London, Paris & Barcelona Itinerary: 3 Exciting Cities In One Trip

London, Paris and Barcelona are three of the most exciting cities in Europe and you can travel between them by high-speed train, making it possible to enjoy all three cities in one easy, but epic trip. Use this detailed London, Paris & Barcelona itinerary and guide to help you plan that trip.

One of my post-pandemic trips was to travel to Barcelona. I had been before and I crushed hard on the place, so I wanted to return. And, mindful of the carbon footprint of flying, I latched on to the idea of going from London, where I live, to Barcelona by train. Then, realising I would need to change trains in Paris, I couldn’t resist the idea of breaking up the journey and spending some time there before carrying on to Barcelona.

I had a really great time on that trip and this itinerary is based on both that train trip and my extensive experience of all three cities: I’ve lived in London for twenty years, I’ve been to Paris at least a dozen times and Barcelona three times.

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Table of Contents

What’s In This London Paris Barcelona Itinerary

This itinerary will enable you to take in:

London, the buzzing capital of the UK, where you can find castles, royal palaces and skyscrapers.
Paris, the legendary City of Light, a handsome metropolis of blue-grey rooftops overlooked by the Eiffel tower and the Sacre-Coeur
Barcelona, Spain’s enchanting second city, with a charming blend of gothic alleyways, and bold art nouveau architecture.

In this London, Paris & Barcelona itinerary, I will show you how to get between London, Paris and Barcelona by train and ideas of things to do in each city. I’ll also give you tips on where to stay and where to eat.

Practical Questions About Travel Between London, Paris & Barcelona

What Is The Best Time To Travel To London, Paris And Barcelona?

You can do this trip at any time of year. The appeal of each season is as follows:

Summer (June-August): best chance of warm, sunny weather in all three cities, plus long, light days – but also the biggest crowds, especially in Paris and Barcelona (which gets notoriously over-crowded)
Autumn / Fall (September-November): milder temperatures, fewer tourists and a chance of peeping some lovely colours as the leaves turn – especially in London and Paris.
Winter (December-February): coldest temperatures & shortest days, but quietest streets and festive fun in December – especially London and Paris in Winter
Spring (March-May): the weather improves and blossoms come out (especially in London and Paris)

Overall, I’d say the shoulder seasons of Spring and Autumn are the best times to visit these three cities – when the weather is good, but not overbearingly hot, and the crowds are slightly smaller.

Notre-dame cathedral and trees with green and red autumnal leaves — Paris is lovely in Autumn

I did this specific trip in September and it was generally warm and clear. I did get one day of rain in Barcelona, but it didn’t dampen my enthusiasm for the city. I’ve also visited all three places in Spring and that’s another great time to explore them.

How Many Days Do You Need To Explore London, Paris & Barcelona?

I’ve suggested four nights in each city because that’s a decent amount of time to get a feel for them. With travel days, this is a 13-day itinerary. However, of course, you could flex your own itinerary and spend more or fewer days in each place, if you prefer. More days in each won’t be boring – there’s lots to experience in all of these cities.

Does Eurostar Go To Barcelona?

No, Eurostar Trains operate between London, Lille, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and Rotterdam. However, you can get a Eurostar train from London to Paris, and then a direct train from Paris to Barcelona.

Is There A High-Speed Train From Barcelona To Paris?

Yes, there’s a high-speed TGV train that runs between Paris and Barcelona. It makes some stops along the way, but you don’t need to change trains between Paris and Barcelona.

How Long Does It Take To Get From Paris To Barcelona?

The fastest option for this leg of the journey is 6 hours 40 minutes on the TGV train.

Is The Train Ride From Paris To Barcelona Scenic?

Yes, it is – you’ll pass lots of countryside in France and also northern Spain. However, the TGV train goes at very high speed throughout France – so fast it’s hard to take in the passing countryside (and certainly hard to get a decent photo from the window!). It slows through the south of France where it makes several stops – so you’ll see a little more of the towns and coastline in this part of the train. You’ll also see some of the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains as you cross into Spain.

blurry photo of green countryside and a village on a hilltop — The best photo I have from the train from Paris to Barcelona!

Where Should I Stop Between Barcelona And Paris?

