Train Travel

Andorra

There are no trains in Andorra, but instead a bus route to link it with France. Visit www.andorrabus.com for timetable and fares. To travel to Andorra you should use French trains. To book online check out www.sncf.com or for Eurostar times and fares visit www.eurostar.com. For buses to Andorra to Barcelona: www.autocars-nadal.ad

Tourist information. www.turisme.ad

London to Andorra La Vella

Many many years ago a Spanish bishop and a French count could not agree who should rule over a small rurual enclave high up in the Pyrenees mountains. In the end they decided to rule it jontly and the result was the Principality of Andorra - which is the only country in the world who's official language is Catalam. It's now infamous for its ski resorts and duty free perfumeries. It does, however, still have some historial interest.

Andorra also doesn't have an airport so travelling by train and bus is the best way to visit it. Travel by Eurostar from London to Paris, overnight train from Paris to l'Hospitalet près l'Andorre (the station just outside Andorra) and then a bus ride across a spectacular mountain pass into Andorra. It's cheap too: If you book online in advance, London-Paris starts at just £59 return, Paris-l'Hospitalet by overnight train costs just 20 euro (£14) one-way in a reclining seat or 40 euro (£28) in a couchette, then it's just 8 euro for the connecting bus to Andorra. That's centre-to-centre.

Train times from London to Andorra. Travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London Waterloo at 16:11 and arriving Paris (Gare du Nord) at 19:47. Cross by métro to the Gare d'Austerlitz. Then travel from Paris to l'Hospitalet près l'Andorra overnight by sleeper train, leaving Paris (Gare d'Austerlitz) at 21:56 and arriving at l'Hospitalet at 07:22. This train has 1st class 4 berth couchettes, 2nd class 6 berth couchettes and 2nd class reclining seats.

A daily bus service connects passengers on the train to a bus leaving L'Hospitalet station forecourt at 07:35 for Pas de la Casa (arriving 08:15), Soldeu (08:45), Encamp, and Andorra La Veilla, arriving 09:10. It's a spectacular ride over the 3,000m pass at Pas de la Casa in the Pyrenees - try and get the front seats for the best views. The bus is operated by La Hispano Andorrana SL, www.andorrabus.com. The route is subject to cancellation when the mountain passes are blocked by snow!

On board the overnight train from Paris to l'Hospitalet. Couchettes are basic bunks, each with a clean pillow and (on French night trains) a special lightweight sleeping-bag, which is a nice change from the normal sheet and blanket. 2nd class couchettes have 6 bunks per compartment (upper, middle and lower on each side of the compartment), 1st class couchettes have 4 bunks (upper and lower each side). There are bathrooms and toilets at the end of the corridor.

French Railways (SNCF) have relaunched their overnight service as 'Corail Lunéa', and each couchette passenger gets a small bottle of mineral water, earplugs and tissues. There's a security lock on the door which cannot be opened from outside, and staff are on hand if you need them. Only passengers with tickets and reservations are allowed on board, and there are minimal stops between midnight and 06:00 to ensure a smooth journey through the night.

Since passengers don't normally fully undress, men and women share the same compartments. If you are a woman travelling alone on French night trains, you can ask for a place in a ladies-only compartment.

The train also has reclining seats, but they aren't recommended for an overnight journey.

The bus l'Hospitalet to Andorra. The bus ride across the Pyrenean mountain passes into Andorra is spectacular. Try and sit at the front seats for the best views. Visit www.andorrabus.com for bus times.

Train times Andorra to London. The bus leaves Andorra La Vella at 17:00, Soldeu at 17:35, Pas de la Casa at 18:15, arriving at l'Hospitalet station forecourt at 19:30. In Andorra la Vella, the bus does not leave from the bus station, but from bus stop number 510 outside the French post office. Make sure you arrive in time as it will arrive at the stop at about 16:50, but only waits 17:00. On arrival at l'Hospitalet, the station ticket office, waiting room and toilets will be open until the departure of the night express for Paris, so you will have somewhere warm to wait.

The overnight train leaves l'Hospitalet at 20:49, arriving Paris (Gare d'Austerlitz) at 07:27 next morning. It has 1st class 4-berth couchettes, 2nd class 6-berth couchettes and reclining seats. A Eurostar leaves Paris (Nord) at 10:19 and arrives London (Waterloo) at 11:55.

fares:

London to Paris by Eurostar: Fares start at £59 return 2nd class, £139 return 1st class. There are no one-way leisure fares, so for one-way journeys, buy a return and throw away the return half.

Regular fare: £57 return £87 return £119 return

l'Hospitalet to Andorra by bus: About 8 euros (£5) one way. Buy tickets from the driver on board the bus.

Buy tickets - online. The easiest and cheapest way to book is online at the French Railways website, www.voyages-sncf.com. Here you book both the Eurostar London-Paris and the overnight train from Paris to l'Hospitalet. Tickets can be sent to any European address. Look for the 'English' button - a UK flag at bottom left. To get tickets posted to a UK address, select 'Great Britain' as the country in which you want to receive your tickets. However, you must select 'payment online in euros' if you want to see the cheap 'Prems' fares, as these fares will not show up if you select 'payment in GBP by contacting Rail Europe in London'.

As with most multiple destination journeys, book the London to l'Hospitalet trip in two separate stages. First, book the night train from Paris to l'Hospitalet. Then book the Eurostar from London to Paris and back as a second separate journey, making sure you give yourself plenty of time to cross Paris. Booking from London to l'Hospitalet in one go doesn't show the cheapest 'Prems' fares. There are special 'Prems' internet fares, which start at just 20 euro (£14) one-way for a reclining seat or 40 euro (£29) one-way including a couchette from Paris to l'Hospitalet. Use the 'options' link to toggle between couchettes and reclining seats. For a journey starting in France, select 'France' to pick your tickets up at any main station in France.

There is no need to pre-book the bus from l'Hospitalet to Andorra - just turn up, hop on and buy your ticket on the bus from the driver. You can check bus times at www.andorrabus.com.

Buy tickets - by telephone. To book by phone, call any European rail agency such as Rail Europe on 0870 5 848 848.

Andorra to Perpignan: 'Le petit train jaune'. There's no bus service from Andorra to Latour de Carol so you'll need to get a taxi to 'petit train jaune' which is a scenic narrow gauge service, running from Latour de Carol through the Pyrenees twice-daily in winter. There's a more frequent service in summer, connecting with a standard gauge service at the eastern end of the line into Perpignan. This makes for a very scenic and interesting alternative route into/out of Andorra. The 'petit train jaune' is run by the national train operator SNCF, so train times, fares and online ticketing can all be done through the SNCF website, www.voyages-sncf.com. For info of the Petit Train Jaune, see www.trainstouristiques-ter.com/train_jaune.htm.