The Elipsos trainhotel to Spain:  Lunch in London, dinner in France, Madrid or Barcelona next morning!

Lunch in London, breakfast in Spain... by train!

It's easy to travel from the UK to Spain by train, in fact it's amazing some people still think you need to fly.  You can now travel from London to Barcelona by high-speed train in a single day from £98 one-way with a glass of wine to hand and not an airport security queue in sight, details here.  Or take an afternoon Eurostar from London to Paris, then the excellent overnight Elipsos trainhotel from Paris to Madrid or Barcelona for onward trains to Seville, Malaga, Granada, Valencia or Alicante next morning, details here.  The trainhotels have cosy bedrooms, a restaurant & café-bar, see the photos below.  The Gran Clase bedrooms even have a private shower & toilet.  It's affordable, too, from £39 from London to Paris plus £67 from Paris to Madrid or Barcelona including a bed in a 4-berth sleeper.  Or how about £155 per person in a 2-bed Gran Clase sleeper with private shower & toilet including a 3-course dinner in the restaurant car with wine, coffee & liqueurs, and breakfast?  Taking the train is far more environmentally-friendly, too.  Alternatively, why not sail to Spain on a Brittany Ferries luxury cruise ferry from Portsmouth or Plymouth?  This page explains the best routes, train times & fares from the UK to destinations all over Spain and tells you how to buy tickets.

Train times, fares & how to buy tickets...

London to Barcelona & Madrid by Elipsos sleeper train

London to Barcelona & Madrid by high-speed daytime train

London to Seville, Cordoba

London to Malaga, Marbella, Estepona, Torremolinos, Fuengirola

London to Granada, Almeria, Murcia, Cartagena, Ronda, Algeciras

London to Valencia, Tarragona, Zaragoza

London to Alicante & Benidorm

London to San Sebastian

London to Pamplona & Bilbao

London to Segovia, Toledo, Salamanca

London to Santiago de Compostela, Vigo & A Coruña

London to Ibiza, Minorca, Mallorca

London to Las Palmas, Tenerife & the Canary Islands

London to Gibraltar

UK to Spain by Brittany Ferries cruise ferry

Other train travel information...

Tailor-made holidays & tours to Spain by train

Train travel from other European cities to Spain

Train travel from Spain to other European cities

Buy add-on train tickets from other UK towns & cities

Crossing Paris by metro or taxi

Changing stations in Madrid from Chamartin to Atocha

How to buy Spanish train tickets using www.renfe.com

Left luggage facilities in Paris, Barcelona & Madrid

Luggage on trains  -  Send your luggage in advance

Taking your car - Motorail  

Taking your dog by train  

Taking your bike by train

Passengers with disabilities

Spanish train seating plans

Car hire in Spain  -  City tours by Open Top Bus

Hotels & accommodation in Spain

Travel insurance, EU Health Card, mobile SIM cards

Route map:  UK to Spain by train or ferry...

Sponsored links...

Country information

London to Spain by Elipsos sleeper train

Lunch in London, dinner in France, breakfast in Spain...

Arrive relaxed, not stressed...  Splurge on a Gran Clase 2-berth sleeper a private toilet & shower.  Dinner with wine & continental breakfast are included in the fare.  A hot shower & breakfast on the trainhotel sets you up for the day...

It couldn't be simpler.  Take an afternoon Eurostar from London to Paris, then either the Elipsos trainhotel Francisco de Goya from Paris to Madrid or the Elipsos trainhotel Joan Miro from Paris to Barcelona.  Enjoy dinner in the restaurant car or a drink in the bar before retiring to your sleeper for the night, then wake up in Spain.  Fares start at £39 one-way or £69 return for the Eurostar plus £67 each way for the trainhotel with a bed in a 4-bed tourist class sleeper, or better still, £155 each way per person in a 2-bed Gran Clase sleeper with private shower & toilet, 3-course dinner with wine, coffee, liqueurs and breakfast all included in the fare.

London ► Madrid

London ► Barcelona

• Travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 17:31 and arriving in Paris Gare du Nord at 20:47.  By all means choose an earlier Eurostar if if you'd like to stop off in Paris, or if this has cheaper tickets available.  Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare d'Austerlitz.

• Travel from Paris to Barcelona overnight on the Elipsos trainhotel Joan Miro, leaving Paris Gare d'Austerlitz at 22:16 and arriving next morning in Figueres (for the Salvador Dali museum) at 07:39, Girona at 08:10 and Barcelona França station at 09:43.  The trainhotel usually runs daily, but will not run on Wednesday or Thursday nights from 9 December to 14 March.

• Trainhotel tickets are valid on the frequent local trains from Barcelona Franca to Barcelona Paseo de Gracia or Barcelona Sants, if these are better stations for you.  The nearest metro to the Estacion França is Barceloneta.  Map of Barcelona showing stations and ferry terminals.  Barcelona metro website.  Map of Barcelona.  Left luggage in Paris & Barcelona.

• What's Eurostar like?   What's the trainhotel like?   How much does it cost?    How to buy tickets   

Madrid ► London

• The Elipsos trainhotel Francisco de Goya leaves Madrid Chamartin at 18:12, Valladolid at 20:33 and Burgos at 21:37, arriving Paris Gare d'Austerlitz next morning at 09:03 on Mondays-Fridays or 10:37 at weekends.  Always check the arrival time before booking your Eurostar connection.  On Saturdays it leaves Madrid later, at 19:00, Valladolid 21:19, Burgos 22:20.  Trainhotel passengers in Preferente and Gran Clase sleepers may use the Sala Club (1st class lounge) at Madrid Chamartin near platform 14, with complimentary tea, coffee, juices and unlimited complimentary beer.  The trainhotel usually runs daily, but will not run on Monday or Tuesday nights from 16 October 2012 to 18 March 2013, or from 15 October 2013 until March 2014.  Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare du Nord.

• Travel from Paris to London by Eurostar.  On Mondays-Fridays when the trainhotel arrives at 09:03, a Eurostar leaves Paris Gare du Nord at 11:13 and arrives London St Pancras at 12:30.  On Saturdays when it arrives in Paris at 10:37 you'll need the 13:13 Eurostar from Paris Nord arriving London 14:39, on Sundays you'll need the 12:13 Eurostar from Paris Nord arriving London 13:30.  By all means choose a later Eurostar if if you'd like to stop off in Paris, or if this has cheaper tickets available.

Barcelona ► London

• The Elipsos trainhotel Joan Miro leaves Barcelona França station at 19:55, Girona at 21:31, Figueres at 22:01, arriving Paris Gare d'Austerlitz at 07:53 next morning.  The trainhotel usually runs daily, but will not run on Tuesday or Wednesday nights from 9 December to 14 March.  The arrival time can vary on certain dates, so check times before booking your Eurostar connection.  Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare du Nord.  Map of Barcelona showing stations and ferry terminals.

• Travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 10:13 and arriving London St Pancras at 11:39.  By all means choose a later Eurostar if if you'd like to stop off in Paris, or if it has cheaper tickets available.

What are the trainhotels like?

The trainhotels Francisco de Goya and Joan Miro are compact rolling hotels, run by a consortium of the French & Spanish railways called Elipsos.  They have Gran Clase, Preferente & Tourist class sleepers plus reclining seats.  They also have a restaurant & a cafe-bar.  See the photos below, and the picture gallery & nifty virtual tour at www.elipsos.com.  It is entirely non-smoking.  The trains are articulated Spanish Talgo trains fitted with adjustable axles.  At the frontier in the small hours of the morning they pass through a special shed, and the axles are adjusted from European standard track gauge (4' 8½") to Spanish track gauge (5' 5.7").  Book early to avoid disappointment, as the trainhotels are very popular, and can leave full.  Indeed, average occupancy has now reached 87%.  Paris to Madrid by trainhotel is 1,459 km (906 miles), Paris to Barcelona by trainhotel is 1,137 km (706 miles), London to Paris by Eurostar is 492 km (305 miles).

...Gran Clase sleepers:  1 or 2 berth with shower & toilet, dinner & breakfast included

The trainhotel is an articulated Spanish Talgo train, run by Elipsos, a consortium of French & Spanish railways.		A Gran Clase sleeper, in evening mode with the seats folded out...		...return from dinner to find the attendant has made up the beds...		Gran Clase sleepers have a toilet & shower...

You are greeted at the carriage door by the sleeping-car attendant who checks your tickets and shows you to your compartment.  He gives you a hotel-style card key for your door and vouchers for dinner and breakfast in the restaurant car, which are both included in the Gran Clase fare.  He asks which sitting for dinner you'd prefer (8pm or 10pm) and takes your table reservation.  He takes your passport and tickets so you are not disturbed by ticket or passport checks during the night.  Gran Clase rooms are very small but cosy, just big enough for two armchairs that disappear when the beds are folded out, see the photos below.  The attendant will make up the berths while you are at dinner, one lower bed and one upper bed.  Each Gran Clase compartment has an adjoining private shower room, just big enough to contain a shower, toilet & washbasin.  Fluffy towels, mineral water and a complimentary toiletries pack with soap, shampoo & shower gel are provided.  There's a power socket near the door for laptops & mobiles.  A 3-course evening meal in the restaurant car complete with aperitif of sherry or sparkling cava, wine, coffee & liqueurs, is included in the Gran Clase fare, as is breakfast next morning.  Gran Clase is described as first class single or double 'with shower' on online booking websites.  Travelling Gran Clase is a wonderful way to reach Spain, but please remember that this is a real train not a deluxe tourist experience - the photos accurately show the compact size of the compartment, just big enough for two seats convertible to two beds at night with space to stand next to them.

...Preferente sleepers:  1 or 2 berth with washbasin, breakfast included

A Preferente 2-berth sleeper, with beds folded away...		All aboard for Spain!

You are greeted at the carriage door by the sleeping-car attendant who checks your tickets and shows you to your compartment.  He gives you a hotel-style card key for your door and vouchers for breakfast in the restaurant car, included in the Preferente fare.  He takes your passport and tickets, so you are not disturbed by ticket or passport checks during the night.  Preferente rooms are very small but cosy, just big enough for two armchairs that disappear when the beds are folded out.  Your luggage stays with you, there's space in the recess above the door, projecting over the ceiling of the corridor.  The attendant will make up the berths when you ask, one lower and one upper berth.  Each Preferente compartment has a washbasin, and towels, mineral water and soap are provided.  Feel free to use the restaurant or bar, although meals and drinks other than breakfast aren't included in the fare.  You can only now book whole compartments in these 1 or 2-berth sleepers, you cannot book just one berth and share with another passenger.  Preferente is described as first class single or double on online booking websites.

...Turista sleepers:  4-berth with washbasin

Tourist Class 4-berth sleeper, in evening mode with the seats folded out...		Tourist Class 4-berth sleeper, with the beds folded out...		The Elipsos trainhotel boarding at Paris Gare d'Austerlitz...

Tourist class sleepers have 4 berths, arranged as upper & lower on each side of the compartment, plus a washbasin.  Berths in tourist sleepers are sold individually, so you can book one or two berths in a shared 4-berth compartment and share with other passengers of the same sex.  A family or group of 4 passengers travelling together can book a compartment to themselves, and if there's 3 of you simply book 4 tickets to have a compartment to yourselves.  You are greeted at the carriage door by the sleeping-car attendant who checks your tickets and shows you to your compartment.  He comes round later to take your passport and tickets, so you are not disturbed by ticket or passport checks during the night.  The Tourist sleepers are very small but cosy, just big enough for four small armchairs that disappear when the beds are folded out.  The attendant will make up the berths when you ask, two lower berths and two upper berths.  These are not couchettes, but proper beds with mattress, sheets and blankets freshly made up for you.  Each compartment has a washbasin, and towels, mineral water and soap are provided for each passenger.  Feel free to use the restaurant or bar, although meals and drinks aren't included in the fare.  Your luggage stays with you, there's luggage space in the recess above the door, projecting over the ceiling of the corridor.  All sleeper compartment doors have both a normal lock and a security lock which cannot be opened from outside (even with a staff key) so you're both safe and snug.  Tourist class is described as second class 4-berth on online booking websites.

Reclining seats:  The trainhotel has one small coach of first class reclining seats, with plenty of legroom and leg supports, but seats (even first class) are not recommended for an overnight journey.  Travelling with a bed in a tourist sleeper is far more comfortable, and (as special fares are available in tourist class) usually cheaper.  Online booking websites simply (and misleadingly) call these seats first class.

...the cafe-bar & restaurant car

The trainhotel has a café-bar serving food & drink in the evening and breakfast in the morning, and there's an elegant restaurant car serving à la carte dinner and breakfast.  Gran Clase fares include a 3-course dinner with aperitif of sparkling cava, a half bottle of wine, coffee & liqueurs.  For other passengers a starter in the restaurant car costs about €8, a main course €16-€18, dessert €5, a half bottle of wine €9.  All major credit cards are accepted.  There is usually a vegetarian option and/or a fish dish on the dinner menu, but if you're travelling in Gran Clase (but not in other classes), special meals such as vegetarian, vegan or gluten free can be pre-booked on Elipsos by calling Rail Europe.  You cannot pre-book a table for dinner, Gran clase passengers get priority and will be allocated a table for their preferred sitting by their sleeper attendant when they board the train, but other passengers should simply go along to the restaurant car to ask for a table as soon as possible after departure.  If you find all the tables taken, don't worry, the cafe-bar can serve the same food as the restaurant car, or you can order food from the restaurant car to take back to your sleeper compartment.  Alternatively, unlike air travel, feel free to bring your own picnic, wine or beer onto the train to eat & drink in your sleeper compartment.  In the morning, Gran Clase & Preferente fares include breakfast, for other passengers breakfast in the café-bar or restaurant costs around €8.  Enjoy your coffee and croissant in the bar or restaurant as the trainhotel twists and turns through the rocky hills North of Madrid, with glimpses of mist-filled valleys and mountain peaks in the distance.  Wonderful!  On the Francisco de Goya, look out for the walled city of Avila on the right about 1 hour 20 minutes before Madrid, and for the huge Spanish royal palace at El Escorial, on the hill to the left of the train about 40 minutes before Madrid.

The trainhotel's café-bar serves drinks & food.  Grab a barstool early, it gets crowded later on!		The elegant trainhotel restaurant awaits first sitting for dinner.  The Gran Clase fares include dinner & breakfast.

Dinner in the trainhotel's restaurant car, as French towns and picturesque villages swish past in the moonlight, traffic lights glinting off the rainy streets. Round off the meal with coffee and a brandy...				Breakfast next morning, north of Madrid, with the lights of the historic walled city of Avila twinkling in the distance...

How much does it cost?

  How to buy tickets online if you live in the UK...

The best way for UK residents to buy tickets to Spain is online at www.raileurope.co.uk, as you can book Eurostar and the Paris-Madrid or Paris-Barcelona trainhotels together as one transaction, it's in plain English and backed by a UK call centre if you need any help or after-sale service.   But do read the booking tips first!

	Children under 4 go free, no ticket required. Children = children over 4 but under 12. Youth = anyone under 26.  Senior = anyone over 60. Buy a special add-on ticket from almost any station in Britain to London International (St Pancras)

Tips for using www.raileurope.co.uk...

• www.raileurope.co.uk only accepts UK credit cards, so If you don't live in the UK, click here.

• Booking for the trainhotels to Spain opens 90 days before departure.  Eurostar opens 120 days ahead, but I strongly recommend waiting and buying all tickets together, so you can confirm trainhotel timings before booking a non-refundable non-changeable Eurostar connection.  The 90 days is often squeezed to as little as 60 for travel in the weeks immediately after the European timetable changes in mid-June & mid-December.  Accommodation can be booked before booking your trains risk-free, if you use a site such as www.booking.com with free cancellation.

• Split the booking!  It's best to treat London to Spain as two separate journeys, one from London to Paris, the other Paris to Madrid or Barcelona.  This allows you to mix and match 2nd class Eurostar with 1st class 2-berth sleeper for example, and it allows you to book stopovers in Paris if you like. 

• Step 1, click here to book Paris to Madrid or click here to book Paris to Barcelona. 

• 'With shower' = Gran Clase.  Are there 3 of you? If you book 4 adults in a 4-berth sleeper you'll get a whole compartment to yourselves. 

• On the confirmation page, clicking 'show itinerary details' shows the coach & berth or seat number you've been given.  The berth numbers are not consecutive, for example 41 and 45 are in the same compartment, see the trainhotel berth numbering plan.  Check the trainhotel times before booking the Eurostar, as engineering work may affect them, requiring an earlier Eurostar connection outward or a later one back.

• Step 2, when you've booked the trainhotel, add it to your basket and book a Eurostar from London to Paris and back.  Use the Eurostar times on this page as a guide, but feel free to choose an earlier Eurostar from London or a later Eurostar back from Paris, if these have cheaper seats available or if you'd like to stop off in Paris.  Don't forget that on your return journey, your departure date from Paris to London will be the day after your departure date from Spain to Paris!

