGV Duplex from Paris Gare de Lyon to Barcelona Sants arriving 21:54.
The Eurostar & TGV both have a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. Relax and enjoy the ride across southern France & past the Pyrenees, see the journey in photos here.
The afternoon Paris-Barcelona TGV should run all year round, but due to covid-19 it will only run 14 June to 30 September 2022.

Stay overnight in Barcelona, see suggested hotels near the station. The Hotel Barcelo Sants is the top choice.

Day 2, for Valencia & Alicante: A EuroMed train leaves Barcelona Sants at 08:15 Mondays-Fridays arriving Valencia Joaquin Sorolla 10:55 & Alicante 12:45.
Or have a leisurely breakfast, then take the EuroMed train leaving Barcelona Sants at 10:15 every day arriving Valencia Joaquin Sorolla 12:55 & Alicante 14:48.
Check train times at www.raileurope.com or www.renfe.com, you can book any train you like through the day. Says one traveller: "Barcelona to Valencia was mostly very scenic - mountains and pine trees on one side and the sparkling Mediterranean on the other..."

Day 2, for Tarragona or Valencia: An air-conditioned Intercity train leaves Barcelona Sants at 09:00 arriving Tarragona 10:00 and Valencia Nord at 12:20. You can check train times at www.raileurope.com or www.renfe.com, there are lots of trains through the day.

Remember that at Spanish stations there's a brief X-ray baggage check at the entrance to the platforms for high-speed trains. If you have a 1st class ticket you can use the Sala Club 1st class lounge at Barcelona Sants or Alicante for up to 2 hours before your train leaves.

London ► Tarragona, Valencia, Alicante (evening departure)

Day 1, travel from London to Paris by any evening Eurostar you like.
The last Eurostar usually leaves London St Pancras at 20.01 on Mondays-Saturdays arriving Paris Gare du Nord 23:17. On Sundays, the last one leaves at 20:31 arriving 23:47.

Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare de Lyon.

Stay overnight in Paris, see suggested hotels near the Gare de Lyon.

Day 2, travel from Paris to Barcelona by TGV Duplex, leaving Paris Gare de Lyon at 10:14 and arriving Barcelona Sants at 16:54.
The TGV Duplex is a 320 km/h (199 mph) double-deck high-speed train with 1st & 2nd class & café-bar. Book an upper deck seat for the best views as the train speeds along the scenic Rhône valley past pretty French villages & picturesque churches, then look out for colonies of flamingos on the étangs in southern France. You'll get great views of Mt Canigou as the train rounds the southern end of the Pyrenees.

Day 2, travel from Barcelona to Valencia or Alicante by air-conditioned EuroMed train, leaving Barcelona Sants at 18:15 and arriving Valencia Joaquin Sorolla 20:55 & Alicante 22:42. You can check train times at www.raileurope.com or www.renfe.com.

For Tarragona, check Barcelona-Tarragona times at www.raileurope.com or www.renfe.com. Plain Tarragona is in the city centre, Camp Tarragona is a an out-of-town high-speed station.

Remember that at Spanish stations there's a brief X-ray baggage check at the entrance to the platforms for high-speed trains. If you have a 1st class ticket you can use the Sala Club 1st class lounge at Barcelona Sants or Alicante for up to 2 hours before your train leaves.

Alicante, Valencia, Tarragona ► London (morning departure)

Day 1, travel from Alicante or Valencia to Barcelona by comfortable air-conditioned EuroMed train, leaving Alicante at 07:25 or Valencia Joaquin Sorolla at 09:15 arriving Barcelona Sants at 11:55. Have lunch in Barcelona.
From Tarragona, check Tarragona-Barcelona times at www.raileurope.com or www.renfe.com. Plain Tarragona is in the city centre, Camp Tarragona is a an out-of-town high-speed station.

Day 1 afternoon, travel from Barcelona to Paris by TGV Duplex, leaving Barcelona Sants at 14:00 and arriving Paris Gare de Lyon at 20:48.
This afternoon Barcelona-Paris TGV should run all year round, but due to covid-19 it will only run 15 June to 1 October 2022.
The TGV Duplex is a 320 km/h (199 mph) double-deck high-speed train with 1st & 2nd class & café-bar. Book an upper deck seat for the best views as the train rounds the southern end of the Pyrenees, rolls past colonies of flamingos on the étangs in southern France, then speeds along the scenic Rhone Valley towards Paris. If you have a 1st class ticket for the TGV you can use the Sala Club 1st class lounge at Barcelona Sants for 2 hours before the TGV leaves.

Stay overnight in Paris, see suggested hotels near the Gare de Lyon. Next morning, cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare du Nord.

Day 2, travel from Paris to London by any morning Eurostar you like. The first Eurostar of the day usually leaves Paris Gare du Nord at 07:13 on Mondays-Saturdays or 08:13 on Sundays, arriving London St Pancras at 08:32 Mondays-Saturdays or 09:30 Sundays. You can be in central London for the start of the working day!

Alicante, Valencia, Tarragona ► London (afternoon departure)

Day 1, from Alicante or Valencia: On Mondays-Fridays a fast EuroMed train leaves Alicante at 17:30 & Valencia Joaquin Sorolla at 19:15 arriving Barcelona Sants 21:55. On Saturdays a EuroMed train leaves Alicante at 16:20 & Valencia Joaquin Sorolla at 18:15 arriving Barcelona Sants 20:55. On Sundays a EuroMed train leaves Alicante at 18:30 & Valencia Joaquin Sorolla at 20:15 arriving Barcelona Sants 22:55.
Or there are earlier trains, of course. Check train times at www.raileurope.com or www.renfe.com and book any train you like.

Day 1, from Valencia or Tarragona: An air-conditioned articulated Intercity train leaves Valencia Nord at 17:15 or Tarragona at 19:40 arriving Barcelona Sants at 20:39. But by all means take an earlier train, they run regularly. You can check train times at www.raileurope.com or www.renfe.com and book any train you like.

Stay overnight in Barcelona, see suggested hotels near the station.

Day 2, travel from Barcelona to London by TGV & Eurostar as shown above.
You leave Barcelona at 09:10 (10:00 from 2 July to 28 August 2022) and arriving London St Pancras at 20:30.

The Benidorm connection...

To reach Benidorm, first travel to Alicante by train as shown above. On arrival at Alicante mainline station, walk a few minutes along the Avenida de La Estacion to the Luceros tram station in the Plaza de los Luceros. Trams leave Luceros tram station every 30 minutes or so throughout the day for Benidorm, journey time 1 hour 12 minutes, fare €3.75 one-way, €6.40 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 tram timetables & fares at www.fgvalicante.com. Alternatively, buses are available to Benidorm from just outside Alicante station.

Money-saving tip: If you bought your Barcelona-Alicante ticket from renfe.com or Raileurope.com or petrabax.com, there will be a code printed on it which you can tap into the tram ticket machine at Alicante Luceros tram station to get a free ticket valid on any Alicante-Benidorm tram the day you arrived in Alicante. In the return direction, your Renfe Alicante to Barcelona ticket will be accepted on the tram from Benidorm to Alicante on the day you are booked to leave Alicante. When you arrive at Alicante Luceros tram station you need to tap the code into a tram ticket machine to get a free ticket to exit through the barriers. This is part of the Renfe CombinadoCercanias (free suburban connection) offer explained on the Train Travel in Spain page.

How much does it cost?

See the London to Spain by high-speed train section for fares between London & Barcelona.

Barcelona to Alicante by EuroMed train starts at around €23 in Standard class or €47 in Comfort class.

Barcelona to Valencia by EuroMed starts at around €18 in Standard class or €37 in Comfort class.

Fares vary like air fares, rising as the cheaper tickets are sold, so book early for the best prices. Children under 4 free.

How to buy tickets online...

Buy tickets from London or any station in Britain to Valencia, Alicante or any station in Spain using raileurope.com as explained above.

If overnighting in Barcelona, you should book from London (or another British station) to Barcelona on day 1, add to basket, then book from Barcelona to Valencia, Alicante or wherever on day 2, add to basket and check out, paying for both journeys as one transaction.

If overnighting in Paris, you should book from London (or any other station in Britain) to Paris on day 1, add to basket, then book from Paris to Valencia or Alicante on day 2, add to basket, and check out, paying for both journeys as one transaction.

How to buy tickets by phone...

It's better to book online to avoid additional phone booking fees and so you can see for yourself which departures are cheapest for each stage of the journey. Most ticketing agencies only work office hours on weekdays, but online booking is possible 24/7. However, if you want to book by phone, see my list of UK ticketing agencies with phone numbers & opening hours.

...or ask Railbookers to arrange it as a package.

If you need hotels as well, the easy option is to get specialist agency Railbookers to arrange your whole trip, with trains, hotels & transfers sorted in one phone call. As they are selling you a package they'll look after you if anything happens such as a strike or major delay. Tell them when and where you want to go and they'll advise you on the best trains, routes & hotels and sort it all out for you. They get positive reviews.

UK call 0207 864 4600, www.railbookers.co.uk.

US call free 1-888-829-4775, see website.

Canada call free 1-855-882-2910, see website.

Australia call toll-free 1300 971 526, see website.

New Zealand call toll-free 0800 000 554 or see website.

...or ask Byway to arrange it as a package.

Byway (Byway.travel) is a new UK-based eco-holiday firm, with a 5-star TrustPilot rating. If you're nervous about booking train travel yourself, they'll book a trip from the UK to Spain for you as a package, including hotels and starting from any British station you like. Byway includes package protection, a 100% Covid refund guarantee, free disruption and re-planning and on-demand WhatsApp support while you're away.

They can build a trip to your requirements if you email them or use this contact form. Please say you heard about them from Seat 61.

Other routes & options...

You can of course use any of the routes & options between London & Barcelona suggested in the London to Barcelona section above, including options using the overnight couchette train between Paris & Latour de Carol or Paris & Perpignan/Cerbère. Then use any suitable train between Barcelona and Valencia or Alicante, booked at www.raileurope.com.

What's the journey like?

1. London to Paris by Eurostar...

Eurostar trains link London & Paris in 2h20, travelling at up to 300 km/h (186 mph). There are two bar cars, power sockets at all seats and free WiFi. Standard Premier and Business Premier fares include a light meal with wine (or breakfast, on departures before 11:00). There's a 30-minute minimum check-in at London St Pancras (45 minutes minimum at Paris Nord) as all border formalities are carried out before you board the train. More information about Eurostar including check-in procedure. St Pancras station guide. Paris Gare du Nord station guide. How to change trains & stations in Paris by metro or taxi.

A Eurostar e320 at St Pancras. More about Eurostar.

1st class: Standard Premier or Business Premier.

Standard class seats. Larger photo.

One of two cafe-bars, in cars 8 & 9. Larger photo.

2. Paris to Barcelona by TGV Duplex...

Sit back with a glass of red and enjoy the ride - book an upper deck seat for the best views. The train is equipped with power sockets for laptops & mobiles at all seats in both classes, and a cafe-bar serves drinks, snacks & microwaved hot dishes. More information about Paris-Barcelona TGVs. Paris Gare de Lyon station guide. Barcelona Sants station guide.

TGV Duplex at Paris Gare de Lyon. These 320 km/h double-deckers link Paris with Barcelona. Watch TGV Duplex video.

Cafe-bar on upper deck car 4, serving tea, coffee, soft drinks, wine, beer, snacks & microwaved hot dishes....

2nd class seats on upper deck with a mix of tables for 4 & unidirectional seating. 360º photo.

1st class seats on upper deck, club duo on the left, club quatre on the right. 360º photo.

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.

3. Barcelona to Valencia & Alicante by fast EuroMed train...

At Barcelona Sants, that's a EuroMed train to Alicante on the right and a TGV Duplex to Paris on the left.

