Stuttgart⁠–⁠Barcelona

All roads lead to Rome, and some railroads also lead to Barcelona. Coming from Stuttgart, Germany, there are two very scenic routes to Barcelona using the little-known French night train network. Start your journey in Stuttgart in the morning, spend a day to explore Paris and hop on an Intercité de Nuit to southern France. Wake up with views of the Mediterranean coast or winding your way up into the Pyrinees.

What a way to start your Erasmus+ semester!

Not eager to travel by night?

Alternatively to taking the night train, there is a route from Stuttgart via Strasbourg and Lyon that takes you to Barcelona in just a little more than 12 hours (10 hours travel time). Be advised that from Lyon to Barcelona you will have to book through Renfe.com.

Not eager to travel by train at all?

Then maybe the night bus from Freiburg (Germany) to Barcelona (Flixbus) or Paris to Barcelona (Flixbus/BlaBlaBus/Alsa) is for you. With 13-15 hours travel time you surely will have plenty of time to sleep.

But let’s get back to our favourite scenic route options!

Wake Up in the Mountains or by the Sea?

Getting to Paris from Stuttgart is as easy as hopping on a fequent high-speed train. From Paris, both night trains are mostly the same: Same prices, same train cars, same departure station. Also: Rather cheap fares if you book early!

However, their destinations could not be more different: The first option goes to Latour de Carol, a small border village in the Pyrinees with a giant, comparatively speaking, train station. You’ll wake up with views of the mountains and you can grab a bite to eat at the small café at the train station before continuing on to Barcelona.

Getting to Paris

Getting to Paris from Stuttgart is easy: Just hop on any direct train! This will either be a German ICE or a French TGV. You can book both at int.bahn.de and sncf-connect.com, check which one is cheaper. If you have an interrail pass, you have to buy a 17€ reservation fee for these trains. You can get it here (learn more about reservations for this train at The Man in Seat61).

A Day in Paris?

Paris doesn’t have one central train station, meaning you’ll be arriving at the beautiful Paris Gare de l’Est from Stuttgart and departing from the much less beautiful Paris Gare d’Austerlitz. The two train stations are connected with, you guessed it, a train! Metro line M5, departing every 10 minutes, takes just 12 minutes from Gare de l’Est to Gare d’Austerlitz. Of course, especially when you’re travelling with lots of luggage, you should allow much more time for your connection. This is also important if your train to Paris is delayed—you don’t want to miss your night train! If you’re travelling in a TGV to Paris, you can save some time by buying your Metro ticket on the train. Ask a member of staff in the dining car! You can also buy metro tickets at the station or on your phone (more information here).

If you take an early train to Paris, you have half a day until your night train departs. There is a luggage storage facility at Gare d’Austerlitz (open 07:00–23:00, only accepts cash, more details here). A perfect opportunity to explore Paris, especially since Gare d’Austerlitz is so close to many sights: Recently reopened Notre Dame Cathedral, the Pantheon and the Louvre are just a comfortable walk from the train station! Make sure to be at the train station with some time to spare to retrieve your luggage and board the train. Again: You do not want to miss your night train!

Via Cerbère Along the Mediterranean

Don’t wake up at the last minute: You do not want to miss the beautiful views along the Mediterranean coast! When getting off in Cerbère, exit the train station and head through a long tunnel that leads straight to the beach. There is a lovely bakery right on the beach–you can’t miss it! Grab a croissant or a pain au chocolat and enjoy the morning by the beach.

Via Latour-de-Carol through the Pyrenees

Getting on the train to Latour-de-Carol is very similar to our first train route, however you will cross the Pyrenees just a little east of the small Principality of Andorra. Wake up to the train winding its way up into the Pyrenees and enjoy wonderful mountain views right after waking up. When arriving in the small border town (called La Tor de Querol in Catalan), make sure to pay the Bistrot de la Gare a visit–a cute cafe right next to the train station! Be prepared to use all your French to order your breakfast baguette.

Just as with the route through Cerbère, the last leg of your journey is serviced by Rodalies and itineraries are available from their own website. Luckily, you can simply book the tickets on the train, you do not have to book a reservation in advance and most importantly the ticket prices are fixed. You can just relax during the night and don’t have to worry about this! If you’re going back from Barcelona towards France, simply buy the Rodalies ticket at the train station in Barcelona from a ticket machine.

Going to Barcelona, the train snakes its way through the mountains before approaching Barcelona and turning into an S-Bahn–so you may end up leaving the train and be at your destination!

Booking French Night Trains

French night trains are a steal! Tickets start at just 29€ in a 6-berth couchette for the night train if you book early. Book your tickets at sncf-connect.com. If you have an Interrail pass, get your compulsory reservation at raileurope.com. Reservations for 6-berth couchettes are 21.60€.

You can also choose to sleep in a normal seat This is cheaper, but we would not recommend this as you probably won’t get as good a night’s sleep there!

Aah, so many options – how do I chose the best route for me?

First of all, whatever route you choose, you have chosen a great destination as any route takes you either through the mountains, along the Mediterranean coast or even both and is very scenic.

Nevertheless,…

…are you a city person? – Paris and Lyon are waiting for you

…too much metropolis, you rather prefer a smaller town along the way? – Montpellier (along the Mediterranean route) might be just your kind of place

…cities is where you study, but nature is where you thrive? – then make sure to spend some time in Latour-de-Carol or Cerbère

Barcelona as your gateway to further destinations?

Once you have arrived in Barcelona, places that might have seemed far are suddenly really close and thanks to the Spanish and Portuguese train network just in reach at affordable prices:

and since not all tracks lead to Lisbon:

Barcelona – Seville – Faro/Algarve