would like to know how best to get from avignon to barcelona without incurring drop off charges (one country to another)
seem lost in RailEurope system but I think it should be do-able.
Hope one of you has done this!
Thanks

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en will get you to the German train website that does a nice job of covering Europe. A quick plug-in of Avignon suggests you have only a couple of trains per day that can get you to Montpelier for a connection to Barcelona -- everything else requires 2 or three changes of train.

Hope this helps (have taken the train from Barcelona to Paris and also had to change at Montpelier -- not a big thing).

Your request is very vague.

Do you need a car once in Spain for driving to other areas (you don't need one in Barcelona)??? Do you plan to "sight-see" on the way there (Carcassone)???. How many of you are there??? What is the drop off fee???

You can do the math, but here are some options:

1. A train from Avignon is about 8 hrs & a non-discounted fare is about 42E per person.
2. You could fly from Marseille (I think), but I'm sure that would be more than the drop off fee.
3. You could drive to a town in France closer to Barcelona and take a train (Toulouse, or Perpignan).
4. If there are two of you and you want to see sights along the way, drive to Figures in Spain (if there is an office there), pick up a Spanish car, drive 2 cars back to Perpignan, or anyplace closer with an office, (approx 1 1/2 hrs). Drop off the French car, and then drive on to Barcelona. This may get you a double car rental for 1 day, however.

If it were me and I had no interest in seeing any of the fantastic sites between Avignon & Barcelona, I would take the train. If I wanted to see the sites, I would drive & not waste any of my limited vacation time trying to save a drop off fee.

Stu Dudley
San Mateo (San Francisco), Ca.

>If there are two of you and you want to see sights along the way, drive to Figures in Spain (if there is an office there), pick up a Spanish car, drive 2 cars back to Perpignan, or anyplace closer with an office, (approx 1 1/2 hrs). Drop off the French car, and then drive on to Barcelona.<

OR

Drop the car in Perpignan, train to Figueras (1:13 hr) and pick up a Spanish car.

>>OR

Drop the car in Perpignan, train to Figueras (1:13 hr) and pick up a Spanish car.<<

ira

I considered that option too, but this person either has to:
1. Get to Perpignan from Avignon by 8:00 AM, which is probably not practical, or
2. Arrive in Figueras at 8 PM, rent a car, & drive to Barcelona - too late in the day for me.

Seems that there are no mid-day trains from Perpignan to Figueras.

The train that arrives in Figueras at 8 PM, arrives in Barcelona at 10 PM, which would be my choice if I wanted to catch it in Perpignan.

If this were my trip, I'de spend about 5 days (min) getting to Barcelona.

Stu Dudley