Hi - My wife and I are contemplating taking a train from Genoa to Barcelona. we would prefer to travel during daylight hours to take advantage of the scenery.. our question is can anyone advise if one way tickets can be purchased and if so approximately what price & how long does the journey take. we are aware of the eurorail passes but would have little use for them other than this one way journey.. anyhelp greatfully appreciated..
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
The best site for detailed timetables for virtually all of Europe is the German Rail site. It shows two daytime routes: 1. Depart Genova Piazza Principe at 05:22, make five connections, and arrive at Barcelona Sants at 21:39. 2. Depart Genova Piazza Principe at 08:55, make four connections, and arrive at Barcelona Sants at 22:45. Click on the arrow to the left of each departure time to see the details for the connecting points. Yes, you can buy single (one-way) tickets. Trenitalia (Italian National Rail) shows a 2nd class fare of €11.60 for Genova-Ventimiglia on the 05:22 Regionale train. SNCF (French National Rail) suggests going Ventimiglia-Nice-Montpellier-Perpignan rather than Ventimiglia-St Raphael-Montpellier-Perpignan. In either case you would arrive at Perpignan at 16:24. The 2nd class fare is €77.50. Perpignan-Port Bou costs €8.00. Port Bou-Barcelona Sants will be €18.70. If you leave Genova at 08:55, the fare will be €17.00 for the 08:55 IC train to Ventimiglia. Ventimiglia-Nice-Montpellier-Figueres will be €100.00. Figueres-Barcelona Sants will be €23.10.
Posted by
edmonton
91 posts
I also like daytime trains for viewing scenery but Genova to Barcelona - which I've done in segments, is a long ride involving several changes and a late arrival. Not that cheap, either. If you are in Genova, consider taking a Genova-Barcelona ferry, where you can sleep in a chair, plunked on a sofa, or in a nice cabin, after enjoying restaurants and bars, tax-free shopping, and an open deck for some daytime views. Not that expensive, either. You don't say which month you travel, but most such ferries conveniently leave in the evening and arrive next afternoon.