No Fly Holidays to Spain

The main points of entry into Spain are the major cities on either side of the Pyrenees. So in the west that is Bilbao and San Sebastián in the Basque Country and Santander in Cantabria. In the east, that's Girona or Barcelona in Catalonia. Using Spain's bus and high-speed rail network, you can then travel to different parts of the country.

To reach Barcelona, you can travel by train from London St Pancras to Paris and then onwards to Barcelona. There are two different options...

The most popular route is this:

1. Eurostar train London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord - 2h 20m
2. RER metro Paris Gare du Nord to Paris Gare de Lyon - 15m
3. TGV train Paris Gare de Lyon to Barcelona Sants - 6h 50m

To do it in the opposite direction, you simply flip that on its head. If you are starting or ending in Girona, you simply get on/off the train the same train either before or after Barcelona.

There are usually two direct Paris-Barcelona trains a day, currently 09:41-16:31 and 14:41-21:27. To do it all in one day, your only option is to arrive into Barcelona late, as even the earliest Eurostar from London will miss the early departure (it currently gives you 8 minutes to leg it across town to the Gare de Lyon... good luck!). So we always advise that you stay a night or two in Paris and enjoy the city. Here's an example of that in action: Ultimate Barcelona with Paris by Train (the 8-day trip has train one way, the 9-day version includes train travel both ways).

The second option is to travel by night train from Paris. This drops you at the very bottom of Spain in the middle of the Pyrenees mountains. You then get a commuter train to Barcelona.

1. Eurostar train London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord - 2h 20m
2. Store your bags and enjoy a day in Paris, then...
3. Night train Paris Paris Gare d'Austerlitz to Latour de Carol - 12h
4. Commuter train to Barcelona - 3h 20m

In this instance you leave Paris at 21:40 (at the time of writing) and arrive to Latour de Carol at around 10:00. The commuter train to Barcelona passes at around 10:30 and you arrive in Barcelona at around 14:00.

Of course, we can give you more information and confirm the exact departure times and booking process as part of our tailormade service.

You can travel to Bilbao and Santander by ferry from southern England, and to Bilbao or San Sebastián by train from London via Paris. Let's have a quick look at each in turn...

Ferry Portsmouth - Bilbao

There are usually two sailings a week in each direction. The ferries to Bilbao tend to depart Portsmouth at night, around 22:00. You spend two nights on board and then get to Bilbao at 08:00, giving you the full day to explore.

On the way back you depart Bilbao either early afternoon or in the evening and you spend just one night on board this time. You would arrive back to Portsmouth either early evening or around 21:30.

In this instance, you can take your own car and we can remove the hire from the price of any trip.

Ferry Portsmouth/Plymouth - Santander

The ferries between Portsmouth and Santander work in a similar way to those going to Bilbao. At the time of writing you either board at 19:00 or at midnight, and spend two nights on board. Coming back, it's just one night on board, same as Bilbao. They currently depart Santander in the early afternoon and you disembark in Portsmouth in early evening.

From Plymouth, you spend just one night on board in either direction.

Santander is about 100km west of Bilbao, so this option works well if you are visiting the Picos de Europa.

Train London - Bilbao

You can also reach Bilbao by train. The journey typically looks like this:

1. Eurostar train London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord - 2h 20m
2. Taxi Paris Gare du Nord to Paris Montparnasse - 15m
3. TGV train Paris Montparnasse to Bayonne - 6h 50m
4. Flexibus coach Bayonne to Bilbao - 2h 30m

In this example, you could leave London at 07:01 and arrive in Bilbao at 19:10, based on current schedules.

Train London - San Sebastian

It's generally a little quicker travelling to or from San Sebastián by train, 100km east of Bilbao. If you are doing a self-drive trip, we can begin your car hire in Bilbao and end it in San Sebastián for a small additional one-way hire fee, or vice versa.

1. Eurostar train London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord - 2h 20m
2. Taxi Paris Gare du Nord to Paris Montparnasse - 15m
3. TGV train Paris Montparnasse to Hendaye - 6h 50m
4. Euskotren Hendaye to San Sebastián - 45m

Summary

There are lots of different ways to reach northern Spain without flying, in either one or both directions. It's possible to take the train out and then go by ferry back (from Portsmouth you can take a train to London Paddington). Or you could fly out and take the train back, saving on extra luggage fees if you want to stock up on Rioja wine, for example.

During the summer there are also night trains from Paris to Hendaye on the border with Spain, just to add something else in the mix.

Ultimately, the easiest thing is always going to be to find a trip you like the look of and then let us know any plans or questions. We'll then advise on the best routes for you.

By taking the train to Barcelona via Paris, our independently verified carbon calculations show that you can reduce your emissions by 68% compared to flying.

If taking the ferry to Bilbao, you reduce your carbon footprint by 60% compared to flying, even allowing the drive to Portsmouth.

Of course, there are lots of variables in play, such as if you spend a night in Paris on the way down and how efficient your car is versus a car we would hire for you if you are taking your own on the ferry. But hopefully this illustrates the carbon savings you are able to make if you take the slow lane even in one direction.