This page explains how to buy train tickets from Toulouse to other European cities at the cheapest prices, buying online direct from the operators, usually with print-at-home tickets.  Click here to buy tickets starting in another city.

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Before you buy your tickets

Take a moment to read these important tips for buying European train tickets.  It answers all the usual questions, "Do I need to book in advance or can I buy at the station?", "Can I stop off?", "Are there Senior fares?" and that old favourite, "Should I buy an $800 railpass or a €35 point-to-point ticket?".  How far ahead can you buy train tickets?

European train travel FAQ

Toulouse to Paris from €20

Option 1, Toulouse to Paris by daytime trans

• There are two different train services between Toulouse and Paris:

  Option 1, fastest, high-speed TGV trains link Toulouse Matabiau station with Paris Gare Montparnasse in as little as 4h17 at intervals through the day.  These TGVs take the conventional line to Bordeaux then the high-speed line to Paris at up to 320 km/h (199 mph).  The TGVs have a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.

  Option 2 is to use the original, slower but more direct line through Cahors, Brive, Limoges and Orleans.  200km/h (125 mph) Intercité trains link Toulouse Matabiau with Paris Gare d'Austerlitz in around 6h40.  This route can be cheaper.

• Fares start at €20 and rise like air fares as departure approaches to over €115 full-flex bought on the day.  So book ahead for the best prices.  All TGV tickets and (on this route) Intercité tickets automatically include a reserved seat, so they can in theory sell out, though in practice usually have places even on the day.

• Buy tickets at either www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com (both easy to use, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or www.sncf-connect.com (French Railways' own site, no booking fee).  Booking opens up to 4 months ahead.  You print your own ticket or can show a mobile ticket on your phone.

Tip:  To find the cheaper route via Limoges, find the via button.  Enter Limoges as a via station.

Toulouse to Paris by TGV Duplex:  This is a TGV Duplex at Paris Gare Montparnasse. Click the images below for larger photos.

TGV Océane cafe-bar, upper deck in car 4 or 14 (above left) and 2nd class seats (above right).

TGV Océane 1st class seats.  All 1st class seats (except the end ones) rotate to face direction of travel.  There are USB & 2-pin outlets above each drop-down table.

Option 2, Toulouse to Paris by sleeper train

• An Intercité de Nuit sleeper train leaves Toulouse Matabiau around 22:00 every night, arriving Paris Austerlitz around 07:00.

  The train has 1st class 4-berth couchettes, 2nd class 6-berth couchettes & 2nd class seats, see the Intercité de Nuit page.  You can book a whole compartment for sole occupancy by 1-5 people if you like, see the espace privatif section on the Intercité de Nuit page.

  Showers are available on arrival in Paris for passengers in 1st class couchettes.

• Fares start at €29 with a 2nd class couchette or €59 with a 1st class couchette.

• Buy tickets at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com (both easy to use, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or www.sncf-connect.com (French Railways' own site, no booking fee).  Booking opens up to 4 months ahead but for these sleeper trains it can be less than that, occasionally as little as a month.  You print your own ticket or can show a mobile ticket on your phone.

An Intercité de nuit sleeper train at Paris Gare d'Austerlitz.  More about Intercités de Nuit.

2nd class 6-berth couchettes.		A cosy 2nd class couchette.

1st class couchette, made up for the night.		1st class 4-berth couchettes.

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Toulouse to Lyon, Nice & anywhere else in France

• Simply check times and buy tickets at either www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com (both easy to use, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or www.sncf-connect.com (French Railways own site, no booking fee).

  Booking opens up to 4 months ahead.  You print your own ticket or can show a mobile ticket on your phone.

  Regular Intercités & TGVs link Toulouse with Bordeaux.

  Less regular Intercités link Toulouse with Carcassonne, Narbonne, Montpellier, Nimes and Marseille.  Change at Nimes for Avignon and Aix-en-Provence.  Change at Marseille for Toulon, St Raphael, Cannes & Nice.

