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Barcelona to Paris
- Thread starter williamn
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nwales58
Member
Probably doable for half that.
Minor matters of Easter the following weekend, school holidays multiplied by SNCF's money machine.
Standard alternatives for Barcelona are Cerbere and Latour-de-Carol, slow but pretty.
Ltdc-Paris is Eur 50-80 for those dates (19 on the overnight) plus a Rodalies fare that I can't look up quickly. Cerbere-Paris a bit dearer but quicker plus about 15 on R/RE.
Fares in France are fixed train so book now. Barcelona to across the border are walk up fares but from a machine or ticket office.
In case of strike risk, I'd book on sncf-connect.com for ease of changing resevation if necessary.
Minor matters of Easter the following weekend, school holidays multiplied by SNCF's money machine.
Standard alternatives for Barcelona are Cerbere and Latour-de-Carol, slow but pretty.
Ltdc-Paris is Eur 50-80 for those dates (19 on the overnight) plus a Rodalies fare that I can't look up quickly. Cerbere-Paris a bit dearer but quicker plus about 15 on R/RE.
Fares in France are fixed train so book now. Barcelona to across the border are walk up fares but from a machine or ticket office.
In case of strike risk, I'd book on sncf-connect.com for ease of changing resevation if necessary.
nwales58
Member
Bit dearer but faster and less than 200. Renfe are 69 basic to Montpellier on the 27th, full already on the 28th, 85 to Lyon (one train goes to Lyon the other to Marseille).
Work out optimal split with SNCF. If Nimes or Montpellier make sure you pick SNCF from the correct station, not Nimes Pont du Gard or Montpellier Sud de France which are on the contournement.
Book RENFE first as their trains could fill.
Work out optimal split with SNCF. If Nimes or Montpellier make sure you pick SNCF from the correct station, not Nimes Pont du Gard or Montpellier Sud de France which are on the contournement.
Book RENFE first as their trains could fill.
The works on R3 were supposed to be over by now (segunda quincena enero = second fortnight of January) according to RENFE Cercanias page, and bus substitution was a short stretch not the whole journey.
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Travelled on the R3 from Latour to Barcelona on 29th January and it was a replacement bus over a section. The replacement bus is slightly longer than the train, so as we arrived just in time to see the train to Barcelona departing and had to wait about 28 min for the next one (who says this only happens in the UK?) If travelling in the opposite direction leave 30 min earlier, as the Latour trains are infrequient. The fare was 12 euro each.
It didn't seem like the engineering work was about to be finished.
doc7austin
Member
You may split the ticket in Perpignan.
nwales58
Member
True. Comes down to cost/time tradeoff. The OP wanted cheap, that usually means RENFE across the border if you want a fast-ish journey.
Barcelona-Perpignan 27/03 currently:
0819 RENFE Eur 69 cheapest
0928 SNCF Eur 100
1325 SNCF Eur 105
1634 RENFE Eur 74
RENFE is same fare as far as Montpellier (1634 is actually cheaper than to Perpignan), SNCF slightly dearer.
Eur 130 total is the cost with a RENFE-SNCF split at Montpellier, 30 cheaper but 2 hours longer than a same train split. A longer wait saves a bit more, Ouigo to Marne-la-Valée if acceptable a bit cheaper still and so on.
I'm intrigued by how cheap you can do this on what is a near-peak day booked this far ahead, plus the usual cross-border nuisances.
Approx Eur 75:
any Barcelona - Portbou Eur 13.50 ? walk-up
1604 Portbou-Paris Gare de Lyon TER+TGV 64.20
Cheapskate Eur 55-60:
any Portbou-Perpignan Eur 9.20 walkup (if lucky you might find a Eur 1 Occitanie mad advance fare)
1656 Perpignan - Paris Gare de Lyon Ouigo 29 (+5 luggage etc)
@williamn how cheap did you really want?
It doesn't have to be dirt cheap, just not £200! I'm happy to pay up to £120 or so. I also need to be in Paris in time for dinner!
I can't see how to do a same train split on the 09.28 as it doesn't seem to be listed when I do a Perpignan to Paris search.
I can't see how to do a same train split on the 09.28 as it doesn't seem to be listed when I do a Perpignan to Paris search.
nwales58
Member
sncf-connect.com says 1058 is full on 27/03. 1107 TER with a change to TGV at Montpellier (Saint-Roch) is 90.80 so that's 190.80 total!
sncf-connect offers 0928 Barcelona changing onto a TER at Agde then onto a TGV at Nimes Pont Du Gard (1h wait at a parkway station) for 135, single ticket obviously, arrives Paris 1904. Probably easiest option if still at that fare.
Or Renfe 0819 Barcelona 1124 Montpellier Saint-Roch for 69 + 1350 Montpellier Saaint-Roch-1718 Paris GdL 63 = 132 total if you want earlier arrival. 10 cheaper and 1h earlier if you catch a bus out to Montpellier Sud de France.
Cheapest or if the through 0928 fare has gone: Renfe 0819 Barcelona 1029 Narbonne for 69 (pleasant small place to wander or eat) + SNCF 1306 TER - Nimes - Paris GdL 1904 for 35, total 104.
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doc7austin
Member
According to my knowledge the night train ends in Cerbere (not Portbou anymore) - and the local trains from France do not cross into Spain anymore.
A short bus or taxi ride across the border would be preferrable to paying £200 for a TGV ride imo.
There is also the sleeper from Toulouse, total price for the journey across the border and then a couchette berth would be about £130 I think.
There is also the sleeper from Toulouse, total price for the journey across the border and then a couchette berth would be about £130 I think.
nwales58
Member
TER still run to/from Portbou, on non-strike days at least. You might be thinking of the other 2 crossings. The problem might be getting the right name in online information.
Portbou (Espagne) in sncf-connect dropdown (not Port Bou which is a bus stop somewhere in Perpignan)
Port Bou on bahn.de
either on oebb.at
Probably.
LiO fares seem to apply to Portbou so on the right days you could travel the 250km or so from Spain to Nimes for Eur 1 or 2.
Brill, thanks so much. The Montpellier option looks good!