Taking a dream trip to Europe often means hitting the highlights of several countries in one go – and these are places that are not always very close together. Take, for instance, the cities of Paris and Barcelona. Both make excellent stops on a European tour, and unfortunately they’re not a quick hour-long train ride apart. Planning your transit between these two cities, then, requires a bit of research.

Luckily, Paris and Barcelona are both major transportation hubs, which means you’ve got several options to choose from for getting from one to the other. If the two main factors in your decision-making process are time and money, you will need to browse through the options below to see which one suits your travel needs best. While the cheaper options tend to be slower overall, there are some exceptions to that rule when it comes to traveling in Europe, so you may not have to sacrifice as much as you think.

Flying from Paris to Barcelona

At a distance of more than 800km (500mi), the Paris to Barcelona trek lends itself well to a mode of transportation that’s quick – like flying. But until recently, finding cheap flights to Spain from elsewhere in Europe wasn’t always easy. Flying across Europe used to be only for the wealthy, when the rest of us waxed on about the “romance of train travel” in order to forget how hard it can be to sleep on overnight trains.

These days, with so many budget airlines in Europe, getting a great deal on international airfare from one country to another is much simpler. This is even more true because you’ve got three airports from which to depart in and around Paris.

From Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), there are Air Europa and easyJet flights to Barcelona. A one-way ticket can be as little as ?90 on a regular basis, and much cheaper during one of those notorious easyJet sales. Both Vueling and Air Berlin fly from Orly (ORY) to Barcelona, with tickets often available for ?40 one-way. And if you want to take Ryanair, you can sometimes fly from Beauvais (BVA) to Barcelona for the low one-way cost of ?35 (sometimes less, when Ryanair has one of its unbelievable sales).

The flight itself makes the 500mi journey a quick one – direct flights usually take under two hours – so it’s definitely the method to choose if time is of the essence. And, if you’re lucky enough to be traveling when one of the budget carriers listed above is having one of their crazy “flights for £1″ sales, then it’s the money-saving option, too.

>> More information on the budget airlines that fly to Spain, and specifically on the budget airlines that fly to Barcelona

Taking the Train from Paris to Barcelona

Although train travel in Europe is much faster than it used to be, it still takes between 9-12 hours to get from Paris to Barcelona by train. And in this case, the old equation of “slower = cheaper” doesn’t always hold true.

As mentioned, air travel within Europe used to be prohibitively expensive, meaning budget travelers almost always opted for the trains. With trains costing more than they used to and plane tickets costing less, trains aren’t always the cheaper option anymore – especially on long trips like the one from Paris to Barcelona.

The faster journeys in this case are not the direct ones, contrary to what you might think. You can take a train from Paris (Gare Lyon) to a few different midway points (some in Spain, some in France) and then transfer to another train that will take you the rest of the way to Barcelona. In some cases you’ll have 15-20 minutes to get from one train to the other, in other cases you’ll have as much as an hour – but in train time alone, this journey is roughly 7-7.5 hours.

Direct trains from Paris to Barcelona exist, too, if you don’t mind a longer trip and just want to avoid the hassle of changing trains midway. From Paris Austerlitz station to Barcelona is usually between 12-13 hours.

The direct trains can cost over ?150 one-way even in second class, with a bed in a first class sleeper costing more than twice that. Trips that require a stop partway can cost €85-140 (or more) one-way in second class.

Remember, of course, that if you have a Eurail pass you’ll only pay for a reservation – the pass acts as your train ticket.

Taking the Bus from Paris to Barcelona

With trains from Paris to Barcelona taking as much as 12 hours one-way, you might think a bus trip from Paris to Barcelona would be prohibitively long. Oddly, it’s only a few hours more than the trains.

If you’ve looked into European bus travel at all, you’ll know that getting from one country to another by bus means choosing from only a couple big companies – Eurolines and Busabout. Busabout runs package trips and hop on/hop off tours of Europe, so if you want a more complete bus itinerary that includes both Paris and Barcelona that could work. Eurolines lets you buy bus tickets without booking a tour.

The Paris to Barcelona buses on Eurolines can cost as little as ?65-75 one-way, and it takes about 16 hours. The route typically includes a couple of stops between Paris and Barcelona.

Driving from Paris to Barcelona

Although driving in Europe’s big cities is usually something travel experts say is worth skipping, if you’re planning on a more leisurely drive from Paris to Barcelona in order to explore the countryside then it can be a fantastic road trip.

My favorite site for getting driving information in Europe is the Via Michelin site. I do recommend picking up a good driving map once you’re in Europe (Michelin makes good ones, but they’re not alone), but Via Michelin is a great tool for starting to plan your route before you leave.

The Via Michelin site says Paris to Barcelona is a little more than 1,000km (more than 600mi), and if you drove straight through (and didn’t encounter any traffic problems along the way) it would take you approximately 9.5 hours. Via Michelin estimates that the trip would cost about ?160 between gas for the car and tolls on the highways, too. Just be sure to learn more about driving in France before you get behind the wheel.

