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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
Journey Summary
7hr 39min
Currently suspended
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 | * | |
| SNCF Connect | * |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
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 Marseille to Madrid (after Dec 11th)
Journey Summary
8hr 46min
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 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 | * |
Train 1
Travelling On
Good to Know
Final Destination: Bordeaux-St Jean
The train will arrive in Nîmes Centre station on the same voie (platform/track) that the train on to Barcelona will depart from.
Train 2
Travelling On
Journey Features
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.
Train 3
Travelling On
Journey Features
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.
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