Catalonia And Other Places

[RichmondCommu]

G'day everyone,

My wife and I are off to Spain for a couple of weeks at the start of July. We've got a few nights booked in Barcelona, a couple of nights in Madrid and plan to have a few days in the Pyrenees.

A few questions. Do all trains in Barcelona pass through Sants? Whats the journey like on the new high speed line from Barcelona to Perpignan? We also have the same question for the journey from Barcelona to Madrid. Has anyone recently traveled on the route from La tour de Carole to Barcelona? Any tips for traveling around Barcelona, including getting to the Camp Nou for a look round. Finally we plan to have a day trip down the coast to Calafell for old times sake so again the same question; whats the journey like.

Neither of us can speak anything more than basic Spanish but we're hoping that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Any information / hints / tips would be gratefully received.

Kind regards,

Richmond Commuter and his wife.

 

[30907]

http://www.tmb.cat/en/home
http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/cercanias/barcelona/
are the obvious places to start.

La Tour de Carol is part of the Rodalies/Cercanias suburban system, and the man in seat 61 did the trip not so long ago.

The Nou Camp is easy to get to (my son did it solo a couple of years back, and he doesn't speak Spanish or Catalan).

Calafell is another Rodalies route, with some spectacular coastal scenery before Sitges, especially on the way back (fewer tunnels). I went as far as Vilanova del Geltru where I highly recommend the railway museum.

Pretty much every RENFE service uses Sants.

There were some good articles in TR Europe about 5 years ago.

No experience of the HS routes, sorry. We used the old route via Port Bou both ways.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

If you get to La Tour de Carol, I'd strongly recommend a trip on SNCF's Ligne de Cerdagne, also known as "le petit train jaune". This metre-gauge route runs from Carol to the fortified town of Villefranche. The line is electrified at 650v DC by third rail, and operates with a mixture of modern Stadler GTW railcars, and some of the original railcars from the opening at the start of the last century. In summer, open cars are included in the heritage sets, giving fantastic views of the Pyrenees.

 

[RichmondCommu]

http://www.tmb.cat/en/home
http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/cercanias/barcelona/
are the obvious places to start.

La Tour de Carol is part of the Rodalies/Cercanias suburban system, and the man in seat 61 did the trip not so long ago.

The Nou Camp is easy to get to (my son did it solo a couple of years back, and he doesn't speak Spanish or Catalan).

Calafell is another Rodalies route, with some spectacular coastal scenery before Sitges, especially on the way back (fewer tunnels). I went as far as Vilanova del Geltru where I highly recommend the railway museum.

Pretty much every RENFE service uses Sants.

There were some good articles in TR Europe about 5 years ago.

No experience of the HS routes, sorry. We used the old route via Port Bou both ways.

Many thanks for all of this, much appreciated
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

If you get to La Tour de Carol, I'd strongly recommend a trip on SNCF's Ligne de Cerdagne, also known as "le petit train jaune". This metre-gauge route runs from Carol to the fortified town of Villefranche. The line is electrified at 650v DC by third rail, and operates with a mixture of modern Stadler GTW railcars, and some of the original railcars from the opening at the start of the last century. In summer, open cars are included in the heritage sets, giving fantastic views of the Pyrenees.

Many thanks for your post. My wife and I traveled on the Little Yellow Train two years a go before getting the overnight train from La Tour de Carol to Paris. However its getting on for 30 years since I last traveled from Barcelona up to La Tour. From memory I think the line is rack and pinion once you reach the mountains. Thanks again.

 

[LLivery]

G'day everyone,

My wife and I are off to Spain for a couple of weeks at the start of July. We've got a few nights booked in Barcelona, a couple of nights in Madrid and plan to have a few days in the Pyrenees.

A few questions. Do all trains in Barcelona pass through Sants? Whats the journey like on the new high speed line from Barcelona to Perpignan? We also have the same question for the journey from Barcelona to Madrid. Has anyone recently traveled on the route from La tour de Carole to Barcelona? Any tips for traveling around Barcelona, including getting to the Camp Nou for a look round. Finally we plan to have a day trip down the coast to Calafell for old times sake so again the same question; whats the journey like.

Neither of us can speak anything more than basic Spanish but we're hoping that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Any information / hints / tips would be gratefully received.

Kind regards,

Richmond Commuter and his wife.

