22 June 2009. Train times valid from 14 June to 12 December
2009.
UK to Spain by train?
It's surprisingly easy to travel from the UK
to Spain by train. In fact, it's amazing that some
people still think you need to fly. Take an afternoon
Eurostar from London to Paris in just 2 hours 20 minutes,
then the excellent Elipsos trainhotel
from Paris to Madrid or Barcelona overnight, with onward train
connections for Alicante, Malaga, Valencia, Seville or
Granada or ferries to Ibiza & Majorca. The trainhotel has cosy bedrooms, a
restaurant and a café-bar, see the
photos below. The Gran Clase bedrooms
even have a private toilet and shower... It's
affordable, too, as fares start at £59 return for Eurostar
from London to Paris plus £66 each way for the trainhotel
from Paris to Madrid or Barcelona including a bed in a
4-berth sleeper for the night. Better still, how about
£146 each way per person in a 2-bed Gran Clase sleeper
with private shower & toilet, dinner with wine and breakfast
included in the fare? And it's far more
environmentally-friendly as
well. This page will tell you
train times, fares, and how to buy tickets.
See the video -
Taking the train to Spain...
It's a PR video, of course, but this 4-minute film shows
how good travelling on the Paris-Madrid or
Paris-Barcelona trainhotels can be. Put the romance
back into a journey to Spain!
It couldn't be simpler. Take an
afternoon Eurostar from London to Paris, then the
overnight 'trainhotel' from Paris to Madrid. Enjoy
dinner in the restaurant or a drink in the bar before
retiring to your sleeper for the night, then wake up in
Spain to glimpses of snow-capped mountains in the distance
and the royal palace at El Escorial north of Madrid.
Fares start at £59 return for the Eurostar plus £66 each way
for the trainhotel with a bed in a 4-bed tourist class
sleeper, or better still, £146 each way per person in a
2-bed Gran Clase sleeper with private shower & toilet,
dinner with wine and breakfast included in the fare.
Train times
London ► Burgos, Valladolid, Madrid
Travel from
London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London
St Pancras at 14:04 and arriving in Paris Gare
du Nord at 17:26. By all means choose an earlier
Eurostar if if you'd like to stop off in Paris, or if this
has cheaper tickets available.
Cross Paris by
metro or taxi to the Gare d'Austerlitz.
Travel
overnight from Paris to Madrid on the Elipsos trainhotel 'Francisco de Goya'
leaving Paris Gare d'Austerlitz daily
at 19:45 and arriving next morning in Burgos at 05:20, Valladolid at 06:22 and Madrid (Chamartin
station) at 09:10.
What's the
trainhotel like?
The Paris-Madrid trainhotel
normally runs daily, but it will not run on Tuesday or Wednesday nights
from from 8 October 2009 until March 2010.
On the days when it's not running, don't worry, an
alternative train service is available.
The Elipsos trainhotel 'Francisco de
Goya' leaves Madrid Chamartin daily at 19:00,
Valladolid at 21:20 and Burgos at 22:21, arriving Paris
Gare d'Austerlitz at 08:27 next morning. The arrival
time varies on certain dates, so check when booking.
Trainhotel passengers in Preferente and Gran Clase
sleepers may use the Sala Club (1st class lounge) at
Madrid Chamartin near platform 14, with complimentary tea,
coffee, juices and beer.
The Madrid-Paris trainhotel
normally runs daily, but it will not run on Monday
or Tuesday nights from 7 October 2009 to March 2010.
On the days when it's not running, don't worry, an
alternative train service is available.
A Eurostar leaves Paris Gare du
Nord at 11:13 and arrives London St Pancras at 12:29.
By all means choose a later Eurostar if if you'd like to
stop off in Paris, or if this has cheaper tickets
available.
The trainhotel
'Francisco de Goya' is a compact rolling hotel, run by a
consortium of the French & Spanish railways called
Elipsos.
It has Gran Clase, Preferente & Tourist class sleepers plus reclining seats.
