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London to Barcelona by train
How to take the usual rail journey from London to Barcelona
It currently isn't possible to make a journey from London to Barcelona by making the usual connection in Paris
The necessary usual afternoon/evening departures on from the French capital to to Barcelona have been suspended since the beginning of the pandemic, though it looks as they will resume in early 2022.
So the only current options are:
- Take a train to Paris and spend the night there in order to take the train from the Gare De Lyon, which is departing at daily at 10:12
- Travel by day by train via Paris to Lyon, Nimes or Montpellier and take a train on to Barcelona after spending the night in these cities.
- For travel on Mon-Fri only, Trainline will offer an option of departing London at 07:01 and connecting in both Paris and Narbonne, but it only allows 54min to make the transfer from the Gare du Nord to the Gare de Lyon.
What's described below is the usual scenario, which should once again be available in 2022.
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Routes
From London St Pancras International to Barcelona Sants
Journey Summary
10hr 10 min
Daily
Travel Information
The Eurostar will arrive in Paris at the Gare Du Nord, but the train on to Barcelona will depart from the Gare De Lyon.
This guide explains how to make the transfer between the two stations by RER train.
You will have typically 1hr 20mins to make the transfer across Paris from the Gare Du Nord to the Gare De Lyon.
So even if the Eurostar was to arrive in Paris 45 mins late you should still make the train on to Barcelona.
Making that transfer across Paris by RER train won't usually take more than 30 mins and you won't have to 'check-in' for the Barcelona train.
Though you will be connecting into the final direct train of the day from Paris to Barcelona
So an option is to split the booking into London to Paris and Paris to Barcelona journeys, so that you can set off from London earlier; and give yourself even more time in Paris to make the connection.
Or on the dates when the direct London - Lyon train is operating, an alternative is to avoid the need to transfer across Paris, by taking an alternative and much simpler routing, which involves changing trains in Lyon.
1 x connection per day
Changing trains in: Paris
Tickets
Book Early And Save: Yes
Online bookings open: 4 months ahead usually
It's worth comparing the prices on RailEurope and Trainline, both services will add a booking fee for this journey, but on Trainline the additional charge won't be apparent until the final stage of the booking process.
It can also be worthwhile checking whether splitting tickets between the London to Paris and Paris to Barcelona journeys will be cheaper.
Though if you opt to do so allow a minimum of two hours to make the transfer across Paris, you will have to re-book the Paris to Barcelona journey if you book separate tickets and miss the connection.
Though if you want to allow more than around 90 minutes to make the connection in Paris you will need to book separate tickets.
Eurostar does not sell tickets for this journey.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Trainline | * | |
| RailEurope | * |
Train 1
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
As a consequence of the Covid-19 crisis Eurostar will be operating a particularly limited timetable for the time being - further information is available on Eurostar.com
Note that London is in a different time zone to mainland Europe, it is one hour behind - so when looking at a timetable the journey will look as though it's an hour longer.
When the usual timetable is operating;
The majority of trains have a journey time of 2hr 16mins and these trains are non-stop between London and Paris.
All departures from London after 14:30 are non-stop to Paris.
Depart from London before 14:30 some trains will call at either Ebbsfleet or Ashford International stations.
However as the trains only call at these stations to pick up passengers - these station calls are not included on the departure boards at St Pancras International or usually announced on the train.
At St Pancras International:
Eurostar requests that holders of Standard Class And Standard Premier tickets check-in a minimum of 30mins BEFORE departure, though this increased to 45mins on weekends and holidays.
If you have a Business Premier ticket, Eurostar recommends that you only have to check-in 10 mins before departure.
Our guide to taking a Eurostar from London is here.
It's not a scenic journey, but it is a journey with SIX distinct phases and highlights:
1: For most of the first 8 mins of the journey the trains use tunnels to exit London (Stratford International station is located between the tunnels).
2: Then from the right of the train, there are views of the River Thames marshes and of the Queen Elizabeth II road bridge.
3: The third tunnel that the train will pass through is the tunnel under the River Thames.
4: Shortly after Ebbsfleet International station (can only be seen from the right of the train) is the scenic highlight of the journey - the crossing of the River Medway.
5: The train will slow down as it approaches The Channel Tunnel.
Announcements are no longer made that the train is about to enter the tunnel.
The journey through the tunnel will take around 22 mins.
6: There is little of note to be seen from the high speed lines in France.
Train 2
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Final Destination: Barcelone (Barcelona)
All trains also call at: Figueres-Vilifant and Girona
On departure the train heading to Barcelona will usually be attached in front of another train which will be terminating in Montpellier.
Therefore the coaches heading to Barcelona will usually be found towards the far end of the platform/voie.
So don't cut it too fine when boarding these trains, if you don't want to hurry, be at the Gare De Lyon at least 5 minutes before the train will be leaving.
This is a journey of three distinct parts.
1: Between the outskirts of Paris and Nimes the trains travel on the high speed line.
- From Nimes to Perpignan the trains follow the coast, but don't expect incredible seascapes, the sea is often just out of sight on the right, but you're more likely to see it from the upper deck
Though what makes the part of the journey between Sete and Perpignan unusual is that between these two towns there are often sea lagoons which can be seen from the left-hand side of the train, particularly south of Narbonne when the railway seems to skim across the surface of the water
As can be seen in the video, what's unusual and rather fabulous about this part of the journey, as the train leaves Narbonne behind, is that the 'sea' can be seen from both sides of the train.
3, Between Perpignan and Barcelona, the train reverts back to using a high speed line.
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