On the 'classic' non-high speed Mediterranean route from Spain to France, Port Bou is the final station on the Spanish side of the border.
Until recently only a few daily trains from Barcelona continued beyond Port Bou over the border to Cerbere in France, but now most do so.
Though most of the trains which still terminate in Port Bou also have good connections on to Cerbere.
There are TER trains on from Cerbere to multiple destinations in France including Perpignan, Toulouse, Narbonne, Beziers, Sete, Montpellier, Nimes and Avignon.
Users of Eurail and InterRail passes can use these connections to avoid paying the comparatively expensive rail pass reservation fees on the Spain to France high speed trains.
Final Destination: Cerbere and Port Bou
The railway line between Port Bou on the Spanish side of the border and Cerbére on the French side of the border is one of the four international railway routes between Spain and France.
The daytime express trains from Spain to France now take the high speed line, but local and regional trains still travel this older route.
Departing from Barcelona:
In Barcelona these trains also call at Passeig di Gracia station after they depart from Sants station.
Passeig di Gracia station is closer to the the city centre than Sants station, but at busy times you can't guarantee finding a seat if you board at Passeig di Gracia.
At Sants station these trains usually depart from vias (tracks/platforms) 13 and 14.
Mon-Sat = 11 x trains per day
Sunday = 9 x trains
Tickets for this journey aren't sold online, so book them at the station in Barcelona, you'll need to use the Media-Distancia ticket desks.
Rail Pass Users:
Take these trains and connect in Port Bou and not only will you avoid the reservation fees charged on the RENFE-SNCF trains (2nd class pass users will save at least €15 and 1st class pass users will save at least €20) - you'll also have a more scenic journey!
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