Barcelona to Genève / Geneva by train

How to take the rail journey from Barcelona to Geneva

Some years ago there were both day and night trains linking Barcelona to Geneva, but now there are no direct trains available.
Though this journey option with a connection in Lyon should ensure a fairly simple journey.

Share

Routes

From Barcelona Sants to Genève/Geneva-Cornavin

Travel Information

The fastest journey option for taking a train from Barcelona to Geneva is to take the 08:15 train to Lyon and connect there for TER train on to Geneve/Geneva.

You'll have just over an hour to change trains, so it's highly likely that making the connection will be no problem.
But the ticket will be valid on any train from Lyon on to Geneve that day, so you can simply take a later train if need be.

1 x optimum connection per day

Change trains in: Lyon

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: 3 months ahead of the travel date

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
Trainline *

Trainline Guide

Journey Features

Coastal viewsHigh Speed (partial journey)

Good to Know

Final Destination: Lyon Part-Dieu

Departing from Barcelona:

This train is scheduled to depart daily from Barcelona Sants at 08:15

Aim to be at Barcelona Sants a minimum of 20 mins before departure, in order to allow time to pass through the security checks.

At Barcelona Sants station these trains to France depart from the part of the station used by the Spanish high speed trains - vias (platforms/tracks) 1 - 6.
So when you're in the station follow the signs that are pointing the way to the ' Alta-Velocidad' trains.

The view from the high speed line north of Figueres The view from the high speed line north of Figueres
Crossing the marshes between Perpignan and Narbonne Crossing the marshes between Perpignan and Narbonne
The view of Beziers from the left just before Beziers station The view of Beziers from the left just before Beziers station
A Roman aqueduct that can be see on the left south of Valence A Roman aqueduct that can be see on the left south of Valence

This is a journey of three distinct phases:

1: Between Barcelona and Perpignan the train will travel at up to 280 km/h on high speed line.

2. Between Perpignan and Montpellier the train follows the coast, don't expect incredible seascapes, but there are some nice views as the train threads through the marshes - particularly north of Perpignan.

  1. After Nimes the train will travel on another high speed line, and then leave it to travel on conventional tracks for the final 25 minutes of the journey.

Journey Features

Scenic - YesRiver viewsLandscape (Hills / Mountains)

Good to Know

Final Destination: Geneve

Note that there are no direct trains from Lyon to the station at Geneve-Aeroport, though simple connection are available at the main station in Geneve.

All trains also call at: Bellegarde connect for Evian-les-Bains

Between Ambérieu and Culoz the train will travel through a rocky valley in the foothills of the Alps, then between Culoz and the border with Switzerland, there are occasional views of the River Rhone on the right.

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

Please support ShowMeTheJourney

Help keep us advertising and paywall free!

Donate

This second version of ShowMeTheJourney is exciting and new, so we are genuinely thrilled that you are here and reading this, but we also need your help.

We’re striving not to let anything get in the way of providing the most useful service possible, hence a facility has been set up with DonorBox which can be used to support the running costs and make improvements.

Instead of advertising or paywalls, your financial support will make a positive difference to delivering an enhanced service, as there’s a lot of ideas which we want to make happen.

So if you have found the info provided here to be useful, please consider saying thank you.

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

This is one of more than 100 train travel guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.