Perpignan to Barcelona by train

Direct TGVs were supposed to be running straight through to Barcelona by now, but there have been engineering problems which mean those services won't start until later in 2013. There is currently one direct train per day between Perpignan and Barcelona, the Talgo train number 463 departing at 08.58 and arriving Barcelona Sants at 11.48. You will see this service if you use the journey planner on http://en.voyages-sncf.com/ and specify Barcelona as your destination . Specify your ticket collection country as France. You can normally book 3 months in advance, but right now it looks like the middle of August is the latest possible date for that route, and I can see one way fares of €39. That's the standard price, available any time, but reservations are compulsory. If that time doesn't suit then you can change trains at Figueres Vilafant. Uncheck the 'Direct journey only' box on the SNCF journey planner to see these options. At Figueres Vilafant the transfer is just a short walk across the platform to catch a Spanish AVE or Avant train to Barcelona. Or, you could plan the second leg of the trip separately on http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/index.html . Make sure you specify Figueres Vilafant, not Figueres (which is a different station 5 kilometres away).

You can also get local trains from Perpignan to Portbou (French TER train, 45 minutes, no reservation, standard fare is €8.70) and then Spanish regional trains from Portbou to Barcelona (around 2 hours 40 minutes, from €12.60, buy tickets at the station). See the SNCF and RENFE journey planners.

I can see 3 trains a day from Perpignan to Barcelona Sants. The 8:50 train has no train changes but does take 2hrs50min. The 12:16 and 19:16 trains have one train change at Figures-Vilafant. The journey times are shorter for these two train runs. It seems to be problematic buying the tickets online. I've gone to the French website and it says that some fares cannot be shown. I may not be correct but there seems to be some type of money transfer issue between France and Spain. The trains are running. For us coming from Barcelona to Nimes, the Renfe agent would not take our credit card for the whole trip - Just to the French border. The rest into France had to be in cash. We've gone through this. Recently, we had a poster who was in Avignon and couldn't buy tickets to Barcelona online. She could by walking in the train station and buying the tickets there. You might have to do the same in Perpignan. The trains are running. It's not the track issue that they are building. French and Renfe trains both come into opposite sides of the same platform at Figueres-Vilifant. You walk across to the opposite train. They've been doing that for years.

Thank you, Kevin and Larry. Perhaps the direct TGV's from Paris to Barcelona would not help me in any case since I need to leave from Perpignan or from near Sarlat. But good to know. Kevin, I did follow your advice and found a senior fare for €29 for July 27 with the journey time as you said of 2 hours 50 min.. Of course, when I clicked on "choose my place" it said there were no seats available. I then clicked on "choose this journey" which brought me to a new page which says "this service is momentarily unavailable." Which, to me is a little confusing . I then checked the departure for 12:32 which says the journey time is 97h 32, but it looks like between the departure and arrival time is only 1 hour 42 min. It surprises me that a journey which requires a change of trains would take less time than a direct journey. Am I missing something here?
Thanks, Larry, for the note about Figures-vilafant. I had read about that several months ago in my online searches but had completely forgotten about it. This may, indeed require the purchase of tickets at a train station in France rather than online. But hope springs eternal. And, luckily this is a practice run for 2014. Again, many thanks to you both.

I get the same with a senior fare on that direct 08.58 train. Clicking through it does indeed say that fare is no longer available, but it offers another senior fare at €31. It says that is cheaper, which obviously it isn't, but if I click it then it certainly appears as if I could buy it - I can't take the dummy booking any further without providing my details, but I can't see a problem with it. As for changing at Figueres Vilafant, I don't know why it says the journey takes 97 hours, when clearly it doesn't. The reason it is faster than the direct train is that it involves a TGV and a Spanish AVE, both high speed trains and with fewer stops than the Talgo train number 463. Anyway, if you aren't travelling until next year then this is all academic. According to my copy of the summer 2013 European rail timetable, when direct TGVs start running through from Paris later in 2013, they will stop at Perpignan. For example, that existing 12.16 departure (train number 9711) will arrive in Barcelona at 13.32.