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Train travel Barcelona to Bayonne, France

Posted by on

We are flying into Barcelona for several days prior to the start of our trip through the Basque Country. We are searching for an interesting way to travel from Barcelona to Bayonne. You can take a train with 2 connections (Narbonne and Toulouse) to get to Bayonne in about 6 1/2 hours.
Has anyone taken this trip? One connection is very tight. How reliable are these train? We are planning to arrive in Bayonee a day before the start of the tour. Is this a relaxing yet interesting ride? We meet interesting people on any train!

Thank you

Posted by
27057 posts

I have done parts of that trip, not the whole thing. I believe it's the fastest way to get from Barcelona to Bayonne. About a month ago I took Spanish trains up to Latour de Carol and switched to a French regional train, ultimately getting to Foix on the same day. I then traveled to Tarbes, Pau and Bayonne. I rather doubt that you would make it from Barcelona to Bayonne in a single day.

There's some nice scenery along the way. The trains make a lot of stops and are therefore slow. I didn't miss any connections, but there certainly are no guarantees. The connection at Latour de Carol is tight. The Spanish train was late, but it appeared the French train was waiting for it.

Posted by
6876 posts

While the French route via Narbonne and Toulouse is a bit faster, you are likely to find that a Spanish route via Irun can be much cheaper. You go:
- Barcelona - Irun by train in 6.5 hours
- Irun - Hendaye by taxi (15€ max) in 20 minutes at most, or short walk + euskotren if on a budget
- Hendaye - Bayonne by fairly frequent regional train or TGV in about 40 minutes

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