Getting There By Rail
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RENFE (tel: (902) 240 202, for 24-hour information, or (93) 490 1122 from overseas; website: www.renfe.es) operates the Spanish rail network, which radiates from Madrid to all the major cities. There are also transversal routes and services running from the French border along the Mediterranean coast. Some of the services are swifter and more reliable than others are. The least convenient are tranvía, semidirecto and correo trains, all of which chug along at a leisurely pace. Seat reservations are required on all intercity trains. Supplements are payable on many faster trains, even for passengers holding Interail and Eurail passes, although the amount is generally worth paying for a more efficient service.
Estació Central-Sants, Plaça del Països Catalans (tel: (93) 495 6215) is the city’s main railway station, serving national and international destinations as well as suburban routes. Facilities in the station building include tourist information, hotel information, left luggage, a bank offering currency exchange (open daily 0800–2200), a restaurant and cafeteria, shops, a first-aid point, showers, lockers and secure parking. Another railway station, Estació de França, Avenida Marqués de l’Argentera, offers mainly southbound regional services. On some train routes, an alternative to both these stations is Passeig de Gràcia station, located close to Plaça de Catalunya and La Rambla.
Rail services: There are direct trains to Barcelona from Paris (journey time – 11 hours 15 minutes), Montpellier (journey time – 4 hours 33 minutes), Milan (journey time – 13 hours 13 minutes) and Zurich (journey time – 13 hours). There are eight daily departures to Madrid (journey time – 8 hours), including three sleeper services. A new high-speed rail service linking Barcelona with Madrid and destinations in France is planned for 2004.
Transport to the city: Central-Sants is situated some distance from the city centre but is located at the junction of two TMB (tel: (93) 298 7000; website: www.tmb.net) metro lines – the green line (3) and the blue line (5). Estació de França, is situated near the Barceloneta metro stop, while Passeig de Gràcia station is located at the junction of three metro lines – the purple line (2), the green line (3) and the yellow line (4).
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General