  Regular TER regional trains link Toulouse with Carcassonne, Narbonne, l'Hospitalet (for Andorra) and Latour de Carol.

  Regular TER regional trains & Intercités link Toulouse with Tarbes, Lourdes, Pau and Bayonne.

• Remember that TGV high-speed trains & (on these routes) Intercités are all-reserved so can in theory sell out (though in practice usually have places even on the day) and they have dynamic pricing, cheaper in advance, more expensive on the day.  TER regional trains have one fixed price and no reservations, you can buy on the day, tickets cannot sell out.  See the Train Travel in France page for more information.

• Toulouse to Lyon

  There are occasional direct TGVs between Toulouse and Lyon, check times & buy tickets at www.raileurope.com looking for a direct train with 0 changes.  You print your own ticket.

• Toulouse to Cannes, Nice & the Cote d'Azur

  You'll find various departures using an Intercité train from Toulouse to Marseille in around 4h, then a TGV or TER from Marseille to Nice in around 2h35.  It's a great ride across Southern France, past lakes with flamingos feeding in the shallows between Narbonne and Montpellier, past Béziers cathedral, and best of all, the superb views along the Mediterranean coast between Toulon and Nice.

  Check fares and buy tickets at www.raileurope.com, looking for options with just 1 change.  You print your own ticket.

  Marseille is a great city, if you can fit in an overnight stop there, do so.  At least wander down to the Vieux Port between trains, even if you don't feel like hiking to the lovely Eglise Notre Dame de la Garde, or have time to take the ferry to France's 17th century Alcatraz, the Chateau d'If out in the bay, of Count of Monte Cristo fame.

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Toulouse to Brussels, Bruges & Belgium

• Step 1, take a TGV from Toulouse Matabiau to Paris Gare Montparnasse in around 4h20.

  The TGVs have a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seat & free WiFi.

  Fares start at €25 in 2nd class or €45 in 1st class.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

  Change trains and stations in Paris by metro or taxi.  Allow at least 60 minutes between trains for this.

• Step 2, take a Eurostar (formerly Thalys) high-speed train from Paris Gare du Nord to Brussels Midi in 1h22, they leave every hour or so.

  Eurostars run at up to 300 km/h with 3 classes, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. More about Eurostar (formerly Thalys).

  Fares start at €29 in 2nd class or €55 in 1st class.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

• Change in Brussels for a Belgian domestic train to Bruges, they run twice an hour.  No reservation is necessary or possible for these, you just sit anywhere you like.  10 Minutes is enough to change in Brussels, if the Eurostar is late and you miss one, you catch the next one.  Belgian domestic tickets are good for any train that day.

• Buy tickets at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com (both easy to use, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or www.sncf-connect.com (French Railways own site, no booking fee).

  Booking opens up to 4 months ahead.  You print your own ticket or can show a mobile ticket on your phone.

  Tip:  You can book this as one journey, but make sure it gives you an hour between trains in Paris, it sometimes gives less than this.  It can be better to book from Toulouse to Paris first, add to basket, then book Paris to Brussels, add this to your  basket and check out.  The latter method gives you more control and allows you to build in stop off in Paris, perhaps to have lunch there - maybe at the Train Bleu Restaurant at the Gare de Lyon or at one of these restaurants at the Gare du Nord.

A Eurostar high-speed train.  See full-screen panorama photos inside the train.  More about Eurostar (formerly Thalys).

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Toulouse to Amsterdam & the Netherlands

• Step 1, take a TGV from Toulouse Matabiau to Paris Gare Montparnasse in around 4h20.

  The TGVs have a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seat & free WiFi.

  Fares start at €25 in 2nd class or €45 in 1st class.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

  Change trains and stations in Paris by metro or taxi.  Allow at least 60 minutes between trains for this.

• Step 2, take a Eurostar (formerly Thalys) from Paris Gare du Nord to Amsterdam Centraal in 3h20, they leave every couple of hours.

  Eurostars run at up to 300 km/h with 3 classes, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi, see more bout Eurostar (formerly Thalys).