• There's no fee for debit cards, but they charge a 2.5% credit card fee.  Only UK credit cards are accepted.  Tickets are sent from Rail Europe's UK office to any UK address for a £2.25 fee.  They normally arrive in a couple of days.  If you need any help, you can call Rail Europe's UK call centre on 0844 848 5 848.

• Tip:  In the event all the cheap fares for the trainhotel are sold out on www.raileurope.co.uk, it's worth checking the Spanish Railways site, www.renfe.com.  See this advice on using renfe.com.

Buying Spanish train tickets beyond Madrid & Barcelona...

• www.raileurope.co.uk cannot sell Renfe's cheap Promo fares, only full-price fully-flexible fares, which makes it an expensive way to buy Spanish train tickets.  So I recommend buying direct from Spanish Railways at www.renfe.com.  This is the cheapest way to buy Spanish train tickets as all Renfe's cheap Promo fares are shown and there are no booking fees.  See these step-by-step instructions for using renfe.com.  The Renfe website works fine for me, but occasionally there are payment problems and there's also the odd quirky translation.  So if you're a nervous booker, or if you have any problems, use one of these other two sites:

• www.raileurope-world.com:  Rail Europe's 'world' website (but not their UK one) has been linked to the Renfe ticketing system so it can sell Spanish train tickets painlessly at the same prices as Renfe.com, including cheap Promo fares, with just a €4 booking fee and no problems with credit card acceptance.  However, it cannot book Club class on AVE trains. Anyone from any country worldwide, including the UK can use this system, with payment in euros and print-at-home tickets.  Booking tips:   'Second class' means Turista, 'First class' means Preferente.  You'll find the UK listed as England, Scotland & Wales!

• www.petrabax.com/renfe.  Petrabax is a US-based Spanish holiday specialist which links directly to the Renfe ticketing system.  Their system therefore shows all of Renfe's routes, trains and cheap fares in plain English with no payment problems.  And it can also book Club class!  Prices are in US dollars, but anyone can use it and simply print out your own ticket.  Obviously, there's a mark-up over buying direct from Renfe, but it can be worth it for simplicity.

  ...or ask European Rail to book your tickets for you...

If you'd rather ask an experienced agency to book tickets for you, simply fill in this simple booking form (for Madrid) or simple booking form (for Barcelona) and email it to sales@europeanrail.com.  They will call you back to confirm the cost, usually within 24 hours.  If you're okay with the price you can give them your credit card details and they'll send you the tickets.  European Rail (Erail) is a London-based ticketing agency who can access the cheap fares for Eurostar and the trainhotel and trains within Spain, including Renfe's cheap Promo fares.  They charge a £35 booking fee which includes postage to any UK address, or they can send to any address worldwide if you pay the courier fee.  Seat61 gets some commission if you buy tickets using this form.

  ...or ask Railbookers to make tailor-made travel & hotel arrangements for you...

If you need hotels booked for you as well, the easy option is to get reliable specialist agency Railbookers to arrange your whole trip, with train bookings, hotels and transfers all sorted with one phone call.  Just tell them when and where you want to go, and they'll create the best rail holiday for you.  In the UK, call www.railbookers.com on 020 3327 0761.  US & Canadian residents can call them toll-free on 1-800-408-3280 or see website.  Australian residents can call their Sydney office toll-free on 1300 971 526 or see www.railbookers.com.au.  New Zealand residents call toll-free on 0800 002 034 or see website.  Just tell them what you want, and they'll advise you on the best trains, routes & hotels and sort it all out for you.  They get very positive reviews.

  How to buy tickets by phone or in person...

You can book through a number of UK agencies, including Rail Europe on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open 09:00-19:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 on Saturdays, closed on Sundays, £8 booking fee applies) or Ffestiniog Travel on 01766 772050 (8% booking fee).  Rail Europe have a travel centre for personal callers at 193 Piccadilly, London W1J 9EU, open 10:00-18:00 Mon-Fri, 10:00-16:00 Saturdays.  There is also a Spanish Railways agency in London which can book trains to and within Spain: www.spanish-rail.co.uk or telephone 020 3137 4464 (lines open 09:30-13:30 & 14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday, €10 per person booking fee applies).  For more information about how to book European train travel from the UK and overseas, see the How to buy European train tickets page.

The Tortoise and the Hare?  At breakfast approaching Madrid, the restaurant car of the Francisco de Goya is bathed in a warm red glow as the morning sun rises over distant mountain tops.  We're running on time, which is more than can be said for most airline passengers who tried to reach Spain for Christmas.  The day we left London to spend Christmas week in Andalusia, Heathrow was closed due to fog and all flights were cancelled for several days.  We arrived in Seville by train from London, spot on time.  A latter-day case of the tortoise and the hare?  Above right:  The Spanish royal palace at El Escorial, seen from your breakfast table on the trainhotel as it snakes through the hills north of Madrid...

        How to buy tickets online, wherever you live...

Anyone from any country can easily book a London-Paris-Spain journey as follows, at the cheapest fares with print-at-home tickets:

• Booking usually opens 92 days ahead for the Elipsos trainhotel, 120 days ahead for Eurostar, but I strongly recommend waiting until you can book both tickets together, doing a dry run on both sites first to confirm trainhotel arrival and departure times, availability and prices before booking a non-refundable non-changeable Eurostar ticket.  Note that the 90 days is often squeezed to as little as 60 days for travel in the few weeks immediately after the Europe-wide timetable changes on the 2nd Sunday in June & in December.  Hotel accommodation can be booked before booking your trains risk-free if you use a site such as www.booking.com with free cancellation.

• Step 1, buy your London-Paris Eurostar ticket at www.eurostar.com and print out your own ticket.  Use the Eurostar times shown above as a guide, but by all means book an earlier Eurostar southbound, or a later Eurostar northbound, if this has cheaper seats available of if you'd like to stop off in Paris for a while.  Remember that in the northbound direction, your date of travel from Paris to London will be the day after leaving Spain.  www.eurostar.com even allows you to choose an exact seat from a numbered seating plan, look closely for the 'choose exact seat' link towards the end of the process.  See tips on choosing the best seats on Eurostar.

• If you live outside London, the UK version of www.eurostar.com allows you to buy through tickets to Paris from 130 UK towns & cities all over Britain, which can save a lot of money over buying a separate ticket from your local station to London.

• Step 2, buy the trainhotel ticket between Paris and Madrid or Barcelona at www.renfe.com following the step-by-step instructions below.  All the cheap fares will be shown with zero booking fees and you can print out your ticket.

• Go to www.renfe.com, click 'Welcome' for English then 'Purchase'.  Select 'Outward' for a one-way.  Enter Paris-Austerlitz to Madrid or Barcelona.

• If you're travelling alone and want an economical berth in a shared single-sex 4-berth sleeper, look for 'Cama Turista' and select the cheap Oferta Mini fare (marked with an 'M') if available.  On the next page, select 1 person under 'Lady' or 'Gentleman' as appropriate.

• If there are two of you and you want a private 2-berth sleeper, select '2 passengers' before starting the enquiry, then select 'Cama Preferen Doble Familiar' if you want a Preferente sleeper with washbasin (breakfast included) or 'Cama G. Clase Doble Familiar' if you want a 2-berth Gran Clase sleeper with private toilet & shower (dinner with wine & breakfast included).  Ideally, you want to select a cheap Oferta Mini fare (marked with an 'M') or Oferta Duo fare (marked with a 'D'), if available.  On the next page, select 'Family Double: 2' to make sure you're put in the same compartment.  Incidentally, 'Cama...Individual' means a whole 2-berth compartment for one person, so if you selected 2 passengers in Cama...Individual you'd end up with two compartments, one each!

• If there's 3 or 4 of you and you want sole occupancy of a whole 4-bed sleeper (which obviously needn't then be singe-sex as you're no longer sharing with other passengers), simply select 4 passengers at the start, then select 'Cama Turista' at the cheapest rate shown (ideally the Oferta Mini fare shown with an 'M' as it's cheaper than the Familia fare marked with an 'F').  On the next page, select 'Family: 4'.

• Butaca Super. = reclining seat, not recommended.  A proper bed in a shared sleeper compartment is vastly more comfortable & secure, and usually cheaper.

• Prices shown are all per person until the end when a total is shown.

• Children under 4 go free, but don't get their own bed.  If you want a bed for them (and I'd certainly want a bed for my wriggly 3 year old), book them as a child 4-11 or (if it's cheaper) an adult.

• When asked for a phone number, use the country code without any + or 0, for example 441844292884.

• Payment problems?  Renfe's payment system can be fussy with overseas cards (the infamous GU100 error) although my own card always works fine.  If you have any problems with Renfe's payment system or quirky translations, simply use www.petrabax.com/renfe instead.  Petrabax is a US-based Spanish travel specialist, they have a link to Renfe's ticketing system so sell the same tickets at the same prices with a reasonable mark-up, but it's in plain English with no payment problems.  You can still print your own ticket!

• Alternatively, book with Rail Europe...  The UK Rail Europe www.raileurope.co.uk is a good way for UK residents to book the trainhotel, and you may prefer booking Eurostar and trainhotel together in one place.  North American-based www.raileurope.com and www.raileurope-world.com serving Australia, Africa & Asia can also book the trainhotel, but they cannot book Gran Clase sleepers, and always check you're getting a good price.

• You can also book at the French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com, but for these Elipsos trainhotels it's currently only offering ticket delivery by post, not self-print or even collect at station.  That rules them out for US residents as they won't send to the USA.  They'll send tickets to most other countries, but only by regular non-insured mail which isn't as reliable as printing out your own ticket.  That's why I recommend using www.renfe.com or (if you have any problems) www.petrabax.com/renfe.  If you do use www.voyages-sncf.com, beware that if you select a child it may offer a €119 regular child fare when an adult €74 Prems fare is available, so watch out and re-book your whole family as adults if that's cheaper.  Also note you'll need to run the enquiry with first class selected in order to be offered reclining seats, 1 or 2 berth Preferente sleepers or 1 or 2 berth Gran Clase sleepers with shower.

• Step 3, buy onward tickets from Madrid to other Spanish cities at www.renfe.com (these tips on using Renfe.com may help) or (if you have any problems with Renfe.com) at either www.petrabax.com/renfe or www.raileurope-world.com.  These last two sites both link to Renfe's own ticketing system, they both charge a small fee or mark-up, but it can be worth it as they are in plain English with no payment problems.

• Tailor-made tours & holidays:  A hassle-free option is to get a reliable specialist agency such as Railbookers to arrange your whole trip, with train bookings, hotels and transfers all sorted with one phone call.  Just tell them when and where you want to go, and they'll create the best rail holiday for you.  In the UK, call www.railbookers.com on 020 3327 0761.  US & Canadian residents can call them toll-free on 1-800-408-3280 or see website.  Australian residents can call their Sydney office toll-free on 1300 971 526 or see www.railbookers.com.au.  New Zealand residents call toll-free on 0800 002 034 or see website.  They get very positive reviews.

Quality time on the trainhotel... Travelling by train gives you quality time with your family.  Here, we're getting ready for bed in our Gran Clase sleeper, en route to spend a week in Andalusia.  Little Nate loves being with Mum and Dad in the sleeper...

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London to Spain by high-speed train

Breakfast in London, lunch in Paris, dinner in Barcelona...

Take your seats on the new high-speed train to Spain! A morning Eurostar to Paris just 2½ hours, lunch at the remarkable Train Bleu restaurant at the Gare de Lyon, then the afternoon double-deck TGV Duplex to Figueres (home of the amazing Salvador Dali museum) for an easy cross-platform connection onto a high-speed AVE train to Barcelona & Madrid.  I recommend a first class Club Duo seat on the upper deck (pictured, above), wonderful!  Put your feet up & relax, watch the pretty French villages of the Rhone Valley pass by, catch up on your reading & your emails, perhaps watch a movie on your iPhone.  You can buy some wine from the bar car or feel free to bring your own!  To anyone who has only known the stresses of airports, flights & motorways, chilling out on a high-speed train is a revelation...

You can travel from London to Barcelona and now (amazingly) Madrid by train in a single day through great scenery with a glass of wine to hand and not an airport security queue in sight...

The first section of the new Perpignan-Barcelona high-speed line opened in December 2010, and two double-decker TGV Duplex high-speed trains started running from Paris to Figueres in Spain with an easy cross-platform connection onto a Spanish local train for Girona & Barcelona.

The rest of the high-speed line to Barcelona opened on 9 January 2013, and the Spanish local train between Figueres & Barcelona was replaced by a high-speed AVE running all the way to Zaragoza & Madrid as shown below, cutting a further hour off the Paris-Barcelona journey time.  Until a date still to be announced, possibly now Autumn 2013, you still have to switch trains at Figueres, but at some point in 2013 the TGVs from Paris will be extended all the way to Girona & Barcelona, as shown below, although a date has still not officially been confirmed.  Paris to Barcelona in as little a 6h15, city centre to city centre, no airports, no flights, no stress.

Stay the night in Barcelona and continue next day to Alicante in 4h45 by EuroMed or to Seville or Malaga by AVE in around 5h30 or so.  Why not go one way by high-speed train, the other by trainhotel?

London ► Barcelona & Madrid current service

• Travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 09:17 on Monday-Fridays, 09:31 on Saturdays or 09:22 on Sundays, arriving Paris Nord at 12:47.  Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare de Lyon, just 2 stops on RER line D.   Why not take an earlier Eurostar and have lunch at the famous & remarkable Train Bleu Restaurant inside the Gare de Lyon?  The 3-course set menu is €56 including a half bottle of wine.

• Travel from Paris to Figueres in Spain by double-deck high-speed TGV Duplex, leaving Paris Gare de Lyon at 14:07 daily and arriving Figures Vilafant station (5 kilometres from Figueres city centre) at 19:40.  A café-bar is available on board.  Book an upper deck seat for the best views as the train speeds along the scenic Rhône valley past pretty French villages & picturesque churches, then look out for colonies of flamingos on the étangs in southern France.  Figueres is worth a stop in its own right, for the amazing Salvador Dali museum.  Dali's home at Port Lligat is just a bus or taxi ride away on the coast, also a museum and well worth visiting.

• At Figueres, simply cross the platform and board the waiting air-conditioned 186mph AVE train to Barcelona & Madrid, departing Figueres Vilafant station at 19:55 and arriving Girona at 20:08, Barcelona Sants at 20:48, Zaragoza Delicias at 22:40 & Madrid Atocha at 00:02.  London to Madrid in a day!  Map of Barcelona showing location of railway station.

• Alternatively, spend the night in Barcelona and travel onwards next day.  There's a roughly hourly service from Barcelona Sants to Madrid Atocha throughout the day, taking only 2½ hours at up to 320km/h.  For example, an AVE leaves Barcelona Sants at 09:00 arriving at Madrid Atocha at 11:45, or there are earlier or later trains.  There are direct high-speed trains from Barcelona to Cordoba, Seville, Malaga & Alicante, see www.renfe.com for train times & fares.

London ► Barcelona & Madrid from a date to be announced

The start date for direct Paris-Barcelona trains is still not officially announced, now possibly Autumn 2013.  This is what the new service is likely to look like:

• Travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 09:17 on Monday-Fridays, 09:31 on Saturdays or 09:22 on Sundays, arriving Paris Nord at 12:47.  Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare de Lyon, just 2 stops on RER line D.  

• Tip:  Why not take an earlier Eurostar and have lunch at the famous & remarkable Train Bleu Restaurant inside the Gare de Lyon?  The 3-course set menu is €56 including a half bottle of wine.

• Travel from Paris to Barcelona by double-deck high-speed TGV Duplex, leaving Paris Gare de Lyon at 14:07 daily and arriving Figures Vilafant (5 kilometres from Figueres city centre) at 19:35, Girona at 19:51 & Barcelona Sants at 20:32.  A café-bar is available on board.  Map of Barcelona showing location of railway station.

• Tip:  Book an upper deck seat for the best views as the train speeds along the scenic Rhône valley past pretty French villages & picturesque churches, then look out for colonies of flamingos on the étangs in southern France.  Figueres is worth a stop in its own right, for the amazing Salvador Dali museum.  Dali's home at Port Lligat is just a bus or taxi ride away on the coast, also a museum and well worth visiting.

• Travel from Barcelona to Madrid by high-speed AVE train leaving Barcelona Sants at 21:00 and arriving Zaragoza Delicias at 22:40 and Madrid Atocha at 00:02.  This train has Turista, Turista Plus & Preferente class seats and a cafe-bar.  The Preferente fare includes a late dinner served at your seat.  If you prefer, by all means spend the night in Barcelona and travel onwards next day.  There's a roughly hourly service from Barcelona Sants to Madrid Atocha taking only 2½ hours at up to 320km/h.  For example, an AVE leaves Barcelona Sants at 09:00 arriving at Madrid Atocha at 11:45, or there are earlier or later trains.  There are direct high-speed trains from Barcelona to Cordoba, Seville, Malaga & Alicante, see www.renfe.com for train times & fares.

