Mahya2

Here's the problem.
I will be returning to France in October 09 so I'm trying to figure out what round trip air ticket to boy now when I leave Spain in May 09.

First of all the plane fares are outrageously expensive right now,

So I'm trying to figure out:

1) can I take a fast train from Granada to Paris? and where would I catch that train...? Would there be an overnite train ?

2) Should I change plans and take train or plane to hub of Barcelona back to the states?

How am I going to get out of Granada
to an airplane hub with reasonable airfares back to the states?

Thanks Fodorites.

PalenQ

Well i can tell you by train

you take the 4 hour or so day train from Granada to Madrid and then hop on the Talgo overnight train that ends in Paris without any of the usual changing of trains at the border (tracks in Spain wider than those in France but Talgos have moveable wheel bases and they crank the wheels apart or closer at the border) and arrive in Paris around 8-9 in the morning.

However the train fare may be a high as plane fare unless you get one of the often elusive online discounts for the Madrid-Paris Hotel Train - check www.renfe.es and Good Luck.

Robert2533

You can fly from Granada to Madrid for a connecting flight back to the states. There are also flights out of Malaga. There are a couple of direct flights from Granada to Barcelona, but most go through Madrid.

You can take the train from Granada to Paris, through Madrid, and yes, it would involve an overnight trip.

Since you haven't told us where in the States you're going, it's difficult to know what to tell you. You might want to check with a travel agent to help you figure things out. That's what they do for a living and some are pretty good at it.

PalenQ

And there is an overnight train Granada to Barcelona if you can find a reasonable flight out of there - in the day it would take literally all day and into the night Granada-Barcelona

Malaga could have cheaper flights and it's quite close to Granada

DalaiLlama

You can probably figure this out yourself, just be aware that schedules are not necessarily posted this early, and that tickets may not be sold this far in advance:

Trains at
www.renfe.es
http://plannerint.b-rail.be/bin/quer...n?L=profi&
www.voyages-sncf.fr

Flights at
www.vueling.es
www.kayak.com
www.mobissimo.com
www.skyscanner.net
www.whichbudget.com

Read the small print, weight and size restrictions are stringent, and they are not kidding...

Be creative and look for nearby airports if one doesn't suit, and don't disregard making a two-hopper flight, like with Ryanair - it could still be a lot faster and a lot cheaper than taking the train all the way.

Mahya2

Palen Q

Many Thanks.
I think you did it ! I like trains and if I take the Renfe trenhotel from Madrid to Paris it leaves at 7 PM and arrives at Paris-Austerlitz at about 8:30 AM...plenty of time to get to CDG and make a plane back to Florida. Takes care of getting a hotel for one night too. !

I couldnt book online because it's too early, but looked at the direct buses also from Granada to Madrid - about a 5 hour ride - so if I left Granada about 12 noon- watched the scenery on the ride - arrived in Madrid about 5, time for dinner and travel to the train station. Sounds perfect. You brilliant person you !

Robert,

I did check out Vueling, Kayak and several other airlines from Granada and Malaga before I posted - quite expensive and roundabout: from $170 to $750....BRAK....to Barcelona or Paris.

Now if the airline prices will just go down. I dont understand why the tickets are so high when price of gas is falling falling falling !

dreamon

We flew with Vueling October 2006 and found them to be excellent (better than Iberia in fact). The only thing to watch out for is that the initial price quoted on their website excludes taxes and charges so you need to go further through the site to find the real price. Also, I found Iberia to have to occasional cheap airfare in amongst a whole lot of other much more expensive ones so it's worth checking.

Robert2533

The Iberia flight I checked was only $73/one-way.

DalaiLlama

This far out airline prices are high, that's normal.

Mahya2

True Dalai.

One of the interesting things I found
is Clickair. They go to Barcelona very reasonably priced and apparently in May they are going to begin to fly to CDG - whether form Granada or Barcelona is not entirely clear...I think from Bcn.