Rail Europe vs ferry to spain

Hi

does anyone have any feedback on using the Rail Europe train service (Calais to Narbonne) to transport their bikes?

I'm considering this as an alternative to ferry to Santander. What's accomodation like for bike and rider??

Reccommended or not??

littleeasy.

littleeasy said:

Hi

does anyone have any feedback on using the Rail Europe train service (Calais to Narbonne) to transport their bikes?

I'm considering this as an alternative to ferry to Santander. What's accomodation like for bike and rider??

Reccommended or not??

littleeasy.

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Check out this thread it might help

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52920&highlight=train

Thanks for link. Loads of good info.
Appreciate it.
Cheers
littleeasy

littleeasy said:

Thanks for link. Loads of good info.
Appreciate it.
Cheers
littleeasy

Click to expand...

I should have mentioned, I will be in a group of 6 bikes using the train from Toulouse to Calais at the beginning of July so will post results!

I've used the motorail twice now and it's brilliant. I'm not a big fan of ferries so I'd always recommend the train as an easy way to go, saves squaring off the tyres and having a day and a bit of boring motorway slog.

Ferry or Chunnel has to happen but to train through France missing some of the finest non-motorway roads anywhere in Europe

yamonda1 said:

Ferry or Chunnel has to happen but to train through France missing some of the finest non-motorway roads anywhere in Europe

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Don't knock it til ya done it. If you have limited time on holiday and Spain is your destination, why waste 4 days of your fortnight in France on the road?

In October I have a week plus weekends either end, so nine days to go to a friend's in Murcia. I'll go by GS. I don't want to spend 45% of my trip trolling across France on roads I've done before?

I've done Calais to Narbonne a few times and also Paris to Narbonne a few times.

- Paris is cheaper. You pay a bike fare and not the same as a car as you do from Calais.
- It is a daily service
- It runs all year where Calais doesn't
- It has fewer kids and bloody English families
- It leave later than Calais service
- You get to look around Paris before rather than get stuck in Calais
- The Froggy unloaders at Narbonne unload the Paris service before the Calais service!

Cheers.

Invicta Moto said:

Don't knock it til ya done it. If you have limited time on holiday and Spain is your destination, why waste 4 days of your fortnight in France on the road?

In October I have a week plus weekends either end, so nine days to go to a friend's in Murcia. I'll go by GS. I don't want to spend 45% of my trip trolling across France on roads I've done before?

I've done Calais to Narbonne a few times and also Paris to Narbonne a few times.

- Paris is cheaper. You pay a bike fare and not the same as a car as you do from Calais.
- It is a daily service
- It runs all year where Calais doesn't
- It has fewer kids and bloody English families
- It leave later than Calais service
- You get to look around Paris before rather than get stuck in Calais
- The Froggy unloaders at Narbonne unload the Paris service before the Calais service!

Cheers.

Click to expand...

How much did you pay?

Crap service from Toulouse Motorail!!

skellum said:

I should have mentioned, I will be in a group of 6 bikes using the train from Toulouse to Calais at the beginning of July so will post results!

Click to expand...

Well - the Spain trip went very well but Motorail from Toulouse to Calais was a disaster!! Having booked (and paid) some 7 months ago we arrived in Toulouse some 2 hours early to find that they did not have enough front wheel fittings on the train to transport our 6 bikes!!! In fact 14 bikes were due to travel and only the first 6 were allowed to go. This was despite the fact that we were told by staff at the station that it is quite normal for bikes to be transprted using just tie downs with no front wheel fixings.
Eventually we talked the staff into allowing us on to a Paris train that had fixings (not interchangable) and had a cramped and hot jouney to Paris where we were also delayed whilst staff tried to fix a ramp fault so we could actually get the bikes off the train before our unexpected 300 mile ride to Calais. Our Calais train trip had also included a breakfast whilst the vehicle train arrived - no such thing in Paris! and once we arrived in Calais of course, we then had to queue and blagg our way on to a busy later ferry as ours had sailed hours ago!
Very un impressed with the service and will now think twice about ever doing it again. Indeed if we hadn't had the idea ourselves of getting on the Paris train the Eurorail staff had already told us we were on our own in Toulouse until the next train 1 week later!

littleeasy said:

Hi

does anyone have any feedback on using the Rail Europe train service (Calais to Narbonne) to transport their bikes?

I'm considering this as an alternative to ferry to Santander. What's accomodation like for bike and rider??

Reccommended or not??

littleeasy.

Click to expand...

As you are up North .. have you considered having the bike transported from North of England to Spain? Depot is in Morley. Can give you email of the bloke who does this. Post your contact details (an email address would be perfect), and I will send it to you.

Look the Travel section for a thread I posted up. Has photos of the way the bikes will be shipped.

HTH

300 miles from Paris to Calais! Which way did you go? It is only about 150 miles every time that I have done it.

madman said:

300 miles from Paris to Calais! Which way did you go? It is only about 150 miles every time that I have done it.

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Should have read Km not miles - felt like miles though..