Madrid & Barcelona ► London current service

• Travel from Madrid or Barcelona to Figueres Vilafant by high-speed AVE train, leaving Madrid Atocha at 05:50, Zaragoza Delicias at 07:06, Barcelona Sants at 09:05 & Girona at 09:44, arriving Figueres Vilafant at 09:58.  Map of Barcelona showing location of railway station.

• At Figueres, simply cross the platform and board the waiting high-speed train to Paris, departing Figueres Vilafant station (5 kilometres from Figueres town) at 10:20 and arriving Paris Gare de Lyon at 15:53.  This is a double-deck TGV Duplex, book an upper deck seat for the best views as the train rolls past colonies of flamingos on the étangs in southern France, then speeds along the scenic Rhone Valley towards Paris.  A cafe-bar is available.  Cross Paris by metro or taxi, just 2 stops on RER line D.

• A Eurostar leaves Paris Gare du Nord at 18:13 (19:13 on Saturdays) arriving London St Pancras at 19:39 (20:39 on Saturdays).

• Travel tip:  Why not have an early dinner in Paris and catch a later Eurostar?  The Brasserie Terminus Nord (www.terminusnord.com) is good and typically French, and it's directly opposite the Gare du Nord.

Madrid & Barcelona ► London from a date to be announced

The start date for direct Paris-Barcelona trains is still not officially announced, possibly now Autumn 2013.  This is what the new service is likely to look like:

• Travel from Madrid to Barcelona by high-speed AVE train, leaving Madrid Atocha at 05:50 or Zaragoza Delicias at 07:06, arriving Barcelona Sants at 08:55.  This train has Turista, Turista Plus & Preferente class seats and a cafe-bar.  The Preferente fare includes breakfast served at your seat.  If you prefer, by all means travel the previous day and spend the night in Barcelona.

• Travel from Barcelona to Paris by high-speed double-deck TGV Duplex, leaving Barcelona Sants at 09:29, Girona at 10:10 or Figueres Vilafant (5km from Figueres town) at 10:26 and arriving at Paris Gare de Lyon at 15:53.  Book an upper deck seat for the best views as the train rolls past colonies of flamingos on the étangs in southern France, then speeds along the scenic Rhone Valley towards Paris.  A cafe-bar is available.  Map of Barcelona showing location of railway station  Cross Paris by metro or taxi, just 2 stops on RER line D.

• A Eurostar leaves Paris Gare du Nord at 18:13 (19:13 on Saturdays) arriving London St Pancras at 19:39 (20:39 on Saturdays).

• Travel tip:  Why not have an early dinner in Paris and catch a later Eurostar?  The Brasserie Terminus Nord (www.terminusnord.com) is good and typically French, and it's directly opposite the Gare du Nord.

How much does it cost?

• London to Paris by Eurostar starts at £39 one-way or £69 return in 2nd class, £107 one-way or £189 return in 1st class.

• Paris to Figueres by TGV Duplex starts at €54.50 in 2nd class, €70.80 in 1st class each way.

• Figueres to Barcelona costs €20.20 in Turista, from €36 in Preferente.

• Figueres to Madrid starts at €38.45 in Turista, €76.85 in Preferente with the cheapest Promo fares.

• Prices for the direct Paris-Barcelona trains from 28 April have not yet been announced.

• The price for most of these trains varies like air fares, rising as the cheaper tickets are sold.  Book early for the cheapest fares.

Booking tip!!!! The two daily direct Paris-Figueres TGVs are open for booking until at least 25 August.  But the Spanish are being really lax about opening their Figueres-Barcelona connection for bookings, opening perhaps only a month ahead.  So when you ask the online systems for Paris-Barcelona, only the direct night train shows up.  OK, so SPLIT THE BOOKING!!!!!!!  Book from Paris to Figueres at www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents only) or www.loco2.com (anyone from any country, as long as you get a self-print e-ticket) looking for the direct TGV, and worry about the easy last bit from Figueres to Barcelona later, booking it a few weeks before departure at www.renfe.com or (if you have any problems) www.petrabax.com/renfe.  Simples!

  How to buy tickets online if you live in the UK...

If you live in the UK, you can buy tickets from London to Barcelona at www.raileurope.co.uk.  This allows you to buy Eurostar and TGV tickets together in one place, and it's backed by a UK call centre if you need any help or after-sale service.

• Booking opens 92 days ahead.  Eurostar in fact opens 120 days ahead, but I strongly recommend waiting so you can book all tickets together and confirm onward train times before booking non-refundable non-changeable Eurostar tickets.  Accommodation can be booked before booking your trains risk-free if you use a site such as www.booking.com with free cancellation.

• I recommend splitting the booking into Paris-Barcelona and London to Paris, so you can mix and match 2nd class on the Eurostar with 1st class on the TGV if a good price is available, or book an earlier Eurostar if you want to have lunch in Paris.  But if you're a nervous booker, by all means book London to Barcelona all in one go.

• Step 1, click here to book from Paris to Barcelona, looking for the afternoon TGV with a change at Figueres Vilafant.  Add this to your basket.

• Step 2, now book from London to Paris, using the times above as your guide, but by all means take an earlier Eurostar outward or a later one back, if you want to stop off in Paris or if it has cheaper seats available.

• Onward trains from Barcelona:  Rail Europe can currently only sell expensive full-price fares for Spanish domestic routes, so I recommend buying onward tickets from Barcelona to other Spanish cities direct from Renfe (Spanish Railways) at www.renfe.com with all Renfe's cheap Promo fares shown and no booking fees.  If you have any problems with Renfe's quirky translations or sometimes fussy payment system, simply use either www.raileurope-world.com or www.petrabax.com/renfe instead, both of which can sell Renfe's cheap Promo fares although they charge a small fee.

• I also recommend trying the method below, as I've seen cheaper fares on voyages-sncf.com than on raileurope.co.uk even though they should in theory be the same, give or take the exchange rate.  Also, you can specify a top deck seat (recommended!) on the TGV Duplex if you buy tickets at www.voyages-sncf.com, but raileurope.co.uk doesn't give you any choice.

        How to buy tickets online, wherever you live...

• Booking opens 92 days ahead.  Eurostar in fact opens 120 days ahead, but I strongly recommend waiting so you can book all tickets together and confirm onward train times before booking non-refundable non-changeable Eurostar tickets.  Hotel accommodation can be booked before booking your trains risk-free, if you use a site such as www.booking.com with free cancellation.

• I recommend splitting the booking into London-Paris, Paris-Figueres and Figueres-Barcelona (or Figueres-Madrid etc.), booking each train at the relevant operator's website.  This way, you'll get the cheapest price for each train with no booking fees, you'll get a full choice of seating options including upper or lower deck for the TGV, and you'll usually get a print-at-home ticket for each train, so it then doesn't matter where you live as nothing needs to be posted.  Obviously, do a dry run on each site first to confirm availability & prices.

• Step 1, go to www.voyages-sncf.com and book from Paris to Figueres Vilafant, looking for the direct afternoon TGV train, and buy your tickets.  You'll usually get a print-at-home ticket, or in some cases ticket collection in Paris.

• Step 2, now go to www.renfe.com, click 'welcome' for English, then click 'Purchase', now enquire for Figures Vilafant to Barcelona, Zaragoza or Madrid.  Identify the train that connects with the TGV you've just booked and buy the ticket.

  Note that you may see what appears to be two trains with exactly the same times, one an AVE and one an Avant.  These are in fact one and the same AVE train on which Renfe sell a few cheaper Avant fares for shorter journeys.  Just select the cheapest fare in the class you want on whichever train.  A cheap Promo or Promo+ fare is the one to go for, if available.  You'll be offered a self-print ticket, and the job's a good 'un.  These tips on using Renfe.com may help. 

  Renfe.com sometimes struggles with overseas credit cards, and it has a few quirky translations, so if you have any problem, simply book the train from Figueres Vilafant to Barcelona, Zaragoza or Madrid train using www.petrabax.com/renfe instead.  This is a US agency which links to Renfe's ticketing system, with their cheap Promo fares available.  Naturally, they charge a small mark-up, but it's in plain English with no payment problems.  You can also try www.raileurope-world.com, who now also have a link to Renfe.

• Step 3, now go to www.eurostar.com and book the connecting Eurostar from London to Paris & back.  You simply print out your own ticket.  Use the train times above as your guide, but by all means book an earlier Eurostar outward from London, or a later one back from Paris, if you want to spend some time in Paris or if an it has cheaper fares available.  If you live outside London, www.eurostar.com allows you to buy a through ticket to Paris from 130 towns and cities all over Britain, saving money over buying a separate ticket into London.  It even allows you to choose an exact seat on Eurostar from a numbered seating plan, see these tips on choosing a Eurostar seat.

• Step 4, if you need any onward trains within Spain, book these at www.renfe.com or if you have any problems, www.petrabax.com/renfe.

How to buy tickets, by phone...

If you're in the UK, call Rail Europe on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open 09:00-19:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-18:00 Saturdays, £8 booking fee for phone bookings).

By TGV Duplex from Paris to Figueres...   Watch the TGV Duplex video

The new Paris to Figueres service is operated by impressive 186mph TGV Duplex double-decker high-speed trains.  You board the train through a wide sliding external door into a small hall at one end of the lower deck, where an internal door opens into a lower deck seating area.  A wide, short & easy flight of carpeted stairs leads from the entrance door to a landing at one end of the upper deck.  You walk along the train from car to car at the upper level, and the café-bar is also at the upper level.  There are toilets both upstairs & downstairs.  When booking, you can choose a seat on either upper or lower decks if you use www.voyages-sncf.com or book by phone, but not if you book at www.raileurope.co.uk which only offers 'aisle' or 'window'.  If you have problems with stairs or very heavy luggage, the lower deck might be best.  But for the best views (over the top of the occasional sound barrier along the high speed lines!), definitely choose an upper deck seat.  For couples in first class, an upper deck 'club duo' table-for-two is easily the best option.

Boarding a double-deck TGV Duplex at Paris Gare de Lyon.  You can now easily travel from London to Barcelona in a day by Eurostar & TGV, a relaxing day catching up on your reading over a bottle of wine.  And it isn't even particularly expensive if you follow the advice on this page!  Watch the TGV Duplex video		The upstairs landing on a TGV Duplex showing the stairs down to the entrance door...

2nd class seats on TGV Duplex upper deck.  There's a mix of unidirectional seating and some tables for four like this...		The cafe-bar on the upper deck in car 4, serving tea, coffee, soft drinks, wine, beer, snacks and microwave-style hot meal dishes....

1st class seats on TGV Duplex upper deck.  That's a 'club duo' on the left & a 'club quatre' on the right.		A TGV Duplex at Figueres Vilafant station.  The red near the door indicates 1st class, pale green 2nd class.

By Spanish AVE train from Figueres to Barcelona & Madrid.

Easy interchange at Figueres Vilafant... A Spanish Alvia train to Barcelona is on the left and the TGV Duplex from Paris is on the right.  As you can see, it's a simple cross-platform interchange. From January 2013 this Alvia is replaced by an AVE to Madrid...		Club & Preferente fares on AVE trains include a meal with wine, coffee & liqueurs. This is Club class...

Turista (2nd class) on the AVE train from Figueres to Barcelona & Madrid...		Preferente (1st class) on the AVE train.  A meal with wine, coffee & liqueurs is included...

Club (premium 1st class) on the AVE train.  A meal with wine, coffee & liqueurs is included...		An S103 AVE train as used between Figueres, Barcelona & Madrid, at Madrid Atocha station...

Why can't you book Club class on this train?  What is Turista Plus?  These S103 AVE trains come with Turista, Preferente & Club class seating as shown above.  However, Club class isn't offered on this departure and when you book you'll find this train shown with Turista, Turista Plus  and Preferente.  Turista Plus is simply Preferente seating but without the at-seat food and wine.  And if you book a Preferente ticket you'll probably find yourself in a Club class seat with the regular Preferente at-seat meal & wine, but without the higher grade of on-board service that goes with Club.  Feedback would be appreciated.

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London to Seville & Cordoba

Option 1, London to Seville by Eurostar & Elipsos trainhotel...

Take Eurostar from London to Paris and the Elipsos trainhotel from Paris to Madrid overnight, as shown above.  Then take a 186 mph AVE (Alta Velocidad Española, also the Spanish for bird) from Madrid to Cordoba or Seville in just 2 hours.  The Madrid-Seville high speed line is very scenic, as it passes directly through the mountains which are by-passed by the more roundabout conventional line.  AVE trains from Madrid to Seville run every hour or better.  AVE trains are very punctual: Your ticket will be refunded in full if the AVE is more than 5 minutes late!  If you'd prefer daytime trains from London to Seville with an overnight hotel stop in Barcelona, see option 2 below.

London ► Seville

• Travel from London to Madrid by Eurostar and overnight Elipsos trainhotel, as shown in the London to Madrid by sleeper train section above.  You leave London at 13:31 (12:25 on Saturdays) and arrive at Madrid Chamartin station at 09:40 next morning.  Easy transfer to Madrid Atocha station.

• Travel from Madrid to Cordoba and Seville by high-speed AVE train, leaving Madrid Atocha station at 11:00 and arriving Cordoba at 12:44 and Seville at 13:30.  Or take any AVE you like, they run every hour.  All AVEs have a cafe-bar car, and a meal with wine is included in the Preferente & Club class fare, served at your seat.

Seville ► London

• Travel from Seville to Madrid by high-speed AVE, leaving Seville at 13:45 arriving in Madrid Atocha station at 16:05.  From Cordoba, there's a daily AVE at 13:28 arriving Madrid Atocha at 15:20.  Easy transfer to Madrid Chamartin station.

• Travel from Madrid to London by Elipsos trainhotel and Eurostar as shown in the London to Madrid by sleeper train section above.  You leave Madrid Chamartin station at 18:12 (19:00 on Saturdays) and arrive at London St Pancras at 12:30 next day.

How much does it cost?

Fare from  Madrid to Seville  by AVE...

In Turista:  Promo & Promo+ fares start at €22. Flexible fare €75.  In Preferente with hot meal & wine:  Promo & Promo+ fares start at €41, Flexible €127.  In Club with hot meal & wine:  Promo & Promo+ fares start at €61, Flexible €152.  Promo fares are limited-availability fares, check www.renfe.com to check availability.  These are one-way fares.  A 10% discount applies to the total cost of a round trip.

How to buy tickets online...

• Step 1, book the London-Paris-Madrid part of this journey online, following the step-by-step instructions in the London to Madrid by sleeper train section. 

• Step 2, buy onward tickets from Madrid to Cordoba or Seville at the Spanish railways website www.renfe.com - these instructions for using Renfe.com may help.  Renfe.com occasionally has payment problems, and it also has a few quirky translations, so if you have any problems with Renfe.com, simply book with either www.petrabax.com/renfe (prices in $) or www.raileurope-world.com (prices in €, cannot book Club class) instead.  These sites both link to the Renfe ticketing system so offer the same fares with the same print-at-home ticketing, they charge a small fee or mark-up, but it can be worth it as they are in plain English with no payment problems.

• Finally, you can also buy the Madrid-Seville/Cordoba tickets by phone with Spanish Railway's UK agents, www.spanish-rail.co.uk, on 020 3137 4464 (lines open 09:30-13:30 & 14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday, €10 per person booking fee).  They can sell the cheap Promo fares, too.

...or ask European Rail to book your tickets for you.

If you'd rather ask an experienced agency to book tickets for you, simply fill in this simple booking form and email it to sales@europeanrail.com.  They will call you back to confirm the cost, usually within 24 hours.  If you're okay with the price you can give them your credit card details and they'll send you the tickets.  European Rail (Erail) is a London-based ticketing agency who can access the cheap fares for Eurostar and the trainhotel and trains within Spain, including Renfe's cheap Promo fares.  They charge a £35 booking fee which includes postage to any UK address, or they can send to any address worldwide if you pay the courier fee.  Seat61 gets some commission if you buy tickets using this form.

...or ask Railbookers to make tailor-made travel & hotel arrangements for you.

If you need hotels booked for you as well, the easy option is to get reliable specialist agency Railbookers to arrange your whole trip, with train bookings, hotels and transfers all sorted with one phone call.  Just tell them when and where you want to go, and they'll create the best rail holiday for you.  In the UK, call www.railbookers.com on 020 3327 0761.  US & Canadian residents can call them toll-free on 1-800-408-3280 or see website.  Australian residents can call their Sydney office toll-free on 1300 971 526 or see www.railbookers.com.au.  New Zealand residents call toll-free on 0800 002 034 or see website.  Just tell them what you want, and they'll advise you on the best trains, routes & hotels and sort it all out for you.  They get very positive reviews.

...or buy tickets by phone.

