Travel time by train

Travel planning basics:

The Rail Planner app should not be used to plan since it's incomplete and doesn't get enough updates to be reliable. Only use its planner as a last resort if you need to look up a timetable offline.

For international planning, try the Deutsche Bahn planner. Although Spanish railways don't send their complete timetables to the European Timetable Centre (which most planners use as a basis), the long-distance trains to Barcelona should be included.

Travel further to Lisbon is a bit more difficult. Spanish domestic trains can be found on the RENFE website and it offers Lisbon as a destination but it's not a real planner and only offers changes between trains when RENFE have defined them. However, check out seat61.com for routes into Portugal.

Ams-Paris: 3-4 hrs by expensive Thalys-cross Paris by metro= count on 1 hr

Par-Barca: for now only 1 TGV through and heavil booked and very expensive suppplement with IR-takes 6-7 hds. NOT possible to reach this train same day from AMS due to timings!!

OR-summertime- use the overnight train Paris-Spanish border=Cerbere/Port Bou, then local train in 2 hrs (rodalies/cercanias-NOT in common travelplanners!) to Barca=then hourlt AVE=HS train in 3 hrs from RENFE to MAD-r if no pass used-now also 2 other low-budget trainopertors-AVLO and QuiGO.

See above for 2=3 changes and fairly ofteb missed conection for Mad-Barca., takes all day

If you are a little more openminded-many more and direct BUSes MAD-Lisboa too, incl overnite.

If you can use google, find flite-times you can also use google for the many compare transit sites like rome2rio or omio-use only for planning, not for booking to get the overview. We expect that young people can find that for themselves.

Amsterdam- Barcelona takes about 12 hours including transfers. This month i travelled this journey. I started in the 07:15 Thalys from Amsterdam to Brussels, where i got onto the 10:17 train to Lyon. From Lyon I took a direct train to Barcelona at 14:30, which arrived at 19:30 in Barcelona.

Via Paris could work too, i did that on the way back and cost me 12 hours.

For Barcelona- Lisbon i am not sure, would love to know too. Rail planner app says 28 hours including a night in Vigo. Very curious if there's a quicker option.

I have been to Europe many times and I have used the train system in different countries since 1970 but I have never bought a eurail pass. So, I needed help. I found all the responses helpful, some more than others but helpful.

Thank you all!

Tom Griffiths