Marseille to Barcelona by train

Share

Routes

From Marseille-Saint-Charles to Barcelona Sants

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: 4 months ahead of the travel date

When looking for tickets on Oui.SNCF tick the 'direct trains' box, on Trainline tick the 'fastest journeys' box.

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

The train is usually scheduled to depart from Marseille St Charles at 08:01 (but on some dates it can depart at 08:04).
Seat reservations:

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

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 French station, you will need to use the Eurail reservation service or the InterRail reservation service but you will be charged a €2 booking fee per reservation.
Though you can avoid a booking fee if you do reserve at a station in France

Or on Monday to Froday there is an option to avoid paying the rail pass reservation fee, by taking this alternative journey.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
Trainline from €37

Trainline Guide

Oui.SNCF from €37

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)Coastal views

Good to Know

Final Destination: Madrid

The train also calls at: Avignon TGV**,** Figueres-Vilifant and Girona

The train is usually scheduled to depart daily from Marseille St Charles just after 08:00.

Barcelone is the French name for Barcelona -  it will be used on info screens at stations and on the train.

This is a journey of three distinct phases.

1: Between Marseille and Nimes the train travels on the high speed line.

2. From Montpellier to Perpignan the trains follow the coast, don't expect incredible seascapes, but there are some nice views as the train threads through the marshes - particularly south of Narbonne.

As can be seen in the video, that was filmed on a TGV, what's unusual and rather fabulous about this part of the journey, 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.

From the right of the train between Narbonne and Perpignan From the right of the train between Narbonne and Perpignan
From the right of the train between Narbonne and Perpignan From the right of the train between Narbonne and Perpignan
From the right of the train between Perpignan and Figueres From the right of the train between Perpignan and Figueres

Final Destination: Madrid

The train also calls at: Avignon TGV**,** Figueres-Vilifant and Girona

The train is usually scheduled to depart daily from Marseille St Charles just after 08:00.

Barcelone is the French name for Barcelona -  it will be used on info screens at stations and on the train.

This is a journey of three distinct phases.

1: Between Marseille and Nimes the train travels on the high speed line.

2. From Montpellier to Perpignan the trains follow the coast, don't expect incredible seascapes, but there are some nice views as the train threads through the marshes - particularly south of Narbonne.

As can be seen in the video, that was filmed on a TGV, what's unusual and rather fabulous about this part of the journey, 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.

Take the stress out of your journey Everything planned to your specification, so sit back and relax… Try Concierge

Newsletter

Sign up to receive the latest travel news stories and to hear about what we've been working on for you.

See if there’s a unique journey guide for your trip, featuring info on the trains, tickets & stations.
Leaving From
Going To
ShowMeTheJourney

This is one of more than 1000 journey guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.