RENFE-SNCF brought back its amazing promo: travel from Spain to France from 50 euros return or from 25 euros one way!

These 25 euro sales become a good tradition. The latest one was just in October! This time prices are exactly the same:

25 euros one way in 2nd class or 39 euros in 1st class from Barcelona, Girona or Figueres to:

Paris,

Lyon,

Valence,

Montpellier,

Nimes,

Avignon,

Aix-en-Provence,

Marseille.
35 euros one way in 2nd class or 49 euros in 1st class from Madrid, Tarragona or Zaragoza to:

Montpellier,

Nimes,

Avignon,

Aix-en-Provence,

Marseille.

When to book and when to travel
Book until the end of the day on 15th of December (Friday).
Travel dates: from 9th of January till 21st of March 2018.
Remember that these tickets are booked into promotional tariff which doesn’t allow any changes nor refunds.

Is it worth it?

The price is exactly the same as during the previous sale in October and is an excellent value! For example, regular price for Barcelona – Paris one-way ticket is 39 euros (see official RENFE-SNCF tariffs here), so 25 euros sale represent around 35% savings, which is a great deal. Also, don’t forget that those cheapest tickets are selling out fast, so you are normally looking for better savings because only more expensive tickets are left. And 50 euros return to Paris is as good as it gets with the cheapest low-cost airline. And don’t forget those taxi/public transport to/from the airport, expensive airport or onboard food, etc.

How to book
Promo details and booking page is here.

What is the experience like?
You will travel on the double-decker train, with bar car, trolley service of tea and coffee, comfortable seats with an electricity socket.
The best description of the Barcelona to Paris train ride is given on the wonderful train website seat61.com, and I can confirm that there are pink flamingos, castles and very picturesque fields along the train route. I saw them all from my seat on the train!

My opinion
I’d definitely book, it’s a fantastic deal and an experience on its own! 🙂 Convenient, calm, luxurious (in a sense of tranquillity, the actual trains are just OK, nothing posh. It’s a bit of a journey (just over 6hrs) but you are travelling from city centre to city centre, no airport stress. You can even show up at the train station 5 min before departure of your train. This is very risky and not recommended, but technically train doors are closing 2 minutes before departure, so you CAN actually show up until that time 🙂 You can bring your own food and wine or enjoy (very simple) choice of dishes from the bar car.