My wife and I will be taking the train from Agen to Collioure (Sep 22) and from Collioure to Barcelona on Sep 24. I know from a previous query that I don%26#39;t need to advance book (can%26#39;t, in fact) the regional Agen to Collioure leg. But I%26#39;m wondering if I should book the Collioure to Barcelona leg. The SNCF site shows a two-part journey (Collioure to Port Bou and Port Bou to Barcelona), with the first part needing reservations but not the second (I would have thought it would be the other way around). Questions: Should I bother booking online this far ahead (I%26#39;m worried that if I do the tickets may have to be picked up long before we arrive in France)? Should I wait until we are in France (Sep 06) before booking? Or would it be safe to wait until we get to Collioure? The train we want leaves Collioure at 08:56. Finally, could the train schedule change between now and late Sept? Sorry for the long question but hope someone can help clarify this for me. Thanks.
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You can order from SNCF and print your own ticket. Agree to ticket delivery in France and decline the insurance. Give it a try.
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I would wait until I am in France or in Collioure.
Collioure to Port-Bou is just a few miles, I don%26#39;t think reservations are necessary.
Normally, schedules do not change once they are published on the SNCF site.
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Try the Spanish railways site for tickets from Portbou to Barcelona http://horarios.renfe.es/hir/ingles.html
It looks like you can buy an expensive ticket in advance for an express or just turn up for the cheapo local train.
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Check your timetable.
The morning express to Barcelona leaves PERPIGNAN at 0856; it does not stop at Collioure. (source - timetable from SNCF website effective 1st July - 9th December 2007)
It does stop at Cerbere 0921 and PortBou at 0948 leaving 0952 scheduled to arrive Barcelona Sants at 1146 (mine was 45 minutes late arrival last Monday). Cost PortBou to Barcelona €21.00; reservation required as it is a TALGO tilting train; no standing allowed. Helpfully it is marked %26#39;subject to alteration on certain days%26#39; but this particular schedule hasn%26#39;t had any substantial changes for years.
The only connecting train of any sort leaves Collioure at 0752 arriving Cerbere at 0813 - over an hour%26#39;s wait and Cerbere is a grim place to wait an hour.
Also, this 0752 is the tail end of an overnight %26#39;LUNEA%26#39; run from the north of France and reservations are in theory %26#39;obligatoire%26#39; - not that there is any shortage of seats at the end of its journey. Mine was on time but you run a risk of the train being delayed and thus being a problem making the connection for Barcelona.
I did almost the same journey last week (Argeles - PortBou-Barcelona) and recommend changing trains in PortBou - it has a much nicer cafeteria!) and I booked my ticket at the station five days before my journey without any problem.
You can also take regional (local) Spanish trains from PortBou to Barcelona eg at 1020 which cost only €9.25 but take 2 and a half hours. A lot of people were doing that! That%26#39;s possibly why the second leg is shown as not reservable.
Hope that helps
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Diz--I did try RENFE but the price is about the same. The cost for 2 of us from Collioure to Barcelona is 31 euros (on the SNCF site), which isn%26#39;t bad.
Cubsur--The SNCF site shows two trains leaving Collioure at 8:56, both changing to a single train leaving Port Bou at 10:20. The total travel time is just under 4 hours (including a 40 minute or so wait in Port Bou). I hope I%26#39;m reading this right (and looking at the July to Dec 07 schedule and not an outdated one!)
Overall it sounds like I can safely wait until I%26#39;m in France or even Collioure before booking. Thank you all for your replies.
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BrianVcr
Here are the morning schedules on the SNCF site :
Collioure 8.06 8.56
Port Bou 8.35 9.27
Port Bou 9.52 10.20
Barcelona 11.46 12.46
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Pvoyageuse--The 8:56 shows up on the site but I don%26#39;t see any reference to the 8:02 train. The only other train around this time leaves at 7:52 (referrred to by cubsur above). I%26#39;m looking at Sep 24th, which is the day we plan to do the trip.
Just booked a room for 2 nights in Collioure, so it%26#39;s coming together!
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BrianVcr
You are right, there is no 8.06 train on Sept. 24.
Had been looking at Sept.6 as I didn%26#39;t know on which day you would be travelling.
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One last question (rash promise!). We will be in Agen on Sep 15th before boarding a canal boat for a week. Could I buy all the tickets at the Agen station on the 15th for both the Agen to Collioure trip on the 22nd and the Collioure to Barcelona trip on the 24th (plus whatever reservation might be needed for the latter)? Or I guess I could even get them in Paris, where we will be staying from the 6th to the 13th before heading south.
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Yes, you can buy them at any station or SNCF boutique in France.
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