  Fares start at €29 in 2nd class or €55 in 1st class.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

• Buy tickets at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com (both easy to use, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or www.sncf-connect.com (French Railways own site, no booking fee).

  Booking opens up to 4 months ahead.  You print your own ticket or can show a mobile ticket on your phone.

  Tip:  You can book this as one journey, but make sure it gives you an hour between trains in Paris, it sometimes gives less than this.  It can be better to book from Toulouse to Paris first, add to basket, then book Paris to Brussels, add this to your  basket and check out.  The latter method gives you more control and allows you to build in stop off in Paris, perhaps to have lunch there - maybe at the Train Bleu Restaurant at the Gare de Lyon or at one of these restaurants at the Gare du Nord.

A Eurostar at Amsterdam Centraal.  See panorama photos inside the train.  More about Eurostar (formerly Thalys).

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Toulouse to London

• See the London to France page - this covers travel in both directions.

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Toulouse to Switzerland

• Check times & buy tickets at www.raileurope.com.

• To Geneva, you'll find various options with 1 change, but look at the details carefully.  Those via Paris mean changing stations by metro or taxi.  It's better to go for 1-change options using a TGV to Lyon and TER regional train to Geneva (several departures per day, nice scenery between Lyon and Geneva), or Intercité train to Marseille and TGV to Geneva (one per day, also good for scenery).

• To Basel or Zurich, you'll often find it quicker to take high-speed trains into Paris and out again, though this means changing stations by metro or taxi.  If you really want to avoid Paris, travel to Geneva, then take Swiss domestic trains to anywhere in Switzerland.

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Toulouse to Italy

• Day 1, travel from Toulouse Matabiau to Marseille St Charles in around 3h55s by Intercité train.

  You can leave Toulouse Matabiau in the early evening arriving late evening in Marseille, but personally I'd leave earlier for a pleasant afternoon or evening in Marseille.  On Mondays-Fridays there may be an early train leaving Toulouse around 06:46 which would allow a same-day connection with the 11:28 to Milan referred to below, but don't risk any connections less than about 50 minutes minimum.

  Fares start at €20 in 2nd class or €40 in 1st class.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

  Check times and buy a ticket at www.raileurope.com looking for a direct train with 0 changes.

  Booking opens up to 4 months ahead.  You print your own ticket or can show a mobile ticket on your phone.

• Stay overnight in Marseille.  Inexpensive hotels with good reviews just outside Marseille St Charles station:  Ibis Marseille Centre Gare St Charles, Holiday Inn Express Marseille St Charles.  Marseille is a wonderful city, well worth a look around.  At least wander down to the Vieux Port, even if you don't feel like hiking to the lovely Eglise Notre Dame de la Garde, or have time to take the ferry to France's 17th century Alcatraz, the Chateau d'If out in the bay, of Count of Monte Cristo fame.

• Day 2, travel from Marseille to Ventimiglia on the Italian border on TER regional trains, leaving Marseille St Charles at 09:58, changing at Nice Ville and arriving Ventimiglia at 14:03.  There's great scenery along the famous Côte d'Azur, past rocky headlands, yacht-filled harbours and millionaires' villas.

  The fare is €41, though promotional fares of €25 are sometimes available.  It's 2nd class only between Nice & Ventimiglia

  Buy a ticket at www.thetrainline.com or www.raileurope.com.

  Booking opens up to 4 months ahead.  You print your own ticket or can show a mobile ticket on your phone.  Allow at least 45 minutes between trains in Ventimiglia.

• Day 2, travel from Ventimiglia to Genoa & Milan by Intercity train, leaving Ventimiglia at 15:10 arriving Genoa Piazza Principe at 17:05 & Milan Centrale at 18:55.  There's great scenery along the Ligurian coast.

  Change at Genoa for La Spezia, Cinque Terre & Pisa.  Change at Milan Centrale for an onward Frecciarossa high-speed train to Verona, Venice, Florence, Rome or Naples.

