Everything about traveling by train to Spain: from Amsterdam/Brussels to Barcelona
While most holidaymakers and travelers go to Spain by plane because this is the fastest way to travel, many people also go with their own transport such as the car from a camper to Spain and they get on a bus of a coach organization. But did you know that it is also possible to travel by train from the Netherlands or Belgium to Spain?
There is something romantic about traveling by train, especially when it comes to long distances. Besides the fact that traveling by train is much better for the climate and the environment than, for example, an airplane, train travel is also comfortable and it is quite an adventure. After the corona pandemic, long-distance train travel has become popular and you can also travel to Spain by train (from Spain to the Netherlands/Belgium).
The travel organization TUI has recently included various train journeys in the summer program, but Spain is not one of them. But you also don’t need a travel organization to travel to Spain by train, you want to arrange it yourself. But if you like that, you can also do this to a specialized travel organization that lists the options for you.
From the Netherlands you can travel to Paris from further south to Valence of Toulouse and then head towards Barcelona. All train journeys go via Barcelona from service you can travel further within Spain with the high-speed train AVE such as to Girona (Costa Brava), Tarragona (Costa Dorada), Zaragoza, Madrid, Valencia, Alicante (Costa Blanca), Málaga (Costa del Sol), Seville and Granada (Costa Tropical).
Opportunities to Barcelona
Through NS international we looked at various options. Unfortunately, it is currently not possible to purchase train tickets on the NS website, but you can view the route with times. We have not listed prices as they change a lot and depend on the time of year.
Day trip to Barcelona
Our journey starts on Monday, July 4, 2022 at Amsterdam Central and scheduled 12 hours and 17 minutes later in Barcelona S with departure and arrival on the same day. This route has two changes (Brussels and Valence).
07:15 departure from Amsterdam Central with the Thalys train to Brussels Midi with arrival at 9.08 am (travel time 1 hour and 53 minutes).
10.17 am departure Bruxelles Midi with the French TGV to Valence minutes with arrival at 2.46 pm (journey time 4 hours and 29).
15.11 departure Valence with the Spanish AVE high-speed train to Barcelona Sants with arrival at 19.32 (journey time 4 hours 21 minutes.
NOTE for Costa Brava travellers: the Spanish AVE train also stops in Figueres and Girona before arriving in Barcelona.
In the evening to Barcelona
If you prefer not to travel during the day and don’t mind sleeping on the train, you can also travel by night train. Because there are no night trains directly to Spain, the Paris goes to Toulouse and from via Narbonne to Barcelona. The journey takes longer (about 18 hours) and there are a total of three changes (Paris, Toulouse and Narbonne).
5.15 pm Departure from Amsterdam Central Station with the Thalys train to Paris Nord with arrival at 8.35 pm (travel time 3 hours and 20 minutes). TRANSFER: You have 1 hour and 10 minutes to transfer from Paris Nord to Paris Austerlitz.
9.45 pm Departure from Paris Austerlitz with the DNZ train to Toulouse Matabiau with arrival at 6.42 am (journey time 8 hours and 57 minutes).
8.46 am departure from Toulouse Matabiau by TGV train to Narbonne arriving at 9.57 am (journey time 1 hour 11 minutes).
10.33 am Departure from Narbonne by train to Barcelona Sants with arrival at 12.34 pm (journey time 2 hours).
For this article we looked at the website of the NS International (CLICK HERE ) and to the SNCF Connect website (CLICK HERE † There are also other options where you can buy train tickets directly, such as OMIO (CLICK HERE ) and train line (CLICK HERE †
You can also request a quote from The Train Traveler (CLICK HERE ) they will figure it out for you so you can book everything at once with them, it’s that easy.
PLEASE NOTE: routes and times may have recently changed after publication of this article. Therefore ALWAYS check the websites of the train ticket providers for the current travel information.