Train Barcelona to Nice

I am just investigating. We could get an open jaws flight to Barcelona and home from Nice. When checking on Rail Europe it was Barcelona 8:45 - Montpellier 4 hr. 37 min. Montpellier - Nice 4 hr.17 min arriving at 6:33. This would not be until June and I have had to use hours from Dec. but - OK nearly 9 hours. Do you know if the ride is scenic?
Thanks.

We did the same journey last spring, in the opposite direction. But what was supposed to be a nearly nine hour journey became a 14-hour odyssey when our train broke down in France and we missed the connection in Montpelier for the express train to Barcelona. We bumped to a slower local train, but a fellow traveller told us its route, which skirted the coastline much of the way, was far more scenic than the express route.

Thank you Nels. Not sure whether to do that or stay in Nice and from there do the Cinque terre for a few days. With our last trip to Nice the Italian train broke down (although we were told it was probably a slowdown by the workers). So many decisions!!

Shari, The shortest rail trip I could find was from Barcelona Estacion de Franca to Nice Ville at 10H:39M (changes at Montpellier Saint-Roch, Avignon Centre and Bus to Avignon TGV, reservations compulsory). Given the length of the trip and the number of changes, I'd probably opt for travel by air (although with the restrictive luggage limits and the other usual "hassles", rail would probably be more relaxing). For rail information, your best resource is the bahn.de website and not Rail Europe. Cheers!

Ken, I found what you found, almost 11 hours plus train changes. That's why I submitted the 1st post, 8 hours in OP didn't sound right. Plus OP was looking at Rail Europe and not the Bahn or Trenitalia sites.

You'll want to avoid Rail Europe for booking your tickets when possible. Usually you'll pay higher prices than on the European rail sites. Use http://www.tgv-europe.com/en/ for booking tickets in France; select Great Britain as your home country and elect to pick up your tickets at a French rail office. http://www.renfe.com/ is the Spanish rail carrier, however I have had no success in using it, so have used Rail Europe in Spain. (Trenitalia is an Italian rail site; Bahn can be used for finding schedules throughout Europe, but not for booking outside Germany in my experience.) But what's the rush? You'll be traveling through one of the most historic and scenic regions of France. The Greeks and Romans left their marks in Languedoc-Rousillon and Provence. The Camargue is unlike any other part of Europe. The coastline can best be seen and experienced by car. Consider renting a car in Perpignan and driving to Nice. There is much to see along the way.

Thanks Tex. I never book our rail tickets from here. We find it is cheaper to buy one way fares directly at the time of use. Oh we have booked Swiss Rail passes from Canada only to get there and find they would have been cheaper if buying in Basel. I only use the sites to get an idea of time and fares for when we get there. Nothing is written in stone and we have found while travelling that you go with the flow! I had just wondered if the trip was scenic and worth going in the day.

Rail connections between Barcelona and south west France always involve at least one change-usually Montpellier (sometimes Narbonne as well). We have done this trip nearly every year for the past 10. Buy a France/Spain Saverpass good for 3 days. Last spring we opted to take a couchette on the overnight train Barcelona, Sants to Paris, have breakfast then take the TGV back south direct to Nice. Then TGV back to Paris when it was time to fly home. The overnight train in a first class couchette saves a hotel night. We buy our pass here and book reservations through our travel agent for the main train journeys on the days we want. It couldn't be easier.

Thanks Yvonne. We prefer to fly in and out of Nice. It is such an easy trip to the airport and no city crowds to contend with. In Vancouver if you go through a travel agent there are extra charges and I kinda of like playing around on the computer and making our own itinerary. I think in the end we are going to chose to take the condo we love in Nice, do day trips we did not get to last visit and leave the condo vacant for a few days and do the Cinque Terre. I love the daily life in Nice of going to the flower market and getting fresh fruit and walking the Promenade, going to the beach and renting a lounge and taking day trips when we feel like it. After 30 years of more adventurous travels I think I have answered my own question. Thanks for your input.