And now that you’re in Barcelona…

Here are a few articles to help you get settled in the next city on your European tour!

• This overall Barcelona travel guide has links to other articles along with good basic information.
• If you need a place to stay, browse through these cheap hotels in Barcelona and cheap hostels in Barcelona.
• Looking for ways to fill your time? Here’s a list of things to do in Barcelona, a list of free things to do in Barcelona for the budget conscious, and even great day trips from Barcelona if you’re there long enough.
• Learn about your transportation options for getting around in Barcelona.

photos, top to bottom, by: kevinpoh, curimedia, Ventura2, sludgegulper, auxesis, masochismtango

Not only is the Eiffel Tower the most recognizable monument in Paris, it’s one of the most recognizable monuments on earth. But another one of the top monuments in Paris is the Arc de Triomphe – there may be other triumphal arches in the world, but this tends to be the one most people think of first. Who wouldn’t want a hotel near the Arc de Triomphe when visiting Paris?

Although the Arc isn’t located at the center of the circle that is the city of Paris, it’s well-connected to everywhere the Metro goes by several Metro stops in the area. And it happens to be close to two stops on most visitors’ must-see lists – the Champs-Elysees and that famous Eiffel Tower – meaning you’ll get to do some walking in some of Paris’ best-known neighborhoods.

As you might expect, hotels around the Arc de Triomphe are typically pretty expensive. I’ve tried to hunt down the ones that aren’t budget-killers – but these are by no means what I’d call budget hotels in most cases. If your budget is your primary concern you might want to look elsewhere in Paris for the best deals.

On the map below you’ll find the Arc de Triomphe marked with a red star and the hotels I’ve included in this post marked with blue icons. You can get more information about each hotel by clicking on the blue icon on the map, or by scrolling below the map to read a brief description.

>> For other accommodation options in this general area, don’t miss my list of hotels near the Champs-Elysees, too.

Hotels in Paris Near the Arc de Triomphe

Paris Hotels Near the Arc de Triomphe

Acacias Etoile Hotel
The Acacias Etoile Hotel is located northwest of the Arc de Triomphe a short distance off the Avenue de la Grande Armée (which is what the Champs-Elysees becomes on the other side of the Arc). It’s a 3-star hotel with 36 rooms and modern (and comfortable) decor, two lounges, and an internal patio. Internet is free in the rooms, WiFi is free on the ground floor (not available on other floors). Rooms are air conditioned. A breakfast buffet is offered each morning for a fee (children under 12 eat breakfast free).

>> Book Acacias Etoile Hotel in Paris

Mercure Paris Champs Elysees
The Mercure Paris Champs Elysees hotel is southwest of the Arc de Triomphe in a business-oriented (rather than tourist-oriented) neighborhood. It’s a 3-star hotel with 46 rooms and an internal garden area. Rooms are air conditioned. WiFi access is free in the rooms and throughout the hotel.

>> Book Mercure Paris Champs Elysees Hotel in Paris

Best Western Elysees Paris
The Best Western Elysees Paris hotel is north of the Arc, and is the closest one (as the crow flies) to the monument on this list. It’s a 3-star hotel with 34 rooms that’s on Etoile Square and yet far enough removed from the busy streets right around the Arc de Triomphe that it’s likely to be a bit quieter. Rooms are air conditioned. Internet and WiFi access are available for free in the rooms and throughout the hotel.

>> Book Best Western Elysees Paris Hotel in Paris

Hotel des Deux Avenues
The Hotel des Deux Avenues is further up the Avenue de Wagram from the Best Western Elysees hotel, but still a relatively easy walk from the hotel to the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elysees. It’s a 2-star hotel with 38 rooms and an internal garden area. The hotel was renovated in 2009. Internet and WiFi access are available in all the rooms for free.

>> Book Hotel des Deux Avenues in Paris

Hotel Regent’s Garden
The Hotel Regent’s Garden in Paris is just north of the Acacias Etoile Hotel, northwest of the Arc de Triomphe. It’s a 4-star hotel with 39 rooms, and is a Best Western “Premier” property. The hotel occupies a former private residence originally built for Napoleon III’s personal doctor. Rooms are air conditioned. Internet and WiFi access are available for free in the rooms. Breakfast is available for a fee.

>> Book Hotel Regent’s Garden in Paris

photo by CaBLe27

I’m not sure what it is, but anytime I get to a city and find out that one of the modes of transportation available to me is a funicular, I get excited. Maybe it’s the word “fun” right in the name. Despite funicluars being, essentially, a tram that moves up the incline of a hill rather than along a flat surface – and nothing more – they remain a source of amusement for me.

If you can relate, then you’ll be pleased to know Paris has a funicular, and it just so happens to serve one of the most popular tourist areas of the city – Montmartre. Here’s what you need to know about the Montmartre funicular to incorporate the “fun” into your next Paris trip.

