Madrid & Barcelona to Toulouse, Avignon, Marseille, Lyon from €29...

High-speed trains link Barcelona with various cities in France, jointly run by SNCF (French Railways) and Renfe (Spanish Railways).  The Barcelona-Paris trains are operated by French double-deck TGV Duplex trains, but the trains from Barcelona to Carcassone, Toulouse, Avignon, Marseille & Lyon are operated by Spanish AVE trains of a specific type called S100, as shown on this page.

AVE is the Spanish Railways brand name for its high-speed trains, of which there are various types.  AVE stands for Alta Velocidad Española (Spanish High-Speed) and it's also the Spanish for bird.  The S100 AVEs were originally used on the Madrid-Seville high-speed route when it opened in the 1990s.  A number of these S100s have been refurbished & equipped with the SNCF signalling system for use on services from Barcelona to French cities, with one train per day extending to & from Madrid.  They are spacious, smooth and comfortable, a pleasure to travel on.

  What are the trains like?

  Travel tips:  Luggage, WiFi, food & drink...

  How to check train times, fares & tickets

  Route map

  Scenery & sights

What are the trains like?

AVE-S100 trains have 1st & 2nd class & a cafe-bar.  The train is air-conditioned with power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.

An AVE S100 at Barcelona Sants on a high-speed service to Perpignan, Montpellier, Nîmes & Lyon.

1st class seats.  Larger photo.		Table for two in 1st class.  Larger photo.

Food & beer from the cafe-bar...		The cafe-bar.  Larger photo.

Boarding at Barcelona Sants...		2nd class.  Larger photo.

Travel tips...

• Should you go 1st or 2nd class?

  2nd class is absolutely fine, there's no need to pay extra for 1st class unless you want to.  1st class merely means more leg and elbow room, with seats arranged 2+1 across the car width rather than 2+2 - although that means there are solo seats and tables-for-two on one side of the aisle in 1st class which are great if you're travelling alone or as a couple.  1st class is usually quieter with more laptops tapping, 2nd class is often busier with more families and kids.

• Boarding your train...

  There's no check-in, just be on board the train a minute before departure time when the doors close.  At Spanish stations including Madrid Atocha & Barcelona Sants there is a simple and quick baggage X-ray check before entering the departures area and your ticket may be checked before boarding, it only takes minutes, but don't turn up with seconds to spare.  There is no X-ray check at French stations.

• Luggage...

  Like any European train, you take your luggage in with you and stick it on any suitable rack near your seat or above your seat, see the photo below.  Nobody weighs it or measures it, so no worries...

• Seat reservation is compulsory on all Spain-France high-speed trains and tickets come with a reserved seat automatically included.

• Food & drink...

  The cafe-bar car serves snacks, hot dishes, coffee. soft drinks, beer & wine.  You are of course free to bring your own food and drink along to eat & drink in your seat, even a beer or bottle of wine if you like.

• WiFi & power outlets...

  There are power outlets at all seats.  Free WiFi is provided on the Lyon-Barcelona & Marseille-Avignon-Barcelona-Madrid routes, the network is PlayRenfe.  3G & 4G mobile data works fine along most of the relevant routes.

• Barcelona Sants & Sala Club first class lounge...

  See the Barcelona Sants station guide which explains the layout of the station and has information about the 1st class lounge (Sala Club) which you can use before your journey if you have a 1st class international ticket.  There's a Sala Club first class lounge at Madrid Atocha too.  There are no relevant first class lounges at French stations.

2nd class seats.  Larger photo.		Luggage rack at the car end...

Times, fares & tickets...

• Fares from Barcelona to French cities start at €29 in 2nd class or €49 in 1st class.  These advance-purchase fares vary dynamically like air fares, specific train only, limited or no refunds or changes, book early for the best prices.  Booking usually opens 120 days ahead for these trains, but it can be as little as 60 days when the mid-December timetable change shrinks the booking horizon.

• You can buy tickets for these trains at www.raileurope.com with no booking fee and international credit cards accepted.  For a more detailed explanation of how to buy tickets from Barcelona to other European cities see the Trains from Barcelona page.

Route map...

Scenery & sights...

These trains pass some great scenery.  I describe the Barcelona-Lyon & Barcelona-Avignon-Marseille routes below as if you're travelling east from Barcelona to France, but you see the same sights in either direction.  Obviously when I say something is on the left hand side, it'll be on the right hand side when going west.

1.  Barcelona Sants is a modern station in central Barcelona with plenty of taxis and a metro to other parts of the city.  There are left luggage lockers (consigna) and a Sala Club 1st class lounge which you can use if you have a 1st class ticket for the TGV for up to 2 hours before it departs, although not on arrival.  More information about Barcelona Sants station.

2.  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 left hand side all the way from Girona to Perpignan, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canigou.

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

4.  Étangs & flamingos...  The AVE from Barcelona to Toulouse turns left at Narbonne, but AVEs to Avignon, Marseille & Lyon continue towards Montpellier.  on this section the train passes numerous étangs (lakes), where flocks of flamingos stand one-legged in the shallows. 5.  The Mediterranean coast...  Between Perpignan & Montpellier the train skirts the glistening Mediterranean coastline with deserted beaches & marshland...

6.  Vineyards.  The train passes countless vineyards.  Glass o' red from the bar car, anyone?

7.  Béziers...  After Nîmes the trains pass through Béziers.  As the train crosses the River Orb just west of the station, look left for a great view of Béziers' 13th century cathedral (yes, the photo above was taken from the train, these all were!).

8.  If you're on the AVE from Barcelona to Avignon & Marseille...  Beyond Nîmes the AVE from Barcelona to Avignon & Marseille turns southeast.  The train crosses the River Rhône just before arriving at Avignon TGV, you can see Avignon's Palais des Papes in the distance on the left (pictured above) - although if you can see anyone dancing Sur le Pont d'Avignon, you have better eyesight than me...

10.  Lyon...  This is the morning AVE from Barcelona, arrived at Lyon Part Dieu...

Watch the video:  Click here...

The video shows a journey from Barcelona to Paris on a French TGV Duplex, but the AVEs from Barcelona to French regional cities take exactly the same route past exactly the same scenery, as far as Narbonne if going to Carcassonne or Toulouse, as far as Montpellier if going to Avignon or Marseille, and all the way to just south of Lyon if going to Lyon.

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