Standard (2nd class) seats on a EuroMed train from Barcelona to Alicante. The Euromed train is a type S130 pato or little duck.

Comfort (1st class) seats on a EuroMed train.

An S130 EuroMed train at Barcelona Franca.

Option 2, London to Valencia & Alicante with overnight stop in Nîmes...

This is well worth considering as it runs daily all year and avoids having to cross Paris. I think Nîmes makes the best stopover point given the timings, but as the AVE from Nimes to Barcelona also calls at Avignon TGV, Montpelier and Perpignan, you could equally well stop for the night at any of those places instead.

London ► Valencia, Alicante

Day 1, travel from London to Lille by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 13:01 & arriving Lille Europe at 15:25.

The Eurostar has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. At Lille Europe it's an easy same-station change.

Day 1, travel from Lille to Nimes by TGV, leaving Lille Europe at 17:03 & arriving Nimes at 21:34.

The TGV has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.

Stay overnight in Nîmes. The very inexpensive Ibis Budget Nimes Gare is just 50 yards from the station and gets good reviews. The Ibis Styles Nimes Gare next door is a more upmarket option, but also inexpensive with good reviews.

Day 2, travel from Nîmes to Barcelona by AVE-S100 high-speed train, leaving Nimes at 09:04 arriving Barcelona Sants at 12:38.

The AVE-S100 has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.

Have lunch in Barcelona.

Day 2, travel from Barcelona to Valencia or Alicante by air-conditioned Intercity train, leaving Barcelona Sants at 15:00 and arriving Valencia Nord 18:40 & Alicante 20:27. You can check train times at www.raileurope.com or www.renfe.com.

Alicante, Valencia ► London

Day 1, travel from Alicante or Valencia to Barcelona by comfortable air-conditioned EuroMed train, leaving Alicante at 09:25 or Valencia Joaquin Sorolla at 11:15 arriving Barcelona Sants at 13:55. Have lunch in Barcelona.

Day 1, travel from Barcelona to Nîmes by AVE-S100 high-speed train, leaving Barcelona Sants at 16:45 arriving Nimes at 20:22.

The AVE-S100 has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.

Stay overnight in Nîmes. The very inexpensive Ibis Budget Nimes Gare is just 50 yards from the station and gets good reviews. The Ibis Styles Nimes Gare next door is a more upmarket option, but also inexpensive with good reviews.

Day 2, travel from Nîmes to Lille Europe by high-speed TGV, leaving Nimes Pont du Gard at 09:32 and arriving Lille Europe at 14:24.

Nimes Pont du Gard is a new out-of-town station several kilometres outside the city, so you'll need a taxi or bus to reach it, or there's a regional train leaving Nîmes' city centre station at 08:45 which connects with the TGV, check times when you book.

The TGV has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. At Lille Europe it's an easy same-station change onto Eurostar.

Day 2, travel from Lille to London by Eurostar, leaving Lille Europe at 16:35 arriving London St Pancras at 17:01.

The Eurostar has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.

Alternatively, you could spend a morning in Nimes and leave Nîmes' city centre station at 15:21 on Mondays-Fridays & Sundays arriving London St Pancras 22:00, or at 12:25 on Saturdays arriving London St Pancras 18:57. See the UK to France page for full details of London-Nimes train service.

How much does it cost?

London to Lille by Eurostar starts at £52 one-way, £78 return standard class or £115 one-way, £199 return in standard premier (1st class).

Lille to Nimes by TGV starts at €25 each way.

Nimes to Barcelona by AVE high-speed train starts at €39 each way in 2nd class or €79 in 1st class.

Barcelona to Valencia by EuroMed starts at around €18 in Standard class or €37 in Comfort class.

Barcelona to Alicante by EuroMed train starts at around €23 in Standard class or €47 in Comfort class.

Fares work like air fares, so book ahead and avoid busy days or dates for the cheapest rates. Children under 4 free.

How to buy tickets...

Step 1, book London to Nimes at www.raileurope.com and add it to your basket. If making a round trip, book it as a return.

Step 2, still on www.raileurope.com, now book from Nimes to Valencia or Alicante, add to basket and check out.

You print your own tickets. When does booking open?

What's the journey like?

1. London to Lille by Eurostar...

Eurostar trains link London & Lille in 1h22, travelling at up to 300 km/h (186 mph). There are two bar cars, power sockets at all seats and free WiFi. Standard Premier and Business Premier fares include a light meal with wine (or breakfast, on departures before 11:00). There's a 30-minute minimum check-in at London St Pancras (45 minutes minimum at Paris Nord) as all border formalities are carried out before you board the train. More information about Eurostar including check-in procedure. St Pancras station guide. Lille station guide & tips on changing trains.

A Eurostar e320 at St Pancras. More about Eurostar.

1st class: Standard Premier or Business Premier.

Standard class seats. Larger photo.

One of two cafe-bars, in cars 8 & 9. Larger photo.

2. Lille to Nimes by TGV...

TGV or Train á Grande Vitesse is French Railways high-speed train, with 1st & 2nd class and a cafe-bar. They come in various types, some single-deck, some double-deck TGV Duplex, you could get either on cross-France routes from Lille. Most have power sockets at seats, most now have free WiFi. The photos below show a single-deck TGV with the Christian Lacroix designer interior. The direct TGVs from Lille to Lyon by-pass Paris on a high-speed avoiding line via Charles de Gaulle Airport station. More information about TGV.

2nd class with mix of unidirectional seats & tables for 4. Seats 2+2 across car width. Larger photo.

The business end of a TGV...

Cafe-bar selling tea, coffee, beer, wine, cold snacks & microwaved dishes. Larger photo.

1st class with a mix of unidirectional seats, solo seats, tables for 2 & for 4. Seats 2+1 across car width. Larger photo.

3. Nimes to Barcelona by AVE: See the AVE S100 page

Barcelona to Avignon & Marseille by AVE... An AVE-S100 ready to leave Barcelona Sants.

1st class seats on an AVE S100. 360º photo of 1st class.

Cafe-bar...

These S100 AVE trains operate the TGV/AVE services from Madrid to Marseille, Barcelona to Lyon, Toulouse. This is an AVE-S100 at Barcelona Sants.

2nd class seats on the S100 AVE, all with power sockets. Luggage goes on the racks at the car ends or above the seats. 360º photo of 2nd class More photos & info about AVE S100.

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 Girona to Perpignan, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canigou.

Option 3, London to Valencia & Alicante via sleeper train

The Paris-Barcelona trainhotel was sadly discontinued in 2013, but you can still use a French sleeper train between Paris and the Spanish border, then onward trains. This can be a useful alternative to using daytime TGV service, which requires an overnight stop along the way. You can of course go one way by TGV, the other way using a sleeper train, just remember to book the Eurostar as a round trip, because Eurostar return fares are significantly less than two one-ways.

London ► Valencia, Alicante

Step 1, travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 16:31 arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 19:47.
Cross Paris by taxi or métro to the Gare d'Austerlitz.

Step 2, travel overnight from Paris to Latour de Carol in the Pyrenees or to Cerbère on the Spanish border by French sleeper train, leaving Paris Gare d'Austerlitz around 22:00. Then take a local train from Latour or Cerbère to Barcelona Sants arriving around 14:00.

See the Paris to Barcelona by sleeper train page for full details, train times, tips & photos.

Step 3, travel from Barcelona to Valencia or Alicante by EuroMed train, leaving Barcelona Sants at 16:10, arriving Valencia Joaquin Sorolla at 18:50 & Alicante at 20:37.

Alicante, Valencia ► London

Step 1, travel from Alicante or Valencia to Barcelona by EuroMed train, leaving Alicante at 09:25 or Valencia Joaquin Sorolla at 11:15 and arriving Barcelona Sants at 13:55.

Step 2, travel from Barcelona to Paris overnight, taking a local train at around 15:00 from Barcelona Sants to either Latour de Carol in the Pyrenees or to Cerebère on the French border, then a French sleeper train overnight to Paris Gare d'Austerlitz.

See the Paris to Barcelona by sleeper train page for full details, train times, tips & photos.

Step 3, travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 09:13 and arriving London St Pancras 10:30.

How much does it cost?

London to Paris by Eurostar starts at £52 one-way or £78 return in standard class, £115 one-way, £199 return standard premier (1st class).

Paris to Latour de Carol or Cerbère starts at €20 in a reclining seat, €35 in a 6-berth 2nd class couchette or €63 in a 4-berth 1st class couchette. A couchette is recommended whatever your budget, for comfort & security. Like Eurostar, fares vary dynamically.

If you go via Latour de Carol, Latour to Barcelona costs a fixed-price €12. If you go via Cerbère, Cerbère to Barcelona costs a fixed-price €14 or so. No reservation or pre-booking is necessary or possible for these tickets.

Barcelona to Valencia or Alicante starts at around €23. Fares vary like air fares, book ahead for the cheapest prices.

How to buy tickets...

Step 1, book from London to Latour de Carol or Cerbère at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com and add to basket. Anyone can use these sites, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, and you can print your own tickets or show them on your smartphone. Small booking fee.
Although you can book from London to Latour or Cerbère all in one go, it's better to split the booking like this: First book from London (or any station in Britain) to Paris and back, add to basket, then book the overnight train from Paris to Latour de Carol or Cerbère one-way and add to basket, then book Latour de Carol or Cerbère to Paris one-way and add to basket.

This way you can mix & match a 2nd class seat on Eurostar with a 1st class 4-berth couchette on the overnight train, and you can book an earlier Eurostar if it has cheaper seats available or if you'd like more time in Paris. Always allow at least 60 minutes between trains in Paris, when catching a sleeper I'd allow more than this, say 2 hours.

Alternatively, you can book from London to Paris at www.eurostar.com, then book the Paris to Latour couchette train at the French Railways website www.sncf-connect.com, this is more work and www.sncf-connect.com can be more fiddly to use, but there's no booking fee.

Step 2, still on www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com, book from Barcelona to Valencia or Alicante, add to basket & check out.
Alternatively you can book this at the Spanish Railways website www.renfe.com, in €, much more fiddly, see my advice for using it.

Step 3, the local ticket from Latour de Carol to Barcelona cannot be booked online and doesn't need to be booked in advance. It can't even be bought from the SNCF ticket office at Latour de Carol. Southbound, simply get on the train and pay the conductor on board, no reservation necessary, it cannot sell out. I repeat, simply get on the train and pay on board! Northbound, buy a ticket to Latour de Carol on the day at Barcelona Sants station and hop on the next train. It cannot sell out, it's only a local train.
Similarly, Cerbère to Barcelona can be bought at the station on the day.

An intercité de nuit sleeper train boarding at Paris Gare d'Austerlitz. Photo courtesy of Philip Dyer-Perry.

1st class 4-berth couchettes, as recently refurbished. Courtesy of @Bristol_Phil. Photo in 2nd class courtesy Dan Chester.

2nd class 6-berth couchettes

Couchette car corridor. Courtesy Dan Chester.

Upper berths, 2nd class, showing compartment lighting & temperature controls above door. Courtesy of Dan Chester.

Each couchette is provided with pillow, lightweight sleeping bag, bottled water & kit with ear plugs and eye mask.

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London to Cadiz, Algeciras etc.

London ► Cadiz, Jerez, Almeria, Murcia, Cartagena, Ronda, Algeciras

Day 1, travel from London to Barcelona as shown above.
You leave London St Pancras at 10:22 by Eurostar to Paris Nord, then by TGV Duplex from Paris Gare de Lyon to Barcelona Sants arriving 21:54.
The Eurostar & TGV both have a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. Relax and enjoy the ride across southern France & past the Pyrenees, see the journey in photos here.
The afternoon Paris-Barcelona TGV should run all year round, but due to covid-19 it will only run 14 June to 30 September 2022.