It also has a restaurant & a cafe-bar. See
the photos below, and the
picture gallery & nifty virtual tour at
www.elipsos.com. It is entirely non-smoking.
The train is an articulated Spanish 'Talgo' train fitted with
adjustable axles. At the frontier in the small hours
of the morning it passes through a special shed, and the
axles are adjusted from European standard track gauge (4'
8½") to Spanish track gauge (5'
5.7"). Book early to
avoid disappointment, as the trainhotels are very popular,
and can leave full. Indeed, average occupancy has now
reached 87%. Paris to Madrid by trainhotel is 1,459 km
(906 miles), London to Paris by Eurostar is 492 km (305
miles).
...'Gran Clase'
sleepers: 1 or 2 berth with private shower &
toilet
You are greeted at the
carriage door by the sleeping-car attendant who checks your
tickets and shows you to your compartment. He gives
you a hotel-style card key for your door and vouchers for dinner and
breakfast in the restaurant car, which are both included in
the Gran Clase fare. He asks which sitting for dinner
you'd prefer and takes your table reservation. He
takes your passport and tickets so you are not disturbed by
ticket or passport checks during the night. Gran Clase rooms are
very small but cosy, just big enough for two
armchairs that disappear when the beds are folded out, see
the photos below. The attendant will make up the
berths while you are at dinner, one lower bed and one upper
bed. Each Gran Clase compartment has an adjoining
private shower room, just big enough to contain a shower,
toilet & washbasin. Fluffy towels, mineral water and a
complimentary toiletries pack with soap, shampoo & shower
gel are provided. A 3-course evening meal in the
restaurant car complete with
aperitif of sherry or sparkling cava, wine, coffee &
liqueurs, is included in the Gran Clase fare, as is
breakfast next morning. 'Gran Clase' is described as
first class single or double 'with shower' on online booking
websites. Travelling Gran Clase a wonderful way to
reach Spain, but just remember that this is a 'real' train
not a deluxe tourist experience!
Gran Clase sleeper, in evening
mode with the seats folded out...
...return from dinner to find the
attendant has made up the beds...
Gran Clase sleepers have a private
toilet & shower...
The trainhotel is
an
articulated Spanish 'Talgo' train, run by Elipsos, a
consortium of French &
Spanish railways.
...'Preferente'
sleepers: 1 or 2 berth with washbasin
You are greeted at the
carriage door by the sleeping-car attendant who checks your
tickets and shows you to your compartment. He gives
you a hotel-style card key for your door and vouchers for breakfast in
the restaurant car, included in the Preferente fare.
He takes your passport and tickets, so you are not disturbed
by ticket or passport checks during the night.
Preferente rooms are very small but cosy, just big enough for
two armchairs that disappear when the beds are folded out.
Your luggage stays with you, there's space in the recess
above the door, projecting over the ceiling of the corridor. The attendant will make up the berths when you ask, one
lower and one upper berth. Each Preferente compartment
has a washbasin, and towels, mineral water and soap are
provided. Feel free to use the
restaurant or bar, although meals and drinks other than
breakfast aren't included in the fare. If you are
travelling alone but do not wish to pay the single-berth
fare, you can book one berth in a 2-berth room and share
with another passenger of the same sex. 'Preferente'
is described as first class single or double on online
booking websites.
...Tourist Class
sleepers: 4-berth with washbasin
Tourist class
sleepers have 4 berths, arranged as upper & lower on each
side of the compartment, plus a washbasin. Berths in
tourist sleepers are sold individually, so you can book one
or two berths in a shared 4-berth compartment and share with
other passengers of the same sex. A family or group of
4 passengers travelling together can of course book a
compartment to themselves. You are greeted at the carriage
door by the sleeping-car attendant who checks your tickets
and shows you to your compartment. He comes round
later to take your passport and tickets, so you are not
disturbed by ticket or passport checks during the night.
