Madrid to Bilbao to Paris?

Question

Does the Eurostar (or any other trains in Spain) travel directly from Madrid to Bilbao to Paris. If so how long are the trains rides?

Answer 1

Two years ago we got a train from Galicia (it went through Bilbao) to the French border (Irun/Hendaye) -- very slow and depressing -- then a high speed train from there to Paris.  It was an overnight train, so we thought we'd be able to sleep, but no such luck.  Despite being in first class, the seats did not recline even one inch and the lights were kept on extremely bright all night long and it wasn't possible to turn them off.  So, if you do that, be prepared to sleep sitting up straight and take a blindfold.  Buses can be a better option for travelling around in Spain  -- try Alsa, which is a good company which has a 'first class' version, Alsa Supra, with bigger seats, TVs, food service, and it's faster (i.e. less stops).  They are good value for money --  you pay just a few euros more to get there in about half the time -- and last year when we went, children 12 and under travelled free, which was an added  bonus!  Personally I'd recommend taking a bus from Madrid to Bilbao, another bus from there to the French border, and then picking up the high speed train to Paris -- but don't get the overnight one unless you can put up with the conditions described above!

Answer 2

Elipsos is a high speed train service that connects Madrid and Barcelona to the rest of Europe.

or

check out www.raileurope.com.

I think its about 12 or 13 hours travel time from Madrid to Paris.