If you wanted to stop and break the journey between Paris and Barcelona, the train stops at several places in the south of France: Nimes, Montpelier and Perpignan. There are also stops in Spain: Figueres and Girona.

These stops aren’t included in this itinerary, but they are options if you want to see more between Paris and Barcelona.

London, Paris & Barcelona itinerary: Travel Details

Here are the practical details about how to travel between these three cities. I’ll share ideas for what to do in each place after this.

Getting To London

If you’re flying into London, there are five London Airports. Two are within the M25 (the orbital motorway around Greater London):

London Heathrow, the biggest airport in the UK, connected to central London by train (to Paddington station) and tube (Piccadilly line and Elizabeth Line)
London City Airport, the smallest of the London airports. This is connected to London by the DLR light railway network, which connects to the tube network.

Outside the M25 are three more:

London Gatwick is just south of London and connected to London by train to Victoria station
London Stansted is north-east and connected by trains to Liverpool Street Station
London Luton is northwest and connected to the Thameslink train line to London via Luton Airport Parkway station, which you can reach via a shuttle bus from the airport.

To find flight deals, I tend to use Skyscanner.

If you’re coming in from elsewhere in Europe by Eurostar train, you’ll arrive at London St Pancras International terminal.

black and white image of the tall and jagged Shard building with the sun reflecting off the streets near it — The Shard: tallest building in the UK

London Public Transport

In my London itinerary, I’ve tried to minimise the need for using public transport by suggesting activities that are adjacent to each other, but you’ll probably use public transport in London at some point. It’s a big city and hard to get around without using the tube at least occasionally, no matter how comfortable you are with walking.

Use the Citymapper app for navigating London: it contains all the tube, train and bus information to plot a route using any kind of public transport – and also walking. I’ve been using it for years as a Londoner and it is indispensable to me.

You can either pay-as-you-go, tapping in (and out on tubes & trains) using your bank card, a payment wallet app or an Oyster card, or you can buy a travelcard that lasts for a fixed amount of time – but pay-as-you-go often works out better value, as there are automatic caps. For example, a single zone 1-2 journey on the tube costs £3.10 by pay-as-you-go, the daily cap for pay-as-you-go in zones 1-2 (using bus, tube or local trains) is £7.70 but a day travelcard, which I believe is only available for zones 1-4 is £14.40. Find out more on the Transport for London website.

Travel From London To Paris By Train – Eurostar

To get from London to Paris by train, you will take the Eurostar from London St Pancras International station to Paris Gare du Nord.

Booking Tickets

You book tickets on the Eurostar website. The earlier you book, the best chance you have of finding cheap tickets, which start from £39 each way for standard tickets on the London – Paris route. They have a Lowest Fare Finder page which is a useful way to search by price.

Boarding The Train

There is security and passport control to go through before you can board the Eurostar train. This means you do need to arrive at St Pancras well in advance of your train’s departure time. They give guidance on how much time you should give on the Eurostar website here.

empty queue barriers at the Eurostar terminal in London St Pancras international — One of my lucky trips on the Eurostar with no queues – but these can be much busier

In my experience, the queues and wait times can vary hugely – the longest I’ve taken to go through all the checks is about 45 minutes and the fastest was about 3 minutes! That said, I typically give myself 1.5 hours to avoid stress and risk.

You and your bags will be scanned as they do in airports, but it isn’t as strict – you don’t normally need to take your electronics out of your bag and there’s no restriction on liquids.

Once you’re through security and passport control, there’s a fairly big waiting area, with a café, toilets and plenty of seating.

On The Train

The journey from London to Paris is approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes. There’s wifi on board but it’s not very reliable in my experience.

Standard seating is very standard – pairs of seats on either side of the aisle (2+2), some with tables, most with a power point to plug in. There’s plenty of luggage space and a café carriage.

Standard Premier class costs more and for the extra, you get a more comfortable seat – it is softer and wider, due to there being fewer seats (arranged in a 2+1 plan) and a meal served during your journey. The food I had in comfort class was pretty good – I enjoyed it.

train seats in a 2 + 1 formation — Standard Premier seats on the Eurostar

There’s also a Business Premier class, but I haven’t tried this.

