Barcelona to Paris

Suzie, right now, I think the only run you can see on www.renfe.com is the night train to Paris-Austerlitz. No train changes but it takes 12hrs. I believe that day trains are coming online in May or June. They are finishing up the track improvements to get the French TGVs past Figueres and into Barcelona. You could fly so much faster and cheaper on www.vueling.com.

But you will not beat the "train experience" of traveling Gran Clase on the Joan Miro - it's not cheap but it is everything one imagines train travel of yore to be! Sometimes it is about the journey.

From May or June it should be possible to get a direct TGV from Barcelona to Paris, with no changes. Keep an eye on this page on The Man in Seat 61, where it is sure to be announced when tickets become available: http://www.seat61.com/news.htm In the meantime you can get a Spanish high speed train from Barcelona to Figueres Vilafant, which takes under an hour and costs around 20 Euro. Then Figueres Vilafant to Paris Gare de Lyon by SNCF TGV, which takes a bit more than 5 hours and prices from around 65 Euro. Book the Spanish train at www.renfe.com, the French TGV at www.tgv-europe.com (making sure you don't get forwarded to the Rail Europe website when you are given that option) and find everything I've said and a lot more information on here: http://www.seat61.com/Spain.htm#London-Barcelona_by_daytime_train

For a less expensive option, and far less time consuming try Vueling air
takes 1H40m prices start around 39,00 euro

Yep, I think train journeys over 5-6 hours lose their shine myself.. something about using the toilet down the hall that 30 other people are using for 12 hours.. of course perhaps on some trains one can pay $$$$ for private bathroom, thought most of them just have washbasins in cabins.. My budget would put me a shared cabin, and not wild about sleeping in closet with stangers myself.. but some people do enjoy it.. Too many years we rv'ed with our kids in a 30 foot mobile home ( which is huge compared to train cabin) and so there is no romance in that form of travel for me at all.. Anyways flying is fast and cheap..