Barcelona, Spain to Caen, France and back?
 

My husband and I are taking a med cruise for our 25th wedding anniversary next fall. He has always wanted to go to Caen, France and the Normandy Beaches for a tour of the WW2 sights.

Can anyone tell me if it is possible to get from Barcelona, Spain to Caen then back without having to rent a vehicle?

Any and all info would be greatly appreciated.

Kim

Fly into Paris and take the train from there. Search here for " from paris to normandy " and you will find lots of posts here on how to do that. If you do an advanced search you can search back more years which will yield more posts.

Also check the trains -- there is supposed to be a TGV line between Paris and Barcelona. I'm not sure when it will be completed or open, though. Do you mean Fall 2011 or Fall 2012?

Argh, posted before I was done...
We were in the SW of France last fall (2010) and they were in construction and doing test-runs of portions of this rail route. I think it would be a really gorgeous trip through some beautiful country, and just may be an option in the Fall of 2012.

Oh dear. Sorry for the multiple posts, but I guess I was too excited about the possibilities. The TGV from Barcelona to Perpignan will perhaps open in 2012, but then it is just regular trains to Montpellier and then Nimes. (There is a TGV between Paris and Nimes) You will save considerable time and do better with flights.

There is an overnight train from Barcelona to Paris that may suit you.

"The TGV from Barcelona to Perpignan will perhaps open in 2012, but then it is just regular trains to Montpellier and then Nimes. (There is a TGV between Paris and Nimes)"

There is a TGV from Paris to Figueres, Spain with a 20 minutes wait for a regular train to Barcelona. Spazin has not finished yet the Figueres/Barcelona TGV track. It does not run at top speed between Nîmes and Perpignan because the area is heavily populated but it is exactly the same train as the one between Paris and Nîmes. The journey takes 7.50 hours, much faster than the night train.
There is also the Talgo from Barcelona to Montpellier via Portbou, then a TGV from Montpellier to Paris.

Thank you all for the information. I am not going till fall 2012 so will have time to get this route down,

www.vueling.com

www.rumbo.es

www.lastminute.com will give you flights. Then check each carrier's website also. One way flights are also available in case you want to combine the overnight sleeper train with flying. If you reserve that train early many times they have great deals.