Marseille to Madrid by train

How to take therail journey from Marseille to Madrid

The direct trains between Marseille and Madrid have been removed from the new rail timetable which will be in place after December 11th and into 2023.

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Routes

From Marseille to Madrid until Dec 10th

Travel Information

Final Destination: Madrid-Atocha

The train also calls at: Avignon TGV, Figueres-Vilifant, Girona, Barcelone, Camp De Tarragona and Zaragoza-Delicias.

The train is usually scheduled to depart from Marseille at 08:02 and it is the only direct train between France and Madrid.

1 x train per day

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings usually open: 4 months ahead of the travel date

The train is usually scheduled to depart from Marseille daily at 08:02.

Though it can be worth comparing the prices between booking agents for this journey.

Seats will automatically be assigned when booking tickets for this journey, but rail pass users will need to be pay a reservation fee prior to boarding, but these rail pass reservations cannot be booked on the train ticketing websites, as explained on this guide.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
Trainline *

Trainline Guide

SNCF Connect *

SNCF Connect Guide

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 on Google Play

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

On this journey

Journey Features

High Speed (partial journey)Coastal views

Journey description:

This fabulous train journey showcases European train travel at its best, with its fantastic contrasts between the coastal views in France and the sweeping vistas across the Spanish plains.

It is also a journey with three distinct phases:

1: Between Marseille and Nimes the train travels through Provence on the high speed line.

2. From Montpellier to Perpignan the trains follow the coast.

Don't expect incredible seascapes, but there are some nice views as the train threads through the lagoons, particularly south of Narbonne.

As can be seen in the above video, what's unusual and rather fabulous about this part of the journey, is that the 'sea' can be seen from both sides of the train.

Though those two video were captured when travelling on a TGV train and not the AVE train that is used for this journey.

3. Then after Perpignan, the train reverts back to using high speed lines for the remainder of the journey on to Madrid.

Initially the train will travel on a high speed line to Barcelona, but the most thrilling section of this journey comes after the train has departed from there.

Between Barcelona and Madrid the train will spend most of the journey travelling at more than 290 km/h

The video clips showcase what gives this journey its wow factor, but they were filmed travelling in the opposite direction, from Madrid to Barcelona.

From the left of the train between Narbonne and Perpignan From the left of the train between Narbonne and Perpignan
From the left of the train between Perpignan and Figueres From the left of the train between Perpignan and Figueres
Between Barcelona and Madrid#1 Between Barcelona and Madrid#1
Between Barcelona and Madrid #2 Between Barcelona and Madrid #2

From Marseille to Madrid (after Dec 11th)

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 Marseille and Madrid 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.

It will still be possible to take a journey by train from Marseille to Madrid, but when looking up this journey be very cautious about taking the combination of trains that typically involves departing from Marseille at around 11:24.
That's because this combination of trains which will typically be sold by the ticket agents, involves making an 11 min connection between trains at Nîmes Centre station.
It couldn't be simpler if the train from Marseille arrives on time, making the connection will simply involve waiting on the same platform for the train on to Barcelona to arrive.
However, making this transfer is very much not guaranteed, if the train from Marseille gets to Nîmes more than 11 mins late, you'll very likely miss the only train of the day from Nîmes Centre station to Barcelona.
Miss the connection in Nîmes and it won't be possible to reach Madrid by the end of the day.

The alternative journey option

It's usually possible to remove the risk of making that 11min connection in Nîmes, but:

  • it typically involves departing from Marseille four hours earlier at 07:22,
  • the connecting time between trains will be 1hr 45 mins, but this is the only combination of trains which SMTJ could find, which allows more than 30 mins to make the transfer between trains at a station in France,
  • an additional connection will be required at Port Bou station,
  • the journey to and from Port Bou will be on regional trains and not express trains,
  • the arrival time into Madrid will be no different than by departing Marseille at 11:24.

1 x connection per day

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings usually open: 4 months ahead of the travel date

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
Trainline *

Trainline Guide

Journey Features

High Speed (partial journey)Coastal views

Good to Know

Final Destination: Barcelona Sants

For much of the journey between Montpellier and Perpignan the trains follow the coast, don't expect incredible seascapes, but there are some nice views on the left as the train threads through the lagoons, particularly south of Narbonne.

As can be seen in the video above, which was taken on a TGV train, what's unusual and rather fabulous about this part of the journey, is that the 'sea' can be seen from both sides of the train.

Then between Perpignan and Barcelona, the train reverts to using a high speed line.

Between the sea and the lagoons north of Perpignan Between the sea and the lagoons north of Perpignan
From the high speed line between Figueres and Perpignan From the high speed line between Figueres and Perpignan

Journey Features

High Speed (total journey)

Good to Know

Note that the optimum connection on the end-to-end journey, which will be sold by Trainline, is into a second class only Ouigo service and not a regular AVE train.

Journey description:

This journey showcases the best of high speed train travel, SMTJ nearly placed it in the scenic journeys category.

You won't see typical stunning views of mountains and coasts, but the combination of incredible speed and sweeping distant views over central Spain can be exhilarating.
 
These videos were captured on a train heading to Barcelona from Madrid, but they showcase what gives this journey its wow factor!

This is Europe's fastest high speed route as the trains travel at more than 300 km/h for most of the journey.

Near Zaragoza the landscape which can be seen from both sides of the train has an other worldly quality Near Zaragoza the landscape which can be seen from both sides of the train has an other worldly quality
There are frequent distant view of mountains from both sides of the train There are frequent distant view of mountains from both sides of the train
This image captures the sense of speed amidst the landscape This image captures the sense of speed amidst the landscape
A typical distant view over the central Spanish plains from an AVE between Barcelona and Madrid A typical distant view over the central Spanish plains from an AVE between Barcelona and Madrid
You will be travelling more than twice as fast as the traffic on the freeways - hence the cars and trucks become blurs You will be travelling more than twice as fast as the traffic on the freeways - hence the cars and trucks become blurs
Take the stress out of your journey Everything planned to your specification, so sit back and relax… Try Concierge
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