  Fares from Ventimiglia to Milan start at €19.90 in 2nd class or €26.90 in 1st class.  Milan to Venice or Florence then starts at €19.90 in 2nd class or €29.90 in 1st class.  Milan to Rome starts at €29.90 in 2nd class or €39.90 in 1st class.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

  Buy a ticket from Ventimiglia to anywhere in Italy at www.thetrainline.com or www.raileurope.com.

  Booking opens up to 4 months ahead.  It's ticketless, you simply print out your booking reference or show it on your phone.

  See more about the journey from Nice to Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome or Naples on the Nice to Italy by train page.

Bonjour Marseille!  The Eglise Notre Dame de la Garde, overlooking the Vieux Port.

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Toulouse to Andorra

• Buses link Toulouse Matabiau bus station with Andorra la Vella, journey time 4 hours, fare around €33.

  There are typically 3 services every day run by Andbus, check times at Andbus.net.

• The buses leave from bus stand 15 inside the Gare Routière (bus station) immediately outside Toulouse Matabiau station.  The bus station is the modern building with the glass-and-blue-framework upper section, see the photos below.

This is a Toulouse to Andorra bus at Toulouse bus stand 15.		The bus station in Toulouse Matabiau forecourt.  Photo courtesy of Andrew McIntyre.

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Toulouse to Spain

Toulouse to San Sebastian or Bilbao

The Man in Seat 61 says, "Toulouse to San Sebastian is easy enough by train.  But people mistakenly put 'Toulouse to San Sebastian' into booking websites and wonder why nothing appears!  You have to book from Toulouse to Hendaye on the Spanish border, then pay for the little Euskotren to San Sebastian separately, that's the trick. Easy when you know how!"

• Step 1, travel from Toulouse Matabiau to Hendaye on the Spanish border.

  There are regular departures with 1 easy change in either Bayonne or Bordeaux, a leisurely journey of between 4h45 and 5h45 depending on train type and how the connection works in Bordeaux, with fares from €26 upwards.

  Check times & buy tickets at www.raileurope.com.  You print your own ticket.

• Step 2, transfer from Hendaye to San Sebastian by Euskotren...

  On arrival at Hendaye, walk out of the station and turn right, walk to the little Euskotren station in the corner of the forecourt.  It only has two platforms.  Buy a ticket for €2.75 and hop on the next metro train, they run every 30 minutes from Hendaye to San Sebastian Amara station, journey time 37 minutes.  See the photos below for more tips.

  You can check train times & fares from San Sebastian to Bilbao at www.euskotren.eus.  Remember that San Sebastian is Donostia in the Basque language and the Euskotren station in San Sebastian is usually just called Amara.

• Step 3 if going to Bilbao...

  Local trains run every hour from San Sebastian Amara to Bilbao's Zazpi Kaleak station (journey time 2h29 from Amara) or Bilbao's Matiko station (the train's final stop, 2h35 from Amara), fare €6.30, buy a ticket at the station.

  The trains used on this route are similar to the Hendaye-San Sebastian trains pictured above, along a route with some good countryside and coastal views.   In Bilbao, Matiko station is 18 minutes walk from the Guggenheim Museum, Zazpi Kaleak station is further from the Guggenheim (22 minutes walk) but closer to both the old quarter and the 19th century new town.

  You can check train times & fares from San Sebastian to Bilbao at www.euskotren.eus, remembering that San Sebastian to Bilbao will be listed as Amara to Matiko as those are the station names.  The adult one-way fare is shown as 'ida'.

At Hendaye, get off the train, walk off the platform through the SNCF station ticket hall.		There's an Euskotren ticket machine to the right of the exit doors, you can either buy a ticket here or in the Euskotren station.

The Euskotren station is 50m across the forecourt from the mainline SNCF station.  Courtesy of Geoff Phillips.

The new Hendaye Euskotren station, for trains to San Sebastian.  Photo courtesy of Geoff Phillips.		Hendaye Euskotren station, looking back towards the station building.  Photo courtesy of Nicholas Brooke.