Stay overnight in Barcelona, see suggested hotels near the station. The Hotel Barcelo Sants is the top choice.

Day 2, take an air-conditioned train from Barcelona into the heart of Spain...
For Algeciras & Ronda: Travel from Barcelona to Madrid by AVE S-103 high-speed train leaving Barcelona Sants at 11:00 and arriving Madrid Atocha at 13:45, then travel from Madrid to Algeciras by Intercity train, leaving Madrid Atocha at 15:05 and arriving Ronda at 18:57 & Algeciras at 20:30.

For Murcia: Travel by direct Intercity train leaving Barcelona Sants at 12:00 arriving at Murcia at 19:00.

For Cartagena: Travel by direct Intercity train leaving Barcelona Sants at 15:00 arriving Cartagena at 22:55. Earlier departures are available with a change of train.

For Almeria: Travel from Barcelona to Almeria leaving Barcelona Sants by air-conditioned Intercity train at 09:30, making a simple change of train at Alcazar de San Juan and arriving Almeria at 21:59.

For Jerez & Cadiz: Travel from Barcelona to Jerez or Cadiz with a simple change at Seville, leaving Barcelona Sants by AVE S-112 high-speed train at 08:30 and arriving Jerez de la Frontera at 15:47 and Cadiz at 16:27.

Remember that at Spanish stations there's a brief X-ray baggage check at the entrance to the platforms for long-distance & high-speed trains. If you have a 1st class ticket you can use the Sala Club 1st class lounge at Barcelona Sants for up to 2 hours before your train leaves.

Algeciras, Ronda, Almeria, Cartagena, Murcia, Cadiz, Jerez ► London

Day 1, take an air-conditioned train to Barcelona...
From Algeciras or Ronda: Travel from Algeciras to Madrid by Intercity train, leaving Algeciras at 08:43 & Ronda at 10:09, arriving Madrid Atocha at 14:05. Then travel from Madrid to Barcelona by high-speed AVE leaving Madrid Atocha at 15:00 arriving Barcelona Sants at 17:30.

From Cartagena or Murcia: Take the direct Intercity train leaving Cartagena at 12:46 or Murcia at 13:47 arriving Barcelona Sants at 20:40.

From Almeria: Leave Almeria at 07:05 by Intercity train, change onto another Intercity at Linares-Baeza and arrive Barcelona Sants at 20:00.

From Jerez or Cadiz: Leave Cadiz at 12:40 or Jerez de la Frontera at 13:15 by Media Distancia regional train and change at Seville onto an AVE S-112 high-speed train arriving Barcelona Sants at 20:22.

Stay overnight in Barcelona, see suggested hotels near the station.

Day 2, travel from Barcelona to London as shown in the London-Barcelona section above, leaving Barcelona Sants at 09:10 (10:00 from 2 July to 28 August 2022) by TGV Duplex to Paris Gare de Lyon, then by Eurostar from Paris Gare du Nord to London St Pancras arriving 20:30.

How much does it cost?

London to Paris by Eurostar starts at £52 one-way or £78 return in standard class, £115 one-way, £199 return standard premier (1st class).

Paris to Barcelona starts at €39 each way in 2nd class, €59 each way in 1st class.

Barcelona to Cadiz, Jerez, Algeciras or Ronda by AVE+IC train starts at around €55 in Standard class.

Fares vary like air fares, so book as early as you can and shop around for the cheapest departure. Children under 4 free.

How to buy tickets online...

Buy tickets from London or any station in Britain to any station in Spain using raileurope.com as explained here.

If overnighting in Barcelona, you should book from London (or another British station) to Barcelona on day 1, add to basket, then book from Barcelona to Cadiz, Algeciras etc. on day 2, add to basket and check out, paying for both journeys as one transaction.

If overnighting in Paris, you should book from London (or any other station in Britain) to Paris on day 1, add to basket, then book from Paris to Cadiz, Algeciras etc. on day 2, add to basket, and check out, paying for both journeys as one transaction.

How to buy tickets by phone...

It's better to book online to avoid additional phone booking fees and so you can see for yourself which departures are cheapest for each stage of the journey. Most ticketing agencies only work office hours on weekdays, but online booking is possible 24/7. However, if you want to book by phone, see my list of UK ticketing agencies with phone numbers & opening hours.

...or let Railbookers arrange it.

If you need hotels as well, the easy option is to get specialist agency Railbookers to arrange your whole trip as a package, with trains, hotels & transfers sorted in one phone call. As they are selling you a package they'll look after you if anything happens such as a strike or major delay. Tell them when and where you want to go and they'll advise you on the best trains, routes & hotels. They get very positive reviews.

UK call 0207 864 4600, www.railbookers.co.uk.

US call free 1-888-829-4775, see website.

Canada call free 1-855-882-2910, see website.

Australia call toll-free 1300 971 526, see website.

New Zealand call toll-free 0800 000 554 or see website.

Other routes & options...

You can of course use any of the routes & options between London & Barcelona listed in the London to Barcelona section above, including options using the overnight couchette train between Paris & Latour de Carol or Paris & Perpignan/Cerbère. Then use any suitable train between Barcelona and your final Spanish destination, booked at www.raileurope.com.

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London to San Sebastian

To Basque country by train...

San Sebastian is a popular destination, and rightly so, it's a wonderful city to visit. It can help to know that it's Basque name is Donostia, as you'll often see it shown as Donostia not San Sebastian. If your budget allows, look no further than the wonderful Hotel de Londres y Inglaterra, located right on the seafront. The times below show the new faster TGV service from Paris to the Spanish border starting on 2 July 2017, made possible by the new Tour-Bordeaux high-speed line.

London ► San Sebastian in a day, by 07:01 Eurostar

Step 1, travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 07:01 Monday-Friday or 06:31 on Saturdays, arriving Paris Gare du Nord 10:17 weekdays or 09:47 Saturdays. There's no sufficiently early train on Sundays.
Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare Montparnasse.

Step 2, travel from Paris to Hendaye by TGV Duplex Océane, leaving Paris Gare Montparnasse at 12:11 and arriving Hendaye 16:47.
The impressive double-deck TGV Duplex Océane has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi, see the TGV photos below. I recommend an upper deck seat for the best views, any seat number >60 is upper deck. Times vary so check for your date at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com. Hendaye is on the French side of the Spanish border.

Step 3, travel from Hendaye to San Sebastian Amara station on the excellent air-conditioned Euskotren metro, www.euskotren.eus.
At Hendaye, you walk out of the main station exit and the small Euskotren station is to your right in the corner of the forecourt, see the photo below. Buy a ticket from the machines or staffed ticket office, go through the ticket gates and hop on the next train. The station only has one platform and all trains go to San Sebastian, a 37 minute journey. Metro trains leave every 30 minutes until about 23:00. The station in central San Sebastian is San Sebastian-Donostia Amara, called San Sebastian-Donostia on the information screens but plain 'Amara' on the station nameboards when you get there. The final destination of the train is usually shown as Lasarte. See the Euskotren photos below

London ► San Sebastian in a day, by 10:22 Eurostar

Step 1, travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 10:22 every day, arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 13:47.
Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare Montparnasse.

Step 2, travel from Paris to Hendaye by TGV Duplex Océane, leaving Paris Gare Montparnasse at 16:11 & arriving Hendaye at 20:47.
The impressive double-deck TGV Duplex Océane has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi, see the TGV photos below. I recommend an upper deck seat for the best views, any seat number >60 is upper deck. Times vary so check for your date at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com. Hendaye is on the French side of the Spanish border.

Step 3, travel from Hendaye to San Sebastian on the excellent air-conditioned metro run by Euskotren, www.euskotren.eus.
At Hendaye, you walk out of the main station exit and the tiny Euskotren station is to your right in the corner of the forecourt, see the photo below. Buy a ticket from the machines or staffed ticket office, go through the ticket gates and hop on the next train. The station only has one platform and all trains go to San Sebastian, a 37 minute journey. Metro trains leave every 30 minutes until about 23:00. The station in central San Sebastian is San Sebastian-Donostia Amara, called San Sebastian-Donostia on the information screens but plain 'Amara' on the station nameboards when you get there. The final destination of the train is usually shown as Lasarte. See the Euskotren photos below

London ► San Sebastian by 20:01 Eurostar, overnight stop in Paris

Day 1, travel from London to Paris by any evening Eurostar you like.
The last Eurostar usually leaves London St Pancras at 20.01 on Mondays-Saturdays arriving Paris Gare du Nord 23:17. On Sundays, the last one leaves at 20:31 arriving 23:47.

Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare Montparnasse.

Stay overnight in Paris, see suggested hotels near the stations.

Day 2, travel from Paris to Hendaye by TGV Duplex Océane, leaving Paris Montparnasse at 07:11 on Mondays-Saturdays arriving Hendaye at 11:47, or at 10:11 on Sundays arriving Hendaye at 14:47.
The impressive double-deck TGV Duplex Océane has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi, see the TGV photos below. I recommend an upper deck seat for the best views, any seat number >60 is upper deck. Times vary so check for your date at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com. Hendaye is on the French side of the Spanish border.

Step 3, travel from Hendaye to San Sebastian on the excellent air-conditioned metro run by Euskotren, www.euskotren.eus.
At Hendaye, you simply walk out of the main station exit and the tiny Euskotren station is to your right in the corner of the forecourt, see the photo below. Buy a ticket from the machines or staffed ticket office, go through the ticket gates and hop on the next train. The station only has one platform and all trains go to San Sebastian, a 37 minute journey. Metro trains leave every 30 minutes until about 23:00, there's one leaving Hendaye at 13:33. The station in central San Sebastian is San Sebastian-Donostia Amara, called San Sebastian-Donostia on the information screens but plain 'Amara' on the station nameboards when you get there. The final destination of the train is usually shown as Lasarte. See the Euskotren photos below.

San Sebastian ► London in a day by 09:36 TGV...

Step 1, travel from San Sebastian to Hendaye on the excellent air-conditioned metro train run by Euskotren.
These run every 30 minutes from Sebastian Amara station to Hendaye (Hendaia in Spanish), journey time 37 minutes. Buy a ticket from the machines or staffed ticket office, go through the ticket gates and hop on the next train. At Hendaye, the mainline SNCF station is just across the forecourt from the little Euskotren station. Always allow plenty of time for the connections! See the Euskotren photos below.

Step 2, travel from Hendaye to Paris by TGV Duplex Océane, leaving Hendaye at 09:36 every day, arriving Paris Gare Montparnasse 14:20.
The impressive double-deck TGV Duplex Océane has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi, see the TGV photos below. I recommend an upper deck seat for the best views, any seat number >60 is upper deck. Times vary so check for your date at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com. Hendaye is on the French side of the Spanish border.

Cross Paris by métro or taxi to the Gare du Nord.

Step 3, travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 17:13 every day arriving London St Pancras at 18:30.

San Sebastian ► London in a day by 12:59 TGV...

Step 1, travel from San Sebastian to Hendaye on the excellent air-conditioned metro train run by Euskotren.
These run every 30 minutes from Sebastian Amara station to Hendaye (Hendaia in Spanish), journey time 37 minutes. Buy a ticket from the machines or staffed ticket office, go through the ticket gates and hop on the next train. At Hendaye, the mainline SNCF station is just across the forecourt from the little Euskotren station. Always allow plenty of time for the connections! See the Euskotren photos below.

Step 2, travel from Hendaye to Paris by TGV Duplex Océane, leaving Hendaye at 12:59 daily arriving Paris Gare Montparnasse at 17:49.
The impressive double-deck TGV Duplex Océane has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi, see the TGV photos below. I recommend an upper deck seat for the best views, any seat number >60 is upper deck. Times vary so check for your date at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com. Hendaye is on the French side of the Spanish border.

Cross Paris by métro or taxi to the Gare du Nord.

Step 3, travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 20:13 daily, arriving in London St Pancras at 21:30.

San Sebastian ► London by 18:12 TGV with overnight stop in Paris

Step 1, travel from San Sebastian to Hendaye on the excellent air-conditioned metro train run by Euskotren.
These run every 30 minutes from Sebastian Amara station to Hendaye (Hendaia in Spanish), journey time 37 minutes. Buy a ticket from the machines or staffed ticket office, go through the ticket gates and hop on the next train. At Hendaye, the mainline SNCF station is just across the forecourt from the little Euskotren station. Always allow plenty of time for the connections! See the Euskotren photos below.

Step 2, travel from Hendaye to Paris by TGV Duplex Océane, leaving Hendaye at 18:12 Monday-Friday & Sunday, arriving Paris Gare Montparnasse at 22:56. Alternatively, you can leave Hendaye at 16:12 on any day of the week, arriving Paris Gare Montparnasse at 20:58.
By all means take an earlier train to enjoy an evening in Paris if you like. The impressive double-deck TGV Duplex Océane has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi, see the TGV photos below. I recommend an upper deck seat for the best views, any seat number >60 is upper deck. Times vary so check for your date at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com. Hendaye is on the French side of the Spanish border.
Cross Paris by métro or taxi to the Gare du Nord.

Stay overnight in Paris. See suggested hotels.

Step 3, travel from Paris Gare du Nord to London St Pancras by Eurostar on any morning train you like. The earliest is usually the 07:13 on Mondays-Saturdays arriving London at 08:32, or 08:13 on Sundays arriving 09:30.

How much does it cost?

London to Paris by Eurostar starts at £52 one-way or £78 return in standard class, £115 one-way, £199 return standard premier (1st class).

Paris to Hendaye by TGV starts at €25 each way in 2nd class or €45 in 1st class. Fares vary like air fares, book ahead for the cheapest prices.

The Euskotren local train from Hendaye to San Sebastian costs around €2.75 one-way.

How to buy tickets...

Buy tickets from London to Hendaye at www.raileurope.com. Anyone can use www.raileurope.com, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, you usually print your own ticket or can show it on your smartphone. It'll sell tickets to Hendaye from any station in Britain, not just London. There's a small booking fee.
Tip: I recommend clicking More options, entering Paris and at least 1h15 stopover duration. This ensures a robust connection in Paris.

Tip: After booking you can use the Manage booking facility at www.eurostar.com to choose an exact seat from a seating plan, see tips on choosing a seat on Eurostar.

You can also book using the French Railways website www.sncf-connect.com, only in €, more fiddly then www.raileurope.com, but no booking fee.

Just buy the local ticket from Hendaye to San Sebastian at the station when you get there. Tickets are easily bought using the self-service ticket machines at the Hendaye Euskotren station, these accept euro coins and notes, but not credit cards.

How to buy tickets by phone...

It's better to book online to avoid additional phone booking fees and so you can see for yourself which departures are cheapest for each stage of the journey. Most ticketing agencies only work office hours on weekdays, but online booking is possible 24/7. However, if you want to book by phone, see my list of UK ticketing agencies with phone numbers & opening hours.

...or let Railbookers arrange it.

If you need hotels as well, the easy option is to get specialist agency Railbookers to arrange your whole trip as a package, with trains, hotels & transfers sorted in one phone call. As they are selling you a package they'll look after you if anything happens such as a strike or major delay. Tell them when and where you want to go and they'll advise you on the best trains, routes & hotels. They get very positive reviews.

UK call 0207 864 4600, www.railbookers.co.uk.

US call free 1-888-829-4775, see website.

Canada call free 1-855-882-2910, see website.

Australia call toll-free 1300 971 526, see website.

New Zealand call toll-free 0800 000 554 or see website.

What's the journey like?

1. London to Paris by Eurostar...

Eurostar trains link London & Paris in 2h20, travelling at up to 300 km/h (186 mph). There are two bar cars, power sockets at all seats and free WiFi. Standard Premier and Business Premier fares include a light meal with wine (or breakfast, on departures before 11:00). There's a 30-minute minimum check-in at London St Pancras (45 minutes minimum at Paris Nord) as all border formalities are carried out before you board the train. More information about Eurostar including check-in procedure. St Pancras station guide. Paris Gare du Nord station guide. How to cross Paris by metro or taxi.

A Eurostar e320 at St Pancras. More about Eurostar.

1st class: Standard Premier or Business Premier.

Standard class seats. Larger photo.

One of two cafe-bars, in cars 8 & 9. Larger photo.

2. Paris to Hendaye by TGV...

Paris-Hendaye trains are now double-deck TGV Duplex high-speed trains. Most on this route have the new Océane interior, with free WiFi & cafe-bar. There are now automatic ticket gates at the entrance to the platforms at Paris Montparnasse, just scan the barcode on your ticket. Paris Montparnasse station guide.

Boarding the TGV Duplex at Paris Montparnasse... Most Paris-Hendaye trains are now TGV Duplex double-deck high-speed trains like this one. On this route, most TGV Duplex units have the new Océane interior shown below, they have free WiFi and carry the latest grey, silver & red TGV colours. Note the automatic ticket gates at the entrance to the platforms at Paris Montparnasse, just scan the barcode on your ticket. Click the images below for larger photos...

TGV Océane cafe-bar, upper deck car 4 (or 14)

TGV Océane 2nd class...

TGV Océane 1st class. An innovation on TGV Océane, all 1st class seats (except the end ones) rotate to face direction of travel, or can be rotated to make a face-to-face group of 2 or 4 seats. The drop-down tables open to reveal USB & 2-pin power sockets.

The TGV Duplex arrives at Hendaye after a dash across France at up to 300 km/h. Incidentally, Hendaye station is where Hitler met Franco on 23 October 1940. You'll be treading the same platforms! Photo courtesy of Alan Uxbridge.

3. Hendaye to San Sebastian by Euskotren...

At Hendaye station, the little Euskotren station is outside to your right, 50 yards across the forecourt. Buy a ticket from the easy-to-use ticket machines, which have a touch screen with English-language button and accept euro coins & notes or buy at the staffed ticket counter. Then go through the gates onto the platform. All trains go to San Sebastian-Donostia Amara, shown on screens and timetables as San Sebastian-Donostia, shown on the ticket machines as just Donostia and shown on the station name boards when you get there as plain Amara. It's all the same place! The final destination of the train is usually shown as Lasarte.

At Hendaye, get off the TGV, walk off the platform through the SNCF station ticket hall...

...there's an Euskotren ticket machine to the right of the exit doors, you can either buy a ticket here or in the Euskotren station...

Walk out of Hendaye station & turn right. The Euskotren station is 50m across the forecourt. Courtesy of Geoff Phillips.

The new Hendaye Euskotren station, for trains to San Sebastian. Photo courtesy of Geoff Phillips.

Hendaye Euskotren station, looking back towards the station building. Photo courtesy of Nicholas Brooke.

There are now two platforms. It's where the trains start, so no worries, you can't get on the wrong train, they all go to San Sebastian-Donostia Amara! These air-conditioned metro trains leave every 30 minutes, a turn-up-and-go metro service. There's plenty of space for luggage and they even have a wheelchair-accessible toilet.

San Sebastian... The sea front is 10 min walk from San Sebastian-Donostia Amara station, where the Euskotren arrives...

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London to Pamplona & Bilbao

This is a fast and comfortable option, with all-daytime travel by Eurostar & TGV high-speed train and an overnight stop in wonderful San Sebastian on the Basque coast. The times below show the new faster TGV service from Paris to the Spanish border starting on 2 July 2017, made possible by the new Tour-Bordeaux high-speed line.

London ► Pamplona, Bilbao

Day 1, travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 10:22, arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 13:47.
Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare Montparnasse.

Day 1, travel from Paris to Hendaye by TGV Duplex Océane, leaving Paris Gare Montparnasse at 15:52 & arriving Hendaye at 20:28.
The impressive double-deck TGV Duplex Océane has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi, see the TGV photos above. I recommend an upper deck seat for the best views, any seat number >60 is upper deck. Times vary so check for your date at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com. Hendaye is on the French side of the Spanish border.

Day 1, travel from Hendaye to San Sebastian on the excellent air-conditioned metro run by Euskotren, www.euskotren.eus.
At Hendaye, you simply walk out of the main station exit and the tiny Euskotren station is to your right in the corner of the forecourt, see the photo above. Buy a ticket from the machines or staffed ticket office, go through the ticket gates and hop on the next train. The station only has one platform and all trains go to San Sebastian, a 37 minute journey. Metro trains leave every 30 minutes until about 23:00. The station in central San Sebastian is San Sebastian-Donostia Amara, called San Sebastian-Donostia on the information screens but plain 'Amara' on the station name-boards when you get there. The final destination of the train is usually shown as Lasarte. See the Euskotren photos above.

Stay overnight in San Sebastian - it's a lovely city, well worth a longer stop. The Pension San Ignacio Centro is just 10 minutes walk from San Sebastian Renfe station and gets great reviews. If you want somewhere in the old town try the Pension Garibai or Pension Alameda.

Day 2 for Pamplona: Travel from San Sebastian to Pamplona by smart modern air-conditioned Alvia train, leaving San Sebastian-Donostia Renfe station daily at 07:28 and arriving Pamplona at 09:13. If you'd like to spend a day in San Sebastian, there's a daily 16:10 from San Sebastian-Donostia Renfe station, arriving Pamplona at 17:54. This is a lovely ride, twisting through the mountains then descending onto the plain, in a swish air-conditioned Alvia train with cafe car.

Day 2 for Bilbao, hop on the hourly narrow gauge train from San Sebastian-Donostia Amara station to either Bilbao's Zazpi Kaleak station (journey time 2h29 from Amara) or Bilbao's Matiko station (the train's final stop, 2h35 from Amara), fare €6.30, buy a ticket at the station.
The trains used on this route are similar to the Hendaye-San Sebastian trains pictured above, along a route with some good countryside and coastal views. In Bilbao, Matiko station is 18 minutes walk from the Guggenheim Museum, Zazpi Kaleak station is further from the Guggenheim (22 minutes walk) but closer to both the old quarter and the 19th century new town.
You can check train times & fares from Irun to Bilbao at www.euskotren.eus, remember that San Sebastian to Bilbao will be listed as Amara to Matiko as those are the station names. The adult one-way fare is shown as 'ida'.
Incidentally, there's no reason why you can't travel from London to Bilbao in a single day if you leave London early, meaning before 8am, but as the last train to Bilbao leaves Amara around 19:50 I've assumed an overnight stop here.
Alternatively, there are also buses from Irun to Bilbao run by www.alsa.es, leaving Irun railway station at 11:00 arriving Bilbao at 13:30. The buses run every hour or two, journey time 1 hour 45 minutes, fare €9 one way, €18 return. In Irun, the bus station is right next to the railway station.

You can also sail direct from Portsmouth to Bilbao by ferry with Brittany Ferries, or sail Portsmouth or Plymouth to Santander and take a narrow gauge train from Santander to Bilbao three times daily, see www.renfe.com/viajeros/feve.

Pamplona, Bilbao ► London

Day 1 from Pamplona, travel from Pamplona to San Sebastian by smart modern air-conditioned Alvia train, leaving Pamplona at 19:24 and arriving San Sebastian-Donostia Renfe station at 21:10. If you'd like an afternoon in San Sebastian, there's also a daily 11:19 Alvia train from Pamplona arriving San Sebastian-Donostia Renfe station at 13:03.