The train goes through several tunnels before it comes to the Channel Tunnel (the tunnel under the sea between England and France), so you won’t see a huge amount of England from the window. Once you emerge from the tunnel in France, you’ll see a bit of the French countryside whizzing past at high speed before you reach Paris.

Paris Public Transport

You don’t have to use the Metro (Paris’s underground train network) to get around – there are other options, like walking or taxis. However, the Metro is useful because like London, Paris is a large city with spread-out attractions, and the Metro is cheaper (and sometimes quicker) than using taxis all the time.

Single tickets of €1.90, making them much cheaper than the underground in London! When using the Metro, what you need to know is:

The stations you’re starting from and getting off at. With this, you can see whether one line will take you all the way, or whether you will need to change lines (and where).
The final destination of the line you’re on – because this is how the stations signpost which direction the train is going in. They won’t say ‘uptown’, or ‘eastbound’ or anything like that – they will simply say the final destination like trains do.

Good news: the CityMapper app works in Paris as well as London!

Green steel art nouveau-style entrance to the Paris Metro — Paris’s recognisable Metro

Travel From Paris To Barcelona By Train – TGV Train

To get from Paris to Barcelona by train, you will take the TGV from Paris Gare de Lyon to Barcelona Sants.

Booking Tickets

I ordered my tickets via trainline.com because I already have an account with them and it was pretty easy to use. You can also buy them from raileurope.com.

There are only a few trains per day, and one of them is overnight. I chose the 10:14 train, which is the earliest and fastest option and also the only direct train (where you don’t have to change). This is the train I recommend you take.

The TGV train is a duplex, ie it has both an upper and lower deck of seats. You’ll have a better view from the upper deck, but the lower deck felt more spacious to me somehow (not sure if it actually is or, or if that was my imagination because it was less busy).

When you’re booking, you should be able to see the seat number before you confirm your purchase. Seat numbers 11-58 are on the lower deck and seats 61-128 are on the upper deck. I don’t believe you can select specific seats, but if you want one or the other, you can simply retry your booking journey until they allocate you one with the deck you want.

Boarding The Train

Unlike Eurostar, you do not need to go through any security or passport control when boarding the train from Paris to Barcelona. Even though you will cross an international boundary, France and Spain are both in the Schengen Zone, so there are no border checks between them.

However, it is a long, busy train and there can be a lot of people boarding, so I recommend getting there 15 minutes before departure to get through the gates, find your carriage, stow your luggage and settle into your seat before departure.

grey train with pick doors and windows on two levels — Boarding the TGV at Paris Gare de Lyon

Also, worth noting that there’s a spectacular restaurant in Gare de Lyon called Le Train Bleu – so check that out if you have time before your train.

On The Train

Standard seats are in the standard 2+2 configuration and first class is 2+1. There seemed to be plenty of luggage space.

purple train seats arranged in a 2+2 formation on a train — Standard seats on the upper deck of the TGV train

I had a standard seat on the upper deck, which turned out to be an aisle seat on a ‘table’, but the table was tiny and only served the two seats by the window, so I had nothing to lean on. I asked to swap to another seat because I wanted to work on my laptop and the train manager found me another seat on a full table on the lower deck.

There is free wifi on board, but it is not unlimited and my access to it got used up rather fast, so I switched to my own 4G for most of the journey.

There is plug points for all seats, I believe. There’s also a café carriage which sells standard train fare.

Barcelona Public Transport

I don’t have a huge amount of experience with Barcelona’s public transport, because I walked a lot and took taxis when I needed to get across town quickly. However, when I did take buses and the Metro a few times, I used the CityMapper app to find a route and I paid by tapping my debit card, pay as you go. Both the bus and metro are €2.40 for a single journey, but if you think you’ll use public transport a lot, there are savings to be had with a T travel card.

narrow pedestrian road between tall buildings with balconies, wet from rain — Barcelona alleyways

