Madrid to Montpellier by train

How to take the rail journey from Madrid to Montpellier

The usual daily direct train from Madrid to Montpellier (and Beziers and Nimes) has been temporarily suspended, due to supressed demand as a result of the pandemic.
It has been withdrawn for more than a year, so it will hopefully resume in 2022.
Therefore at the current time the optimum routing is:
Depart Madrid at 07:00
Depart Barcelona Sants at 10:10 (35 min connection)
Arrive Montpellier at 13:12.

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Routes

From Madrid Atocha/Puerta De Atocha to Montpellier St-Roch

Travel Information

Final Destination: Marseille

The train also calls at: Perpignan; Narbonne and Beziers

1 x train per day usually
Service has been temporarily suspended

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: up to 4 months ahead of the travel date

This trains is usually scheduled to depart from Madrid Atocha daily at 13:25, so target that time when looking up this journey

Though it can be worth comparing the prices between booking agents for this journey.

Reservations:

Seats will automatically be assigned when booking tickets for this journey.

Rail Pass Users:

Rail pass users will need to be pay a reservation fee prior to boarding, but these reservations cannot be booked on the ticket agent's websites.

If you want the peace of mind of reserving before arriving at a Spanish station, you will need to use the Eurail and InterRail booking services to reserve your seats - and pay the booking fee for doing so.

Though you can avoid a booking fee if you do reserve at a Spanish station.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
Trainline *

Trainline Guide

Renfe *

Renfe Guide

Renfe is the national rail operator in Spain and it has recently simplified the range of tickets it sells for express and regional train journeys in Spain.
Which is convenient as there are big savings to be made if you book ahead online.

Oui.SNCF *

Oui.SNCF Guide

SNCF is the national rail operator in France and not so long ago it recently simplified both the range of tickets and the term and conditions of using them.
Therefore the cheapest tickets also become more flexible too.

Other improvements included a simple integration of travelling with bicycles and rail pass users being able to book reservations for national journeys, without paying booking fees.

Though a legacy of when SNCF sold international tickets under the Rail Europe branding is that OuiSNCF is available in multiple translations with the offerings on the site then tailored to international visitors to France.
However, some of the site's features, including the integration of mobility assistance into the booking path, are only available on the French language version.

Something else to look out for is that simplest way of travelling with tickets is to use the SNCF 'My Travel' phone app, so it's therefore often a good idea to book on the OuiSNCF mobile service.

On this journey

Journey Features

High Speed (partial)
You will be travellng more than twice as fast as the traffic on the freeways - hence the cars and trucks become blurs You will be travellng more than twice as fast as the traffic on the freeways - hence the cars and trucks become blurs
Near Zaragoza the landscape which can be seen from both sides of the train has an other worldly quality Near Zaragoza the landscape which can be seen from both sides of the train has an other worldly quality
There are frequent distant view of mountains from both sides of the train There are frequent distant view of mountains from both sides of the train
From the high speed line between Figueres and Perpignan From the high speed line between Figueres and Perpignan
Between the sea and the lagoons north of Perpignan Between the sea and the lagoons north of Perpignan
The view of Beziers from the left of the train The view of Beziers from the left of the train

This journey showcases European train travel at its best.
With its fantastic contrasts between the sweeping vistas across the Spanish plains and the coastal views in France - though you won't see the latter if you make this journey between October and March.

This is also a journey of two distinct parts.

  1. Between Madrid and Perpignan the train travels on two high speed lines.
  • From Madrid to Barcelona:
  1. Between Perpignan and Montpellier the train follows the coast, don't expect incredible seascapes, but there are some nice views as the train threads through the lagoons. particularly north of Perpignan.

Though you'll need to travelling when days are longer to experience this landscape, as the train travels by the coast after 18:00.

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