Day 1 from Bilbao, hop on one of the hourly narrow gauge trains run by Euskotren from Bilbao Matiko station to San Sebastian Amara station, journey time 2 hours 35 minutes, fare €5.15, buy a ticket at the station and hop on the next train. You can check train times from Bilbao to San Sebastian at www.euskotren.eus, remember that Bilbao to San Sebastian will be listed as Matiko to Amara as those are the station names.

Stay overnight in San Sebastian - a lovely city, worth a longer stop. The Pension San Ignacio Centro is just 10 minutes walk from San Sebastian Renfe station and gets great reviews. If you want somewhere in the old town try the Pension Garibai or Pension Alameda.

Day 2, travel from San Sebastian to Hendaye on the excellent air-conditioned metro train run by Euskotren.
These run every 30 minutes from Sebastian Amara station to Hendaye (Hendaia in Spanish), journey time 37 minutes. Just buy a ticket at the ticket counter or from the ticket machines, go through the ticket gates and hop on the next train. At Hendaye, the mainline SNCF station is just across the forecourt from the little Euskotren station. Always allow plenty of time for the connection, there are places you can have a coffee at Hendaye! See the Euskotren photos above.

Day 2, travel from Hendaye to Paris by TGV Duplex Océane, leaving Hendaye at 09:36 every day, arriving Paris Gare Montparnasse 14:20.
The impressive double-deck TGV Duplex Océane has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi, see the TGV photos above. I recommend an upper deck seat for the best views, any seat number >60 is upper deck. Times vary so check for your date at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com. Hendaye is on the French side of the Spanish border.

Cross Paris by métro or taxi to the Gare du Nord.

Day 2, travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 17:13 every day arriving London St Pancras at 18:30.

How much does it cost?

London to Paris by Eurostar starts at £52 one-way or £78 return in standard class, £115 one-way, £199 return standard premier (1st class).

Paris to Hendaye by TGV starts at €25 each way in 2nd class or €45 in 1st class. Fares vary like air fares, book ahead for the cheapest prices.

Hendaye to San Sebastian Amara by Euskotren costs €2.75.

San Sebastian to Pamplona costs around €23 each way in Standard class, €30 each way in Comfort class, but if you pre-book, cheaper advance-purchase fares are often available from just €14 in Standard or €18 in Comfort.

How to buy tickets online...

Step 1, go to www.raileurope.com and book from London to Hendaye.
Anyone can use www.raileurope.com, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, you usually print your own ticket or can show it on your smartphone. It'll sell tickets to Hendaye from any station in Britain, not just London. There's a small booking fee.

Tip: I recommend clicking More options, entering Paris and at least 1h15 stopover duration. This ensures a robust connection in Paris.

Step 2, still on www.raileurope.com, now book from San Sebastian to Pamplona for the following day, and add to basket. Then check out, paying for all bookings as one transaction.
Tip: After booking you can use the Manage booking facility at www.eurostar.com to choose an exact seat from a seating plan, see tips on choosing a seat on Eurostar.

Alternatively, you can book as follows, which means more work and it's more fiddly, but with no booking fee:
Book from London to Paris at www.eurostar.com with print-at-home or show-on-smartphone tickets.

Book from Paris to Hendaye at the French Railways website www.sncf-connect.com. Make sure you allow at least 60 minutes to change trains & stations in Paris southbound, 90 minutes northbound (as northbound you have to include the 30 minute Eurostar check-in)

Book the train from San Sebastian to Pamplona using the Spanish Railways website, www.renfe.com, see this step-by-step guide to booking tickets with renfe.com. If you have any problems with Renfe.com, stick with www.raileurope.com.

How to buy tickets by phone...

It's better to book online to avoid additional phone booking fees and so you can see for yourself which departures are cheapest for each stage of the journey. Most ticketing agencies only work office hours on weekdays, but online booking is possible 24/7. However, if you want to book by phone, see my list of UK ticketing agencies with phone numbers & opening hours.

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London to Segovia, Toledo, Avila & Salamanca

Travel from London to Madrid, as shown in the London to Madrid section.

Madrid-Toledo: Regular air-conditioned high-speed Avant trains link Madrid Atocha with Toledo in around 33 minutes, see www.raileurope.com or www.renfe.com for train times, fares & tickets.

Madrid-Segovia: Regular air-conditioned high-speed Avant trains link Madrid Chamartin with Segovia Guiomar station in around 27 minutes, see www.renfe.com or www.raileurope.com for train times, fares & tickets. There are also a handful of services on the old classic line from Madrid Chamartin to Segovia's original central station, but these involve a change of train and take 1h50.

Madrid-Salamanca: Regular air-conditioned Media Distancia regional trains link Madrid Chamartin with Avila & Salamanca via the classic and quite scenic route, see www.renfe.com or www.raileurope.com for train times, fares & tickets. Madrid-Salamanca by MD train takes 2h40. In addition, there are now 4 daily high-speed air-conditioned Alvia trains routed via the new high-speed line taking just 1h36.

The train from Madrid to Toledo, at Madrid Atocha station. Courtesy of DiscoverByRail.com.

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London to Santiago de Compostela, Vigo & A Coruña

Via San Sebastian or via Barcelona?

Option 1 is to go via San Sebastian, a lovely city for a stopover. This is the quickest and usually cheapest route. However, if you'd like a simpler journey with fewer changes and a chance to stop off in Barcelona, consider option 2. Why not go out one way and back another? Apart from the London-Paris Eurostar (which should always be booked as a round trip as return fares are significantly cheaper than two one-ways), all these trains are one-way ticketed, so there is no cost penalty in going out one way and back the other.

Option 1, London to Galicia via San Sebastian...

This is a comfortable all-daytime journey through interesting scenery with an overnight stop in a hotel in lovely San Sebastian.

London ► Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Vigo

Day 1, travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 10:22, arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 13:47.
On Saturdays you can leave London St Pancras at 12:31, arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 15:47.
Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare Montparnasse.

Day 1, travel from Paris to Hendaye by TGV Duplex Océane, leaving Paris Gare Montparnasse at 16:11 daily except Saturdays, arriving Hendaye 20:47. On Saturdays, leave Paris Gare Montparnasse at 18:11, arriving Hendaye 22:47.
The impressive double-deck TGV Duplex Océane has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi, see the TGV photos below. I recommend an upper deck seat for the best views, any seat number >60 is upper deck. Times vary so check for your date at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com. Hendaye is on the French side of the Spanish border.

Day 1, travel from Hendaye to San Sebastian Amara station on the excellent air-conditioned metro run by Euskotren, www.euskotren.eus.
At Hendaye, you walk out of the main station exit and the tiny Euskotren station is to your right in the corner of the forecourt, see the photo here. Buy a ticket from the machines or staffed ticket office, go through the ticket gates and hop on the next train. The station only has one platform and all trains go to San Sebastian, a 37 minute journey. Metro trains leave every 30 minutes until about 23:00. The station in central San Sebastian is San Sebastian-Donostia Amara, called San Sebastian-Donostia on the information screens but plain 'Amara' on the station nameboards when you get there. The final destination of the train is usually shown as Lasarte. See the Euskotren photos here.
Euskotren's San Sebastian-Donostia Amara station is 10 minutes walk from the Renfe station, see walking map.

Stay overnight in San Sebastian. The Pension Regil is close to the old town with great reviews, 10 minutes walk from the Renfe station, 7 minutes walk from the Amara Euskotren station. If you want something in the old town itself, try the Pension Garibai or Pension Alameda. If you want to push the boat out, San Sebastian's most venerable hotel (which I can recommend personally, having stayed there) is the Hotel de Londres y Inglaterra, on the sea front.

Day 2, travel from San Sebastian to Madrid by air-conditioned Alvia train, leaving San Sebastian (Renfe station) at 08:57 arriving Madrid Chamartin at 14:28.

The high-speed Alvia trains have a cafe-bar and standard & comfort class seats. It's a lovely run down out of the Pyrenees onto the plains. For the first part of the journey the train uses classic lines, then it passes slowly through a shed and automatically changes track gauge from Spanish 5'6" broad gauge to standard gauge 4' 8.5". It then joins the high-speed line for a final dash at up to 250km/h (155 mph) to Madrid.

Day 2, travel from Madrid to Galicia by air-conditioned Alvia train.

An Alvia train leaves Madrid Chamartin at 16:00 and arrives Vigo Urzaiz at 20:12.

Another leaves Madrid Chamartin at 17:45 & arrives Santiago de Compostela at 21:28 & A Coruna at 21:59.

The high-speed Alvia trains have a cafe-bar and standard & comfort class seats.

Alternatively, there's a later departure from San Sebastian to Galicia, depending on the day of the week. An Intercity train leaves San Sebastian at 12:13 every day arriving Vitoria/Gasteiz at 13:58. This is a guaranteed connection into the Barcelona-Galicia Alvia train leaving Vitoria/Gasteiz at 14:16 every day. On Wednesdays, Fridays & Sundays it goes to Vigo Guixar arriving 23:12. On Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays it goes to Santiago de Compostela (arriving 22:06) and A Coruna (arriving 22:38).

Vigo, A Coruña, Santiago de Compostela ► London

Day 1, travel from Galicia to San Sebastian on one of these two departures:
Early departure, 3 or 4 times a week:
Leave Vigo Guixar at 07:42 Mondays, Thursdays & Saturdays arriving Vitoria/Gasteiz 16:33.
Leave A Coruna at 08:05 & Santiago de Compostela at 08:34 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays & Sundays, arriving Vitoria/Gasteiz 16:33.
An Intercity train provides a guaranteed connection every day, leaving Vitoria/Gasteiz at 16:45, arriving San Sebastian (Renfe station) at 18:20.
San Sebastian Renfe station is 10 minutes walk from Amara (Euskotren) station, see walking map.
Mid-morning departure, every day:
Leave Vigo Urzaiz station at 09:20 or Santiago de Compostela at 10:20 every day by high-speed Alvia train, arriving Madrid Chamartin at 13:42.
Vigo Urzaiz station is a 1.1 km 15-minute walk from Vigo Guixar station, see walking map.
Leave Madrid Chamartin at 16:10 by high-speed Alvia train arriving San Sebastian (Renfe station) at 21:33.
San Sebastian Renfe station is 10 minutes walk from Amara (Euskotren) station, see walking map.

Stay overnight in San Sebastian. The Pension Regil is close to the old town with great reviews, 10 minutes walk from the Renfe station, 7 minutes walk from the Amara Euskotren station. If you want something in the old town itself, try the Pension Garibai or Pension Alameda. If you want to push the boat out, San Sebastian's most venerable hotel (which I can recommend personally, having stayed there) is the Hotel de Londres y Inglaterra, on the sea front.

Day 2, take the 08:15 Euskotren metro from San Sebastian Amara station to Hendaye next morning. These metro, trains run every 30 minutes, journey time 37 minutes, buy a ticket at the station and hop on the next train. You can check times at www.euskotren.eus.

Day 2, travel from Hendaye to Paris by TGV Duplex Océane, leaving Hendaye at 09:36 every day, arriving Paris Gare Montparnasse 14:20.
The impressive double-deck TGV Duplex Océane has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi, see the TGV photos below. Times vary so check for your date at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com. I recommend an upper deck seat for the best views, any seat number >60 is upper deck. Hendaye is on the French side of the Spanish border.

Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare du Nord.

Day 2, travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 17:13 every day arriving in London St Pancras at 18:30.

Or travel with overnight (or longer) stop in Barcelona...

You may prefer to stay overnight (or longer) in Barcelona rather than the border town of Irun. It takes about the same time, but may cost a bit more as it's a longer distance. But it involves fewer changes, and all changes apart from Paris are same-station ones so it may be an easier route if you have heavy luggage or mobility problems.

