Avignon & Barcelona Exclusive Rail Explorer

DAY 1

We will depart London St Pancras by Eurostar travelling in Standard Premier, with a light lunch included, to Lille connecting onwards in 1st Class to Avignon. We will stay for two nights at the 4-star Novotel where we will enjoy our first evening meal together.

DAY 2

After breakfast, we will enjoy a guided tour of the historical Palais des Papes, one of the largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe, plus the Popes Garden, and the famous bridge. The rest of the day is spent at leisure to explore Avignon in all its splendour before we return for our evening meal.

DAY 3

After breakfast, we will depart Avignon by train to Nîmes before travelling in 1st Class to Barcelona arriving late afternoon. We have the rest of the day at leisure and are staying for five nights at the 4-star Expo Hotel situated by the train station.

DAY 4

Today we will use our included hop-on, hop-off bus ticket to discover Barcelona taking in all the highlights - the impressive Sagrada Família which has been under construction for almost 150 years, the whimsical design and amazing views of Park Güell, the ancient streets of Barcelona's Gothic Quarter and Old Town, Las Ramblas, and the views from Montjüic Mountain. After our day of exploration, we will dine at leisure.

DAY 5

Following breakfast this morning, we travel by local train from Barcelona before changing to a rack railway to Montserrat Monastery perched high in the mountains and still functioning to this day with over 70 monks. We will have free time to stroll around the Basilica viewing the Black Madonna, visiting the museum, and enjoying lunch plus there are two funiculars included in your ticket, one of which can take you even further up the mountain to the Santa Cova Cave. We will return by a slightly different route which includes a cable car and train to Barcelona.

DAY 6

Today we journey by train to Ribes de Freser where we change to the superbly scenic rack railway climbing over 3,000ft to Núria high in the Eastern Pyrenees. The only way to access Núria's Valley, we will experience a world of sensations from the very start and the breathtaking beauty of the landscapes travelled by the Núria rack railway are unmissable. We have the option of climbing even higher on a cableway reaching over 7,000ft above sea level before returning to Barcelona.

DAY 7

Today we will depart by fast train to Lleida to enjoy a vintage diesel hauled train over the fantastically scenic line to La Pobla de Segur in the Pyrenees. A relaxing 56-mile trip crossing lakes, traversing gorges, navigating through 40 tunnels and over 75 bridges, all with the stunning backdrop of the Pyrenees. We will enjoy lunch together and an optional visit to a micro-brewery with tastings in La Pobla before returning to Lleida by train, connecting onwards to Barcelona.

DAY 8

After breakfast we will begin our journeys home taking a fast train directly to Paris, then travelling onwards by Eurostar to London.

B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner