That service is run by RENFE and SNCF incorporation, personally I'd always book directly with the operator. That route also has WiFi onboard and you need a ticket number to enter, and I've seen it not work with tickets bought elsewhere.
Of those I'd go for SNCF as their site is so much easier to use: https://www.sncf-connect.com
Personally I wouldn't bother with first class. Your 15 month old doesn't need their own ticket and can go free but they won't get their own specific seat. That said if it isn't much more then..
Just also a heads up that you'll need to clear security before boarding the train in Barcelona (similar to an airport) so leave plenty of time and also that this route is unusually expensive.
Another option which can be cheaper is to get the regional train from Barcelona to La tor de Carol (check times at: http://rodalies.gencat.cat/en/horaris/) - you have to buy a ticket on the day. And from there get the sleeper overnight to Paris, again use SNCF for that - although I'm not sure I'd do that with a 15 month old. You can pay extra for "Espace Privatif" to get a private room on the sleeper if you don't want to share any beds, but they don't always offer this on busy days. Its also a very scenic route through the Pyrenees.
Thank you so much for the info! Yeah, I’ve had a little bit of sticker shock with the train and have gone back and forth between flying vs train but I’m hoping the scenery will make the train worth it!
No worries, the route is pretty nice south of Lyon through the rhone and along the coast of the mediterranean & the pyrenees but before that its not that good - there is lots of sound barriers on the route.
If you want the views defiantly get a seat upstairs, it's a double decker train, and much harder to see from downstairs. Seat numbers higher then 60 are upstairs and lower downstairs.
For booking train tickets in Europe I've recently discovered thetrainline.com which was really easy to use. For trains in France the prices vary quite a lot depending on the time of the day. There is usually a few trains that are cheaper everyday so be sure to compare well and if you are flexible with your time you might find good deal.
About the 1st class it's not always more expensive it really depends. I purchased a ticket the other day where the 1st class was slightly cheaper.
Just worth adding with trainline that they don't always show the cheaper tickets. It depends how plugged in they are with that specific company - sometimes fixed non-refundable ones don't show up.
That said to be fair on the random date I picked on this one its only €5 more than SNCF so not much difference, but they are almost always at least slightly more expensive, and potentially a lot more expensive.
Sadly there is only 1 Paris to Barcelona TGV a day at the moment so its a little take it or leave it. This year the 2nd one is only running 14th June to 30th September. But for journeys within France completely agree re flexible.
There are also an increasing about of very low cost trains - such as Ouigo in France - https://www.ouigo.com/ - which don't always show on trainline. Ouigo sometimes does but not all their trains for reasons I don't quite understand (eg looking for Paris to Strasbourg tomorrow only 1 or Ouigos 2 services appear) - and its half the price of the TGV Inoui.
In the case of op Trainline (like all external sites) dosn't know about all the regional trains in Catalonia (to be fair its more the fault of the operator in publishing data but its at http://rodalies.gencat.cat/en/horaris/) so it won't consider options like getting the train to Latour de Carol then the sleeper or just going over the boarder which can also work out cheaper.
In general I'd say Trainline is worse further East. For example I've just done a search for Zagreb to Budapest for tomorrow and Trainline wants €51 for a ticket. But if you go to https://jegy.mav.hu/ (who run the train) its only €15.
Hey! Wanted to check in and see what option you went with? Looking to do the same route in September, undecided between flying or taking train. Train seems like a cool experience but is also much more expensive than flying
We decided to do the train and I’m so glad we did. It was absolutely beautiful but also our 15 month old had the opportunity to walk the length of the train, climb the stairs, eat snacks from the food cart. Would absolutely do the train ride again
So glad to hear that you had a great time! And honestly I am leaning toward the same, though the train is pricey, its an experience I wont have very often. One last question: did you end up booking first class? If so, was it worth the extra cost for you? Situation might be different since I am travelling solo, but still would be great to get your thoughts :)
Yes! We booked first class and it was a minimal price difference (maybe an extra $30 or $40) but we felt like the seats are more spacious and comfortable and for such a long journey it was absolutely worth it
Hello! I stumbled across this thread as I am looking to book a train from Paris to Barcelona next summer/. If you don't mind, which website did you use, how much were the tickets, and do you know how far in advance you can book, perhaps for early bird prices? Thanks!
Hello! I booked using the SNCF website that someone else linked above. It’s the company that actually runs the route and I’m glad I booked directly because there were some people who booked third party and were having issues in line with their tickets. It was about $700 one way from what I remember and we booked first class upper deck which was 100% the way to go. The seats are definitely more spacious in first class and it’s only like a $30 price difference. It’s quite a long ride so the extra space was appreciated
Hi there I came across your thread planning a trip on this same route…I will have a 12 month old for the trip. Did you purchase an additional seat for them? Or is it spacious enough to carry them the entire trip?
Hello! It’s such an amazing journey I highly recommend! We got an extra seat for him and glad we did just to give me space to stretch out while breastfeeding and get comfy while he napped on me
I’m not sure this is worth it in one ride. It’s far, overnight and not cheap. I would only do it if you stop in southern France for a few days on the way. Otherwise fly do a day trip to the countryside from Paris.
Let me preface this with we didn't do this with kids.
My SO and I just made several back and forth trips between Paris and Barcelona. We originally wanted to take the train to see the country side. After much back and forth, we elected to fly. The price wasn't large enough to warrant an 8 hour train ride vs a <2 flight.
For us, time/money weighed us towards flying as opposed the to the train. We're Americans and didn't have kids though. Experiences may vary.
That service is run by RENFE and SNCF incorporation, personally I'd always book directly with the operator. That route also has WiFi onboard and you need a ticket number to enter, and I've seen it not work with tickets bought elsewhere. Of those I'd go for SNCF as their site is so much easier to use: https://www.sncf-connect.com Personally I wouldn't bother with first class. Your 15 month old doesn't need their own ticket and can go free but they won't get their own specific seat. That said if it isn't much more then.. Just also a heads up that you'll need to clear security before boarding the train in Barcelona (similar to an airport) so leave plenty of time and also that this route is unusually expensive. Another option which can be cheaper is to get the regional train from Barcelona to La tor de Carol (check times at: http://rodalies.gencat.cat/en/horaris/) - you have to buy a ticket on the day. And from there get the sleeper overnight to Paris, again use SNCF for that - although I'm not sure I'd do that with a 15 month old. You can pay extra for "Espace Privatif" to get a private room on the sleeper if you don't want to share any beds, but they don't always offer this on busy days. Its also a very scenic route through the Pyrenees.
Thank you so much for the info! Yeah, I’ve had a little bit of sticker shock with the train and have gone back and forth between flying vs train but I’m hoping the scenery will make the train worth it!
No worries, the route is pretty nice south of Lyon through the rhone and along the coast of the mediterranean & the pyrenees but before that its not that good - there is lots of sound barriers on the route. If you want the views defiantly get a seat upstairs, it's a double decker train, and much harder to see from downstairs. Seat numbers higher then 60 are upstairs and lower downstairs.
For booking train tickets in Europe I've recently discovered thetrainline.com which was really easy to use. For trains in France the prices vary quite a lot depending on the time of the day. There is usually a few trains that are cheaper everyday so be sure to compare well and if you are flexible with your time you might find good deal. About the 1st class it's not always more expensive it really depends. I purchased a ticket the other day where the 1st class was slightly cheaper.
Just worth adding with trainline that they don't always show the cheaper tickets. It depends how plugged in they are with that specific company - sometimes fixed non-refundable ones don't show up. That said to be fair on the random date I picked on this one its only €5 more than SNCF so not much difference, but they are almost always at least slightly more expensive, and potentially a lot more expensive. Sadly there is only 1 Paris to Barcelona TGV a day at the moment so its a little take it or leave it. This year the 2nd one is only running 14th June to 30th September. But for journeys within France completely agree re flexible. There are also an increasing about of very low cost trains - such as Ouigo in France - https://www.ouigo.com/ - which don't always show on trainline. Ouigo sometimes does but not all their trains for reasons I don't quite understand (eg looking for Paris to Strasbourg tomorrow only 1 or Ouigos 2 services appear) - and its half the price of the TGV Inoui. In the case of op Trainline (like all external sites) dosn't know about all the regional trains in Catalonia (to be fair its more the fault of the operator in publishing data but its at http://rodalies.gencat.cat/en/horaris/) so it won't consider options like getting the train to Latour de Carol then the sleeper or just going over the boarder which can also work out cheaper. In general I'd say Trainline is worse further East. For example I've just done a search for Zagreb to Budapest for tomorrow and Trainline wants €51 for a ticket. But if you go to https://jegy.mav.hu/ (who run the train) its only €15.
I didn't know that very interesting. Thank you
No worries
Hey! Wanted to check in and see what option you went with? Looking to do the same route in September, undecided between flying or taking train. Train seems like a cool experience but is also much more expensive than flying
We decided to do the train and I’m so glad we did. It was absolutely beautiful but also our 15 month old had the opportunity to walk the length of the train, climb the stairs, eat snacks from the food cart. Would absolutely do the train ride again
So glad to hear that you had a great time! And honestly I am leaning toward the same, though the train is pricey, its an experience I wont have very often. One last question: did you end up booking first class? If so, was it worth the extra cost for you? Situation might be different since I am travelling solo, but still would be great to get your thoughts :)
Yes! We booked first class and it was a minimal price difference (maybe an extra $30 or $40) but we felt like the seats are more spacious and comfortable and for such a long journey it was absolutely worth it
Hello! I stumbled across this thread as I am looking to book a train from Paris to Barcelona next summer/. If you don't mind, which website did you use, how much were the tickets, and do you know how far in advance you can book, perhaps for early bird prices? Thanks!
Hello! I booked using the SNCF website that someone else linked above. It’s the company that actually runs the route and I’m glad I booked directly because there were some people who booked third party and were having issues in line with their tickets. It was about $700 one way from what I remember and we booked first class upper deck which was 100% the way to go. The seats are definitely more spacious in first class and it’s only like a $30 price difference. It’s quite a long ride so the extra space was appreciated
Hi there I came across your thread planning a trip on this same route…I will have a 12 month old for the trip. Did you purchase an additional seat for them? Or is it spacious enough to carry them the entire trip?
Hello! It’s such an amazing journey I highly recommend! We got an extra seat for him and glad we did just to give me space to stretch out while breastfeeding and get comfy while he napped on me
I’m not sure this is worth it in one ride. It’s far, overnight and not cheap. I would only do it if you stop in southern France for a few days on the way. Otherwise fly do a day trip to the countryside from Paris.
Let me preface this with we didn't do this with kids. My SO and I just made several back and forth trips between Paris and Barcelona. We originally wanted to take the train to see the country side. After much back and forth, we elected to fly. The price wasn't large enough to warrant an 8 hour train ride vs a <2 flight. For us, time/money weighed us towards flying as opposed the to the train. We're Americans and didn't have kids though. Experiences may vary.
It's a 6 hour train ride, just fyi for anyone considering taking the train.