I'm trying to avoid the huge one way car rental fee and am open to taking the train instead. Our itinerary is flexible, we're going from Barcelona and trying to get to Genoa, and we have a few days to travel through France. Any tips? So far I've really only tried to explore the options using google maps, but I'm beginning to think that it might not be telling me all of the train options.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
You can see France rail maps here, as well as train schedules. There's pretty much just one line along the Mediterranean coast but it veers inland to Nimes and Avignon. Maps in Rick's guidebooks also show train lines, if you're using one to help choose your destinations. The longer distance trains tend to need reservations. There's no deadline to buy reserved tickets, but trains can fill up and prices are cheaper for advance purchase.
It's cheap to fly from Barcelona to Pisa or Genoa, if you just want to get to Italy quickly; see www.skyscanner.com.
If you're thinking of destinations not served by rail, you could pick up a rental car in Perpignan and drop it in Nice, or for an even shorter section of the trip.
Posted by
Paris
6900 posts
Hi,
"a few days" is a bit vague, but along the only rail line between Barcelona and Genova, worthwhile stops include, in the direction of travel
- Perpignan / for Collioure especially
- Montpellier
- Nimes
- Avignon and surrounding areas
- Marseille and neighboring Aix and Cassis
- Nice and the whole stretch of coast know as "French Riviera" between Cannes and the Italian border
Of the above, my priorities would be Nîmes / Avignon area, followed by Nice area, followed by Marseille area, and only last Perpignan area of and Montpellier.
Www.loco2.com is currently the best online place for both train times and ticket bookings, as it covers Spanish, French and Italian railways. Www.bahn.de/en is marginally better for train times, but being the German Railways they do not sell any tickets in that region.
Posted by
3122 posts
You could explore options on the "Man in Seat 61" site https://www.seat61.com/Europe-train-travel.htm