I visited Barcelona two weeks ago. It seems almost everyone in the city speaks English, even if you don't talk first, so you will have no problems when it comes to travel. Not all the trains pass through Sants. Some trains terminate at a different Termini called Barcelona Franca (France). However, unless you're going east then its not an issue.

Tips: Door handles on the L3 Metro trains are a bit odd but nothing difficult. A lot of Metro stations are unstaffed but machines have English translations. Some people appear to be helping at machines but ask for money straight after. When leaving a Metro station you don't put the ticket through the barrier, its actually not possible. La Rambla (Catalunya and Liceu stations) is a great street for tourists and locals alike, however after 11 it is prostitute central, but its still very busy and nothing is closed. Make sure you book every attraction like the Parc Guell and the Sagrada Familia in advance - the lines for them are incredible.

For Camp Nou if you're using the Metro jump on L3 (green line) to Maria Cristina and either jump on the tram (one stop to Pius XII) or walk then turn down a road called Avenue de Joan XXIII and you'll see it within a minute or two. I found that very easy.

Finally defiantly visit the Magic Fountain area just for the pure beauty (Espanya station).

I hope that helps, I was lucky enough to go with a Spanish born person.

 

[30907]

Many thanks for all of this, much appreciated
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


However its getting on for 30 years since I last traveled from Barcelona up to La Tour. From memory I think the line is rack and pinion once you reach the mountains. Thanks again.

No, but there's a rack line branching off it - Nuria-Ribes de Freser?

 

[Gordon]

No, but there's a rack line branching off it - Nuria-Ribes de Freser?

Yes - but it's Ribes - Nuria (Ribes is the bottom - on the Renfe line) is a rack railway with Swiss equipment

If you get to La Tour de Carol, I'd strongly recommend a trip on SNCF's Ligne de Cerdagne, also known as "le petit train jaune". This metre-gauge route runs from Carol to the fortified town of Villefranche. The line is electrified at 650v DC by third rail, and operates with a mixture of modern Stadler GTW railcars, and some of the original railcars from the opening at the start of the last century. In summer, open cars are included in the heritage sets, giving fantastic views of the Pyrenees.

And it is threatened with closure...




.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

And it is threatened with closure...

.

Really? That's appalling! Is it just a money issue or are there structural issues? Sounds like the Catalonians could use some help from Portillo.. .

 

[30907]

Really? That's appalling! Is it just a money issue or are there structural issues? Sounds like the Catalonians could use some help from Portillo.. .

But according to this month's TR Europe the region is coughing up money for track renewals.
BTW it's Languedoc Roussillon in France.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

But according to this month's TR Europe the region is coughing up money for track renewals.
BTW it's Languedoc Roussillon in France.

Oh. Thanks for the reply. BTW my use of "Catalonians" was not intended to refer to a specific body.

 

[30907]

Oh. Thanks for the reply. BTW my use of "Catalonians" was not intended to refer to a specific body.

And I think I should have called it France Catalane anyway.

 

[davetheguard]

I was in Barcelona in February, by train all the way from the U.K. The high speed line across the border from France is quite scenic, but not in the same league as the old line via the coast. However as you'd expect, it's significantly faster; that gauge changing lark, while interesting, used to take ages!

Tarragona is a good place to visit on a day trip South West from Barcelona, lots of Roman remains if you're interested in that sort of stuff. There are fast trains available, but it is much cheaper to use the suburban railway which is still limited stop, and which will always take you to the city centre station rather than the new one on the high speed line. There are some sections with a coastal view, but actually, the suburban line in the other (NE) direction from Barcelona - towards Blanes - has brilliant coastal views, and runs along the back of the beach almost all the way.

We also did a half day trip to the line of hills behind Barcelona. Metro Line 6 (I think) to Peu del Funicular station, and the connecting funicular to Vallvidera village. Turn left out of the funicular station and down a broad flight of steps for the middle of the village. You can make it a circular trip by walking along the ridge west to Tibidado and getting another funicular back down.

Vallvidera is not an international tourist destination, and it shows in the prices. We had lunch in a locals' place right in the middle of the village with a fantastic view over Barcelona and out to sea. It was nothing special to look at from the outside, but a bowl of home made lentil stew each with bread, a bottle of water, and a full size bottle of red wine cost 12 Euros - total, not each! Don't expect to pay these sort of prices in central Barcelona, but we did still find things generally cheaper than in France.