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Help--Stuck in Spain

Posted by (San Diego, USA) on

I posted this also in transportation, but I received no replies, so I will try again here.

I am from the States and I planned a two month trip to Europe starting in Madrid and going to Barcelona, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, then into Switzerland and Venice, Florence and finishing at Rome.

I bought a continuous Eurail pass, I was planning on using the rails everywhere in Europe. But I am now in Barcelona and can´t leave spain due to the worker´s strike going on in France. The tellers at the train station said no train is permitted to cross the border into France (same for busses).

Unfortunately, getting to other countries from here (Switzerland, Belgium, etc.) requires that the train pass through France. I heard someone tell me they are also striking in Belgium, and now I hear possible striking in Germany.

So I am not sure what to do. If I buy a direct plane flight from here to Amsterdam, for example, I will likely pay through the nose because I didn´t book my plane tickets in advance.

I hear I can take a ferry from Spain to Italy, but that is less than ideal because my trip ends in Italy, so it will require some degree of backtracking.

Now I can go see other cities in Spain (Seville, Valencia and circle around through portugal and back into Spain , hoping that the strike will end by the time I get back. However, I kind of wanted to see more of Europe than just Spain and portugal. Also, if the strike still continues, I will still have to somehow get to Italy because that is where my return flight is scheduled. So that may wind up only deferring the problem until later.

The last option is to hang out here in Barcelona a few more days and hope it ends soon. If it doesn´t, I´m just wasting my travel time though.

Any suggestions?

Posted by
12313 posts

I wish I could offer concrete suggestions. It's kind of like traveling space-A where you never quite know what is going to be available.

Generally keep your ear to the ground. A lot of the strikes/stoppages are planned 24 to 48 hours in advance and, if you pay attention, you may be able to avoid them.

I'm also a believer in "keep moving". Strikes are usually isolated. They may completely shut down one city while a nearby city is fine. Consider a bus (or even boat) to get to a train station where there is no strike.

The news this morning was that the strikes in France may be petering out. Hopefully that's true and you can get going again.

If all else fails, don't forget to enjoy your experience (whereever you're at).

Posted by
1022 posts

Check out Ryan Air which has cheap flights from Barcelona to Rome and elsewhere in Europe. also flies from other Spanish airports including Valencia.

Posted by
4535 posts

If you have a rail pass, then the worst thing you can do is stay put. Use it to travel more extensively in Spain and Portugal. Most likely in a week or so things will clear up in France and the trains will be running again. Keep checking websites and at travel agencies. As soon as things clear, head for France. If things don't clear, you will have to break down and buy a plane ticket. Use a cheaper airline to get decent deals on short notice.

Posted by
33784 posts

Just because trains don't want to cross the border doesn't mean that trains aren't running, to one degree or other, on both sides of the border.

If I were in your shoes I'd head for a big border station and get across the border however and get a train from the other side. Ask the train crew what people are doing. I'm sure they will have already heard the question. Don't try for the big international trains, look for regional ones.

Posted by
32349 posts

Patrick,

As someone else mentioned, the strikes appear to be decreasing somewhat, so you may be able to reach another country in the next day or so.

I had a look at the SNCF website, and with my somewhat limited French skills, it appears that traffic is getting back to normal (although it's not there yet). If I read correctly, EuroStar and Thalys are operating as usual.

In the same situation, I'd have a look at EasyJet or Vueling, to see if there are any inepensive flights in the next day or so (keeping in mind that other travellers will be looking at the same method). I'd also check at the local station a couple of times a day to determine the current status of trains to France. The ticket agents may have more current information than that posted on the rail websites.

Good luck!

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