Travelling by train to Spain with my 10 year old rather than flying. Good or bad idea?

[ginmcginface]

OK, I visit family in Spain every summer. I usually go alone, with my 10 year old and we fly.

This year, I thought we could go by train and maybe stop off at a couple of places on the way and visit them as we go along.

However, then I remember that we will be on trains for a long time between stops.

DS is quite a good traveller and enjoys visiting places. He's actually good fun to be with (most of the time!) If he has an ipad, books and food I think he will be fine. So, I have almost talked myself into it.

I need a reality check. Is this a good idea or would it be hellish?

Also, if anyone has done anything similar, can they recommend good stop-off places and offer any advice?

I think it sounds like a great idea! What a brilliant experience for him (and you) to have and to share together.

I think it sounds like a proper adventure. I would love to do this and I think 10 is the perfect age.

I think it sounds awesome :D I wouldn't do it with a 2 year old but a 10 year old sounds delightful!

Great, thanks. It suddenly came to me as a great thing to do, but feared that it would be a nightmare!

OK, off to plan ...

We did it last month. It was great. We got the Eurostar from St Pancras to Paris, then stayed overnight. The next day we got the fast TGV from Paris to Barcelona, took about six hours, then we got another train to Salou for a nice week of sun. We found the journey really good and relaxing. If you can upgrade to first class on the TGV it is not much more, the seats are more comfier.

We would def do it again. My two are 12 and 17.

Also download the Ouisncf app then you can check for the best prices.

Where in the UK are you and where are the family in Spain? There is quite a difference between London to Barcelona vs Aberdeen to Algeciras.

But it does sound like a good thing to do at least once, providing that it's planned well and your 10 YO is on board. I'd make sure each of you has one wheelie case you can manage each plus a small rucksack and just treat it as an adventure.

As to where to stop off, that depends how far you are going, and where the train lines run, although if you are off the beaten track in Spain, it might be easier if you break at a known hub, as that will maximise the connections to your final destination.

Seat61 or loco2 websites can also be good for planning and booking tickets.

Unless they've changed it fairly recently, the renfe website is hopeless because it has no details of connections, so if there isn't a direct train, it just says there are no trains.

Thanks all. I'm beginning to think this is do-able, especially after your post DesperateDino.

Barbara - we live in Oxford and we travel to Alicante. I guess the best would be to do the overnight to Barcelona and have stops at Barcelona and Valencia? I was hoping for some stops in France though. Thanks for the website recommendations.

DS would LOVE it!

We have done it before with younger kids to France and Italy. It was brilliant, I would really recommend it. Agree with pp to upgrading if you can-it's well worth it. Flying can be really stressful but somehow I find travelling by train so relaxing and you get to see the country from the ground. Also quite often cheaper and onbiously much better for the environment. Do it and have a great time!

Perhaps train there and fly back, and then if by chance it isn't great, you don't have to come all the way home again?

You could avoid crossing Paris and go to Marne-La-Vallee (Disneyland) for direct services on to Lyon and beyond.

Valencia is wonderful, my favourite place in Spain, so definitely stop there

The amazing dried up river park, lovely beach, amazing science, aquarium centre stuff. A great place to hire bikes and enjoy the city

I did it several years back with my dad when she was 9, down to Seville. We had a great time, I'd absolutely recommend as a way to travel. IIRC if you work it right using the interrail tickets where you do a certain no of days travel in a given time under 12s go free, I know for us it cost very little more than it would have done to fly.

I did West Germany to London last year with a 5&7 year old (Hamm-Cologne-Brussels-Ebbsfleet). Easier than flying in some ways- we were moving the whole time instead of hanging around, could eat when we wanted, toilets when we wanted etc. Only two problems

• 1) Seat reservations... On one leg we had consecutive seat numbers but they weren't near each other... It was a pair facing forward, with a luggage are behind, then the single seat facing backwards. Not the best for supervising the kids, but they were fine. So check seat layouts

2) our changeover time at Brussels was too short. We made it by skin of our teeth (check in desk said our ticket should not have been issued with less than 45 minute change, we had 25 on a through ticket) so be generous on you connections.

Bordeaux as a place to stop over is interesting. Two and a bit hours south of Paris, so you could get there in one day, and somewhere such as Valencia on the second stopover.

You could take the ferry to Santander or Bilbao one way for something different?