Train or Bus from Barcelona to Marseille?

Being in Barcelona in September, I hope you are there during the La Merce festival. It's the biggest of the year. It last for about 4 days. We were there during the festival last year. It was great. To answer your question, you can get to Marseille on the same day by train or by train/bus depending on the run. The journey takes between 7.0hrs and 8.5hrs again depending on the run. You will change transportation 3-4 times during the journey. You can buy your tickets at the Barcelona Sants train station in advance. Be advised that for us and for friends of ours traveling separately last year, the ticket agents there will not accept a credit card for tickets into France beyond Figures-Vilafant which is the last stop for the Renfe train. We ended up paying about 110E for the tickets to Nimes. The Renfe train will take you to Figures-Vilafant where you will change to the French TGV. From there, you go to Avignon where you change trains or get on a bus to get to the Avignon TGV station where you then take a train to Marseilles. Here's a link to see what I see. http://gyazo.com/dc9dd7c3fd1713acbc11e1ac0a2e948d

thank you for your reply. Is the trip pretty, or do you feel we should just take a plane?

This will depend on how much time you have. As I said above, we did not find the train trip overly scenic but if you have the time, it was a nice and comfortable trip. If you are crunched for time, take the plane.

Your fastest route (6hr24min) is Barcelona Sants-Figueres Vilafant-Montpellier-Marseille, departing at 12:22 and arriving at 18:46. See the detailed timetables on the German Rail site.

thanks for all the information; this helps us make our decision!