There is only one platform, and it's where the trains start.  So no worries, you can't get on the wrong train, they all go to Irun and San Sebastian-Donostia Amara.  These air-conditioned metro trains leave every 30 minutes, a turn-up-and-go metro service.  There's plenty of space for luggage and they even have a wheelchair-accessible toilet.

Toulouse to Madrid

Option 1, Toulouse to Madrid by high-speed train via Narbonne

• If you run a Toulouse to Madrid enquiry at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com, this is the way it will send you. 

• Just look through the departures and prices you get online.  You'll usually see various daily departures with 2 changes, at Narbonne & Barcelona Sants and possibly one departure with just 1 change at Narbonne.  Total journey time around 6h49-7h40 depending how the connections work.  You get great views of Mt Canigou at the southern end of the Pyrenees on this route.

Option 2, Toulouse to Madrid via Hendaye & San Sebastian.  A slower option, but often significantly cheaper, with a chance to see San Sebastian on the way

• The Man in Seat 61 says, "Toulouse to Madrid via San Sebastian is easy and comfortable by rail and often the cheapest way, but booking systems won't show it when you ask for Toulouse to Madrid.  That's because French trains are not currently extending one stop across the border to Irun for technical reasons, they are all terminating at Hendaye on the French side.  But the Spanish trains all start at Irun, which leaves a 2.7km (1.7 mile) gap between trains, easily bridged by local Euskotren metro or by taxi or 36 minutes on foot, but booking systems aren't intelligent enough to tell you that!"

• Step 1, travel from Toulouse Matabiau to Hendaye on the Spanish border.

  There are regular departures with 1 easy change in either Bayonne or Bordeaux, a leisurely journey of between 4h45 and 5h45 depending on train type and how the connection works, with fares from €26 upwards.

  Check times & buy tickets at www.raileurope.com.  Booking opens up to 4 months ahead.  You print your own ticket.

  For a same-day journey from Toulouse to Madrid, you need to leave Toulouse before 07:00, only possible on Mondays-Saturdays.

  Why not stop overnight in San Sebastian?  Another option is to catch any train you like from Toulouse to Hendaye on day 1, spend a pleasant afternoon or evening in San Sebastian and stay there overnight, then take the morning train to Madrid on day 2.

  Check times & buy tickets at www.raileurope.com.  Booking opens up to 4 months ahead.  You print your own ticket.

• Step 2, travel from Hendaye to San Sebastian Amara by Euskotren for €2.75.

  On arrival at Hendaye, walk out of the station and turn right, walk to the little Euskotren station in the corner of the forecourt.  Buy a ticket for €2.75 and hop on the next metro train, they run every 30 minutes from Hendaye to San Sebastian Amara, journey time 37 minutes. 

  In San Sebastian it's a 10-minute walk from Euskotren's Amara station to the Renfe station, see walking route.

• Step 3, travel from San Sebastian to Madrid by Alvia train from €25.

  There are two fast Alvia train per day, morning & afternoon, and you'll also find one or two slower Media Distancia trains using similar rolling stock.  The Alvia trains have standard (2nd class) & comfort (1st class) and a cafe-bar, with fares from €25.  All seats are reserved, prices vary like air fares so book early for the cheapest fares.

  If you want to travel from Toulouse to Madrid in a day, you'd take an early morning train from Toulouse to Hendaye (not possible on Sundays) and the afternoon Alvia from Irun or San Sebastian to Madrid, leaving Irun around 14:50 and San Sebastian around 16:30, arriving Madrid Chamartin around 22:10.

  If you're stopping in San Sebastian overnight, the morning Alvia leaves San Sebastian Renfe station around 08:50, arriving Madrid Chamartin around 14:30.

  Check times & buy tickets for this train at www.raileurope.com.  Booking for Spanish trains normally opens 60 days ahead, but this varies.  You print your own ticket.

  The first stage of the journey to Madrid is a lovely descent out of the mountains, just sit back and enjoy with a cup of cafe con leche from the cafe-bar car.  The Alvias travel at relatively low speed on Spanish 5'6" gauge tracks as far as Burgos, then they pass slowly through a shed where their axles are changed to 4' 8½ standard gauge.  They then dash over the standard-gauge high-speed line to Madrid at up to 250 km/h.