Step 1, travel from London St Pancras to Barcelona Sants by Eurostar & TGV as shown above.

Stay overnight in Barcelona.

Step 2, there's a daytime and sleeper train (an excellent Spanish trainhotel) from Barcelona Sants station direct to Vigo, Santiago & Galicia, just use www.raileurope.com to find times, fares & book online - look for the direct train with 0 changes.

How much does it cost?

London to Paris by Eurostar starts at £52 one-way or £78 return in standard class, £115 one-way, £199 return standard premier (1st class).

Paris to Hendaye by TGV starts at €25 each way.

Hendaye to San Sebastian by Euskotren costs €2.75, paid at the station on the day.

San Sebastian to Santiago de Compostela, A Coruna or Vigo starts at €23 each way in Standard class or €29 in Comfort class.

All these fares (apart from the Euskotren fare) vary like air fares, book ahead for the cheapest prices.

How to buy tickets...

Buy tickets at www.raileurope.com, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, you print your own tickets. There's a small booking fee.

Step 1, book from London or any station in Britain to Hendaye (and back, if returning) and add to your basket.
Tip: I recommend clicking More options, entering Paris and at least 1h15 stopover duration. This ensures a robust connection in Paris.

Step 2, book from San Sebastian to Santiago de Compostela, Vigo or Coruna one-way and add this to your basket. If returning, book Coruna, Vigo or Santiago to Hendaye as a second one-way journey and add that to your basket.
Then check out and pay for all bookings as one transaction.
Tip: If you have any problems getting the system to show the whole journey across Spain, split the booking and book each specific train separately, using the times above as your guide.

Buy a ticket for the Euskotren metro between Hendaye & San Sebastian at the station on the day.

Alternatively, you can book each train separately at the relevant train operator website, more work and more fiddly but avoids paying a booking fee. I recommend doing a dry run on all three sites first...
Book from London to Paris at www.eurostar.com.

Book from Paris to Hendaye and (and back, if returning) at the French Railways website www.sncf-connect.com. Make sure you allow at least 60 minutes to change trains & stations in Paris southbound, 90 minutes northbound as this needs to include the 30-minute Eurostar check-in. Ideally more.

Book the trains from San Sebastian to Santiago de Compostela, Vigo or Coruna using the Spanish Railways website, www.renfe.com, see this guide to using it. If you have any problems with renfe.com's quirky English translations or credit card payment stage, stick with www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com.

How to buy tickets by phone...

It's better to book online to avoid additional phone booking fees and so you can see for yourself which departures are cheapest for each stage of the journey. Most ticketing agencies only work office hours on weekdays, but online booking is possible 24/7. However, if you want to book by phone, see my list of UK ticketing agencies with phone numbers & opening hours.

What's the journey like?

1. London to Paris by Eurostar...

Eurostar trains link London & Paris in 2h20, travelling at up to 300 km/h (186 mph). There are two bar cars, power sockets at all seats and free WiFi. Standard Premier and Business Premier fares include a light meal with wine (or breakfast, on departures before 11:00). There's a 30-minute minimum check-in at London St Pancras (45 minutes minimum at Paris Nord) as all border formalities are carried out before you board the train. More information about Eurostar including check-in procedure. St Pancras station guide. Paris Gare du Nord station guide. How to cross Paris by metro or taxi.

A Eurostar e320 at St Pancras. More about Eurostar.

1st class: Standard Premier or Business Premier.

Standard class seats. Larger photo.

One of two cafe-bars, in cars 8 & 9. Larger photo.

2. Paris to Hendaye by TGV Duplex Océane...

Paris-Hendaye trains are now double-deck TGV Duplex high-speed trains. Most on this route have the new Océane interior, with free WiFi & cafe-bar. There are now automatic ticket gates at the entrance to the platforms at Paris Montparnasse, just scan the barcode on your ticket. Paris Montparnasse station guide.

TGV Océane cafe-bar, upper deck car 4 (or 14)

TGV Océane 2nd class seats...

TGV Océane 1st class seats. An innovation on TGV Océane, all 1st class seats (except the very end ones) rotate to face the direction of travel, or can be rotated to make a face-to-face group of 2 or 4 seats. The drop-down tables open to reveal USB and 2-pin power sockets.

The TGV Duplex arrives at Hendaye after a dash across France at up to 186mph. Photo courtesy of Alan Uxbridge.

3. Hendaye to San Sebastian by Euskotren: See the photos in the San Sebastian section above

4. San Sebastian to Santiago de Compostela, Coruna, Vigo... If you get any more photos of these trains or the journey, please let me know!

The connection at Vitoria-Gasteiz: On the right, the Intercity train from San Sebastian has arrived at Vitoria/Gasteiz. On the left, the Alvia train from Barcelona to Galicia picks up passengers. These Alvia-S130 trains are nick-named Patito (little duck) by staff, no prizes for guessing why. They have adjustable axles so can run on standard-gauge high-speed lines at up to 250 km/h or on Iberian broad gauge classic lines at lower speed. Photo courtesy of Ekain Munduate.

Standard class seats on the Intercity train, 2+2 across the car width.

Comfort class seats on an Alvia train, 1+2 across the car width.

Scenery as the train enters Galicia on its way to Vigo. Photo courtesy of Martin Hill.

Option 2, London to Galicia via Barcelona...

This takes a couple of hours longer overall compared to option 1 and usually costs a few euros more, but it's a simpler journey using a direct train from Paris to Barcelona and a direct train from Barcelona to Galicia, with no need to walk across San Sebastian!

London ► Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Vigo

Day 1, travel from London to Barcelona as shown above.
You leave London St Pancras at 10:22 by Eurostar to Paris Nord, then by TGV Duplex from Paris Gare de Lyon to Barcelona Sants arriving 21:54.
The Eurostar & TGV both have a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. Relax and enjoy the ride across southern France & past the Pyrenees, see the journey in photos here.
The afternoon Paris-Barcelona TGV should run all year round, but due to covid-19 it will only run 14 June to 30 September 2022.

Stay overnight in Barcelona, see suggested hotels near the station. The Hotel Barcelo Sants is the top choice.

Day 2, travel from Barcelona to Galicia by high-speed air-conditioned Alvia-S130 train with cafe-bar.
On Wednesdays, Fridays & Sundays it leaves Barcelona Sants at 09:30 and goes to Vigo Guixar, arriving 23:12.
On Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays it leaves Barcelona Sants at 09:30 and arrives Santiago de Compostela 22:06 & A Coruna 22:38.

Vigo, A Coruña, Santiago de Compostela ► London

Day 1, travel from Galicia to Barcelona by high-speed air-conditioned Alvia-S130 train.

On Mondays, Thursdays & Saturdays it leaves Vigo Guixar at 07:42 and arrives Barcelona Sants at 21:35.
On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays & Sundays it leaves A Coruna at 08:05 & Santiago de Compostela at 08:34, arriving Barcelona Sants at 21:35.
The Alvia-S130 train is comfortable, air-conditioned with cafe-bar and power sockets at all seats.

Stay overnight in Barcelona, see suggested hotels near the station.

Day 2, travel from Barcelona to London as shown in the London-Barcelona section above.
You leave Barcelona Sants at 09:10 (10:00 from 2 July to 28 August 2022) by TGV Duplex to Paris Gare de Lyon, then by Eurostar from Paris Gare du Nord to London St Pancras arriving 20:30.

The TGV & Eurostar both have a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. Relax and enjoy the ride past the Pyrenees and across southern France, see the journey in photos here.

How much does it cost?

London to Paris by Eurostar starts at £52 one-way or £78 return in standard class, £115 one-way, £199 return standard premier (1st class).

Paris to Barcelona by TGV starts at €39 each way in 2nd class or €59 in 1st class.

Barcelona to Santiago de Compostela, A Coruna or Vigo starts at €25 each way in Standard class or €29 in Comfort class.

All these fares vary like air fares, book ahead for the cheapest prices.

How to buy tickets...

Buy tickets at www.raileurope.com, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, you print your own tickets. There's a small booking fee.

Step 1, book from London to Barcelona (and back, if returning) and add to your basket.
Tip: I recommend clicking More options, entering Paris and at least 1h15 stopover duration. This ensures a robust connection in Paris.

Step 2, book from Barcelona to Santiago de Compostela, Vigo or Coruna one-way for the following day and add this to your basket. If returning, book Coruna, Vigo or Santiago to Barcelona as a second one-way journey and add that to your basket.
Then check out and pay for all bookings as one transaction.

Alternatively, you can book each train separately at the relevant train operator website, more work and more fiddly but avoids paying a booking fee. I recommend doing a dry run on all three sites first...
Book from London to Paris at www.eurostar.com.

Book from Paris to Barcelona at the French Railways website www.sncf-connect.com. Make sure you allow at least 60 minutes to change trains & stations in Paris southbound, 90 minutes northbound as this needs to include the 30-minute Eurostar check-in. Ideally more.

Book the trains from Barcelona to Santiago de Compostela, Vigo or A Coruna using the Spanish Railways website, www.renfe.com, see this guide to using it. If you have any problems with renfe.com's quirky English translations or credit card payment stage, stick with www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com.

How to buy tickets by phone...

It's better to book online to avoid additional phone booking fees and so you can see for yourself which departures are cheapest for each stage of the journey. Most ticketing agencies only work office hours on weekdays, but online booking is possible 24/7. However, if you want to book by phone, see my list of UK ticketing agencies with phone numbers & opening hours.

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London to Ibiza, Minorca, Mallorca

The Acciona Trasmediterranea ferry Fortuny leaving Palma de Mallorca for Barcelona. Similar ferries operate from Barcelona to Ibiza (Eivissa in Catalan)...

The 17:00 Balearia fast ferry to Alcudia about to leave Barcelona. That's the Columbus Monument at the foot of La Rambla in the background, it's that central!

Inside Balearia's fast ferry Jaume I from Barcelona to Alcudia on Mallorca...

No Ryanair, no EasyJet. The sun sets as the fast ferry from Barcelona speeds across the Med towards Mallorca. We spotted some dolphins earlier...

It's easy to travel from London to Ibiza, Mallorca or Menorca without flying. You take a Eurostar to Paris & TGV to Barcelona, then take the daily overnight ferry from Barcelona to the islands. Alternatively, there's an even easier route from the UK to Menorca & Alcudia in Mallorca using an overnight ferry from Toulon in the south of France which runs several times a week in summer.

London to Ibiza...

Step 1, travel from London to Barcelona by Eurostar & TGV as shown in the London to Barcelona section above, leaving London St Pancras by Eurostar at 10:22 and arriving Barcelona Sants by TGV at 21:54, then spend the night in Barcelona with a day to explore next day (see suggested hotels near the station).

Alternatively, leave London on any suitable evening Eurostar to Paris on day 1, stay overnight in Paris (see suggested hotels in Paris), then take the 10:14 TGV to Barcelona Sants on day 2, arriving at 16:54 in plenty of time for the overnight ferry.

Step 2, sail from Barcelona to Ibiza by overnight ferry: Acciona Trasmediterranea operate an overnight ferry to Ibiza on most nights of the week, around 22:00, arriving 07:00. Times & dates vary, so use the Direct Ferries website or www.trasmediterranea.es, or call Acciona Trasmediterranea's UK agent, Southern Ferries on 0844 815 7785. The ship sails from the Acciona terminal in central Barcelona, a few minutes' walk from the Columbus monument at the foot of La Rambla.

Book the train journey as shown in the London to Barcelona section above.

Book the ferry at www.balearia.com (Tip: Camarote means cabin berth, Sirena means reclining seat) or www.trasmediterranea.es or through Acciona Trasmediterranea's UK agent, Southern Ferries on 0844 815 7785.