You can buy train tickets from London to Seville through a number of UK agencies, including www.raileurope.co.uk on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open 09:00-19:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 on Saturdays, no longer open on Sundays, £8 booking fee) or Spanish Railways' UK agents, www.spanish-rail.co.uk, call 020 3137 4464 (lines open 09:30-13:30 & 14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday, €10 per person booking fee, and they can sell the cheap 'Promo' fares).  For more information about how to buy European train tickets from the UK and overseas, see the European train tickets page.

On board the AVE from Madrid to Cordoba & Seville...

AVE trains run at up to 186 mph over the new line between Madrid, Cordoba & Seville.  They have three classes, Club (premium 1st class), Preferente (1st class) and Turista (2nd class).  On some departures you'll also find Turista Plus, which means Preferente seating, but without the Preferente at-seat meal & wine.  These S100 trains are based on the French TGV, but with much higher quality interiors...
All aboard the train to Seville!  This is an S100 AVE boarding at Madrid Atocha...  All AVE trains have a cafe-bar serving drinks and snacks...  Or bring your own food, wine or beer on board.		First class lounge:  Club & Preferente passengers may use the Sala Club (1st class lounge) at Madrid Atocha, Cordoba & Seville, with complimentary coffee, juice & beer.

AVE Club class...  Spacious leather reclining seats, power sockets for laptops & mobiles...		A complimentary meal with wine, coffee & liqueurs is included in the Club & Preferente fare...

AVE Preferente class...  Reclining seats, power sockets for laptops & mobiles...		AVE Turista class...  Comfortable seats, power sockets for laptops & mobiles.

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Option 2, London to Seville by daytime trains

It's too far to go in one day, but if you prefer daytime train travel rather than using a sleeper, you can easily travel from London to Seville by daytime trains with an overnight hotel stop in Barcelona.

London ► Seville

• Day 1, travel from London to Barcelona by Eurostar & double-decker TGV Duplex, as shown in the London to Spain by high-speed train section above.  Until 6 July 2013, you leave London St Pancras at 09:17 weekdays, 09:31 Saturdays, 09:22 Sundays, change in Paris and Figueres Vilafant arriving Barcelona Sants at 21:45.  From 7 July, you leave London St Pancras at 10:25 (11:01 on Saturdays), change in Paris and Figueres Vilafant arriving Barcelona Sants at 23:49. 

• Stay overnight in Barcelona.

• Day 2, travel from Barcelona to Seville by direct high-speed AVE train.  There are two direct trains a day, leaving Barcelona Sants at 08:30 (arriving Seville 14:02) and at 15:50 (arriving Seville 21:15).  On some days there's a third train, at 11:55 arriving 16:54.  These trains are type S102 'Pato' AVEs with Preferente & Turista class seats and cafe-bar, see the photos & information here.  The Preferente fare includes an at-seat hot meal with choice of wines & liqueurs.

Seville ► London

• Day 1, travel from Seville to Barcelona by direct high-speed AVE train.  There are two direct trains a day, leaving Seville at 08:50 (arriving Barcelona Sants 14:25) and at 14:50 (arriving Barcelona Sants at 20:22).  On some days there's a third train, at 16:15.  These trains are type S102 'Pato' AVEs with Preferente & Turista class seats and cafe-bar, see the photos & information here.  The Preferente fare includes an at-seat hot meal with choice of wines & liqueurs.

• Stay overnight in Barcelona.

• Day 2, travel from Barcelona to London by Alvia train to Figueres Vilafant, double-decker TGV Duplex to Paris and Eurostar to London, as shown in the London to Spain by high-speed train section above.  Until 6 July, you leave Barcelona at 08:16, change at Figueres Vilafant and Paris arriving at London St Pancras at 19:39 (20:39 on Saturdays).  From 7 July you leave Barcelona at 05:02, change at Figueres Vilafant and Paris arriving at London St Pancras at 16:39.

How much does it cost?  How to buy tickets?

• See the London to Spain by high-speed train section for fares & how to buy tickets between London & Barcelona.

• Book a hotel in Barcelona here.

• Use www.renfe.com to book train tickets from Barcelona to Seville & back.  You'll find advice on using renfe.com here.  Barcelona to Seville starts at €35 with a Promo or Promo+ fare each way in turista class if you pre-book, from €78 with a Promo fare in Preferente.  Preferente fares give access to lounges & include at-seat meal & wine.

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London to Malaga & the Costa del Sol

Quack, quack. All aboard the high-speed train to Malaga!  A high-speed AVE train to Malaga waits to leave Madrid Atocha station.  These type S102 AVEs are known by staff as patos, Spanish for duck.  No prizes for guessing why...

Option 1, London to Malaga by Eurostar & Elipsos trainhotel.

It's easy to travel from London to Malaga without flying.  You simply take an afternoon Eurostar to Paris, the excellent overnight trainhotel from Paris to Madrid, then a high-speed AVE train through the mountains on the scenic high-speed line from Madrid to Malaga.  Alternatively, if you'd prefer daytime travel with an overnight hotel in Barcelona, see here.

London ► Malaga

• Travel from London to Madrid by Eurostar and the overnight Elipsos trainhotel, as shown in the London to Madrid by sleeper train section above.  You leave London at 13:31 (12:25 on Saturdays) and arrive at Madrid Chamartin station at 09:40 next morning.  Easy transfer to Madrid Atocha station.

• Travel from Madrid to Malaga by 186mph AVE train, leaving Madrid Atocha station at 11:35 and arriving Malaga at 14:07.  The final section of new high-speed line from Cordoba to Malaga opened in December 2007, cutting Madrid-Malaga journey time to just 2 hours 40 minutes using the same high-speed AVE trains used between Madrid and Seville.  All AVEs have a cafe-bar car, and a meal with wine is included in the Preferente & Club class fare, served at your seat.

• Change in Malaga for local trains to Torremolinos & Fuengirola or buses to Marbella, see below for details.

Malaga ► London

• Travel from Malaga to Madrid by high-speed AVE train, leaving Malaga at 14:05 and arriving Madrid Atocha station at 16:55.  Then transfer to Madrid Chamartin station.  The new high-speed line from Cordoba to Malaga opened in December 2007, cutting Madrid-Malaga journey time to 2 hours 40 minutes by AVE train.

• Travel from Madrid to London by Elipsos trainhotel and Eurostar as shown in the London to Madrid by sleeper train section above.  You leave Madrid Chamartin station at 18:12 (19:00 on Saturdays) and arrive at London St Pancras at 12:30 next day.

How much does it cost?

Fare from  Madrid to Malaga  by AVE...

In Turista:  Promo & Promo+ fares start at €23. Flexible fare €79.  In Preferente with hot meal & wine:  Promo & Promo+ fares start at €67. Flexible €134.  In Club with hot meal & wine:  Promo & Promo+ fares start at €94, Flexible €160.  Promo fares are limited-availability fares, check www.renfe.com to see if they're available.  These are one-way fares.  A 10% discount applies to the total cost of a round trip.

Torremolinos & Fuengirola...

Local trains link Malaga station with Torremolinos (journey time 23 minutes, fare €1.95) and Fuengirola (journey 47 minutes, fare €3.50). They run every 20 minutes from 05:30 to 22:30.  If you need further information, see www.renfe.com, click 'welcome' for English, click 'Commuter trains' then select 'Malaga'.

Marbella & Estepona...

Option 1 is to take a train from Malaga to Fuengirola then a frequent connecting bus.  Option 2 is to take a direct bus from Malaga to Marbella.  Buses run from Malaga bus station (right next door to the railway station) every hour or so, fast buses take 45 minutes, slow buses take 75 minutes, fare about €6.74.  See www.avanzabus.com.  There are also buses from Malaga to Estepona, journey time 2 hours, fare about €9.90, see www.avanzabus.com.

How to buy tickets online...

• Step 1, book the London-Paris-Madrid part of this journey online, following the step-by-step instructions in the London to Madrid by sleeper train section. 

• Step 2, buy onward tickets from Madrid to Malaga at the Spanish railways website www.renfe.com - these instructions for using Renfe.com may help.  Renfe.com occasionally has payment problems, and it also has a few quirky translations, so if you have any problems, simply book with either www.petrabax.com/renfe (prices in $) or www.raileurope-world.com (prices in €, cannot book Club class) instead.  These sites both link to the Renfe ticketing system so offer the same fares with the same print-at-home ticketing, they charge a small fee or mark-up, but it can be worth it as they are in plain English with no payment problems.

• Finally, you can also buy the Madrid-Malaga tickets by phone with Spanish Railway's UK agents, www.spanish-rail.co.uk, on 020 3137 4464 (lines open 09:30-13:30 & 14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday, €10 per person booking fee).  They can sell the cheap Promo fares, too.

...or ask European Rail to book your tickets for you.

If you'd rather ask an experienced agency to book tickets for you, simply fill in this simple booking form and email it to sales@europeanrail.com.  They will call you back to confirm the cost, usually within 24 hours.  If you're okay with the price you can give them your credit card details and they'll send you the tickets.  European Rail (Erail) is a London-based ticketing agency who can access the cheap fares for Eurostar and the trainhotel and trains within Spain, including Renfe's cheap 'Promo' fares.  They charge a £35 booking fee which includes postage to any UK address, or they can send to any address worldwide if you pay the courier fee.  Seat61 gets some commission if you buy tickets using this form.

...or ask Railbookers to make tailor-made travel & hotel arrangements for you.

If you need hotels booked for you as well, the easy option is to get reliable specialist agency Railbookers to arrange your whole trip, with train bookings, hotels and transfers all sorted with one phone call.  Just tell them when and where you want to go, and they'll create the best rail holiday for you.  In the UK, call www.railbookers.com on 020 3327 0761.  US & Canadian residents can call them toll-free on 1-800-408-3280 or see website.  Australian residents can call their Sydney office toll-free on 1300 971 526 or see www.railbookers.com.au.  New Zealand residents call toll-free on 0800 002 034 or see website.  Just tell them what you want, and they'll advise you on the best trains, routes & hotels and sort it all out for you.  They get very positive reviews.

...or buy tickets by phone.

You can buy train tickets from London to Malaga through a number of UK agencies, including www.raileurope.co.uk on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open 09:00-19:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 on Saturdays, no longer open on Sundays, £8 booking fee) or Spanish Railways' UK agents, www.spanish-rail.co.uk, call 020 3137 4464 (lines open 09:30-13:30 & 14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday, €10 per person booking fee, and they can sell the cheap 'Promo' fares too).  For more information about how to buy European train tickets from the UK and overseas, see the European train tickets page.

On board the AVE from Madrid to Malaga...

These superb-quality AVE high speed trains are amongst the classiest trains in Europe.  They have three classes, Club (premium 1st class with real leather seats), Preferente (1st class) and Turista (2nd class).  On some departures you'll also find Turista Plus, which means Preferente seating without the Preferente at-seat meal & wine.  AVE trains run at up to 186 mph over the new line between Madrid & Malaga, the final section of which opened on 24 December 2007.  Most trains on the Madrid to Malaga route are the S102 type shown below, little articulated single-axle Talgo carriages sandwiched between strange-looking duck-billed power cars, hence the nickname 'pato', Spanish for duck.  S102s also operate from Barcelona to Malaga & Seville.
First class lounge...  Club & Preferente passengers may use the Sala Club (1st class lounge) at Madrid Atocha, Cordoba & Seville, with complimentary coffee, juices & beer...		All aboard the train to Malaga!  This is an S102 AVE boarding at Madrid Atocha...  All AVE trains have a cafe-bar serving drinks and snacks...  Or bring your own food, wine or beer on board.

AVE Club class...  Leather reclining seats, power sockets for laptops & mobiles...		A complimentary meal with wine & liqueurs is included in the Club & Preferente fare...

AVE Turista class...  Comfortable seats, 2 abreast each side of the aisle, mainly unidirectional but some bays of 4 around a table like this...		AVE Preferente class...  Reclining seats, power sockets for laptops & mobiles, mainly unidirectional but some tables for 2 and tables for 4...
See the video:  Madrid to Malaga by high-speed train

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Option 2, London to Malaga by daytime trains

It's too far to go in one day, but if you prefer daytime train travel rather than using a sleeper, you can travel from London to Malaga easily enough by daytime trains with an overnight stop in Barcelona.  By all means stop over in Barcelona for longer if you wish!

London ► Malaga

• Day 1, travel from London to Barcelona by Eurostar & double-decker TGV Duplex, as shown in the London to Spain by high-speed train section above.  Until 6 July 2013, you leave London St Pancras at 09:17 weekdays, 09:31 Saturdays, 09:22 Sundays, change in Paris and Figueres Vilafant arriving Barcelona Sants at 21:45.  From 7 July, you leave London St Pancras at 10:25 (11:01 on Saturdays), change in Paris and Figueres Vilafant arriving Barcelona Sants at 23:49.

• Stay the night in Barcelona.

• Day 2, travel from Barcelona to Malaga by direct high-speed AVE train.  There are two direct trains a day, leaving Barcelona Sants at 08:30 (arriving Malaga 14:24) and at 15:50 (arriving Malaga 21:40).  These trains are type S102 'Pato' AVEs with Preferente & Turista class seats and a cafe-bar, see the photos & information above.  The Preferente fare includes an at-seat hot meal with choice of wines & liqueurs.

Malaga ► London

• Day 1, travel from Malaga to Barcelona by direct high-speed AVE train.  There are two direct trains a day, leaving Malaga at 08:40 (arriving Barcelona Sants 14:25) and at 14:35 (arriving Barcelona Sants at 20:22).  These trains are type S102 'Pato' AVEs with Preferente & Turista class seats and a cafe-bar, see the photos & information above.  The Preferente fare includes an at-seat hot meal with choice of wines & liqueurs.

• Stay overnight in Barcelona.

• Day 2, travel from Barcelona to London by Alvia train to Figueres Vilafant, double-decker TGV Duplex to Paris and Eurostar to London, as shown in the London to Spain by high-speed train section above.  Until 6 July 2013, you leave Barcelona at 08:16, change at Figueres Vilafant and Paris arriving at London St Pancras at 19:39 (20:39 on Saturdays).  From 7 July you leave Barcelona at 05:02, change at Figueres Vilafant and Paris arriving at London St Pancras at 16:39.

How much does it cost?  How to buy tickets?

• See the London to Spain by high-speed train section for details of fares & how to buy tickets between London & Barcelona.

• Book your hotel in Barcelona here.

• Use www.renfe.com to book your train tickets from Barcelona to Malaga & back.  You'll find advice on using renfe.com here.  Barcelona to Malaga starts at €35 with a Promo fare in turista class or from €59 with a Promo fare in Preferente.  Preferente fares include access to station lounges & an at-seat hot meal with wine.

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London to Granada, Almeria, Murcia, Ronda,

Algeciras, Cadiz, Jerez, Huelva, Cartagena... 

London ► Granada, Almeria, Murcia, Cartagena, Ronda, Algeciras, Cadiz, Jerez, Huelva

• Take an afternoon Eurostar to Paris and the overnight Elipsos trainhotel to Madrid Chamartin station as shown in the London to Madrid by sleeper train section above.  You leave London at 13:31 (12:25 on Saturdays) and arrive at Madrid Chamartin at 09:40 next morning.

• If you need to transfer between Madrid Chamartin & Madrid Atocha stations, see the Chamartin to Atocha transfer info here.  Spanish trains aren't always the most frequent, so for some destinations you'll get the best part of a day to explore Madrid before the next available train south.  The Madrid metro (www.metromadrid.es) also links Madrid Chamartin station with the city centre & Madrid Atocha station.

• For Granada, leave Madrid Atocha station at 17:05 by air-conditioned articulated Altaria train, arriving Granada at 21:37.

• For Almeria, leave Madrid Chamartin at 15:14 or Madrid Atocha (closer to the city centre) at 15:32 by air-conditioned Talgo train, arriving Almeria at 21:46.

• For Murcia or Cartagena, leave Madrid Chamartin station at 12:34 or Madrid Atocha station (closer to the city centre) at 12:53 by air-conditioned Altaria train, arriving Murcia at 16:42 & Cartagena at 17:26.  This train runs daily except Saturdays (though it also runs on Saturdays in August).  So on Saturdays, you need to leave Madrid Chamartin at 16:29 or Madrid Atocha closer to the city centre at 16:47, arriving Murcia at 20:47 & Cartagena at 21:32.

• For Ronda & Algeciras, leave Madrid Atocha station at 15:05 by air-conditioned Altaria train, arriving Ronda at 18:51 & Algeciras at 20:15.  For ferry connections to Morocco & bus or taxi connections round the bay to Gibraltar, see the Morocco page or Gibraltar page.  Watch a video of the scenic train ride between Madrid & Algeciras.

• For Cadiz & Jerez, leave Madrid Atocha station at 12:30 by air-conditioned S130 Alvia train, arriving Jerez de la Frontera at 16:00 & Cadiz at 16:39.

