We are planning a trip to Europe next spring on a cruise to Barcelona, arriving May 7th. After spending some time there we want to go to Rome, we wouldn't mind by-passing southern France by flying or taking a boat to Rome. From Rome we will work our way up to Florence and Venice then into Austria. We plan on ending up in Norway and Sweden by mid-June. We plan on buying Eurail passes that we will start when in Italy, but if we had to we could start it in Spain.
check out rome2rio for options
How about renting a car? When I travel around the world, I like to use hired cars for transportation. And I always use this app https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/car-rentals-market-app/id878633650?ls=1&mt=8 to choose a fair car rent company. And there is also Andriod OS version of thsi app. It's paid version but I'm sure that there are some trial or free versions of it. I just like to use this one.
The ferry company that runs from Barcelona to Italy is www.grimaldi-lines.com. However, we prefer to fly with a budget airline to Rome; see www.skyscanner.com.
For the rest of your trip, How to Look Up Train Schedules and Routes Online gives you the DB train schedule link and tips for using it.
barbara,
I would NOT rent a car from Barcelona to Rome, as most rental firms charge a HUGE fee for renting a car in one country and dropping in another. The most efficient use of your holiday time will be a budget flight, which will probably be the least expensive method also. Have a look at Vueling for prices and other information (there are undoubtedly other airlines operating on that route, but I didn't check).
Thanks you - I think we will fly, that will let us spend more time in the two cities....we might even through in Morocco before we head to Rome- any suggestions on that city?
And carefully check to see if the Eurail pass will save money. It may not given the supplements you have to pay for seat reservations. If you are willing to commit to a fixed schedule, the advance purchase discount will save more than a pass. The primary advantage to a pass these days is the convenience at any time. And you may want to skip Italy for the pass, since Italian trains are very cheap even at full price.