London to Mallorca via Barcelona...

Step 1, travel from London to Barcelona by Eurostar & TGV as shown in the London to Barcelona section above, leaving London St Pancras by Eurostar at 10:22 and arriving Barcelona Sants by TGV at 21:54. Stay overnight in Barcelona and explore the city next day - see suggested hotels near Barcelona Sants.

Alternatively, take an evening Eurostar from London to Paris on day 1, stay overnight in Paris (see suggested hotels near the Gare de Lyon in Paris), then take the 10:14 TGV to Barcelona Sants on day 2, arriving at 16:54 in plenty of time for the overnight ferry.

Step 2, sail from Barcelona to Palma de Mallorca by overnight ferry...

Sail from Barcelona to Palma de Mallorca on one of the two daily overnight ferries, one run by Acciona Trasmediterranea (www.trasmediterranea.es, their UK agent is Southern Ferries on 0844 815 7785), the other run by Balearia (www.balearia.com).

Both ships usually sail from Barcelona around around 22:00 and arrive in Palma around 07:00, with comfortable cabins & reclining seats available. Check times & prices at the Direct Ferries website.

The Acciona & Balearia ferry terminals are both located in central Barcelona, a few minutes' walk from the Columbus monument at the foot of La Rambla. I recommend Acciona, as they have the bigger, nicer ships which usually sail from right alongside the terminal so you can walk straight onto the ship, whereas the smaller Balearia ship requires an awkward shuttle bus transfer between the ferry check-in and the vessel in both Barcelona and Palma.

Or take a daytime fast ferry to Alcudia...

Alternatively, on many days in summer Balearia operate a daytime fast ferry (a SeaCat) from Barcelona to Alcudia, on the northeast corner of Mallorca near both Alcudia and Pollensa, calling at Minorca on the way. This leaves from directly alongside the Balearia terminal in central Barcelona around 17:00 and arrives at 23:00. See www.balearia.com or use the Direct Ferries website to check whether it is running on your dates of travel. There will be plenty of taxis waiting at Alcudia ferry terminal, it's a 10 minute taxi ride to Pollensa.

Book the train journey as shown in the London to Barcelona section above.

Book the ferry at www.balearia.com (Tip: Camarote means cabin berth, Sirena means reclining seat) or www.trasmediterranea.es or through Acciona Trasmediterranea's UK agent, Southern Ferries on 0844 815 7785.

Or book a UK-Mallorca by train & ferry package with Byway, see trip.byway.travel.

In the return direction from Mallorca back to London, the all-year-round Balearia and Acciona ships usually sail by day, leaving Palma around 12:30, arriving Barcelona around 19:30. Again, I recommend Acciona, as the Balearia ship requires an awkward shuttle bus transfer between check-in and ship at both Palma and Barcelona, whereas the Acciona ship docks right alongside the terminals in both cities so you can simply walk on and off.

Stay overnight in Barcelona - see suggested hotels near Barcelona Sants - then travel from Barcelona to London by TGV & Eurostar, see the Barcelona to London section above.

Or take a daytime fast ferry from Alcudia. On many days in summer Balearia operate an 08:00 fast ferry from Alcudia (a 10 minute taxi ride from Pollensa) to Barcelona, arriving in Barcelona around 14:00.

Map of Barcelona showing location of railway stations and ferry terminals.

Trains on Mallorca: There are two train lines on Majorca, from Palma to Inca & Soller, see www.tib.org & (for Soller) trendesoller.com.

Hotels on Mallorca: There are of course many hotels and resorts on Mallorca, but I can recommend the Pollentia Club Resort near Pollensa.

Fares from Barcelona to Ibiza, Minorca or Mallorca:
By overnight ferry: From £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.

London to Mallorca & Menorca via Toulon...

This is in many ways the most convenient option, using a summer-only ferry which sails several times a week from Toulon in the south of France.

Day 1, travel from London to Paris by any evening Eurostar you like.
The last Eurostar usually leaves London St Pancras at 20.01 on Mondays-Saturdays arriving Paris Gare du Nord 23:17. On Sundays, the last one leaves at 20:31 arriving 23:47.

London to Paris by Eurostar starts at £52 one-way or £78 return in standard class, £115 one-way, £199 return standard premier (1st class).

Buy a ticket at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com. Booking opens up to 4 months ahead. You print your own ticket or can show a mobile ticket on your phone.

Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare de Lyon.

Stay overnight in Paris. See suggested hotels near the Gare de Lyon.

Step 2, travel from Paris to Toulon by TGV Duplex, leaving Paris Gare de Lyon at 10:26 and arriving Toulon at 14:11.
The TGV Duplex has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.

Fares start at €25 in 2nd class or €45 in 1st class. Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

Buy a ticket at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com. Booking opens up to 4 months ahead. You print your own ticket or can show a mobile ticket on your phone.

Step 3, cruise overnight from Toulon to Menorca or Alcudia on Mallorca with Corsica Ferries.
Their comfortable ships have bars, restaurants, and private cabins with en suite toilet & shower.

Sailings operate several times a week, April to October, typically sailing around 18:00 & arriving around 09:00, some going to Menorca and others to Alcudia.
Fares start at around €25 for a foot passenger + a private cabin from around €32. Fares & cabin charges vary by date.
Check times, fares & buy tickets at the Direct Ferries website or see www.corsica-ferries.co.uk.

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London to the Canary islands

To Lanzarote, Las Palmas & Tenerife without flying...

Two ferry companies now link Spain with the Canary islands, Acciona Trasmediterranea and Naviera Armas. Here's how to travel from the UK to the Canary Islands without flying:

Option 1: UK to the Canary Islands by train & ferry with Naviera Armas via Huelva...

www.navieraarmas.com started a weekly ferry from Huelva in Spain to Tenerife and Gran Canaria in 2011. It's reportedly higher quality than the Acciona ferry, but feedback is welcome!

London ► Tenerife & Las Palmas/Gran Canaria

Day 1, Thursday: Travel from London to Seville with an overnight stop in Barcelona. as shown in the London to Seville section.

Day 2, Friday: You arrive in Seville in the afternoon. Take any suitable local train from Seville Santa Justa to Huelva. Stay overnight in Huelva.

Day 3, Saturday: The Naviera Armas ferry to the Canaries sails from Huelva weekly, usually at 13:00 every Saturday, arriving at Gran Canaria at 17:00 and 22:00 at Tenerife on the Sunday. Check times, sailing dates & fares at www.navieraarmas.com.

Tenerife & Las Palmas/Gran Canaria ► London

Day 1, Thursday: The ferry sails every Thursday from Gran Canaria at 08:00 or Tenerife at 12:00 arriving Huelva at 18:00 on Friday (day 2).

Day 2, after arriving early evening, spend the night in Huelva.

Day 3, Saturday: Take any suitable morning local train from Huelva to Seville Santa Justa. Then take the afternoon AVE from Seville to Barcelona, stay overnight in Barcelona and catch a TGV & Eurostar back to London on Sunday, as shown above in the Seville to London section.

Fares & how to buy tickets...

Buy tickets from London to Seville as shown above. Add a Seville to Huelva ticket at www.raileurope.com.

Check ferry fares, sailing dates and book the ferry tickets online at www.navieraarmas.com. Fares start at €80 each way with a reclining seat, or €200 each way per person for two passengers travelling together sharing a 2-bed cabin.

Option 2: UK to the Canary Islands by train & ferry, with Acciona Trasmediterranea via Cadiz...

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.

Day 1, travel from London to Cadiz with an overnight stop in Barcelona, as shown in the London to Cadiz section above. You arrive in Cadiz on day 2. You need to leave London on Sunday morning if your ferry sails from Cadiz on Tuesday, or on Thursday morning if it sails on Saturday.

Day 3, the ferry to the Canaries sails from Cadiz weekly, usually on a Tuesday or Saturday evening, taking 2 days 1 night or 2 nights 1 day, depending on the sailing. Check times, sailing dates & fares at either the Direct Ferries website or www.trasmediterranea.es.

Option 3: UK to the Canary Islands by train & ferry, with Fred Olsen via Huelva...

Fred Olsen Ferries sails twice a week all year round from Huelva in southern Spain to Tenerife & Gran Canaria. It's a joint service with Balearia Ferries, which started in 2018. The service uses a comfortable modern ship.

Day 1, travel from London to Barcelona as shown above, possible in a day when the afternoon TGV operates. Stay overnight in Barcelona.

Day 2, travel from Barcelona to Huelva with a change in Madrid, check times and buy a ticket at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com. Stay overnight in Huelva.

Day 3, in the afternoon, sail from Huelva to Tenerife or Gran Canaria, arriving the following evening (day 4). Check ferry sailing dates and times at the Direct Ferries website or www.fredolsen.es. One-way fares range from €110 in a seat to €330 with private cabin, meals included.

How to buy tickets...

Buy your London to Cadiz train tickets online or by phone as explained above. Using www.raileurope.com you'd book London to Barcelona on day 1, add to basket, then Barcelona to Cadiz on day 2, and check out.

Book the ferry tickets using the Direct Ferries website or at www.trasmediterranea.es, or by phone with Trasmediterranea's UK agent, Southern Ferries on 0844 815 7785. 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

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UK to Spain by ferry

Cruise to Spain with www.brittany-ferries.co.uk...

Why not cruise from the UK to Spain, on a luxury ferry that has more in common with a cruise liner than old-school Channel ferries?
Brittany Ferries operates three direct ferry routes from the UK to Spain with a crossing time from Portsmouth to northern Spain of just 24 hours and for much of the year an unprecedented 5 cruise ferry sailings a week.
Why not go one way by train and the other by ferry?
See the ferry to Spain page...

Watch the video...

Pictured right: Brittany Ferries superb flagship, the Pont Aven.
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Holidays to Spain by train..

0207 864 4600 (UK)
1-888-829-4775 (USA)
1300 971 526 (Aus)
0800 000 554 (NZ)

01904 527120

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 offer tailor-made individual holidays with departure on any date you like, whereas Rail Discoveries & Great Rail Journeys offer escorted tours with specific departure dates.
Railbookers custom-made tours, holidays & breaks to Spain by train...

Railbookers can custom-make a flight-free holiday or city break to Spain for you, with train travel, transfers & hotels, leaving on any date you like. For example, they can do a 2-night short break to Barcelona or an 8-night trip to Madrid, Valencia & Barcelona with standard class Eurostar and first class on the TGV to Barcelona. 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!

UK call 0207 864 4600, www.railbookers.co.uk.

US call free 1-888-829-4775, www.railbookers.com.

Canada call free 1-855-882-2910, www.railbookers.com.

Australia call toll-free 1300 971 526, www.railbookers.com.au.

New Zealand call toll-free 0800 000 554 or see website.

Great Rail Journeys, www.greatrail.com, 01904 527120: Escorted tours...

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 & prices online, then call 01904 527120 to book or use their online booking form.
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European Rail Timetable & maps

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 set up a private venture and resumed publication of the famous European Rail Timetable in March 2014. You can buy it online at www.amazon.co.uk (UK addresses) or www.europeanrailtimetable.eu (shipping worldwide). More information on what the European Rail Timetable contains.

Rail Map Europe is the map I recommend, covering all of Europe from Portugal in the west to Moscow & Istanbul in the east, Finland in the north to Sicily & Athens in the south. Scenic routes & high-speed lines are highlighted. See an extract from the map. Buy online at www.europeanrailtimetable.eu (shipping worldwide) or for £9.67 at www.amazon.co.uk (UK addresses).

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Guidebooks

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!

Click the images to buy online at Amazon.co.uk...