• For Huelva, leave Madrid Atocha station at 18:05 by air-conditioned S130 Alvia train, arriving Huelva at 21:52.

• You can check all these train times using www.renfe.com.

Granada, Almeria, Ronda, Algeciras, Cadiz, Jerez, Huelva ► London

• From Granada, leave Granada by air-conditioned Altaria train at 09:10, arriving Madrid Atocha (for the city centre) at 13:35.

• From Almeria, leave at 07:05 by daily air-conditioned Talgo train for Madrid, arriving Madrid Atocha (for city centre) at 13:08 and Madrid Chamartin at 13:27.

• From Murcia or Cartagena, leave Cartagena at 08:50 or Murcia at 09:36 by daily air-conditioned Altaria train for Madrid, arriving Madrid Atocha (for city centre) at 13:59 and Madrid Chamartin at 14:16.

• From Algeciras & Ronda, leave Algeciras at 08:45 and Ronda at 10:09 by fast air-conditioned Altaria train, arriving Madrid Atocha at 14:05.  See the video of the scenic train ride between Algeciras & Madrid.

• From Cadiz & Jerez, travel from Cadiz to Madrid by air-conditioned S130 Alvia train, leaving Cadiz at 08:05 or Jerez de la Frontera at 08:50, arriving Madrid Atocha at 12:38.

• From Huelva, leave Huelva daily except Sundays at 07:50 by direct air-conditioned S130 Alvia train, arriving Madrid Atocha at 11:45.  Doesn't run Sundays and a few other dates.  On Sundays, depart Huelva 06:55 by local train, change at Seville, arriving Madrid Atocha at 12:38.

• You can check all these train times using www.renfe.com.

• If you need to transfer from Madrid Atocha to Madrid Chamartin station, see the Atocha to Chamartin transfer advice here.

• Travel from Madrid Chamartin to London by Elipsos trainhotel and Eurostar as shown in the London to Madrid by sleeper train section above.  You leave Madrid Chamartin at 18:12 (19:00 on Saturdays) and arrive back in London at 12:30 next day.

How much does it cost?

Fare from Madrid to Granada by Altaria train...

In Turista:  Promo & Promo+ fares start at just €20. Flexible fare €68.  In Preferente with hot meal & wine:  Promo & Promo+ fares start at €42, Flexible fare €105.  Fares to other destinations will be similar.  Promo fares are advance-purchase fares, see www.renfe.com to check availability.  These are one-way fares.  A 10% discount applies to the total cost of a round trip.

How to buy tickets online...

• Step 1, book the London-Paris-Madrid part of this journey online, following the step-by-step instructions in the London to Madrid section. 

• Step 2, buy onward tickets from Madrid to Granada, Algeciras etc. at the Spanish railways website www.renfe.com - these instructions for using Renfe.com may help.  Renfe.com occasionally has payment problems, and it also has a few quirky translations, so if you have any problems with Renfe.com, simply book with either www.petrabax.com/renfe (prices in $) or www.raileurope-world.com (prices in €) instead.  These sites both link to the Renfe ticketing system so offer the same fares with the same print-at-home ticketing, they charge a small fee or mark-up, but it can be worth it as they are in plain English with no payment problems.

• Finally, you can also buy Spanish domestic train tickets by phone with Spanish Railway's UK agents, www.spanish-rail.co.uk, on 020 3137 4464 (lines open 09:30-13:30 & 14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday, €10 per person booking fee).  They can sell the cheap Promo fares, too.

...or ask European Rail to book your tickets for you.

If you'd rather ask an experienced agency to book tickets for you, simply fill in this simple booking form and email it to sales@europeanrail.com.  They will call you back to confirm the cost, usually within 24 hours.  If you're okay with the price you can give them your credit card details and they'll send you the tickets.  European Rail (Erail) is a London-based ticketing agency who can access the cheap fares for Eurostar and the trainhotel and trains within Spain, including Renfe's cheap 'Promo' fares.  They charge a £35 booking fee which includes postage to any UK address, or they can send to any address worldwide if you pay the courier fee.  Seat61 gets some commission if you buy tickets using this form.

...or ask Railbookers to make tailor-made travel & hotel arrangements for you.

If you need hotels booked for you as well, the easy option is to get reliable specialist agency Railbookers to arrange your whole trip, with train bookings, hotels and transfers all sorted with one phone call.  Just tell them when and where you want to go, and they'll create the best rail holiday for you.  In the UK, call www.railbookers.com on 020 3327 0761.  US & Canadian residents can call them toll-free on 1-800-408-3280 or see website.  Australian residents can call their Sydney office toll-free on 1300 971 526 or see www.railbookers.com.au.  New Zealand residents call toll-free on 0800 002 034 or see website.  Just tell them what you want, and they'll advise you on the best trains, routes & hotels and sort it all out for you.  They get very positive reviews.

...or buy tickets by phone.

You can buy train tickets from London to Spain through a number of UK agencies, including www.raileurope.co.uk on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open 09:00-19:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 on Saturdays, no longer open on Sundays, £8 booking fee) or Spanish Railways' UK agents, www.spanish-rail.co.uk, call 020 3137 4464 (lines open 09:30-13:30 & 14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday, €10 per person booking fee).  For more information about how to buy European train tickets from the UK and overseas, see the European train tickets page.

On board an Altaria train from Madrid to Granada, Ronda or Algeciras...

Altaria trains consist of a set of little articulated 'Talgo' carriages, hauled by a separate locomotive.  Each car is much shorter and lighter than a normal railway carriage, and has just one axle (2 wheels) at one end, and is articulated to the next car along at the other end, a unique design.  These Altaria trains have adjustable axles:  They use the standard-gauge high-speed lines at up to 125 mph for part of their journey, then are shunted slowly through a special gauge-changing shed, emerging on Spanish broad-gauge track to complete their journey on the classic rail network.  Preferente passengers receive an at-seat meal with wine included in the fare.  All passengers may use the cafe-bar.

An articulated Talgo Altaria train at Madrid Atocha station...		Turista (2nd class) seating on an Altaria train...

Preferente (1st class) seating on an Altaria train...		The Preferente fare includes an at-seat meal with wine...

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London to Tarragona, Salou, Valencia, Zaragoza

Option 1, by Eurostar & Elipsos Trainhotel...

London ► Tarragona, Zaragoza, Valencia

• Travel from London to Barcelona by afternoon Eurostar & the Elipsos trainhotel Joan Miro, as shown in the London to Barcelona by sleeper train section.  The trainhotel arrives at Barcelona França station at 09:43.

• For Tarragona & Salou:  Leave Barcelona França station at 10:47 by local train (2nd class only), arriving Tarragona 12:07 and Salou at 12:19.

• For Valencia:  Transfer from Barcelona França to Barcelona Sants by metro or taxi.  An air-conditioned Talgo train leaves Barcelona Sants at 12:00 arriving Valencia at 15:15.

• For Zaragoza:  Transfer from Barcelona França to Barcelona Sants station by metro or taxi.  A high-speed AVE leaves Barcelona Sants at 11:00 arriving Zaragoza at 12:23.

• You can check train times at www.renfe.com.

Valencia, Zaragoza, Valencia ► London

• From Zaragoza:  Leave Zaragoza at 16:52 by high-speed AVE, arriving Barcelona Sants at 18:40.  Transfer to Barcelona França station by taxi or metro.

• From Salou & Tarragona:  A local train (2nd class only) leaves Salou at 16:45 and Tarragona at 16:58 arriving Barcelona França at 18:22.

• From Valencia:  Leave Valencia by air-conditioned Talgo train at 13:08, arriving Barcelona Sants at 16:37.  Transfer to Barcelona França by metro or taxi.

• Travel from Barcelona França station to Paris and London by trainhotel & Eurostar as shown in the London to Barcelona by sleeper train section.  The trainhotel to Paris leaves Barcelona França at 19:55 arriving London at 12:30 next day.

How much does it cost?

See the London to Barcelona section for fares from London to Barcelona...

Fare from  Barcelona to Valencia:

In Turista:  Promo & Promo+ fares start at €18.  Flexible fare €45.  In Preferente: Promo & Promo+ fares start at €32, Flexible fare €73.  Promo fares are limited-availability fares, check www.renfe.com to see if they're available.

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Option 2, by daytime trains with hotel in Barcelona...

You may prefer comfortable high-speed daytime trains, with an overnight hotel stop in Barcelona.

London ► Tarragona, Zaragoza, Valencia

• Day 1, travel from London to Barcelona by mid-morning Eurostar to Paris, a superb 186 mph double-deck TGV Duplex to Figueres with an easy cross-platform connection to Barcelona Sants arriving late evening, as shown in the London to Spain by high-speed train section.

• Spend the night in a hotel in Barcelona.

• Day 2, travel from Barcelona Sants to Valencia, Tarragona or Zaragoza by any suitable daytime train.  You can check train times at www.renfe.com.  For example, a 10:00 EuroMed train from Barcelona Sants arrives Valencia at 12:59;  A 09:00 AVE train from Barcelona Sants arrives Zaragoza at 10:23.

Valencia, Zaragoza, Valencia ► London

• Day 1, travel from Valencia, Tarragona or Zaragoza to Barcelona by any suitable daytime train.  You can check train times at www.renfe.com.

• Spend the night in a hotel in Barcelona.

• Day 2, travel from Barcelona to London by morning train to Figueres, an easy cross-platform change onto the waiting TGV Duplex for Paris, and an evening Eurostar to London, as shown in the London to Spain by high-speed train section.

How much does it cost?

See the London to Spain by high-speed train section for fares between London & Barcelona.

See the red-and-grey table above for fares between Barcelona & Valencia.

How to buy tickets online...

• Step 1, book the London-Paris-Barcelona part of this journey following the step-by-step instructions in the London to Spain by high-speed train section.

• Step 2, buy onward tickets from Barcelona to Tarragona, Valencia or Zaragoza at the Spanish railways website www.renfe.com - these instructions for using Renfe.com may help.  Renfe.com occasionally has payment problems, and it also has a few quirky translations, so if you have any problems with Renfe.com, simply book with either www.petrabax.com/renfe (prices in $) or www.raileurope-world.com (prices in €, cannot book Club class) instead.  These sites both link to the Renfe ticketing system so offer the same fares with the same print-at-home ticketing, they charge a small fee or mark-up, but it can be worth it as they are in plain English with no payment problems.

• Finally, you can also buy Spanish train tickets by phone with Spanish Railway's UK agents, www.spanish-rail.co.uk, on 020 3137 4464 (lines open 09:30-13:30 & 14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday, €10 per person booking fee).  They can sell the cheap Promo fares, too.

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Option 3, by Eurostar & French couchette train...

London ► Valencia

• Travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 16:22 (16:52 on Saturdays) and arriving at Paris Gare du Nord at 19:47 (20:17 on Saturdays).  Cross Paris by metro to the Gare d'Austerlitz.

• Travel overnight from Paris to Portbou (on the Spanish frontier) leaving Paris Gare d'Austerlitz at 21:57 and arriving Portbou at 08:09 next morning.  This train has reclining seats, 2nd class 6-berth couchettes & 1st class 4-berth couchettes.  What are French couchettes like?.  Does not run on 24 or 31 December, 30 or 31 March, 9 or 10 May.

• Travel from Portbou direct to Valencia on the 'Mare Nostrum', leaving Portbou at 09:52 and going direct to Tarragona at 12:54, Salou 13:07, and arriving at Valencia at 15:15.  The 'Mare Nostrum' is an air-conditioned articulated 'Talgo' train with a cafe-bar.

Valencia ► London

• Travel from Valencia and Tarragona to Barcelona on the 'Mare Nostrum' air-conditioned Talgo train, leaving Valencia at 13:08, Salou 15:20, Tarragona at 15:39, Barcelona Sants at 16:42 and arriving at Cerebère (on the French side of the frontier) at 19:02.

• Travel from Cerebère to Paris by overnight train, leaving Cerebère at 20:17 Monday-Thursday or 21:29 Friday to Sunday and arriving Paris Gare d'Austerlitz at 07:22.  This train has 1st class 4-berth couchettes, 2nd class 6-berth couchettes & 2nd class reclining seats.  What are French couchettes like?  Does not run on 24 or 31 December, 30 or 31 March, 9 or 10 May.  Cross Paris by metro to the Gare du Nord.

• Travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 09:13 and arriving London at 10:39.

How to buy tickets online...

• Step 1, book the London-Paris-Barcelona part of this journey following the step-by-step instructions in the London to Barcelona section.

• Step 2, buy onward tickets from Barcelona to Tarragona or Valencia at the Spanish railways website www.renfe.com - these instructions for using Renfe.com may help.  Renfe.com occasionally has payment problems, and it also has a few quirky translations, so if you have any problems with Renfe.com, simply book with either www.petrabax.com/renfe (prices in $) or www.raileurope-world.com (prices in €, cannot book Club class) instead.  These sites both link to the Renfe ticketing system so offer the same fares with the same print-at-home ticketing, they charge a small fee or mark-up, but it can be worth it as they are in plain English with no payment problems.

• Finally, you can also buy Spanish train tickets by phone with Spanish Railway's UK agents, www.spanish-rail.co.uk, on 020 3137 4464 (lines open 09:30-13:30 & 14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday, €10 per person booking fee).  They can sell the cheap Promo fares, too.

How to buy tickets by phone...

You can buy tickets through a number of UK agencies, including www.raileurope.co.uk on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open 09:00-19:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 on Saturdays, no longer open on Sundays, £8 booking fee) or Spanish Railways' UK agents, www.spanish-rail.co.uk, call 020 3137 4464 (lines open 09:30-13:30 & 14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday, €10 per person booking fee, and they can sell the cheap 'Promo' fares too).  For more information about how to buy European train tickets from the UK and overseas, see the Europe page.

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London to Alicante & Benidorm

It's easy to travel from London to Alicante without flying - you simply take an afternoon Eurostar to Paris, the excellent Elipsos trainhotel from Paris to Barcelona, then a connecting Talgo or high-speed EuroMed train from Barcelona to Alicante.

Option 1, by Eurostar & Elipsos Trainhotel...

London ► Alicante

• Travel from London to Barcelona by afternoon Eurostar and Elipsos trainhotel Joan Miro as shown in the London to Barcelona by sleeper train section.  The trainhotel from Paris arrives at Barcelona França station at 09:43. 

• Transfer by metro or taxi from Barcelona França to Barcelona Sants.

• Travel from Barcelona to Alicante by train, leaving Barcelona Sants at 12:00 and arriving in Alicante at 17:20.  This is an air-conditioned Talgo train with cafe-bar.  If you'd like to spend some time in Barcelona there are later trains, including a 16:00 EuroMed train from Barcelona Sants arriving Alicante at 20:43 or an 18:00 EuroMed train arriving Alicante at 22:40.  EuroMed trains has a cafe-bar car, and a meal with wine is included in the first class fare, served at your seat.

Alicante ► London

• Travel from Alicante to Barcelona by fast air-conditioned EuroMed train, leaving Alicante at 09:25 and arriving Barcelona Sants at 14:09.  EuroMed trains has a cafe-bar car, and a meal with wine is included in the first class fare, served at your seat.

• Transfer by from Barcelona Sants to Barcelona França by metro or taxi.

• Travel from Barcelona to London by Elipsos trainhotel Joan Miro and morning Eurostar, as shown in the London to Barcelona by sleeper train section.  The trainhotel to Paris leaves Barcelona França at 19:55.

How much does it cost?

See the London to Barcelona by sleeper train section for fares between London & Barcelona...

Fare from  Barcelona to Alicante:

In Turista:  Promo & Promo+ fares start at €20. Flexible fare €52.  In Preferente with hot meal & wine:  Promo & Promo+ fares from €41, Flexible €94.  Promo fares are limited-availability fares, check www.renfe.com to see if they're available.

The Benidorm connection...

To reach Benidorm, first travel by train to Alicante.  On arrival at Alicante mainline station, walk a few minutes along the Avenida de La Estacion to the Luceros tram station in the Plaza de los Luceros.  Trams leave Luceros tram station every 30 minutes or so throughout the day for Benidorm, journey time 1 hour 12 minutes, fare €3.35 one-way, €5.70 day return (the tram was extended to Benidorm in early 2009, so there's no longer any need to switch to a conventional local train to reach Benidorm).  You can find tram timetables & fares at www.fgvalicante.com.  Alternatively, buses are available to Benidorm from just outside Alicante station.

How to buy tickets online...

• Step 1, book the London-Paris-Barcelona part of this journey online at www.raileurope.co.uk, following the step-by-step instructions in the London to Barcelona by sleeper train section. 

• Step 2, buy onward tickets from Barcelona to Alicante at the Spanish railways website www.renfe.com - these instructions for using Renfe.com may help.  Renfe.com occasionally has payment problems, and it also has a few quirky translations, so if you have any problems with Renfe.com, simply book with either www.petrabax.com/renfe (prices in $) or www.raileurope-world.com (prices in €, cannot book Club class) instead.  These sites both link to the Renfe ticketing system so offer the same fares with the same print-at-home ticketing, they charge a small fee or mark-up, but it can be worth it as they are in plain English with no payment problems.

