GustavoVS1972
Traveller
3 comments
Posted 11 years ago
Hi all. First time here and I´m asking for your help. I´m planning a 40 days trip to Europe. By job reasons I can only travel in January. So I´d be travelling about 26th. december to 31st january 2014. My flight arrives at London and I am coming back from Madrid.
I am planning to use a Global Eurail Passs (every day / 30 days), and visiting France, Netherland, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, and Spain. Also Great Britain (but it´s not included in the pass).
That said, I´m having trouble to find a good train connection from Italy to Barcelona, as it seems there is none included in the pass.
First of all I don´t want to travel by the Cote d´Azur. I´d prefer to travel by a night train and save time.
My first choice (because of my travel plan) would be Strasbourg - Port Bou (ICN 4783) and in second place Strasbourg - Marseilles, (ICN 4283) then head to Port Bou. But my big question here would be if these services would be available in January.
I´m having in mind too Paris - Port Bou (ICN 3731) or even Paris Nice (ICN 5771/3) -getting off in Toulouse and then heading to Barcelona -
In third place I´ve been considering traveling to Lyon, then to Avignon and Montpellier, and then the next day get a Talgo to Barcelona that arrives just before noon.
Finally: how many time in advance are published the train timetables for January 2014?
Hope anyone can give some advice. Thanks in advance for your help!
Peter
Traveller
9333 comments
Hi.
First: January 2014 is still a long time to go. Schedules will change. In France there will be additional daily, direct TGVs from Paris, Lyon and Marseilles to Barcelona from June 2013.
A nice option Italy to Barcelona is as well by overnight ferry: [u]https://rail.cc/en/interrail-ferry/italy/it[/u]
For example from Rome to Barcelona: [u]https://rail.cc/en/train/rome-to-barcelona[/u]
There is the big change in the schedules in the beginning of December.
So I recommend to wait until October until you start your final planing.
Peter :)
GustavoVS1972
Traveller
3 comments
Thanks for your answer!
The overnight ferry is a valid option that I have discarded before, but taking a close look at the fares, it´s not expensive taking in account that in a night train I would be paying 37 euros for the T4 couchette.
Regarding to the timetables, my concern is about these major changes you refer. So, until mid december I won´t be able to know for sure the timetables, that´s right?
In the Faqs it is said that online information is posted 3 months in advance but at the same time that it is not automaticaly updated: so in October it should be already posted but it might be not up to date in some cases? Am I undestandig this well?
Because if it is so, then I would have to keep planning until my flight, or even in Europe as well. That´s not the best choice, as I´d rather to have my hotels, or at least the more of them, paid before.
Well, thank you again. And thanks for this site, it´s of great help for the independent traveller.
Peter
Traveller
9333 comments
France and Italy are often late in updating their schedules for the changes in December. Usually you can count on the trains which exist and there are only some minor changes in time. But there might be introduced some new train connections in the area Italy/France and then to Spain (the TGV I mentioned), so there might be updates in the positive sense.
:)
GustavoVS1972
Traveller
3 comments
Hi all. With the information given here, I´ve started a first draft of my plan. I was hoping that anyone could take a look at it and say if it ´s actually a viable plan. Or if there are any change that could be done.
I just have to add that I would be travelling with my family (wife and two teenagers).
Well, the plan look like this:
Day 1 Arrive at London by Plane.
Day 2 London
Day 3 London
Day 4 London
Day 5 London to Paris (I was planning the Eurostar)
Day 5 Paris
Day 6 Paris
Day 7 Paris. Night train to Berlin
Day 8 Berlin
Day 9 Berlin
Day 10 Berlin / Dresden / Prague
Day 11 Prague
Day 12 Prague. Night train to Amsterdam.
Day 13 Amsterdam
Day 14 Amsterdam / Köln. Night train to Wien.
Day 15 Wien
Day 16 Wien. Night train to Roma.
Day 17 Roma
Day 18 Roma
Day 19 Roma
Day 20 Roma / Firenze
Day 21 Firenze / Pisa / Firenze
Day 22 Firenze / Venezia
Day 24 Venezia
Day 25 Venezia / Verona / Milano. Night train to Munich
Day 26 Munich / Salzburg / Munich
Day 27 Munich / Füssen / Munich. Night train to Paris.
Day 28 Paris / Avignon / Montpellier
Day 29 Montpellier / Barcelona
Day 30 Barcelona. Night train to Granada.
Day 31 Granada / Sevilla
Day 32 Sevilla / Zaragoza / Logroño
Day 33 Logroño. After midnight Night train to Santiago de Compostela.
Day 34 Santiago. Night train to Madrid.
Day 35 Madrid
Day 36 Madrid
Day 37 Madrid
Day 39 Madrid. Flight back.
I have 1 free day, just in case.