Soul in all Area's

It couldn't be simpler.  Just hop on an afternoon Eurostar from London to Paris, then take the Elipsos 'trainhotel' from Paris to Barcelona overnight.  Enjoy dinner in the restaurant or a drink in the bar as French villages swish past in the moonlight before retiring to your sleeper for the night, then wake up in Spain.  Fares start at £59 return for the Eurostar plus £66 each way for the trainhotel,including 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 and toilet, dinner with wine and breakfast next morning included in the fare.  There's also aLondon-Paris-Barcelona daytime option, although it's not as convenient as the trainhotel.

Train times London ► Figueres, Girona, Barcelona

• Travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 15:29 and arriving in Paris Gare du Nord at 18:56.  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 from Paris to Barcelona overnight on the trainhotel 'Joan Miro', leaving Paris (Gare d'Austerlitz) daily at 20:32 and arriving next morning in Figueres (for the Salvador Dali museum) at 06:24, Girona at 06:54 and Barcelona (França station) at 08:24.  What's the trainhotel like?

• Trainhotel tickets are valid on the frequent local trains from Barcelona Franca to Barcelona Paseo de Gracia or Barcelona Sants, if these are better stations for you.  The nearest metro to the Estacion França is Barceloneta.

Train times Barcelona, Girona, Figueres ► London

• The trainhotel 'Joan Miro' leaves Barcelona (França station) at 21:05, Girona at 22:17, Figueres at 22:47, arriving Paris (Austerlitz) at 09:00 next morning.  The arrival time varies on certain dates, so check exact times when you book.  Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare du Nord.

• Travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 11:13 and arriving 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.

What's the trainhotel like?

The trainhotel 'Joan Miro' 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 one small coach of 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 Barcelona by trainhotel is 1,137 km (706 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...		.

...'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..

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.

Diner on the trainhotel, as French towns and villages swish past in the moonlight.. .		.

Reply from Europe travel

 

Dear K Bourne

 

Many thanks for your email concerning Group travel to Barcelona in may 2010. Unfortunately we are currently outside of the booking horizons which we have to abide by. For your information, Eurostar is available for booking 120 days in advance of the date of travel and most other European services go on sale 90 days before departure.

 

However, I have put the details of your request through the system below is an itinerary including fares and times based on our current guidelines. Please be aware that all times and fares are subject to availability at the time of booking and are subject to change at any time:

 

DATE

 

dep: Paris Austerlitz: 2032

arr: Barcelona: 0824

 

Our current Group return prices in standard class begin at £109.00 per person sharing a 4 berth sleeper, £177.00 per person sharing a standard 2 bed sleeper and can rise to £210.00 per person sharing a 2 bed 1st class sleeper depending on availability at the time of booking.

EUROSTAR IS FROM £55.00 per person return

 

Please contact us within the booking period in order to get an accurate quotation, based on live availability.  Please note that there must be a minimum number of 12 people travelling and they must all travel toghether in the same class of service in order to receive a group fare.

 

If  I can help any further, please do not hesitate to contact me at groups@raileurope.co.uk

 

Kind regards,

 

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