Alternatively, download just the chapters or areas you need in .PDF format from the Lonely Planet Website, from around £2.99 or US$4.95 a chapter.

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Hotels & accommodation

My favourite hotel search site: www.booking.com

www.booking.com is my favourite hotel booking site and I generally prefer booking my hotels all in one place here. You can usually book with free cancellation - this allows you to confirm your accommodation at no risk before train booking opens. It also means you can hold accommodation while you finalise your itinerary, and alter your plans as they evolve - a feature I use all the time when putting a trip together. I never book hotels non-refundably. I have also come to trust their review scores - you won't be disappointed with anything over 8.0.

Tip: It can pay to compare prices across multiple hotel sites: HotelsCombined.com is a price comparison site which compares hotel prices on Booking.com, Hotels.com, Expedia, Accor, Agoda and many others. Though if there's not much in it, I prefer keeping all my bookings together in one place at www.booking.com.

Suggested hotels close to Barcelona Sants station...

If you're just staying overnight between trains, here are some good hotels near Barcelona Sants with good or great reviews:

Hotel Barcelo Sants, 4-star, situated directly above Barcelona Sants station itself, great reviews, recommended.

AC Hotel Sants by Marriott, 4-star, just 50m from the station.

Hotel Catalonia Roma, 3-star.

Hostal Baler, 2-star.

Hotel Transit, 1-star.

On a tight budget, a bed in a dorm at the highly-rated Ten-To-Go Hostel or Meeting Point Hostel both a stone's throw from Barcelona Sants starts at just €20 or so.

Suggested Barcelona hotels for a longer stay...

If you're staying longer, find a hotel in the old quarter, perhaps on La Rambla itself. Here are some hotels with good or great reviews:

Hotel DO Plaça Reial (5-star, fabulous, around £200+).

Hotel Espana (4-star, around £190, one of Barcelona's most historic & well-known hotels in a quiet location just off La Rambla).

Hotel MonteCarlo (4-star), Hotel Jazz (3-star with roof-top pool, from around £160 per night).

Hotel Catalonia Portal de l'Angel (3-star with outdoor swimming pool, Gothic quarter, around £130 for a double).

Hotel Curious (2-star, 50m from Las Ramblas, from around £90 for a double).

A double room at the Hotel Espana, just off the famous Ramblas in Barcelona...

Suggested hotels close to Paris Gare de Lyon.

If you need to stop overnight in Paris on your way to or from Spain, these hotels near the Gare de Lyon get good reviews:

Mercure Paris Gare de Lyon (on the station forecourt itself, 4-star);

Citizen M Hotel (just along the road from the station, 4-star, great reviews);

Hotel Terminus Lyon (right in front of the station, 3-star);

Novotel Paris Gare de Lyon (opposite the station, 4-star);

Mistral Hotel (800m from Gare de Lyon, 1-star);

Hotel de Reims (5 min walk from Gare de Lyon, 2-star); More Paris hotels.

Other hotel sites to try...

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.

AirBnB: www.airbnb.com...

www.airbnb.com began in 2008 when two designers who had space to share hosted three travellers looking for a place to stay. AirBnB is a platform which connects hosts with guests, so you can now book a room in people's homes, or an apartment, flat or house which people want to rent out. It can be nicer than a hostel, cheaper than many hotels.

Backpacker hostels: www.hostelworld.com...

www.hostelworld.com: If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels. Hostelworld offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in Paris and most other European cities at rock-bottom prices.

Environmentally aware, actively ethical adventures in Spain: www.wildsideholidays.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.

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Car hire

Compare 50 different car hire companies: www.carrentals.co.uk

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.

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Travel insurance & VPN

Always take out travel insurance...

You should take out travel insurance with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover from a reliable insurer. It should cover trip cancellation and loss of cash & belongings up to a reasonable limit. These days, check you're covered for covid-19-related issues, and use an insurer whose cover isn't invalidated by well-meant but excessive Foreign Office travel advice against non-essential travel. An annual policy is usually cheapest even for just 2 or 3 trips a year, I use an annual policy myself. 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, I get a little commission if you buy through these links, feedback always welcome.

www.staysure.co.uk offers enhanced Covid-19 protection & covers you even if the FCDO advises against non-essential travel.

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

You can use www.confused.com to compare prices & policy features across major insurance companies.

If you live in the USA try Travel Guard USA.

Get a Curve card to save on foreign transaction fees...

Banks often give a poor exchange rate, then charge a currency conversion fee as well. A Curve MasterCard means no foreign transaction fees and gives you the mid-market exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, £500 per month as I write this. The balance goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards. And you can get a Curve card for free.

How it works: 1. Download the app for iPhone or Android. 2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to most European addresses including the UK. 3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app. 4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, just like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance onto whichever of your debit or credit cards you choose. You can even change your mind about which card it goes onto, within 14 days of the transaction.

I use a Curve Blue card myself - I get a little commission if you sign up to Curve, but I'm recommending it here because I think it's great. See details, download the app and get a Curve card - they'll give you £5 cashback through that link, too.

Get a VPN for safe browsing. VPNs & why you need one explained...

When you're travelling you often use free WiFi in public places which may not be secure. A VPN means your connection to the internet is encrypted & always secure, even using unsecured WiFi. In countries such as China where access to Twitter & Facebook is restricted, a VPN gets around these restrictions. And lastly, you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geographic restrictions which some websites apply - for example one booking site charges a booking fee to non-European visitors but none to European visitors, so if you're not located in Europe you can avoid this fee by browsing with a UK IP address using a VPN. VPNs & why you need one explained. ExpressVPN is a best buy and I use it myself - I've signed up as an ExpressVPN affiliate, and if you go with expressvpn.com using the links on this page, you should see a special deal, 3 months free with an annual subscription, and I get a small commission to help support this site.

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Europe by train introduction
How to buy European train tickets...
London to Paris or Brussels by Eurostar...
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1st class lounge: Premium ticket holders may use the Sala Club 1st class lounge at Barcelona Sants, with coffee, juice & beer.		All aboard! This is an S112 AVE high-speed train. All AVE trains have a cafe-bar serving drinks and snacks, or feel free to bring your own food, wine or beer along.


At Barcelona Sants, that's a EuroMed train to Alicante on the right and a TGV Duplex to Paris on the left.		Standard (2nd class) seats on a EuroMed train from Barcelona to Alicante. The Euromed train is a type S130 pato or little duck.


Comfort (1st class) seats on a EuroMed train.		An S130 EuroMed train at Barcelona Franca.


TGV Océane cafe-bar, upper deck car 4 (or 14)		TGV Océane 2nd class...


TGV Océane 1st class. An innovation on TGV Océane, all 1st class seats (except the end ones) rotate to face direction of travel, or can be rotated to make a face-to-face group of 2 or 4 seats. The drop-down tables open to reveal USB & 2-pin power sockets.


At Hendaye, get off the TGV, walk off the platform through the SNCF station ticket hall...		...there's an Euskotren ticket machine to the right of the exit doors, you can either buy a ticket here or in the Euskotren station...


The new Hendaye Euskotren station, for trains to San Sebastian. Photo courtesy of Geoff Phillips.		Hendaye Euskotren station, looking back towards the station building. Photo courtesy of Nicholas Brooke.


There are now two platforms. It's where the trains start, so no worries, you can't get on the wrong train, they all go to San Sebastian-Donostia Amara! These air-conditioned metro trains leave every 30 minutes, a turn-up-and-go metro service. There's plenty of space for luggage and they even have a wheelchair-accessible toilet.


San Sebastian... The sea front is 10 min walk from San Sebastian-Donostia Amara station, where the Euskotren arrives...


The train from Madrid to Toledo, at Madrid Atocha station. Courtesy of DiscoverByRail.com.


TGV Océane cafe-bar, upper deck car 4 (or 14)		TGV Océane 2nd class seats...


TGV Océane 1st class seats. An innovation on TGV Océane, all 1st class seats (except the very end ones) rotate to face the direction of travel, or can be rotated to make a face-to-face group of 2 or 4 seats. The drop-down tables open to reveal USB and 2-pin power sockets.


Standard class seats on the Intercity train, 2+2 across the car width.		Comfort class seats on an Alvia train, 1+2 across the car width.


	The Acciona Trasmediterranea ferry Fortuny leaving Palma de Mallorca for Barcelona. Similar ferries operate from Barcelona to Ibiza (Eivissa in Catalan)...

	The 17:00 Balearia fast ferry to Alcudia about to leave Barcelona. That's the Columbus Monument at the foot of La Rambla in the background, it's that central!

	Inside Balearia's fast ferry Jaume I from Barcelona to Alcudia on Mallorca...

	No Ryanair, no EasyJet. The sun sets as the fast ferry from Barcelona speeds across the Med towards Mallorca. We spotted some dolphins earlier...


A double room at the Hotel Espana, just off the famous Ramblas in Barcelona...

Train times, fares & tickets from

London to Spain by train . . .

Train travel UK & Ireland...

Train travel in Europe...

Train travel in Asia...

Train travel in Africa...

Train travel in America...

Train travel in Australasia

Breakfast in London, lunch in Paris, dinner in Barcelona...

UK to Spain by train...

Train travel in Spain...

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Other useful information...

Interactive map: Click on a destination for train times & fares...

Country information

London to Barcelona

All aboard the new high-speed train to Spain!

Breakfast in London, lunch in Paris, dinner in Spain...

Which route to choose?

Option 1, London-Barcelona by high-speed train...

London ► Barcelona (morning departure, 14 June - 30 Sept 2022)

London ► Barcelona (evening departure, overnight in Paris)

Barcelona ► London (morning departure, every day)

Barcelona ► London (afternoon departure, overnight in Paris, 15 June - 1 Oct 2022)

How much does it cost?

How to buy tickets...

Book your hotels...

Or book at www.thetrainline.com...

Or book at www.eurostar.com + sncf-connect.com + www.renfe.com...

Or have your trip arranged as a package...

How to buy tickets by phone...

What's the journey like?

Video guide: Barcelona-Paris by TGV

Option 2, London to Barcelona via Lyon in a day, avoiding Paris...

London ► Barcelona not currently running...

Barcelona ► London

How much does it cost?

How to buy tickets...

What's the journey like?

Option 3, London to Barcelona with overnight stop in Nîmes...

London ► Barcelona

Barcelona ► London

How much does it cost?

How to buy tickets...

What's the journey like?

Option 4, London to Barcelona overnight via Latour de Carol & the Pyrenees...

London ► Barcelona

Barcelona ► London

How much does it cost?

How to buy tickets...

What's the journey like?

Watch the video here - By slow train across the Pyrenees

Option 5, London to Barcelona overnight via Perpignan/Cerbère...

London ► Barcelona

Barcelona ► London

How much does it cost?

How to buy tickets...

Travel tips...

What's the journey like?

London to Madrid & Zaragoza

Which route to choose?

Option 1, London to Madrid by high-speed train via Paris...

London ► Madrid - with morning departure & overnight stop in Barcelona

London ► Madrid - with evening departure & overnight stop in Paris

Madrid ► London - Madrid to London in a day, runs 2 July to 28 August 2022...

Madrid ► London - with overnight stop in Paris & morning arrival in London...

How much does it cost?

How to buy tickets?

What's the journey like?

Option 2, London to Madrid with overnight stop in Nîmes...

London ► Madrid

Madrid ► London

How much does it cost?

How to buy tickets...

What's the journey like?

Option 3, London to Madrid with overnight stop in San Sebastian...

London ► Madrid

Madrid ► London

How much does it cost?

How to buy tickets online...

Train travel
UK & Ireland...

Train travel
in Europe...

Train travel
in Asia...

Train travel
in Africa...

Train travel
in America...

Train travel
in Australasia

All aboard the new
high-speed train to Spain!