Related Content
Content
Barcelona to Marseille by train
How to take a journey by train from Barcelona to Marseille
The direct trains between Barcelona and Marseille have been removed from the new rail timetable which will be in place after December 11th and into 2023.
Share
Routes
Until Dec 10th by the direct train
Journey Summary
4hr 35min (approx)
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Marseille St.Charles
The train also calls at: Montpellier, Nimes, Avignon TGV, Aix-en-Provence TGV
Departing from Barcelona:
This train is usually scheduled to depart from Barcelona Sants station daily at 16:36
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.
How to arrive in Marseille sooner:
The daily direct train from Barcelona isn't scheduled to arrive in Marseille at 21:36 in the evening.
So if you would rather arrive in the city before 15:30 you'll need to take the alternative journey option.
1 x train per day
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 4 months ahead of the travel date
The train is usually scheduled to depart daily from Barcelona Sants at 16:36, so target that departure time when looking up this journey.
When looking for tickets on Trainline tick the 'fastest journeys' box, on Oui.SNCF tick the 'direct trains' box,
Though it can be worth comparing the prices between booking agents for this journey.
Note that this direct train arrives in Marseille too late to make onward connections to any destination to the east beyond Toulon.
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.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Trainline | from €37 | |
| SNCF Connect | from €37 | |
| Happy rail | from €37 | |
| Renfe | from €37 |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
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.
The Barcelona to Marseille journey from Dec 11th
Journey Summary
6hr 4min
Daily
Travel Information
The French national rail company SNCF and the Spanish rail company Renfe have opted to terminate their partnership which jointly managed the service of high speed trains between France and Spain.
As a result the long-standing direct trains between Barcelona and Marseille have been withdrawn, without any adjustment to any other train times, to provide an equivalent indirect journey on a similar schedule to what had been available.
2 x connection per day
Changing trains at Nîmes Centre
The connecting time between train is typically scheduled to be around 1hr 5mins.
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings usually open: 4 months ahead of the travel date
Seats will automatically be assigned when booking tickets for this journey, but rail pass users will need to be pay a rail pass reservation fee prior to boarding.
Using rail passes
The removal of the direct trains has expensive consequences of users of InterRail and Eurail passes, because separate rail pass reservation fees will be need to be paid on the TGV train and the Intercités traim
The usual alternative that avoids any reservation fees is to make at least two connections in Port Bou and then at either Nimes or Montpellier but these journey options will need to be looked up on the Eurail/InterRail journey planning app.
The connections will vary according to both the day of the week on which you will be making the journey; and the travel date.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Trainline | * | |
| SNCF Connect | * | |
| Download the SNCF Connect App |
Train 1
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Final Destination: Paris - Gare de Lyon
This train also calls at: Girona and Figueres Vilifant
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.
The videos were filmed from a train travelling in the opposite direction.
Train 2
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Final Destination Marseille
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.
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.
