Train from Avignon to Barcelona - How do I book this?
 

We are spending several days in the Avignon area prior to a cruise out of Barcelona.

I looked into just driving to Barcelona, but right now I think the drop fee is going to kill me. But of course this assumes I can figure out how much it costs to take the train and how to book a train ticket.

The French site wants to take me back to Paris overnight... LOL!
The Spanish site keeps trying to send me on slow trains, I thought there was an AVE from the French border to Barcelona.
Even Rail Europe won't quote this over thier system.

So how would you book it? Suggestions are welcome!

I tested the sncf site and it gives a 5+ hour itinerary with changes in Nimes and at the Spanish border, without going to Paris.

When are you travelling? I have tried a day in May and as you said it gave trains via Gare de Lyon Paris that take 16hrs or so for the price of about €150. Then I tried in April, that gave normal train connections Avignon Centre - Nîmes - Figueras, 5hrs 8 minutes and the price of € 60 - 80.

We are traveling the end of May. But I tried booking for earlier just because I knew it was not really under the 3 month window.

I tried TGV Europe. Will play around on SNCF

Thanks

Tried SNCF for the last Friday in April...won't price, tells me I can't book. I may wind up having to call Rail Europe and pay them more....

When I check the bahn.de site I see a train that takes 5 hours and goes via Nimes and Figueres. It's a regional train from Avignon to Nimes and then transfer to the TGV to Figueres and then the AVE to Barcelona.

Perhaps if you check the French site for a train from Nimes to Barcelona you will have more luck.

OK... final time was a charm. Got it to at least give me one option form Avignon... was later then we want but pretty cheap so...

WIll keep messing around. I may have to buy two tickets. One for Avignon to Figueres and one on Renfe to Bacelona, but having tried to purchase on Renfe before I was hoping to avoid that nightmare :)

And I have no idea how you are getting a five hour train on the bahn.de site. It keeps giving me the 8 hour options!

I entered Avignon as origin and Barcelona Sants as destination.

It's the 8:40 train from Avignon center to Nimes, arriving 13:48 at Barcelona Sants. Bahn.de does not allow posting of links for the schedules other wise I would post the link for you.

It's the same schedule as kappa1 (above) describes, although I didn't see that response when before I checked. So that's 2 people who see the 5 hour duration.

I finally got it to show. Apparently I had some filter checked that was giving me the "slow options" only LOL!

I have two options now. Not sure I can book one of them on SNCF but I think I can figure out how to do two tickets if Renfe goes along :)

Did you ever get it to work? We are traveling a similar route (Perpignan to Barcelona) at the beginning of June and I have had problems getting the SNCF website to show any available options. Even though it is within the three month window, it says that tickets are not open. It seems to be some kind of error with their open date -- like it is accidentally programmed for 2 months in advance rather than 3.

Several people recommended the Talgo train to me, which goes direct from Perpignan to Barcelona; I think it starts at Montpellier, so if you could get there from Avignon that might be an option.

This time I could not find a itinerary that did not go through Paris, leaving Avignon at 6+pm and arriving in Barcelona the next morning around 9 am. <b>But</b> one can find quite a few trains going from Avignon to Perpignan, and one can connect from there to Barcelona. However, while trains can be reserved for the French rail system (I used June 3), itineraries that include Spain do not allow a reservation yet. I tried April, and there is one evening train on Wednesdays but multiple trains on Thursdays going from Perpignan to Barcelona. I would check to see what the ticket prices are if leaving tomorrow, and if the June date prices are substantially lower, I would buy the Avignon-Perpignan ticket, aiming for a lunch time arrival and assume that an afternoon ticket to Barcelona would be available at a later date; if it is not, there's always the evening train.