• Finally, you can also buy Spanish train tickets by phone with Spanish Railway's UK agents, www.spanish-rail.co.uk, on 020 3137 4464 (lines open 09:30-13:30 & 14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday, €10 per person booking fee).  They can sell the cheap Promo fares, too.

...or ask European Rail to book your tickets for you.

If you'd rather ask an experienced agency to book tickets for you, simply fill in this simple booking form and email it to sales@europeanrail.com.  They will call you back to confirm the cost, usually within 24 hours.  If you're okay with the price you can give them your credit card details and they'll send you the tickets.  European Rail (Erail) is a London-based ticketing agency who can access the cheap fares for Eurostar and the trainhotel and trains within Spain, including Renfe's cheap 'Promo' fares.  They charge a £35 booking fee which includes postage to any UK address, or they can send to any address worldwide if you pay the courier fee.  Seat61 gets some commission if you buy tickets using this form.

...or ask Railbookers to make tailor-made travel & hotel arrangements for you.

If you need hotels booked for you as well, the easy option is to get reliable specialist agency Railbookers to arrange your whole trip, with train bookings, hotels and transfers all sorted with one phone call.  Just tell them when and where you want to go, and they'll create the best rail holiday for you.  In the UK, call www.railbookers.com on 020 3327 0761.  US & Canadian residents can call them toll-free on 1-800-408-3280 or see website.  Australian residents can call their Sydney office toll-free on 1300 971 526 or see www.railbookers.com.au.  New Zealand residents call toll-free on 0800 002 034 or see website.  Just tell them what you want, and they'll advise you on the best trains, routes & hotels and sort it all out for you.  They get very positive reviews.

...or buy tickets by phone.

You can buy train tickets from London to Alicante through a number of UK agencies, including www.raileurope.co.uk on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open 09:00-19:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 on Saturdays, no longer open on Sundays, £8 booking fee) or Spanish Railways' UK agents, www.spanish-rail.co.uk, call 020 3137 4464 (lines open 09:30-13:30 & 14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday, €10 per person booking fee, and they can sell the cheap 'Promo' fares too).  For more information about how to buy European train tickets from the UK and overseas, see the Europe page.

On board the EuroMed train from Barcelona to Valencia & Alicante...

A EuroMed train pulls into the platform at Barcelona Sants station.  It's a type S130 pato or little duck.		Turista (2nd class) seats on a EuroMed train from Barcelona to Alicante...

Preferente (1st class) seats on a EuroMed train.  An at-seat meal with wine is included in the 1st class fare.		An S130 EuroMed (Alvia) train at Barcelona Franca station.

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Option 2, by daytime trains with overnight stop in Barcelona...

London ► Alicante

• Day 1, travel from London to Barcelona by Eurostar & double-decker TGV Duplex, as shown in the London to Spain by high-speed train section above.  Until 6 July 2013, you leave London St Pancras at 09:17 weekdays, 09:31 Saturdays, 09:22 Sundays, change in Paris and Figueres Vilafant arriving Barcelona Sants at 21:45.  From 7 July, you leave London St Pancras at 10:25 (11:01 on Saturdays), change in Paris and Figueres Vilafant arriving Barcelona Sants at 23:49.

• Stay overnight in Barcelona.

• Day 2, travel from Barcelona to Alicante by direct high-speed EuroMed train.  There are a range of trains daily, see www.renfe.com for times & fares.  For example, a EuroMed train leaves Barcelona Sants at 07:00 arriving Alicante 11:45, or have a leisurely breakfast and take a later one leaving Barcelona Sants at 10:00 and arriving Alicante at 14:48.

Alicante ► London

• Day 1, travel from Alicante to Barcelona by any train you like, see www.renfe.com for times & fares.  For example, a fast EuroMed train leaves Alicante at 16:17 and arrives Barcelona Sants at 21:11.  Or take the earlier 14:20 arriving Barcelona 19:10 for dinner and an early night in Barcelona.  Or there are earlier trains.

• Stay overnight in Barcelona.

• Day 2, travel from Barcelona to London by Alvia train to Figueres Vilafant, double-decker TGV Duplex to Paris and Eurostar to London, as shown in the London to Spain by high-speed train section above.  Until 6 July 2013, you leave Barcelona at 08:16, change at Figueres Vilafant and Paris arriving at London St Pancras at 19:39 (20:39 on Saturdays).  From 7 July you leave Barcelona at 05:02, change at Figueres Vilafant and Paris arriving at London St Pancras at 16:39.

How much does it cost using daytime trains?  How to buy tickets?

• See the London to Spain by high-speed train section above for details of fares & how to buy tickets between London & Barcelona.

• Book a hotel in Barcelona here.

• Then use www.renfe.com to book train tickets from Barcelona to Alicante & back.  You'll find advice on using renfe.com here.  See the fares table above for Barcelona-Alicante EuroMed fares.

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Option 3, by Eurostar & French couchette train...

London ► Alicante

• Travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 16:22 (16:52 on Saturdays) and arriving at Paris Gare du Nord at 19:47 (20:17 on Saturdays).  Cross Paris by metro to the Gare d'Austerlitz.

• Travel overnight from Paris to Portbou (on the Spanish frontier) leaving Paris Gare d'Austerlitz at 21:57 and arriving Portbou at 08:09 next morning.  This train has reclining seats, 2nd class 6-berth couchettes & 1st class 4-berth couchettes.  What are French couchettes like?.  Does not run on 24 or 31 December, 30 or 31 March, 9 or 10 May.

• Travel from Portbou direct to Alicante on the 'Mare Nostrum', leaving Portbou at 09:52 and arriving at Alicante at 17:20.  The 'Mare Nostrum' is an air-conditioned articulated 'Talgo' train with a cafe-bar.

Alicante ► London

• Travel from Alicante to Cerebère on the French frontier aboard the 'Mare Nostrum' Talgo train, leaving Alicante at 11:09 and arriving at Cerebère (on the French side of the frontier) at 19:02.

• Travel from Cerebère to Paris by overnight train, leaving Cerebère at 20:17 Monday-Thursday or 21:29 Friday to Sunday and arriving Paris Gare d'Austerlitz at 07:22.  This train has 1st class 4-berth couchettes, 2nd class 6-berth couchettes & 2nd class reclining seats.  What are French couchettes like?  Does not run on 24 or 31 December, 30 or 31 March, 9 or 10 May.  Cross Paris by metro to the Gare du Nord.

• Travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 09:13 and arriving London at 10:39.

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London to San Sebastian

San Sebastian is a popular destination - it can help to know that it's Basque name is Donostia, as you'll often see it shown as Donostia not San Sebastian.

London ► San Sebastian in a day

London ► San Sebastian overnight

• Travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 16:22 (16:52 on Saturdays), arriving at Paris Gare du Nord at 19:47 (20:17 on Saturdays).  Cross Paris by metro to the Gare d'Austerlitz.

• Travel overnight from Paris to Hendaye on the Spanish frontier, leaving Paris Austerlitz on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays (daily in certain peak periods) at 21:54, arriving Hendaye at 08:54 next morning.  This is an Intercités de Nuit overnight train with 1st class 4-berth couchettes, 2nd class 6-berth couchettes & reclining seats.  What are French couchette trains like?  Does not run on 24 or 31 December.  A couchette is the recommended option.  Check whether this overnight train is running on your date of travel using www.raileurope.co.uk or www.voyages-sncf.com.

• Travel from Hendaye to San Sebastian by narrow gauge local train run by Euskotren.  These run every 30 minutes between Hendaye, Irun Colon station (a short walk from Irun mainline station) and San Sebastian Amara station, journey time 37 minutes.  At Hendaye, the Euskotren platforms are just across the forecourt from the main SNCF station, and are branded Metro Donostialdea.  Simply buy a ticket from the machines and go through the automatic gates onto the platform.

San Sebastian ► London in a day by 09:45 TGV...

• Travel from San Sebastian to Hendaye by narrow gauge train run by Euskotren.  These run every 30 minutes from Sebastian Amara station to Hendaye, journey time 37 minutes.  At Hendaye, the Euskotren station is across the forecourt from the main SNCF station.  Always allow plenty of time for the connections!  You'll find the Euskotren stations branded Metro Donostialdea.

• Travel from Hendaye to Paris by high-speed TGV, leaving Hendaye daily at 09:45 and arriving Paris Gare Montparnasse at 15:33, see the TGV photos below.  Check train times for your date of travel using www.raileurope.co.uk or www.voyages-sncf.com.  Cross Paris by métro to the Gare du Nord.

• Travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 17:13 arriving in London St Pancras at 18:30.

San Sebastian ► London in a day by 12:45 TGV...

• Travel from San Sebastian to Hendaye by narrow gauge train run by Euskotren.  These run every 30 minutes from Sebastian Amara station to Hendaye, journey time 37 minutes.  At Hendaye, the Euskotren station is across the forecourt from the main SNCF station.  Always allow plenty of time for the connections!  You'll find the Euskotren stations branded Metro Donostialdea.

• Travel from Hendaye to Paris by high-speed TGV, leaving Hendaye daily at 12:45 and arriving Paris Gare Montparnasse at 18:33, see the TGV photos below.  Check train times for your date of travel using www.raileurope.co.uk or www.voyages-sncf.com.  Cross Paris by métro to the Gare du Nord.

• Travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 20:13 arriving in London St Pancras at 21:39.

San Sebastian ► London overnight

How much does it cost?

• Using the daytime TGV, London to Hendaye can cost as little as £115 return (£69 return for Eurostar plus €25 each way for the TGV).

• Using the overnight train, London to Hendaye costs as little as £139 return including a couchette (£69 return for Eurostar, £35 each way for a Paris-Irun couchette).

• The local train from Hendaye to San Sebastian only costs around €2 one-way.  Tickets are easily bought using the self-service ticket machines at the Hendaye Euskotren station.

How to buy tickets online...

This is the cheapest way to buy tickets, and it's really easy.

• 1.  Go to www.raileurope.co.uk (in English, tickets sent to any UK address, backed by UK call centre) or www.voyages-sncf.com (in several languages, tickets sent to any European address or can be picked up in France at the station).

• 2.  To book the daytime option, simply enter 'London' and 'Hendaye' and your dates of travel.  Select a morning departure.  It will book your whole trip in one go, Eurostar and TGV.

• 3.  To book the overnight option, it's better to split the trip into London-Paris & Paris-Hendaye.  You'll also need to book the daytime option in two stages if you want to stop off in Paris, or want 2nd class Eurostar but 1st class on the TGV, for example.  First  book Paris-Hendaye & back.  Then click 'add another ticket' and book London-Paris & back as a separate journey.  This way you can select 2nd class for London-Paris & 1st class for Paris-Hendaye.  Use the train times recommended on this page as a guide.

• 4.  When booking the overnight train, make sure you select the departure with the 'Intercités de Nuit' logo, and not the alternative overnight TGV train which may also be shown and which only has sit-up-all-night seats.  When you find the Intercités de Nuit train, click on the price, then click the 'choose my place' link which appears, and make sure the drop-down box shows 'couchette' not 'reclining seat'.

• 5.  Just buy the local ticket from Hendaye to San Sebastian at the station when you get there.

How to buy tickets by phone...

• You can buy tickets by phone from Rail Europe, on 0844 848 5 848, lines open 09:00-19:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-18:00 on Saturdays, £8 booking fee.

• If Rail Europe have any difficulty booking the Spanish train, call Spanish Railways' UK agents, www.spanish-rail.co.uk, on 020 3137 4464 (lines open 09:30-13:30 & 14:30-17:30 Monday-Friday, €10 per person booking fee, and they can sell the cheap Promo fares too).

See the London to Paris page for information about Eurostar...

On board the TGV from Paris to Hendaye or Irun...

The interior is styled by designer Christian Lacroix, and there are power sockets at all seats.  On the TGV Atlantique route from Paris to Bordeaux & the Spanish border, one 1st class car has a conventional open plan layout, the other two have a unique layout with bays of two seats facing across a table one side of the aisle, and semi-compartments of 4 seats around a table on the other, as pictured below.  Very civilised!

TGVs to the Spanish border, waiting to leave Paris Gare Montparnasse...		1st class on a TGV Atlantique, showing semi-compartments.  Courtesy Rafal Tomasik.

2nd class on the TGV.  Most seats are unidirectional, some are in bays of 4 like this.  See panorama photo.		The café-bar car, serving drinks, snacks and microwaved hot dishes.  See a typical menu here...

London to Pamplona & Bilbao

Option 1, by daytime trains with overnight stop at Irun...

This is a fast and comfortable option, with daytime travel by high-speed train and an overnight stop in a hotel at Irun on the Spanish border.

London ► Pamplona, Bilbao

Santiago de Compostela, Vigo, A Coruña ► London

• Day 1, travel from North-West Spain to Irun by air-conditioned Arco train, leaving A Coruna at 09:10 or Santiago de Compostela at 09:44 and arriving at Hendaye on the French side of the French border at 20:37.

• Spend the night in a hotel in Hendaye.  Try the Campanille Hendaye, or stay in Irun at the Albergue Martindozenea (cheap, fairly near the station, gets good reviews) or the Alcazar (also getting good reviews and not too far from the station).

• Day 2, travel from Hendaye to Paris by high-speed TGV, leaving Hendaye daily at 09:45 and arriving Paris Gare Montparnasse at 15:33, see the TGV photos above.  There are usually two or three TGVs a day from Hendaye to Paris, check what time TGVs link Hendaye and Paris on your date of travel using www.raileurope.co.uk or www.voyages-sncf.com.  Cross Paris by métro to the Gare du Nord.

• Day 2, travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 17:13 arriving in London St Pancras at 18:30.  Adjust the Eurostar connection to London as necessary, depending when your TGV arrives in Paris  - allow at lest 90 minutes between the TGV arrival in Paris and the Eurostar departure from Paris Nord

How much does it cost?

• London to Paris by Eurostar starts at £39 one-way or £69 return 2nd class or £107 one-way, £189 return 1st class (non-refundable, non-changeable).  Like air fares, the price rises as cheaper seats are sold, so book early for the best price.

• If you book in advance, Paris to Irun or Hendaye to Paris by TGV costs from as little as £23 one-way, £46 return.  The price varies like air fares, so book early for the cheaper prices.

• Irun to Santiago de Compostela costs from €20 Promo fare or €49.90 Flexible in turista class, or from €26 Promo fare or €66 Flexible in preferente class.  These are one-way fares, double them and deduct 10% for returns.

How to buy tickets online...

• Step 1, go to www.raileurope.co.uk (for UK residents, backed by UK call centre) and book from London to Irun one-way.  Add this to your basket, then (if you're returning) book Hendaye to London one way.  In fact, I recommend splitting the booking 3 ways, as there's a discount if you book Eurostar as a return journey, and you may also want to mix and match 2nd class on Eurostar with 1st class on the TGV, as Eurostar 1st class is expensive, but there are often some great 1st class deals on the TGV:  First book London to Paris and back and add this to you basket.  Then book Paris to Irun one-way and add to basket.  Finally, book Hendaye to Paris one-way and add it to your basket.  You can then pay for all three bookings together as one transaction.

• Alternatively, anyone from any country can book from London to Paris at www.eurostar.com with print-at-home tickets, then book from Paris to Irun and Hendaye to Paris at www.voyages-sncf.com, also usually with print-at-home tickets or ticket collection at the station in France.  Make sure you allow at least 60 minutes to change trains and stations in Paris outward, 90 minutes northbound as this needs to include the 30-minute Eurostar check-in.

• Step 2, now book the train from Irun to Santiago de Compostela or Vigo or Coruna using the Spanish Railways website, www.renfe.com, see this step-by-step guide to booking tickets with renfe.com. 

• If you have any difficulty booking the Spanish train at Renfe.com, simply book with either www.petrabax.com/renfe (prices in $) or www.raileurope-world.com (prices in €) instead.  Both these sites link to the Renfe ticketing system so offer the same fares with the same print-at-home ticketing, they charge a small fee or mark-up, but it can be worth it as they are in plain English with no payment problems.

The Arco train from Irun to Santiago de Compostela, Coruna, Vigo...

Cafe-bar on the Arco train from Irun to Santiago & Vigo.  Courtesy of Martin Hill		Turista seating on the Arco train from Irun to Vigo.  Courtesy of Martin Hill

Preferente seating on the Arco train from Irun to Vigo.  Courtesy of Martin Hill		Scenery as the train enters Galicia on its way to Vigo.  Photo courtesy of Martin Hill.

Traveller's report...

