Greetings, travel experts! I come here for advice from anyone who has made this train trip in the summer- this would be in mid-July, mid-week, 2007. I am having trouble with the RailEurope and SNAF Websites; getting error messages and/or just one train that seems to leave only late at night. ??? Are trains frequent? How far is the Dali museum from the train station in Figueres? Any other advice? Many thanks!

There are several trains a day although the current schedule may change next year.

You can check the schedules using the GermanRail webiste:

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

As to ther Dali Museum...you can walk northwest from the RR station (about 10 minutes or so) to the Rambla which is more or less the main boulevard. The Teatre-Museu Dali is about 600 feet north of the Rambla.

Thank you so much, Dukey, for the excellent Web link and helpful advice for the Dali museum. I know that generally one cannot reserve/order rail tickets more than 60 days in advance. Were you there in high summer season? Is it worth purchasing the tickets ahead of time? I really appreciate the help!

If those trains are regional and make several stops I'm not sure how essential reservations would be. Some trains cannot be reserved at all. OTOH it would be cheaper to reserve them once you arrive in Europe and you can usually do so from ANY rail station.

Have you ridden trains in Europe before? Unless there is a train on which the seat reservation is <b>mandatory</b> (such as on a TGV for example, you may even be able to get aboard and take an unreserved seat.

Will you have to make a change in Port Bou?

You will not be able to book the train using the SNCF site since it is considered an international train. That leaves RailEurope, if you want to pay extra for the ticket.

As Dukey mentioned, you shouldn't have any problem booking the train once you are in France, and if nothing else, there is always the bus.

More train thanks; for Collioure to Figueres...I have been using the Rick Steves book for most of this trip's planning, but he gets a little vague occasionally, as in this instance. With only two full days for Collioure, while the distance between the two cities looks small on the map it hasn't been clear how often the train(s) run. And yes, there is a transfer at Portbou- so it takes two hours, total. I was planning a long day trip to the museum, and the other to hang around the beach as a respite before the next leg of the journey to Provence. Yes, I've used trains in Europe before and am aware of the reservation system, etc.- it's just been hard to get a sense of how crowded this venture will be in mid-July. Also, I am new to posting here. Are people typically so sarcastic (reading some of the other threads)? I see tons of useful information and at the same time lots of snipe-y comments...

Rick Steves is probably a very nice guy, actually he lives a few miles up the road from me, but most of his books tend to be a bit out of date. That's what happens when you cover too much territory.

It's a distance of 60 km, 38 miles along the highway. Why not save all of the hassle and hire a taxi to take you to the museum.

Sglass,

I'd say your overall plan is a good one especially now that you have some idea of the time and distance involved, the particulars about making the train changes, the ins and outs of the rail systems, etc.

As to your other question about the &quot;tone&quot; of some posts here. I will be the first to admit that I can be quie a bit &quot;snipey&quot; when I see some of what I personally think are posts reflecting a person who comes here and expects everyone to do their research, act as their travel agent, answer their self-described &quot;stupid&quot; questions, etc.

And od we ever get a &quot;thank you&quot; from some of these people? Not as often as people in polite society might expect.

Enjoy your trip; the Dali is a lot of fun.