  Tip:  There's a lovely rustic bar at San Sebastian Renfe station, just at the end of the nearest platform at the left-hand end of the station building (as you face it from outside).  A great place for a morning coffee and croissant or afternoon beer while you wait.

Alvia trains from Irun & San Sebastian to Madrid

The morning Alvia at San Sebastian.		Comfort class (1st class).

Standard class (2nd class).		The cafe-bar does an excellent cafe con leche.

The train descends from the foothills of the Pyrenees onto the plain below.

Toulouse to Barcelona

Option 1, Toulouse to Barcelona by high-speed train via Narbonne.  Fastest & easiest, though not always cheapest

• This is the way journey planners will always send you if you just put Toulouse to Barcelona into www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com.

  In 2022 there will be no direct train as there was once per day before the pandemic, the journey takes around 4 hours with one easy change at Narbonne, depending how the connection works out.  You get great views of Mt Canigou at the southern end of the Pyrenees between Narbonne & Girona. 

• Fares start at €29 in 2nd class or €49 in 1st class.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.  If you need to go at short notice fares can be expensive and you may find option 2 cheaper.

• Check times & buy tickets at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com, both easy to use, in 2, £ or $, small booking fee.

  Booking opens up to 4 months ahead.  You print your own tickets or can show a mobile ticket on your phone.

Mt Canigou & the Pyrenees, seen from the train.  One of the highest peaks in the mighty Pyrenees, the 2,784m (9,137 feet) high Mt Canigou dominates the skyline on the right all the way from Perpignan to Girona, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canigou.

Option 2, Toulouse to Barcelona via Latour de Carol.  Cheap and scenic, right through the Pyrenees

This is a very useful route that journey planners won't show you!  It's usually cheaper than taking a TGV as in option 1, especially if you can't book months in advance and it's more scenic, too.  If you look at a map, it's the 'as-the-crow-flies' route from Toulouse to Barcelona, straight through the Pyrenees.

• Step 1, travel from Toulouse to Latour de Carol by TER regional train in around 3 hours, there are various departures every day.

  The train speeds across the plain from Toulouse, then climbs high into the Pyrenees, a lovely journey.  Look out for the castle at Foix on the right just after the station.

  The fare is €28.10, fixed-price, unlimited availability.

  Check times and buy tickets for this journey at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com.  You print your own ticket. 

• Step 2, travel from Latour de Carol to Barcelona by Spanish local train in around 3h10, these trains run every couple of hours.

  You won't find these trains on any main journey planner as they are classed as Barcelona suburban trains (even though this is a rural route).  You can check times at rodalies.gencat.cat/en/inici/ searching from La Tor de Querol-Enveig (the Catalan name for Latour de Carol) to Barcelona Sants.

  The fare is around €12, simply pay the conductor on board the train, tickets cannot be bought online or even at Latour de Carol station ticket office as this only sells French tickets.  It's a good idea to have cash on you in case their machine doesn't work, but conductors on this route normally now take credit cards.

• Tip:  Latour de Carol has a vast station building, but is in the middle of nowhere surrounded by mountains.  Three different track gauges serve the station:  Standard gauge from Toulouse, the Spanish broad gauge to Barcelona and the narrow gauge of the 'Petit Train Jaune' towards Perpignan.  I'd allow at least 30 minutes between trains at Latour just in case of delay, but if there's a longer wait between trains at Latour de Carol - as there usually is, because the French and Spanish don't co-ordinate their timetables - simply have lunch, coffee or a beer at the station bistro, www.facebook.com/bistrotdutrainjaune.  There's very little else there!  Peaceful, though.

The modern air-conditioned Train Exprès Regional (TER) from Toulouse to Latour de Carol, at l'Hospitalet station.		The smart interior of the regional train from Toulouse to Latour.

The train heads into the Pyrenees.

More mountain scenery.