London Paris Barcelona Itinerary – At A Glance

Day 1: Arrive in London (stay 4 days)
Day 2: London – Buckingham Palace, Mayfair, National Gallery & West End
Day 3: London – Westminster, South Bank to Tower Bridge
Day 4: London – Sky Garden, Tower of London & Greenwich or East London
Day 5: Train from London to Paris (stay 4 days)
Day 6: Paris – Eiffel Tower, Musee D’Orsay, Seine river boat ride & Pompidou Centre
Day 7: Paris – Notre Dame, Latin Quarter, Saint-Germain-des-Pres and the Arc de Triomphe
Day 8: Paris – Palais Garnier & Les Grands Magasins, plus Sacre-Coeur and Montmartre
Day 9: Train from Paris to Barcelona (stay 4 days)
Day 10: Barcelona – Gaudi landmarks: La Sagrada Familia, Casa Batllo, Casa Mila and Park Güell
Day 11: Barcelona – The Old City: The Gothic Quarter, Las Ramblas and El Born
Day 12: Barcelona – La Barceloneta beach, Port Vell, Parc Ciutadella and Arc de Triomf
Day 13: Return journey or onward travel

London Paris Barcelona Itinerary – in detail

Day 1: Arrive In London

Allow the first day to get to London from wherever you’re coming from and to get settled in your hotel. Grab something to eat in that local area.

suspension bridge with two towers lit up at night and reflecting in the smooth water of a river — Tower Bridge at night

Where To Stay In London

Even though I live in London, I have stayed in hotels there – mainly fancy ones that I’ve booked as a treat for a special night in the city. These are the ones I can recommend, based on personal experience

Five Stars:

Four Seasons Park Lane – this place is very luxurious and is one of those places so fancy they have a ‘town car’ you can use for local journeys. It is, of course, not cheap.
The Soho H otel – a high-end hotel in the middle of Soho – this place can be a great retreat from the frenetic streets.

Four Stars:

Intercontinental London. If you don’t mind being slightly out of the city centre, the Intercontinental at the Millennium Dome costs less than many central London hotels, but is comfortable, with spacious rooms. It’s connected to central London on the Jubilee line and the Thames Clipper (Uber boat)

Although I have not stayed at the next hotel, I’ve heard it recommended by several travel contacts and it is well-rated on Booking.com.

Three Stars:

Z Hotel, Holborn. The rooms look small, but the price is low, the ratings are good and the location is great – Holborn is very convenient for Covent Garden and Seven Dials.

London Itinerary: Things To Do & Places To Eat

Here are my suggestions for three days in London. I’ve tried to blend some of the main tourist sights with an exploration of the areas of London I love the most.

Day 2: Buckingham Palace, Mayfair, National Gallery & West End

Morning

Start your time in London with a big hitter: the official residence of the King of England, Buckingham Palace. You’re free to look through the fancy gates any time, and you might get lucky and see the changing of the guard when the uniformed soldiers change shifts in a regimented parade. This doesn’t happen every day, though, so check the schedule in advance to check the dates & times.

Buckingham Palace is in use by the monarchy, but it does open its doors for tours in the summer and on a few other selected dates.

After the palace, head north through Green Park. It’s a pleasant, short stroll; if it’s a nice day, you could sit on the grass for a bit.

Archway with sign saying The Ritz through which you can see a busy street with a red double-decker bus — Piccadilly

At the top end of Green Park is Piccadilly, a major road that borders Mayfair, the most well-to-do area of London (and the most expensive spot on the UK monopoly board). Have a wander eastward, passing the fancy Ritz Hotel, The Wolseley (nice place for brunch, if you haven’t eaten) and Fortnum & Mason, an iconic London department store.

A detour down Old Bond Street can be good to see what high-end jewellers like Cartier and Graff are offering these days. Head back towards Piccadilly along Burlington Arcade, which feels a bit like a time capsule of the 19^th century. Piccadilly Arcade is another one of these historic covered passages. It leads to Jermyn Street, home to some of London’s finest men’s attire. Alternatively, you could stop in the Royal Academy of Arts to see what’s on display, or, at the very least, poke your head into their smart courtyard.

covered passage with blue and white decor and old fashioned lamps — This covered passage is worth a detour

Statue and entrance to a passage called PIccadilly Arcade, lit up with Christmas lights — This covered passage is worth a detour

At the end of Piccadilly is Piccadilly Circus, a junction made famous by the corner of advertising real estate between Shaftesbury Avenue and Glasshouse Street.