>> Learn more about the hilltop neighborhood served by the funicular in this Montmartre guide
>> Learn more about the many ways to get around Paris for the rest of your stay in the City of Lights

What is the Montmartre Funicular

The funicular railway of Montmartre, called the Funiculaire de Montmartre in French, debuted in the summer of 1900. It’s been rebuilt twice since then, and these days it ferries roughly 2 million people every year up and down the Montmartre hill. If that wasn’t noteworthy enough, a one-way journey takes less than 1.5 minutes.

The Montmartre funicular is operated by RATP, which is the same company that runs the Paris Metro and the buses in Paris, which means you won’t have to worry about separate tickets just for the funicular.

>> Montmartre funicular “fun” fact – there are no drivers in the funicular cars. There are sensors in the floors of each funicular car, and other computerized mechanisms in place to trigger the funicular to close its doors and begin moving once it’s either full or enough time has passed.

How to Ride the Montmartre Funicular

The Montmartre funicular connects a station between the Place Saint-Pierre and the Place Suzanne Valadon (at the bottom of the hill) and a station on the Rue du Cardinal-Dubois (at the top of the hill). The upper station is very close to the Sacre-Coeur Basilica – you’ll still have some stairs to climb to get inside the church, but the funicular eliminates the need to climb the more than 200 steps along the Rue Foyatier.

As mentioned above, the funicular at Montmartre is part of the RATP transit system in Paris – you can use the same T+ tickets you have already purchased to ride the Metro and the bus when you want to ride the funicular. The funicular is considered part of the Metro system, in that you get one Metro ride per T+ ticket. In other words, if you’ve taken the Metro to get to the bottom of Montmartre you can’t use the same T+ ticket for the funicular to the top of the hill.

>> Note that the same Paris transportation passes that work in the Metro and on buses also work on the funicular – passes like the Paris Visite Card or a carte orange.

Each T+ ticket costs €1.70, but you can buy them in packs of ten – called a “carnet” – for €12.00. Each ticket is valid for 90 minutes of transportation time (excepting the one-Metro-ride-per-ticket rule), so you can transfer from Metro to bus, or bus to funicular, on the same ticket as long as you’re within your 90 minutes.

To get into the stations at either end of the funicular, you’ll put your T+ ticket into a machine just like the ones you’ll no doubt be used to in the city’s Metro stations. There are booths at both stations where you can buy tickets if you don’t have any, but they aren’t open all of the hours the funicular runs – so if you’re planning a late night trip to the top of Montmartre make sure you’ve got your tickets already.

The Montmartre funicular operates starting at 6am and ending at 12:45am.

>> For a peek at what the lower funicular station looks like before you get to Paris, check out this cool 360-degree picture.

photos, top to bottom, by: budgetplaces.com, Matthew Black, skuds

It?s happened to the best of us: We find cheap tickets to Paris, jet off on vacation with dreams of discovering the hidden delights of the City of Light – and come back with a hundred photos of the Eiffel Tower. And, that?s fine. It?s an icon and I?d defy anyone not to be awestruck upon seeing it in person for the first time. But, if you?d like not to bore your family and friends with a hundred photos of the Eiffel Tower, may I recommend haunting the cemeteries of Paris for some Grade-A original vacation pictures of Paris?

There are so many reasons to visit even the smallest cemeteries in Paris: First of all, they?re not packed with obnoxious fellow travelers like the ?big? sites are. Second, they are usually a quiet relief from the hustle and bustle of the world?s most visited city. Third, they are a fascinating look into a usually forgotten piece of Paris?s history, architecture and relationship with its residents.

Finally, and especially if you?re an American, Parisian cemeteries are downright exotic and gorgeous. These crumbling mini-mansions of the dead feature some of the finest artisan detail work in the city – making even the majestic Paris hotels look like a bunch of bread boxes. Even more striking are the humble gravestones marking the places of those who made significant contributions to the world they left behind. What you won?t find, though, is a pasture-like landscape dotted with stones. These cities of the dead have ?homes? of varying heights, and all the action takes place pretty much above ground. Also, depending on the age of the cemetery, there seems to be little rhyme or reason to how they?re laid out.

Père Lachaise, Montmartre and Montparnasse cemeteries are the most famous in Paris, but there is a cemetery in almost every arrondissement – and they all have something that will have you reaching for your camera, whether it?s the afternoon light on a cross, a rain-stained weeping angel or a name or date that may be familiar to you.

It?s also a great opportunity to play with all those features on your camera that you never bothered to learn – from black and white shots to over-exposures and panoramic views, many an amateur photographer have found Parisian cemeteries to be prime playgrounds for creativity. And while you?re there, you?re sure to see moping, emo poets scribbling in notebooks, sketchers capturing the juxtaposition of light and dark, and, particularly near Jim Morrison?s grave at Père Lachaise, a thoughtful chord or two being strummed on an acoustic guitar.

Keep in mind, though, that not everyone buried in these cemeteries are long gone – these are functioning cemeteries for Parisian residents, so if you see someone paying their respects put the camera, notebook or lute away and let them have their moment with their loved ones.