There is only one daily direct train from Barcelona to Marseille, but as it is the return trip of a train that will have come from France, it has a late evening arrival into St Charles station..
It is possible to depart Barcelona in the morning and arrive into Barcelona by train mid-afternoon, by making what should be one straightforward connection.
When travelling between most cities by train there is only one logical option, though on other journeys there is a choice between different trains or alternative routes. If different options are available you can use the info to decide which is best for you.
4hr 49min
Daily
1 x direct train per day
ShowMeTheJourney earns a small commission on Trainline ticket sales. It can be a particularly good option for: Comparing different train services; Booking international journeys with connections; Travelling between the UK to destinations beyond Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris - and for international travellers who don't reside in western Europe.
ShowMeTheJourney earns a small commission on SNCF Connect ticket sales. SNCF Connect doesn't charge booking fees and is the online booking service of the national rail operator in France. It also sells tickets for direct high speed trains between France and Belgium, Germany, Barcelona, London, Switzerland and The Netherlands.
SNCF is the national rail operator in France and not so long ago it recently simplified both the range of tickets and the term and conditions of using them.
Therefore the cheapest tickets also become more flexible too.
Other improvements included a simple integration of travelling with bicycles and rail pass users being able to book reservations for national journeys, without paying booking fees.
And it also recently launched SNCF Connect as replacement for its Oui.SNCF booking service.
You can set up a low price alert to let you know when the cheapest price is available for a future journey.
Something else to look out for is that simplest way of travelling with tickets is to use the SNCF Connect App, as booked tickets can therefore be stored on your mobile device, which can then be shown to the train conductors as proof of purchase.
SNCF Connect in the App (Apple) store
SNCF also operates RailEurope, which is in effect a dedicated online booking service for making bookings from outside of Europe.
If you reside outside of Europe you may discover that SNCF Connect rejects phone numbers or card numbers, but RailEurope won't do so.
Though RailEurope will add booking fees when making a purchase
Renfe is the national rail operator in Spain and it has recently simplified the range of tickets it sells for express and regional train journeys in Spain.
Which is convenient as there are big savings to be made if you book ahead online.
Final Destination: Marseille St.Charles
The train also calls at: Montpellier, Nîmes, Avignon TGV and Aix-en-Provence TGV
A connection is typically available in Nîmes into a train on to Avignon-Centre.
Departing from Barcelona:
This train is usually scheduled to depart from Barcelona Sants station daily at 16:34.
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 this train to France departs 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.
Arriving in Marseille:
The train is usually schedule to arrive in Marseille at around 21:20, in time for connections to be typically available on to Aix-en-Provence and Toulon - but too late for connections on to Antibes, Cannes and Nice.
Note that this direct train arrives in Marseille too late to make onward connections to any destination to the east beyond Toulon.
If you will be making this journey between April and October, so will be travelling by daylight, this is a journey of three distinct parts:
1:Between Barcelona and Perpignan the train travels on a 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.
3. Between Nimes and Marseille the train switches back to the high speed line.
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings typically open: 4 months ahead of the travel date
The train is usually scheduled to depart daily from Barcelona Sants at 16:34, so target that departure time when looking up this journey.
Though it can be worth comparing the prices between booking agents for this journey.
Seat Reservations:
Seats will automatically be assigned when booking tickets for this journey.
Rail Pass Users:
Rail pass users will need to be pay a reservation fee prior to boarding, but these reservations cannot be booked on the ticket agent's websites.
If you want the peace of mind of reserving before arriving at a Spanish station, you will need to use the Eurail reservation service or the InterRail reservation service but you will be charged a €2 booking fee per reservation.
Though you can avoid a booking fee if you do reserve at a Spanish station.
Or of you will be making this journey on Monday to Friday, you can avoid paying the rail pass reservation fee, by taking this alternative journey option.
5hr 8min
Daily
1 x connection per day
ShowMeTheJourney earns a small commission on Trainline ticket sales. It can be a particularly good option for: Comparing different train services; Booking international journeys with connections; Travelling between the UK to destinations beyond Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris - and for international travellers who don't reside in western Europe.
ShowMeTheJourney earns a small commission on Rail Europe ticket sales. It can be a particularly good option when booking international journeys with connections and for travellers who don't reside in western Europe. Use the easy options on its home page if you will be booking tickets with a railcard: Or purchasing rail pass reservations.
Exclusive for New Customers: Receive a 10% discount by using the code 24NOV on any purchase with a maximum total price of £100, until 28 November 2024 (11:59 pm CET). Limit one coupon per qualifying booking. Cannot be combined, transferred or exchanged.
Omio is an online ticket agency which offers tickets for rail journeys in France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain.
The three key advantages of using Omio are
The disadvantage of booking with Omio is that it often adds a booking fee to the final price; therefore when it does so without offering a price advantage, SMTJ doesn't tend to offer Omio as a booking option.
The one direct train of the day from Barcelona doesn't arrive in Marseille until after 21:15, but this combination of trains enables an arrival into the city shortly after 14:30.
Departing from Barcelona:
This train is usually scheduled to depart from Barcelona Sants station daily at around 09:30.
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 this train to France departs 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.
Connecting between trains:
The time between trains in Narbonne station will be typically around 25 minutes - and the train on to Marseille should depart from the same voie (platform / track) that the train from Barcelona will arrive at.
The connection is not guaranteed - if need be there are back-up connections available, which will arrive into Marseille around 17:30
Connections from Marseille:
An on time arrival of the train from Narbonne will enable a 20 min connection into a TER train on Antibes, Cannes and Nice
Departing later from Marseille
The ticket booking services will usually also offer a journey that departs Barcelona at around 13:25 and arrives into Marseille at around 18:35.
This enables both an early afternoon departure from Barcelona and an onward connection on to Nice, but it is reliant on making a tightly timed connection of only 16 mins between trains in Montpellier - a connection which is not guaranteed.
Final Destination Paris Gare de Lyon
**Train also calls at ** Girona and Figueres-Vilifant
Between Barcelona and Perpignan the train travels on a high speed line.
2. Then between Perpignan and Narbonne the train crosses the marsh land by the sea and it will seem as though the train is gliding across the water; the sea can be seen on the right, while simultaneously the lakes can be seen on the left
The videos were filmed from a train travelling in the opposite direction.
Final Destination Marseille-St Charles
**Train also calls at ** Montpellier St Roch and Nimes and Arles
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings typically open: from 3 months ahead of the travel date
Seat Reservations:
Seats will automatically be assigned when booking tickets for this journey on both trains
Rail Pass Users:
Rail pass users will need to be pay a reservation fee prior to boarding both trains, but pre-arrival in Spain, you will need to use the Eurail reservation service or the InterRail reservation service but you will be charged a €2 booking fee per reservation.
Though you can avoid a booking fee if you do reserve at a Spanish station.
Or of you will be making this journey on Monday to Friday, you can avoid paying the rail pass reservation fees, by taking this alternative journey option.
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