The Tourist sleepers are very small but cosy, just big enough
for four small armchairs that disappear when the beds are
folded out. The attendant will make up the berths when
you ask, two lower berths and two upper berths. These
are not couchettes, but proper beds with mattress, sheets
and blankets freshly made up for you. Each compartment
has a washbasin, and towels, mineral water and soap are
provided for each passenger. Feel free to use the
restaurant or bar, although meals
and drinks aren't included in the fare. Your luggage
stays with you, there's luggage space in the recess above
the door, projecting over the ceiling of the corridor.
All sleeper compartment doors have both a normal lock and a
security lock which cannot be opened from outside (even with
a staff key) so you're both safe and snug. 'Tourist class' is
described as second class 4-berth on online booking
websites.
Tourist Class 4-berth sleeper, in
evening mode with the seats folded out...
Tourist Class 4-berth sleeper, with
the beds folded out...
The Elipsos
trainhotel boarding at Paris Austerlitz...
Reclining
seats: The trainhotel has one small coach of first
class reclining seats, with plenty of legroom and leg
supports, but seats (even first class) are not recommended
for an overnight journey. Travelling with a bed in a
tourist sleeper is far more comfortable, and (as special
fares are available in tourist class) usually cheaper.
Online booking websites simply (and
misleadingly) call these seats 'first class'.
...the
cafe-bar & restaurant car
The trainhotel
has a café-bar serving drinks and tapas in the evening, and light breakfast in the
morning. There's an elegant restaurant car serving
à la carte dinner
and breakfast. Gran Clase fares include dinner, for
other passengers a starter in the restaurant car costs about
7-8 euro, a main course 15-18 euro, dessert 4-5 euro, a half bottle of wine
8 euro. All major credit cards are accepted.
Gran Clase and Preferente fares include breakfast, for
other passengers
continental breakfast in the café-bar or restaurant costs
6.70 euro, a cooked breakfast 9 euro. Alternatively,
unlike air
travel, you're free to bring your own picnic,
wine or beer and eat/drink it in your sleeper compartment if you
wish. In the
morning, enjoy coffee and croissant in the bar or restaurant as the
trainhotel twists and turns through the rocky hills North of
Madrid, with glimpses of mist-filled valleys and mountain
peaks in the distance. Look out for the walled city of
Avila on the right about 1 hour 20 minutes before Madrid,
and for the huge Spanish royal palace at El Escorial, on the hill
to the left of the train about 40 minutes before Madrid.
The
trainhotel's full-length bar, serving drinks & food. Grab a barstool early, it gets
crowded later on!
The elegant trainhotel restaurant
awaits first sitting for dinner. Gran Clase fares
include dinner & breakfast.
Diner on the trainhotel, as French
towns and picturesque villages swish past in the moonlight,
traffic lights glinting off the rainy streets...
Breakfast next morning, with the lights of the historic walled
city of Avila twinkling in the distance on the right...
£56 each way. You must occupy the whole compartment.
* Special fares: In Tourist Class the £66
fare (£81 in summer) is called 'Prems', book at least 14 days in advance, non-refundable,
non-changeable. In 1st Class
&
Gran Clase 2 people must
travel together & either the lower (Mini
à Deux) or higher
(Duo) price will be available on a given date.
Mini is non-refundable, non-changeable, limited
availability. Duo is refundable, exchangeable,
usually available.
** Child = 4-11 years old;
Youth = 12-25 years old; Senior = anyone over 60.
***
Fare includes breakfast. **** Fare includes
evening meal with wine in the restaurant & breakfast.
Children under 4 go free, as long
as the parents have sole use of a compartment.
10%-22% higher fares apply
mid-June to mid-September & at Easter (e.g.
£66 becomes £81).
How to buy tickets online...
The best way for UK residents to buy tickets
for both Eurostar and the Paris-Madrid trainhotel is online
at
www.raileurope.co.uk,
using the booking form below.
But
please read the booking tips first! To book by
phone or in person, click
here.
If you live in another European country,
click here. If you live in
the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand,
click here.
Tickets can be collected at St Pancras or stations in
France free of charge, or sent to a UK
address for a £1.95 fee.