Latour de Carol, where two nations, two trains and three track gauges meet.  This is the huge international station building.  The station bistro is on the forecourt, just out of shot to the left.

The inexpensive Bistro de la Gare (above right) on the forecourt at Latour de Carol is ideal for breakfast or a coffee between trains, check opening hours at www.facebook.com/bistrotdutrainjaune.  Courtesy of Adrian Fuentes.

Latour de Carol, where two nations, two trains, three track gauges meet.  On the right, a French standard-gauge overnight couchette train arrived from Paris & Toulouse.  On the left is the Spanish broad-gauge local train which you take to Barcelona, the 'R' on the front stands for Rodalies, Catalan for suburban.  The third gauge at Latour is the narrow-gauge Petit Train Jaune towards Perpignan, its platform is behind the couchette cars shown here.

The air-conditioned local train from Latour to Barcelona.  2nd class only.  Bring your own food & drink.  The 'R' stands for Rodalies, Catalan for suburban network.

The snow gives way to autumnal browns & golds as the train from Latour de Carol to Barcelona winds its way south.

Toulouse to anywhere else in Spain

• Step 1, travel from Toulouse to Madrid Chamartin or Barcelona Sants as shown above.

• Step 2, travel from Barcelona or Madrid to Valencia, Alicante, Seville, Malaga, Cordoba, Cadiz, Algeciras, booked at www.raileurope.com.  In Madrid, you usually need to transfer by local train from Madrid Chamartin to Madrid Atocha as shown here so going via Barcelona might be better.  Booking for Spanish trains normally opens 60 days ahead, but this varies.  You print your own tickets.

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Toulouse to Lisbon & Portugal

• Step 1, travel from Toulouse to Barcelona as shown above.

• Step 2, travel from Barcelona to Portugal as shown on the Trains from Barcelona page.

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Toulouse to Cologne, Frankfurt, Berlin & Germany

• There are few or no cross-country trains these days, so the fastest, cheapest and usually best option is via Paris, as follows:

• Step 1, take a TGV from Toulouse Matabiau to Paris Gare Montparnasse in around 4h20.

  The TGVs have a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seat & free WiFi.  Most are double-deck TGV Duplex.

  Fares start at €25 in 2nd class or €45 in 1st class.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

  Buy tickets at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com (both easy to use, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or www.sncf-connect.com (French Railways own site, no fee).  Booking opens up to 4 months ahead.  You print your own ticket or can show a mobile ticket on your phone.

  Change trains and stations in Paris by metro or taxi.  Allow at least 60 minutes between trains for this.

• Step 2, travel from Paris to Cologne, Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin or anywhere in Germany as shown in the Trains from Paris page.

  Paris to Cologne by Eurostar (formerly Thalys) takes 3h20 with fares from €35 in 2nd class or €79 in 1st class.

  Paris to Frankfurt by ICE train takes 3h50 with fares from €39.90 in 2nd class or €69.90 in 1st class.

  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

  Buy Eurostar tickets from Paris to Cologne at www.raileurope.com, booking opens up to 4 months ahead.

  Buy all other tickets from Paris to Germany at the German Railways website int.bahn.de, booking opens up to 6 months ahead.

  You print your own ticket or can show it on your phone.

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Toulouse to all other countries

• Step 1, take a TGV from Toulouse Matabiau to Paris Gare Montparnasse in around 4h20.

  The TGVs have a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seat & free WiFi.  Most are double-deck TGV Duplex.

  Fares start at €25 in 2nd class or €45 in 1st class.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

  Buy tickets at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com (both easy to use, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or www.sncf-connect.com (French Railways own site, no fee).  Booking opens up to 4 months ahead.  You print your own ticket or can show a mobile ticket on your phone.

• Change trains and stations in Paris by metro or taxi.  Allow at least 60 minutes between trains for this, but for mission-critical connections I'd allow at least 2 hours.

• Step 2, travel from Paris to Scandinavia, Austria, Slovakia, Czech republic, Poland, Russia, Ukraine and all points east as shown on the International trains from Paris page.

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