Starting this month, a total of 8 high speed trains from Madrid to Barcelona have been extended to Girona and Figueres Vilafant near the French border.
You can now travel between Barcelona and Girona in 39 minutes instead of 89 minutes. Girona is a charming destination for tourists looking to avoid the crowds of the biggest cities. Its streets, festivals, museums and cathedrals ensure the city will be a pleasant surprise to first time visitors and a destination you will not want to miss on your next visit. As for Figueres Vilafant, it can now be reached from Barcelona in 55 minutes as opposed to 2 hours. The city features the world famous museum of Salvador Dalí. It is the second most visited museum in all of Spain. Figueres Vilafant, much like Girona, offers a relaxed alternative to the more populated Barcelona and Madrid. Also, since Figueres Vilafant is located near the border, travelers will often stop off to visit this city before heading north to France.
The addition of the new high speed trains is great news for travelers! Not only will you get more occasions to experience the AVE trains which are recognized as some of the fastest in Europe – the trains can reach speeds of up to 310 km/h (193 mph),- but the improvements on travel times will leave you with more time to explore your favorite Spanish cities.
Does this mean that in this first step, Figueres Vilafant provides connections to the French TGV? Until either TGV or the newly ordered AVE trains are capable to run Paris-Barcelona? Sounds like great news!
Hi,
There are connecting trains from Figueres Vilafant that will take you to France, including Paris. To travel between Paris and Barcelona without changes, your option would be the overnight train Elipsos.
Ruben B.
Thanks! We Swiss just lost our beloved TrenHotel “Pau Casals” Zurich-Barcelona that caused me to spend several weekends in Spain just because traveling with that wonderful night train is so wonderful. They talk about installing a direct TGV Geneve-Barcelona instead – still one day travel, but with the dining car of the TrenHotel serving fresh three-course menues, and featuring excellent wines. I wonder where that AVE will pass through since the new roadway in Girona is still all but finished in October 2012. I guess, from the travel time, it will partly use the old route, where a third rail has been laid some three years ago, to enable freight trains going directly to the port of Barcelona
This. t is my first trip to spain does the high speed train go to granada if so how often andhow long does it take? i am very excited ad i am waiting for the new btit passes as we travel in may. thankyou for contacting me.
AVE trains do not reach Granada. You can take a direct train from Madrid to Granada. There are two departures a day and it covers the distance in about 4 hours and 25 minutes.
AVE trains DO go to Granada as of July 2019!