There's no fee for debit cards, but they charge a 2% credit card fee. Only
UK credit cards are accepted.
Reservations for the trainhotels to Spain open 90 days before
departure. You can't book before reservations open,
but if you ask
www.raileurope.co.uk
for a date more than 90 days ahead, it will offer to send an
email
reminder when reservations open. A
useful facility!
To get an idea of prices if your date of travel is more than
90 days away, ask it for a date within the
next 90 days. Be aware that the 90 days is often
squeezed to less than 90 in the few weeks
immediately after the European timetable changes in
mid-June & mid-December. Ask for a date before the
timetable change to get an idea of price.
Top tip:
It's best to treat London to Madrid as two
separate journeys, one from London to Paris, the other
Paris to Madrid. This gives you more control, and
allows you to mix and match (for example) 2nd class Eurostar
with 2-berth sleeper (1st class). It also allows
stopovers in Paris if you like.
Step 1, change 'St Pancras' to 'Paris' and book from Paris to Madrid & back,
looking for the direct Elipsos train. 'With shower' =
gran clase. On the
confirmation page, clicking 'show itinerary details' shows the
specific coach number & berth or seat number
you've been given.
You may find this trainhotel berth numbering plan helpful.
Check trainhotel times before booking the Eurostar, as
engineering work sometimes affects arrival times, requiring
a later Eurostar connection.
Step 2, when you've booked the train from Paris to
Madrid & back,
click 'continue shopping' and book the Eurostar from London
to Paris & back. Use
the Eurostar times on this page as a guide, but feel free to
choose an earlier Eurostar from London or a later Eurostar
back from Paris, if these have cheaper seats available
or if you'd like to stop off in Paris. Don't forget
that on your return journey, your departure date from Paris
to London will be the day after your departure date from
Spain to Paris!
For a one-way
journey on Eurostar, see this advice.
Tickets are sent from Rail Europe's UK office and normally arrive in a couple of
days. If you need any help, you can call Rail Europe's
UK call centre on 0844 848 5 848.
Buying onward train tickets
within Spain...
...using Rail Europe: You can book most (but not all)
connecting trains within Spain fairly painlessly at
www.raileurope.co.uk,
along with your other tickets. After booking your
London-Paris-Madrid tickets, click 'continue shopping' and
book any Spanish domestic trains you want, for example
Madrid to Seville, Malaga, Granada or Algeciras.
However,
www.raileurope.co.uk
can't sell the cheap 'web' or 'estrella' fares, only
full-price fully-flexible fares.
...using the Spanish Railways website www.renfe.es:
You can buy train tickets within Spain online at the Spanish
Railways website,
www.renfe.es.
This is the cheapest way to buy these tickets, as RENFE
offers may cheap fares online, such as their 'Web' &
'Estrella' fares. See these
step-by-step instructions for using renfe.es.
You
can book through a number of UK agencies, including Rail
Europe on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open
08:00-21:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 on Saturdays, no
longer open on Sundays, £8 booking fee applies) or Ffestiniog
Travel on 01766 772050 (8% booking fee). Rail Europe have a
travel centre for personal callers at 1 Regent Street, London SW1Y 4XT, open 10:00-18:00 Mon-Fri, 10:00-16:00 Saturdays. There
is also a Spanish Railways agency in London which can book
trains to and within Spain:
www.spanish-rail.co.uk or telephone 020 7725 7063
(lines open 09:30-17:30 Monday-Friday, £10 booking fee
applies). For more information about how to book
European train travel from the UK and overseas, see the How to buy European train
tickets page.
The Tortoise and the
Hare?
At
breakfast approaching Madrid, the restaurant car of the
trainhotel is bathed in a warm red glow as the morning
sun rises over distant mountain tops.
We're
running on time, which is more than can be said for most
airline passengers who tried to reach Spain for
Christmas. The day we
left London to spend Christmas week in Andalusia, Heathrow was closed
due to fog and all flights were cancelled for several
days. We arrived in Seville by train from London,
spot on time. A latter-day case of the tortoise
and the hare..?
www.voyages-sncf.com is French Railways' (SNCF's) own
website, and like
www.raileurope.co.uk
it can sell tickets from London to Paris, and from Paris to
Madrid or Barcelona.
