Avignon to Barcelona by train
 

We are planning our next trip for this Fall or next Spring.

From Avignon how would we travel by rail to Barcelona? We spoke to someone recently who indicated the connecting train from Avignon to Montpelier must be taken at the old station in town not the TGV station.

Two questions:

-Is that true?
-How frequently can the connections be made with the Barcelona train? Is it a once-a- day connection, etc.

Thanks as always.

Anthony

twice a day there are fast connections via Montpellier.

1 - take regional train or TGV train to Montpellier and in the same station i believe you then change to the Catalan Talgo train that goes to Barcelona and beyond. No other train can go thru the border since tracks in Spain are wider than those in France but Talgo trains have wheel bases that can be cranked apart or together at the border to run on tracks in each country.

In the next several years when the new trans-Pyrenees high-speed line in built from Perpginan to Barcelona then many more trains will go thru as this line in Spain is being built to French track widths (as are AVE tracks throughout Spain so trains can run between France and Madrid and Seville for example)

Also there are TGV and local trains that go from Avignon/Nimes to Cerbere and Port Bou - the border point where you can then change to local trains to Barcelona but this takes much much longer and some trains on this route can be cattle cars and uncomfortable.

Reservations are required on the Talgo and can be hard to make as this train from Montpellier funnels traffic from Paris, Avignon, Nice and Geneva.

To reserve try www.voyages-sncf.com or in the US i always recommend BETS (800-441-2387) for any such reservation. If you will be in Avignon some days then you could probably make it there but at some periods it can be hard to book.

As far as i know there is only one station in Montpellier - St Roche where both trains come in. Avignon has a TGV station outside of town and one in the town centre. You can take trains from the one in the town right to Cebere/Port Bou and then change to Spanish trains - in case you can't get the reservations.

The Talgo train from Montpellier to Barcelona is twice daily, and goes from the same station as French trains. You can check connections on www.bahn.de.
If the Talgo trains are fully booked (standing is not allowed), then take a French train to Port Bou, the first station in Spain, then a Spanish train. The Spanish trains run every hour or two, but are mostly local trains that take a lot longer than the through Talgo train. Note that in the other direction, from Spain to France, you'd need to change at Cerbère, the first station in France.

As the first Talgo Montpellier-Barcelona Franca leave Mont around 7:30 if going the Talgo route the next and last one leaves Mont around 5pm - so maybe the train to border and change would be a more convenient if albeit slower connection.

PalenQ and other respondents:

Thanks so much. This is a a bit tricky but with plenty of time we will figure it out.

Anthony