Lunch

There are lots of great dining options along Piccadilly: The Wolseley, Fortnum & Mason itself has some eat-in options, or Hawksmoor, a high-end steak place near the junction with Regent Street. If you’re on a budget, there are a few sandwich & coffee shops, including Pret a Manger, which is reliably tasty. There’s a small garden called Southwood Garden if you want somewhere peaceful to sit and eat.

As a local, I’d say be wary of the places on or close to Piccadilly Circus (apart from Hawksmoor – that’s an exception) – and avoid Angus Steakhouse and the Hard Rock Café.

Afternoon

From Piccadilly Circus, head down Haymarket past a couple of historic theatres (the Theatre Royal Haymarket and Her Majesty’s Theatre). We will return to the theatre district later, but our focus for the afternoon is the National Gallery, which looks out of Trafalgar Square.

Trafalgar Square is home to Nelson’s column, a monument to Admiral Nelson, who led Britain to victory against the French & Spanish in the battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Four lions guard the column and are popular with children. There are two fountains in the square and statues on three of the four corners. The empty 4^th plinth is used to display contemporary works of art that change regularly. It used to be a thing to come and feed the pigeons at Trafalgar Square, but that’s been banned as there were so many of them and their droppings were causing damage!

The National Gallery is an art gallery with a huge collection of over 2,600 paintings dating from the mid-13th century. They advise you to book a ticket, but there is no charge because the art belongs to the British government on behalf of the British public. So you can wander the halls and admire the masterpieces for free! The National Gallery houses a real range of works, by artists including Titian, Michelangelo, da Vinci, Gainsborough, Van Gogh, Cezanne, Monet and Rembrandt. One of my favourite pieces is The Fighting Temeraire by Turner.

Next door is the National Portrait Gallery – this might be my preference over the National Gallery, actually. It’s smaller, but I love the focus on only portraits and there are some great examples in there, including Andy Warhol and Lucien Freud. There’s also a restaurant on the top floor that overlooks the rooftops and domes of the gallery.

Evening

Head north into the West End of London, the theatre district. Catch a show if that’s something you like doing. Maybe you could get tickets to Ronnie Scott’s jazz bar. Sample a cocktail at number 30 on the world’s 50 best bars: Swift Soho (reservations required). Or simply wander around the area, which comes alive at night.

cobbled street with coloured posts and strings of lights in Covent Garden — Floral Street

old wooden cart carrying flower baskets on a cobbled street near Rose Street — Floral Street

Some notes on the various areas of the west end:

Leicester Square has become over-touristed and over-priced in my opinion, so I avoid it and the streets immediately around it.
Soho used to be a bit seedy but has been tidied up quite a lot, though you might still find the odd sex shop dotted around. The area is very gay-friendly and the heart of it is Old Compton Street, but other key streets are Wardour Street and Poland Street.
Covent Garden has a pretty piazza and market but not as many independent shops as it used to – it’s skewed towards high-end luxury brands like Tom Ford these days. Seven Dials retains a little more personality and is very pretty.

Dinner

Some options for dinner that I personally like:

Low-cost: La Porchetta Pollo Bar is a long-standing no-frills Italian on Old Compton Street in Soho. Franco Manca, a home-grown pizza chain that serves amazing Neapolitan-style pizza that’s very well-priced. Honest Burger is a great affordable chain that does a small simple menu of burgers really, really well. Fun fact: both Franco Manca and Honest Burger chains started as small independent units in Brixton Market about a decade ago. There are also plenty of Chinese restaurants to choose from in Chinatown, which is focused on Gerrard Street. I don’t have any specific recommendations, though.
Mid-range: Floral by Lima has really good, authentic Peruvian food. For something old-school British, try Rules on Maiden Lane – it’s the oldest restaurant in London (and it shows in both the menu and the décor!).
High-end: Balthazar is also great if you don’t mind spending a little more – it has a grand interior and a New York-inspired menu. There’s also The Ivy, an elite London classic (not to be confused with The Ivy Grill or Brasserie – those are more accessible versions of the original), and J Sheekey: as upmarket as the Ivy and specialising in seafood; I had lobster thermidor there once – it was amazing!