In the beginning of May we would like to take the train from Barcelona to Paris, France. How many hours is the train trip? Should we wait till we get to Barcelona to buy train ticket, or should we buy ahead now?
I would appreciate any input you may have.
thanks,
Kathy
I'm pretty sure only trip is still an overnight journey, and it takes about 12 hours, with one transfer. The cheapest you can find is about 45 Euros, sitting up allllll night. Tickets for this train, especially if you want sleeping acccommodations (which can get expensive) sell out quickly. Maybe consider a discount airline flight instead. vueling flies Barcelona-Paris CDG for as low as 35 Euro in May....catch a flight at 5 pm, be there by 7 pm.
You can take the Elipsos Trenhotel directly from Barcelona Franca to Paris Austerlitz, leaving at 21:05 and arriving at 09:00. You can get a discount fare by booking well in advance at the Spanish version of www.voyages-sncf.com and choosing to pick up your ticket at a station in Spain. But a man and a woman traveling together will need to book a double cabin. Couchettes are same sex only on this train.
A cheaper option would be to buy a ticket in Barcelona for Barcelona Sants-Cerbere, leaving at 17:25 and arriving at 20:07. Then if you can handle French, book the Cerbere-Paris Austerlitz night train, leaving at 21:21 and arriving at 07:27, at www.voyages-sncf.com well in advance to get PREM'S fares: 35€ for a bunk in a six-person couchette or 60€ for a bunk in a four-person couchette (worth it for the extra space and comfort). Men and women can share these couchettes. Leave France as the default country, do NOT choose cancellation insurance and print your own ticket at home.
The fare for the 17:25 departure from Barcelona to Cerbere is 10.50€. There is an earlier train that is slightly faster, but the fare is 28€.
You can book the Elipsos Trenhotel in English at www.raileurope.com, but you will pay top dollar. RailEurope doesn't even list the Cerbere-Paris night train.
