Wim
Traveller
0 comments
Posted 2 years ago
Dear All,
We want to travel from Utrecht in The Netherlands to Lisbon with the train. We know that this has a vew stops in Paris, Hendaye and finaly Lisbon.
We want to cycle in Portugal. Is it possible to take our bycycles packed with us on these train trajects ? Or bycycles weigh some 18 kg each and the packing also some 15 kg for each bycycle ( we have or tent etc. with us ). Thanks very much when somebody could give us some answers. Regards Wim en Alice.
nltrainer
Traveller
1346 comments
Thats very hard and also not possible anymore by your route-the border via Hendaye has lost the direct overnight train to Lisboa/Madrid-unknown if it will come back. The only more or less feasible way to go all the way by train is now via Paris-then TGV-INT to Barcelona, inland HS-train to Madrid and then a complicated 3/4 trains with often missed connections to Lisboa.
Best site for this is seat61-it overviews all overland routes from UK/LONdon, so simply hook on at Paris or Lille. Its not specific for bikes, but usually the best uptodate.
Voor die fietsen: beter maar bij ENFB te informeren, normaal nemen die franse TGV-als ze al helemaal niet rijden vanwege alweer een staking, geen velos mee, evenmin die Thalys naar Paris. Wel schijnt vanaf zomer er toch weer een nachrtrein Paris-Hendaye/grens te komen, maar verdere aansluiting voorals nog in de sterren.
nltrainer
Traveller
1346 comments
So use your best friend, named google. ´how to take bycicle on TGV/AVE
the answer in short is that its only really feasible to dis-assemble the bike so that it fits in a normal sized luggage sack. And yes-thats what my memory also had hidden in the back. The good news then is that this is free, provided you keep within the normal allowed limits of luggage taken by yourself.A very few TGVś now allow non-taken-apart bikes, but do not bet on that for international.
In summer you will not find really low prices and booking far in advance is quite risky at the mo due to every changing covid rules. F.e. right now you are not allowed anymore to drink/eat on french TV-Par-Barca is 6 hrs! Cheapest ticket as such is a 3 day InterRail-but you have to pay a lot extra for all the REServations, supplements etc and these are also quite hard to get. P.p.-without the bike cost, it will cost at least 4-5x the lowest airfare on Transavia, excl. the also needed 2 hotels when you go by train.