Traveller Martin Hill went from the UK to Vigo this way in 2013:  "In Irun we stayed at the Alcazar hotel, a €5 taxi ride from the station. It's very quaint and basic as it's stuck in a time-warp of about 30 years ago. The staff speak little English but are very obliging. Unfortunately there was no restaurant open when we arrived around 9pm from Paris, though there is a bar.

The scenery from Irun to Vigo is very varied. The first hour or two the line follows river valleys through the Pyrenees. Due to recent storms the rivers were severely flooded and quite spectacular. Much of the journey is then across a plain with distant views of snow-capped mountains, including the southern edge of the Picos de Europa.  As you reach Galicia the journey gets exciting, as the line climbs through mountains, and at one stage does a 360-degree spiral to change levels. It follows a very attractive river and several lakes.

The Arco train has music channels and shows a couple of videos during the journey. They bring earphones round free of charge, but you may want to have your own. There was a buffet car which was open pretty much throughout the journey with the same staff all the way. Prices were quite reasonable after the TGV. On the ARCO coffee was €1.50, cake €1, a half-bottle of wine €4.10 and a very nice microwaved pizza €4.30. There were three locomotive changes with scheduled stops of about 20 minutes each time which enabled us to visit the station buffets with a more varied selection. We recommend having a copy of the complete train timetable so that you know where the long stops are. The train changed direction twice.

London to Ibiza, Minorca, Mallorca

	The Acciona Trasmediterranea ferry 'Fortuny' leaving Palma de Mallorca for Barcelona.  Similar ferries operate from Barcelona to Ibiza (Eivissa in Catalan)...
	The 17:00 Balearia fast ferry to Alcudia about to leave Barcelona.  You can see the Columbus Monument at the foot of La Rambla in the background.  It's that central!
	Inside Balearia's fast ferry 'Jaume I' from Barcelona to Alcudia on Mallorca...
	No Ryanair, no EasyJet.  The sun sets as the fast ferry from Barcelona speeds across the Med towards Mallorca.  We spotted some dolphins earlier...

It's easy to travel from London to Ibiza, Mallorca or Minorca without flying.  You take an afternoon Eurostar to Paris, the overnight 'trainhotel' from Paris to Barcelona, spend the day there, then take the daily overnight ferry from Barcelona to the islands - or on some dates there's an evening fast ferry to Mallorca as well.  See the London to Barcelona section for train times and fares to Barcelona, then see the ferry information below:

Barcelona to Palma de Mallorca (Majorca)

• Step 1, London to Barcelona:  Travel from London to Barcelona as shown in the London to Barcelona by sleeper train section, leaving London by Eurostar mid-afternoon and arriving in Barcelona by Elipsos sleeper train next morning.  Spend the day in Barcelona, there are left luggage facilities at Barcelona Sants although not at Barcelona Franca where the trainhotel arrives.  Alternatively, use the high-speed daytime option from London to Barcelona, and spend the night & following day in Barcelona (as a same-day connection is just too tight once you allow for the 1 hour ferry check-in).

• Step 2, overnight ferry from Barcelona to Palma de Mallorca:  Then take one of the two daily overnight ferries from Barcelona to Palma de Mallorca, one run by Acciona Trasmediterranea (www.trasmediterranea.es, their UK agent is Southern Ferries on 0844 815 7785), the other run by Balearia (www.balearia.com).  Both ships usually sail from Barcelona around around 23:00 and arrive in Palma around 07:00, with comfortable cabins & reclining seats available.  You can check times & prices at the seat61 ferry shop.  The Acciona & Balearia ferry terminals are both located in central Barcelona, a few minutes' walk from the Columbus monument at the foot of La Rambla.  I recommend Acciona, as they have the bigger, nicer ships which sail from right alongside the terminal so you can walk straight onto the ship, whereas the smaller Balearia ship requires an awkward shuttle bus transfer between the ferry check-in and the vessel in both Barcelona and Palma.

• Or daytime fast ferry to Alcudia:  Alternatively, on many days in summer Balearia operate a daytime fast ferry (a 'SeaCat') from Barcelona to Alcudia, on the northeast corner of Mallorca near both Alcudia and Pollensa, calling at Minorca on the way.  This leaves from directly alongside the Balearia terminal in central Barcelona around 17:00 and arrives at 23:00, getting you to Mallorca the day after leaving London!  See www.balearia.com or use the Seat61 ferry shop to check whether it is running on your dates of travel.  There will be plenty of taxis waiting at Alcudia ferry terminal, it's a 10 minute taxi ride to Pollensa.

• In the return direction from Mallorca back to London, the all-year-round Balearia and Acciona ships usually sail by day, leaving Palma around 12:30, arriving Barcelona around 19:30.  Again, I recommend Acciona, as the Balearia ship requires an awkward shuttle bus transfer between check-in and ship at both Palma and Barcelona, whereas the Acciona ship docks right alongside the terminals in both cities so you can simply walk on and off.  You may need to stay overnight in Barcelona, don't risk a tight connection with the trainhotel to Paris, see the Barcelona to London by sleeper train section for details.

• Alternatively, on many days in summer Balearia operate an 08:00 fast ferry from Alcudia (a 10 minute taxi ride from Pollensa) to Barcelona, arriving in Barcelona around 14:00, in plenty of time for that evening's trainhotel to Paris, see the Barcelona to London section.

• Map of Barcelona:  Map of Barcelona showing location of railway stations and ferry terminals.

• Train service on Mallorca:  There are two train lines on Majorca, from Palma to Inca & Soller, see www.seemallorca.com/travel-and-transport/local-trains-in-mallorca-and-palma-de-majorca.html.

• Hotels & yacht charter on Mallorca:  There are of course many hotels and resorts on Mallorca, but I can recommend the Pollentia Club Resort near Pollensa.  Have you considered chartering a 6-berth yacht for a week or two, with a skipper provided if you can't sail yourself?  See www.latitudecharter.com, and make sure you visit Cabrera!

Barcelona to Ibiza

• Step 1, London to Barcelona:  Travel from London to Barcelona as shown in the London to Barcelona by sleeper train section, leaving London by Eurostar mid-afternoon and arriving in Barcelona by Elipsos trainhotel sleeper train next morning.  Or travel by daytime trains as shown in the London to Barcelona by high-speed train section, and spend the night & following day in Barcelona.

• Step 2, overnight ferry from Barcelona to Ibiza:  Acciona Trasmediterranea operate an overnight ferry to Ibiza on most nights of the week, either at 20:30 or 23:30, arriving either 06:30 or 08:30.  Times and dates vary, so see the Seat61 ferry shop or www.trasmediterranea.es, or call Acciona Trasmediterranea's UK agent, Southern Ferries on 0844 815 7785.  The ship sails from the Acciona terminal in central Barcelona, a few minutes' walk from the Columbus monument at the foot of La Rambla.

How to buy tickets...

Book the rail journey (Eurostar + trainhotel) online or by phone, as shown in the London to Barcelona by sleeper train section above.

Book the ferry either online at www.balearia.com (Tip:  Camarote means cabin berth, Sirena means reclining seat) or www.trasmediterranea.es or through Acciona Trasmediterranea's UK agent, Southern Ferries on 0844 815 7785.

London to Lanzarote, Las Palmas, Tenerife

Two ferry companies now link Spain with the Canary islands, Acciona Trasmediterranea and Naviera Armas.  Here's how to travel from the UK to the Canary Islands without flying:

Option 1:  UK to the Canary Islands by train & ferry with Naviera Armas via Huelva...

www.navieraarmas.com started a weekly ferry from Huelva in Spain to Tenerife and Gran Canaria in March 2011. It's reportedly higher quality than the Acciona ferry, but feedback is welcome!

London  ► Tenerife & Las Palmas/Gran Canaria

• Day 1, Thursday:  Travel from London to Madrid by Eurostar & Elipsos trainhotel Francisco de Goya, as shown in the London to Madrid by sleeper train section.  You leave London at 13:31 (14:01 Saturdays) and arrive Madrid Chamartin at 09:00 Friday morning. 

• Day 2, Friday:  Spend the day in Madrid, then take the early evening train from Madrid Atocha to Huelva as shown in the London to Huelva section.  Spend the night in Huelva.

• Day 3, Saturday:  The Naviera Armas ferry to the Canaries sails from Cadiz weekly, usually at 13:00 every Saturday, arriving at Gran Canaria at 17:00 and 22:00 at Tenerife on the Sunday.  You can check times, sailing dates & fares at www.navieraarmas.com.

Tenerife & Las Palmas/Gran Canaria  ► London

• Day 1, Thursday:  Sail every Thursday from Gran Canaria at 08:00 or Tenerife at 12:00 arriving in Huelva at 18:00 next day (Friday, day 2).  Spend the night in Huelva.

• Day 3, Saturday:  Take the morning train from Huelva to Madrid, as shown in the Huelva to London section.  Spend the day in Madrid.

• Day 3, Saturday:  Travel from Madrid to Paris on the Elipsos trainhotel Francisco de Goya, then to London by Eurostar, as shown in the London to Madrid by sleeper train section.  You arrive in London at 12:30 on Sunday (day 4).

Fares & how to buy tickets...

• Buy your London to Madrid train tickets either online or by phone as shown above.

• Buy your Madrid-Huelva tickets online at www.renfe.com or www.raileurope-world.com, or by phone from www.spanish-rail.co.uk.

• Check ferry fares, sailing dates and book the ferry tickets online at www.navieraarmas.com.  Fares start at €80 each way with a reclining seat, or €200 each way per person for two passengers travelling together sharing a 2-bed cabin.

Option 2:  UK to the Canary Islands by train & ferry, with Acciona Trasmediterranea via Cadiz...

A weekly Trasmediterranea Line cruise ferry links Cadiz in mainland Spain with Arrecife (Lanzarote), Las Palmas and Tenerife in the Canary Islands, a 2-night voyage.  The whole journey from London to Tenerife will take 3 or 4 nights.

• Day 1, travel from London to Madrid by Eurostar & overnight Elipsos trainhotel, as shown in the London to Madrid by sleeper train section.  You'll need to leave London on a Sunday afternoon if your ferry sails from Cadiz on Tuesday, or on Thursday afternoon if it sails on a Saturday.

• Day 2:  Transfer to Madrid Atocha station.  Take the lunchtime train to Cadiz, as shown in the London to Cadiz section.  Spend the night in Cadiz.

• Day 3, the ferry to the Canaries sails from Cadiz weekly, usually on a Tuesday or Saturday night, taking 2 days 1 night or 2 nights 1 day, depending on the sailing.  You can check times, sailing dates & fares at either the Seat61 Ferry Shop or www.trasmediterranea.es.

How to buy tickets...

• Buy your London to Madrid train tickets either online or by phone as shown above.

• Buy your Madrid-Cadiz tickets online at www.renfe.com or by contacting www.spanish-rail.co.uk.

• Book the ferry tickets either online at the Seat61 Ferry Shop or www.trasmediterranea.es, or by phone with Trasmediterranea's UK agent, Southern Ferries on 0844 815 7785.  It's not cheap!  £550 return for two people travelling in a 2-berth cabin, £720 in a single-berth cabin.  Check fares with Southern Ferries on  0844 815 7785

Option 3:  UK to the Canary Islands by train & ferry via Portugal...

A new cruise ferry now operates to the Canary Islands from Portimao in southern Portugal, see www.navieraarmas.com.  Ships sail weekly (Sunday lunchtime) from Portimao to Tenerife & Gran Canaria, taking 2 nights including a 10 hour stop in Funchal on Madeira.  The return sailing is on Tuesday lunchtime from Tenerife or Tuesday evenings from Gran Canaria, also taking 2 nights with a 2-hour stop in Madeira.  The ferry costs around €640 return in total for 2 adults with a 2-bed en suite cabin.  See the Portugal page for train service from the UK to Portimao in Portugal.  This will take two days, 1 night.  A night in Portimao will also be necessary, making the total journey from London to Tenerife 4 nights each way.

UK to Spain by direct cruise ferry

	Brittany Ferries' flagship, the superb 'Pont Aven'. Photo courtesy of Brittany Ferries... Click to watch the video...
	The Pont Aven at Santander.  It's just a 7 minute walk to the railway station for a high-speed Alvia train to Madrid...

Cruise to Spain with www.brittanyferries.co.uk...

Why not cruise to Spain, on a luxury ferry that has more in common with a cruise liner than old-fashioned Channel ferries?  Brittany Ferries operates three direct ferry routes from the UK to Spain with ships capable of 27 knots, so the crossing time from Portsmouth to northern Spain takes just 24 hours.  With ferry passenger numbers growing (whilst airline passengers to Spain have been falling), Brittany Ferries have been steadily expanding their ferry service to Spain.  Starting with just 1 or 2 sailings a week from Plymouth to Santander in northern Spain, they added a twice-weekly ferry from Portsmouth to Santander in 2009, and in 2011 added yet another twice-weekly ferry to Spain, this time from Portsmouth to Bilbao (which handily replaces P&O Ferries' twice-weekly Portsmouth-Bilbao service which ceased operating in September 2010).  This means that for much of the year, Brittany ferries now offer an unprecedented 5 cruise ferry sailings a week direct to Spain.

Which route & ferry to choose?

Brittany ferries sail from Plymouth to Santander, Portsmouth to Santander, and Portsmouth to Bilbao.  The Portsmouth-Santander route is usually the best one for rail & sail passengers, particularly on sailings operated by Brittany Ferries' superb flagship, the 41,000 ton 'Pont-Aven'.  This route offers the most frequent sailings, normally twice a week, and Portsmouth is closer to London and most parts of Britain than Plymouth.  In Santander the ferry terminal is right in the city centre, an easy 7 minute walk from the mainline rail station whereas in Bilbao the ferry docks in a suburb, requiring a taxi to the nearest metro station then a metro train into the city centre.  Furthermore, Portsmouth-Bilbao sailings are operated by the smaller 'Cap Finistère' which has fewer cabins relative to the vehicles it can carry.  For this reason Brittany Ferries limit the number of foot passengers they accept on the Bilbao route, and do not allow foot passengers to book online, they must book by phone.  On the Santander route, the 'Pont Aven' is one of the very best ferries serving the British Isles, she's the bigger ship with the wider range of facilities, including the prestigious (and popular) Commodore Class cabins with lounge area, satellite TV and private balcony.  The Pont Aven's Santander routes are easily bookable online for both motorists and foot passengers, and Santander is an attractive seaside city with modern train connections to Madrid.  Bilbao is a larger and more industrial centre, but on the other hand it's home to the famous Guggenheim Museum of modern art, well worth a visit, and has direct trains not only to Madrid but to San Sebastian, Zaragoza & Barcelona.

London & Portsmouth ► Santander & rest of Spain

This is usually the easiest and most frequent route for train+ferry passengers, unless you live in the West Country when a sailing from Plymouth to Santander may be more convenient.  Brittany Ferries sails from Portsmouth to Santander all year round, usually twice a week leaving Portsmouth on Tuesdays at 17:00 (arriving Santander at 18:00 next day) & Wednesdays at 12:00 (arriving Santander at 13:00 next day).  However, sailing days & times vary so check online at www.brittanyferries.co.uk.  Brittany Ferries' superb flagship 'Pont Aven' usually operates the Tuesday sailings, and their smaller 'Cap Finistère' usually takes the Wednesday sailings, although this can vary in winter.  Enjoy the departure from Portsmouth Continental Ferry Port, as the ship sails right past Portsmouth's historic naval dockyard with Nelson's flagship HMS Victory and then Victorian ironclad HMS Warrior clearly visible from the ferry, as well as Portsmouth's new 'Spinnaker Tower'.  In Santander, the ferry docks right in the city centre, a short walk from Santander's mainline railway station for trains to Madrid and Alicante.

Train connection from London to Portsmouth:  Trains run from London Waterloo to Portsmouth & Southsea station every half hour, journey time 1hour 35 minutes, see www.nationalrail.co.uk to check UK times & fares.  No reservation possible or necessary, just turn up and buy a ticket on the day.  You should use Portsmouth & Southsea station as this is closest to the Continental Ferry Terminal, not Portsmouth Harbour.  A taxi from Portsmouth & Southsea to the Continental Ferry Port costs around £6.  Remember there's a 45 minute minimum check-in for the ferry, but always allow plenty of time between train and ferry in case of any delay.  See the UK page for train information within Britain.  There are also direct trains from Cardiff, Bristol, Brighton, Southampton and Reading to Portsmouth.

Train connection from Santander to Madrid & the rest of Spain:  In Santander, the ferry arrives at the Estación Maritima right in the city centre, an easy 7 minute (500m) walk from the Renfe mainline station and the FEVE narrow-gauge station.  Three daily high-speed 'Alvia' trains run from Santander to Valladolid & Madrid, journey time 4½ hours, one or two going all the way through to Alicante, see www.renfe.com for times, fares & online booking.  You should ideally book in advance (booking opens 60 days ahead) as reservation is compulsory and there are cheap 'Promo' fares from around €28 if you pre-book.  I recommend allowing several hours between the ship's arrival and any onward train booking, if necessary staying in Santander overnight, to allow for transfer time and any delay to the ship.  The FEVE narrow-gauge station is next to the Renfe station and has local trains several times daily to Oviedo and Bilbao, see www.feve.es (FEVE has now been absorbed by Renfe, see www.renfe.com/viajeros/feve).  If you need to stay overnight in Santander, I recommend the Hotel Bahia, a modern hotel directly across the road from the ferry terminal and a 6-minute walk from the railway station.

London & Portsmouth ► Bilbao & rest of Spain

The Portsmouth- Bilbao ferry route operates twice a week from late March to early November, sailing on Fridays at 17:00 (arriving Bilbao at 18:00 next day) and on Sundays at 23:15, arriving in Bilbao at 08:00 on Tuesdays.  All sailings on this route are operated by the Cap Finistère.  On departure from Portsmouth Continental Ferry Port, the ship sails right past Portsmouth's historic naval dockyard with Nelson's HMS Victory and then ironclad HMS Warrior clearly visible from her decks.  For train connections between London & Portsmouth, see the section above.

Train connections in Bilbao:  In Bilbao the ferry now docks at Zierbena, 16km northwest of central Bilbao.  It's a 3km, €10 taxi ride from the ferry terminal to Santurtzi metro station, from where there are metro suburban trains every few minutes into Bilbao's Abando station in the city centre, taking 21-23 minutes and costing about €1.50, see www.metrobilbao.net.  There are two daily high-speed trains from Bilbao Abando station to Valladolid & Madrid, journey time to Madrid 4 hours 50 minutes, and two direct daily trains to Zaragoza & Barcelona, journey time, 6 hours 40 minutes, see www.renfe.com for times, fares & online booking.  I'd recommend allowing several hours between the ship's arrival and any onward train booking, to allow for transfer time and any delay to the ship.  Bilbao's Atxuri station has frequent narrow gauge trains to San Sebastian (Donostia-Amara) every hour or half-hour, journey time 2 hours 40 minutes, see www.euskotren.es.

Plymouth ► Santander & rest of Spain

This route operates all year, usually once a week on Sundays at 15:30 arriving 12:00 the next day.  Operated by Brittany Ferries flagship, the excellent 'Pont Aven'.

How much does it cost? 

• Fares vary by departure date, rather like air fares.  However, ferry fares to Spain start at £246 return for two people travelling together in an inside 2-berth cabin (in other words, £123 each return), or £276 with an outside cabin ('outside' means with window, well worth the extra cost), rising to £646 return for two people sharing a Commodore Class suite with private balcony.  Prices for solo passengers start at £228 return with sole occupancy of an inside cabin.

How to buy tickets...

• You can buy ferry tickets to Spain online at www.brittanyferries.co.uk, whether you're a foot passenger or motorist, with a selection of cabins.

• However, if you're a foot passenger, note that sailings between Portsmouth & Bilbao operated by the smaller 'Cap Finistère' cannot be booked online, only by phone, as Brittany Ferries limit foot passenger numbers on this ship/route, read the text above.  Call 0871 244 0744, lines open 08:30-19:30 Mondays-Fridays, 09:00-17:00 Saturdays, 09:00-16:30 Sundays.

• You can buy train tickets to Portsmouth & Southsea or to Plymouth from anywhere in Britain at www.virgintrains.co.uk.

• To buy train tickets or simply check train times & fares within Spain, go to www.renfe.com, but see this useful advice on using it first!

Watch the video:  Madrid to London via Brittany ferries

See for yourself how straightforward and comfortable a journey via Brittany Ferries can be!  This shows a northbound trip from Madrid Atocha to London Waterloo, on Brittany ferries 'Pont-Aven' from Santander to Portsmouth.

On board the cruise ferry to Spain...

Both the Pont Aven and the Cap Finistère offer a choice of restaurants & bars, standard & deluxe cabins, sun decks & cinema.  All cabins come with en suite toilet & shower, a small dressing table, and 2-pin European type power sockets for recharging laptops, cameras or mobiles.  The Pont Aven is the bigger ship, with a wider range of facilities including a small indoor swimming pool with poolside bar, two cinemas, and WiFi internet access if you bring your laptop (in public areas but not in cabins, £4 per hour or £8.50 for 3 hours, cards available from the information desk).  These ships make getting to Spain as much a cruise as a ferry crossing.  A great way to reach Spain with or without your car, flight-free.

Cabin types:  All cabins have a private shower & toilet, with bedding, towels, soap & shampoo provided.  On the Pont Aven you'll find standard inside cabins (1 or 2 berths), standard outside cabins (1-4 berths with window), Club cabins (similar to standard outside cabins but with two lower berths, satellite TV with several UK channels, and tea/coffee facilities), Deluxe cabins (with TV/DVD player, tea/coffee facilities, twin beds, complimentary continental breakfast served in the cabin) and Commodore Class cabins (similar facilities as the Deluxe cabins but significantly larger & with private balcony).

Commodore class cabin on Brittany Ferries' flagship 'Pont Aven', with private balcony, shower & toilet, satellite TV & DVD player, minibar, tea & coffee facilities.		La Flora restaurant on board the Pont Aven.  The buffet hors d'oeuvre & dessert are excellent, as are the main courses and choice of wines.

The indoor swimming pool on Brittany Ferries superb 'Pont Aven'.		Standard outside cabin on the Pont Aven, with 1 to 4 berths, shower & toilet.

An excellent rack of lamb at dinner in the 'Pont Aven''s La Flora restaurant. The starter and dessert are buffets.		Train connection to Madrid & Alicante:  In Santander, the station is an easy 7 minute walk from the ferry terminal.

Changing trains & stations in Madrid

The trainhotel from Paris arrives at Madrid's modern Chamartin station in the north of the city.  The trains to Seville, Granada, Malaga leave from Madrid Atocha station (also known as Puerta de Atocha) about 20 minutes walk south of the city centre.  It's easy to transfer between stations by frequent suburban train.  The Spanish for suburban train is 'Cercanias', look for the orange and white 'C' logo.

	An air-conditioned Spanish suburban train at Madrid Chamartin, about to leave for Madrid Atocha...
	Madrid Atocha station:  The old historic trainshed at Madrid Atocha has been turned into an attractive tropical garden, with café...  High-speed trains to Barcelona, Malaga & Seville leave from a modern concourse, out of shot directly behind the photographer.  For train departures to Seville, Malaga, Barcelona & Algeciras, you must climb the stairways or escalators shown in the right and left of this photo to a first-floor departure area and X-ray check.  Suburban trains to/from Chamartin station (plus a few mainline trains that start at Chamartin) use underground through platforms shown in the renfe.com timetables as 'Atocha Cercanias'.

Madrid Chamartin ▶ Madrid Atocha

Madrid Atocha ▶ Madrid Chamartin

Maps of Madrid...

• Map of Madrid with Chamartin station marked

• Map of Madrid with Atocha station marked

Holidays to Spain by train..

	020 3327 0761 (UK) 1-800-408-3280 (USA) 1300 971 526 (Aus) 0800 002 034 (NZ)
	01904 527120
	020 7619 1080 (UK) Please quote 'seat61'

If you want a holiday to Spain by train not plane, but want someone else to organise all the train tickets & hotels for you, several specialist companies do just that, for a holiday without airport hassles or whole days in cramped coach seats on motorways.  Railbookers & Erail offer tailor-made individual holidays with departure on any date you like, whereas Treyn Holidays & Great Rail Journeys offer escorted tours with specific departure dates.

Railbookers tailor-made tours, holidays & breaks to Spain by train...

Railbookers can tailor-make a flight-free holiday or city break to Spain for you, with train travel, transfers & hotels, leaving on any date you like.  For example, they can do a 2-night short break to Barcelona or an 8-night trip to Madrid, Valencia & Barcelona with standard class Eurostar and first class 2-berth sleepers on the Elipsos trainhotel.  If you tell them what you want, they'll advise you on the best trains, routes & hotels and sort it all out for you.  They get a lot of repeat business!  See the Railbookers Spain page for suggested itineraries & prices.

  UK call 020 3327 0761, www.railbookers.com. 

Call toll-free 1-800-408-3280 or www.us.railbookers.com.

Australia call toll-free 1300 971 526, www.railbookers.com.au. 

  New Zealand call toll-free 0800 002 034 or see website.

Erail, www.erail.co.uk, 020 7619 1080.  Please quote 'Seat61.com' when you call...

Erail can also tailor-make a holiday to Spain by train for you, with departure on any date you like.  They suggest a Highlights of Andalusia tour, 10 days to Seville, Cordoba, Granada, or they can do a 3-night short break to Barcelona by Eurostar & Elipsos trainhotel.  Call 020 7619 1080 to enquire or book, please quote 'Seat 61' when you call.

Great Rail Journeys, www.greatrail.com, 01904 527120:  Escorted tours...

GRJ offers five-star upmarket rail-based escorted tours to Spain, including a tour to Barcelona, Madrid and Seville with travel from London by train and a range of departure dates.  Great Rail Journeys also offer rail-based escorted tours to other European countries.  Check the holiday details & prices online, then call 01904 527120 to book or use their online booking form.

The Thomas Cook European Timetable

The Thomas Cook European timetable has train & ferry times for every country in Europe plus currency & climate information.  Published since 1873, it costs £14.99.  It's essential for any serious traveller and an inspiration for armchair travellers.  Still not convinced you need one?  More information on what the Thomas Cook Timetable contains.  You can buy the latest monthly edition online at www.thomascookpublishing.com with worldwide delivery or buy it in person from selected UK branches of Thomas Cook (ask at the bureau de change), or from W H Smiths in Victoria station in London.  Or buy the twice-yearly independent traveller's edition with laminated cover from Amazon.co.uk:  Winter/Spring 2012/13 edition (Dec 2012 to June 2013) or (when available) Summer/Autumn 2013 edition (June to Dec 2013)

The Thomas Cook Rail Map of Europe is the best and most comprehensive map of train routes right across Europe, from Portugal in the west to Istanbul, Moscow & Ukraine in the east, from Finland in the north to Sicily & Crete in the south.  High speed & scenic routes are highlighted.  Highly recommended!  Buy online at www.amazon.co.uk (worldwide delivery).  See an extract from the map.

Guidebooks

Paying for a guidebook may seem an unnecessary expense, but it's a tiny fraction of what you're spending on your whole trip.  You will see so much more, and know so much more about what you're looking at, if you have a decent guidebook.  For the independent traveller I'd recommend either the Lonely Planet or the Rough Guide, both provide an excellent level of practical detail and useful background. You won't regret buying either of these guides! My own book, an essential handbook for train travel to Europe based on this website called "The Man in Seat 61", was published in June 2008, and is available from Amazon with shipping worldwide.

Click the images to buy online at Amazon.co.uk...

Alternatively, download just the chapters or areas you need in .PDF format from the Lonely Planet Website, from around £2.99 or US$4.95 a chapter.

City Tours by Open Top Bus

Buy a ticket for the hop-on, hop-off Open Top Bus...

City Sightseeing's red-and-yellow open top tour buses are now a familiar site in 100 major cities on 6 continents.  They do a hop-on, hop-off tour bus ticket for Barcelona, Granada, Malaga, Seville, Cadiz, Palma de Mallorca, Santander (although strangely not Madrid!).  I find their bus tours a good way to orientate yourself in a city, returning to explore in more depth later.  It's also less wearing on the feet, especially with kids!

Buy your tour tickets online before you go, redeemable on any day you like within 3 months of buying it, see www.city-sightseeing.com.

Hotels & accommodation

Find a hotel or guesthouse in Barcelona, Madrid or anywhere else in Spain...

Other hotel sites worth trying...

• www.tripadvisor.com is a good place to find independent travellers' reviews of the main hotels, and it has the low-down on destination sights & attractions, too.

• www.booking.com is my own preferred hotel booking system (Hotels Combined being a search/comparison system).  It has a simple interface, a good selection in most countries worldwide, useful online customer reviews of each hotel, and decent prices, usually shown inclusive of unavoidable extras such as taxes (a pet hate of mine is systems that show one price, then charge you another!).

• www.mrandmrssmith.com (no relation!) is the place to start if you want something special for an anniversary, honeymoon, romantic break or other special occasion.  www.mrandmrssmith.com lists hand-picked boutique hotels in Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Ronda, Granada an a few other Spanish destinations.

Backpacker hostels...

If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about the hostels.  For a dorm bed or an ultra-cheap private room in a backpacker hostel in most European cities try www.hostelbookers.com.

Environmentally aware, actively ethical adventures in Spain:  www.wildsideholidays.com...

For environmentally-aware guesthouses offering walking, hiking, riding or nature-watching in the Spanish countryside and national parks, try www.wildsideholidays.com, a new site listing independent, environmentally-aware properties across Spain.  It was started by British ex-pats Clive Muir and Sue Eatock, when they found nowhere to advertise their own wonderful property deep in the heart of the Sierra de Grazelema near Ronda in Southern Spain.  Clive and Sue can show you the local sights and wildlife, from wild orchids to ibex (wild mountain goats) to colonies of Griffon vultures.  See www.natural-images.co.uk for details.

Send your luggage in advance

Enjoy your journey without heavy luggage... 

Let www.carrymyluggage.com deliver your bags door to door.

If you'd like to enjoy your train journey free of heavy luggage, making it easy to get on and off trains with nothing more than a lightweight daypack or handbag, www.carrymyluggage.com will collect your luggage at your home address a few days before you leave, and will deliver it to addresses all over the EU, so it will be waiting at your hotel when you arrive.  It's not cheap, you can reckon on around £78 per case each way, but this is door to door, covering collection from your home in the UK or other EU country and delivery to an address in another EU country.  I've also arranged a 10% discount if you use the Promo code 'seat61' when booking your bags online.  www.carrymyluggage.com are a reliable company, they also work with companies such as Great Rail Journeys, Virgin Trains, First Great Western, Hull Trains, and South West Trains.

Car hire

Take the train to Spain, then hire a car:  www.holidayautos.co.uk

Spanish city centres and cars don't mix well, so stick with the train for city-based tours.  But if you want to get out of the cities and into the countryside, hiring a car can be a great idea.  Start by trying Holiday Autos, www.holidayautos.co.uk, they're part of Lastminute.com so are reliable and have a wide range of locations and very good prices.

Compare 50 different car hire companies:  www.carrentals.co.uk

The award-winning website www.carrentals.co.uk compares many different car hire companies including Holiday Autos, meaning not only a cheapest price comparison but a wider choice of hire and drop off location.

Travel insurance, health card, SIM cards

Get travel insurance, it's essential...

Never travel without insurance from a reliable travel insurer with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover.  It should also cover loss of cash (up to a limit) & belongings, and cancellation. An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheapest even for just 2 or 3 trips a year (I have an annual policy myself).  Don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed connection, though, see the advice on missed connections here.  Here are some suggested insurers, Seat61 gets a little commission if you buy through these links, and feedback from using insurance for rail & ferry travel is always welcome.

In the UK, use www.confused.com to compare prices & policy features across major insurance companies.

If you have a pre-existing medical condition or are over 65 (no age limit), see www.JustTravelCover.com.

        If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the EU, try Columbus Direct's other websites.

   If you live in the USA or Canada, try Travel Guard USA.

Get an EU health card, it's free...

If you're a UK citizen travelling in Europe, you should apply for a free European Health Insurance Card, which entitles you to free or reduced rate health care if you become ill or get injured in many European countries, under a reciprocal arrangement with the NHS.  This replaced the old E111 forms as from January 2006.  The EHIC card is available from www.ehic.org.uk.  It doesn't remove the need for travel insurance, though.

Get a spare credit card, designed for foreign travel with no currency exchange loading & low/no ATM fees

Taking out an extra credit card costs nothing, but if you keep it in a different part of your luggage you won't be left stranded if your wallet gets stolen.  In addition, some credit cards are better for overseas travel than others.  Martin Lewis's www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money explains which UK credit cards have the lowest currency exchange commission loadings when you buy something overseas, and the lowest cash withdrawal fees when you use an ATM abroad.

You can avoid ATM charges and expensive exchange rates with a Caxton FX euro currency Visa Card, or their multi-currency 'Global Traveller' Visa Card, see www.caxtonfx.com for info.

Get an international SIM card to save on mobile data and phone calls...

Mobile phones can cost a fortune to use abroad, and if you're not careful you can return home to find a huge bill.  Consider buying a global pre-paid SIM card for your mobile phone from www.Go-Sim.com, which can slash costs by up to 85%.  Go-Sim cuts call costs in 175 countries worldwide, and you can receive incoming calls and texts for free in 75 countries.  It's pay-as-you-go, so no nasty bills when you get home.  It also allows cheap data access for laptops & PDAs.  A Go-Sim account and any credit on it doesn't expire if it's not used between trips, unlike some others, so a Go-Sim phone number becomes your 'global phone number' for life.

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