Paris to Barcelona Train, adventure at Gare de Lyon

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Here’s everything you need to know about catching the Paris to Barcelona train from Gare de Lyon. Read on for my near-disastrous experience or scroll down to the bottom for all the European train information you will ever need in your life.

Paris to Barcelona by train

I travel. A lot. Which is why I didn’t think twice about catching a Paris to Barcelona train from Gare de Lyon. Here’s what I learned: Anything can be confusing if you’re me. I don’t want to speak for anyone else (except I kind of do), but catching a train at Gare de Lyon in Paris might be confusing for you, too. So. If you want to learn more, or just gloat because you’re more savvy than I am, read on.

When slow travel goes fast

We start our TGV journey from Gare de Lyon to Barcelona with lunch and a random coincidence

My Paris to Barcelona adventure began at Le Train Bleu, a historic restaurant in the Gare de Lyon. In my opinion it’s the best train station restaurant in the world. The experience was doubly delicious because of all the bizarre coincidences in the universe, my friend from Toronto, writer Patricia Sands and her husband were also in Paris and had made reservations at Le Train Bleu on the same day at the same time I had.

I’m still shaking my head about that, and I swear it’s true. If you don’t believe me then go over to Part 1 of this 2-part Paris to Barcelona Gare Lyon blog post, about Le Train Bleu, the best train station restaurant in the world  – because if it’s in writing it’s clearly true.

Le magnificent Train Bleu

Le Train Bleu is so sumptuous and fun that of course I lingered until I was nudged out by Patricia’s lovely husband, who possibly has a better concept of time than I do. I wasn’t worried, however, because I’d factored in time to 1) visit the Grand Voyageur 1st Class Lounge before departing, 2) buy a baguette with mozzarella and tomato for the journey, even though I’d just eaten and 3) had wisely validated my Four Country Select Rail Pass from Rail Europe before lunch.

Europe on a Rail Pass tip: To learn how to validate your rail pass, scroll to the train info section below.

While we’re on the subject, for all boring but essential information on Europe rail travel scroll down to the coloured boxes below. I’ll explain how to book, what you need to know and – most importantly – what NOT TO DO. Because I did it, and barely made my train.

Easy peasy!

Finding your Paris to Barcelona train at Gare de Lyon – do NOT trust the kindness of strangers

Being a diligent sort of traveller I decided to find my platform before going to the Grand Voyageur Lounge. Easy, peasy, I thought, looking at the neat row of train platforms in front of me. The problem was that THE PARIS TO BARCELONA TRAIN WASN’T THERE.

Flapping around in confusion, I asked a young Frenchman where to go. Here’s what I have to say about that: Never trust a stranger who tells you the train from Paris to Barcelona is downstairs, because he doesn’t have a clue. That’s the metro down there.

(Eating crow note: I have since learned there is a lower concourse called Hall 3, by which all tracks can be accessed, but I didn’t see it.)

Do not trust the kindness of other strangers

A second stranger told me my Paris to Barcelona TGV train was on Track 7. IT WASN’T.

Now I was seriously flustered. After wasting so much time following the wayward directions of others, I realized I would not only have to give up the Grand Voyageur Lounge, I might not even get a baguette.

Calm down, I told myself. Take a breath. Walk to the lit up board calmly and read it carefully like you should have done to begin with.

I joined the crowd clustered in front of the information board and saw that the 9715 high speed Paris to Barcelona train left Gare de Lyon from Track 29. Don’t worry, I told myself. You still have 7 whole minutes.

Where is Track 29?

The train plot thickens

If only there was a Track 29.  It was a total Harry Potter moment because Platform 29 simply did not exist. It was like looking for the Hogwarts Express.

“There’s another hall,” a woman finally told me as I stopped her with a panicked stream-of-consciousness rant. “You need to go up along the left side of the tracks and you’ll find it.”

I speed walked up there as best I could, but my suitcases were acting like two fat pigs who thought they were truffle hunting and wanted to sniff everything in sight. Come on, you stupid bags, I muttered, hoping I didn’t trip over them (which has happened, in Toronto, when I was trying to catch an airport bus – and thank you, kind bus driver, for putting a bandaid on my knee).

Gare de Lyon Hallway 2

And then, as I scurried along the side of the tracks to the end of the station and looked left, a whole new world of train platforms opened up to me. The wonderful Hallway 2. Home to the mystical Platform 29. Where a train was waiting. Now all I had to do was find Car 11.

I asked the conductor for Car 11 on the Paris to Barcelona train. “This isn’t the right train,” he said. “Yours is the next one further down the platform.” He looked at his watch.

When taking a train through Europe travel light and try not to scream

“Arggggh!” I shrieked politely. Two trains on the same track? Who makes this stuff up? When I saw the man in front of me start to run, I broke into a sort of lumbering trot, puffing heavily and thinking, why are my bags so heavy? Why did I buy that sweater at Morgans? And the other sweater? And those tops? And that Balenciaga purse? Why do they weigh a million tons?

Oh, happy day

Fact: Gare de Lyon’s Hallway 1 to Hallway 2 is farther away than Paris to Barcelona – at least it feels that way

At the far end (the very far end) of the second train on Track 29 was Car 11. With exactly three minutes to spare, fuelled by an adrenalin-filled burst of superhuman strength, I hoisted my bags onto the train, up the stairs of the double decker car and found my seat on the train. My glorious glorious seat with a view.

France in paint at Le Train Bleu

Leaving Gare de Lyon

It was so wonderful to be on the train, the high speed Paris to Barcelona train, and in 1st class in the most comfy window seat in the world, that after my heartbeat had slowed down, I blissfully looked out the window as the train whipped past two-toned green hills and yellow canola fields, thinking that France must be the most beautiful country in the world, almost as beautiful as the 41 painted scenes of it on the walls of Le Train Bleu.

France in reality

A world of train travel coincidences

The only downside was that a TGV is fast. Normally, on an international rail trip, that’s a good thing, but at speeds of 300 km per hour (186 mph) let me just say it is not easy to take photos.

Glad I’m inside my comfy train

After managing to capture a few not-too-blurry shots I asked the American man behind me to take my picture so I could document the proud happy moment of actually catching my train in the most beautiful country in the world after visiting the most beautiful train restaurant in Europe.

Celebratory photo of making my train

Another Paris to Barcelona train coincidence

“Are you going to Barcelona?” I asked the man as the TGV rocketed through the French countryside towards Spain.

“Yes,” he said.

“Me, too, with a stopover in Girona. Where were you before Paris?”

“Budapest.”

Girona

“Me, too!” I screamed (perhaps a smidge too loudly.) But what a coincidence we were following the same route, I thought. And what a coincidence that my trip to Spain had started with the coincidence of my friends going to Le Train Bleu and was continuing with a random coincidence of meeting another traveler on a Budapest-Paris-Barcelona route.

And then I thought it was no coincidence that travellers of all types are drawn to the romance of train travel with its history, monumental stations and comfy seats with a view, and that once you’ve found your platform, traveling through Europe by train is the best way to travel of all.