The advantage over
www.raileurope.co.uk
for UK residents is that
www.voyages-sncf.com sells fares in euro so is a bit
cheaper because you'll get a better exchange rate from your
own bank. And unlike
www.raileurope.co.uk
there's no credit card fee or postage fee (so ironically
SNCF will send tickets from France to the UK for free,
whilst it's own UK subsidiary now charges £1.95 to send them
from an office in Kent!). For non-UK residents, a key
advantage is that It accepts all credit cards, so residents
of any country may use it.
Tickets can be sent to any address in Europe including the
UK, or (for journeys starting in France) collected from any main French station.
Remember that bookings open 90 days before departure, you
cannot book before bookings open!
Alternatively, you can buy the
London-Paris Eurostar online at
www.eurostar.com, selecting the option to pick up
tickets at the station. Then book the Paris-Spain
trainhotel online at
www.voyages-sncf.com
following this step-by-step advice and choosing to
pick up tickets at the ticket office at any main station in
France, including Paris Gare d'Austerlitz (or have them sent
to any European address, for example a hotel in Spain).
This alternative London-Madrid journey runs daily all year
round except 24 & 31 December. It takes an hour or two
longer than the trainhotel, but it's useful if the trainhotel
is fully-booked or if you need to leave London later in the
day, or if you need to travel on Mondays & Tuesdays between
mid-December 2008 & March 2009 when the trainhotel isn't
running.
Train times
London ► Madrid
Travel from
London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London
St Pancras at 17:56 (17:31 on Saturdays) and arriving in Paris Gare
du Nord at 21:17 (20:53 on Saturdays). By all means choose an earlier
Eurostar if if you'd like to stop off in Paris, or if this
has cheaper tickets available.
Cross Paris by
metro or taxi to the Gare d'Austerlitz.
Travel
overnight from Paris to Irun (on the Spanish side of the
Franco-Spanish frontier) using a
Corail Lunéa sleeper
train. The train leaves Paris Gare
d'Austerlitz at 23:10 and arrives at Irun at 07:36 next
morning. The train has 1st class 4-berth
couchettes, 2nd class 6-berth couchettes & reclining
seats, all air-conditioned, see the Corail
Lunéa information on the France page for more
details & photos. A couchette is the recommended
option for an overnight journey, rather than a reclining
seat. Couchettes are basic padded bunks in shared
compartments, each supplied with a fresh clean pillow,
lightweight sleeping bag (a welcome innovation from the
traditional sheet & blanket) and small bottle of mineral
water.
Travel from Irun to Madrid by
high-speed air-conditioned 'Alvia' train, leaving Irun
at 08:15 and arriving Burgos 11:25, Valladolid at 12:35
and Madrid Chamartin at 13:57. A complimentary
airline-style meal & drinks are included in fare in 1st
class (Preferente). A buffet car is available to
all passengers.
Travel from Madrid to Hendaye
(on the French side of the Franco-Spanish frontier) by high-speed air-conditioned Alvia
train, leaving Madrid at 16:10, Valladolid at 17:34 or
Burgos at 18:37, arriving Hendaye at 22:03. Hendaye
& Irun are only a few miles apart, but for historical
reasons in the southbound direction French trains
interchange with Spanish ones at Irun on the Spanish side,
whereas northbound the Spanish trains continue to Hendaye
and interchange with French trains there.
Travel from Hendaye to Paris
overnight by Corail Lunéa sleeper
train, leaving Hendaye at 22:19 and arriving Paris Gare
d'Austerlitz at 07:10.
A Eurostar leaves Paris Gare du
Nord at 09:13 arriving London St Pancras at 10:36.
By all means choose a later Eurostar if if you'd like to
stop off in Paris, or if this has cheaper tickets
available.
How to buy tickets online...
How
to buy tickets online at
How to buy tickets if you live
in the