Gourdon to Barcelona

I%26#39;m biking in France in September then heading to Barcelona for a week, then back to Paris. From what I can see, getting from Gourdon, France (where my bike trip ends), to Barcelona is not easy. 3 train transfers, a day of travel, and $250 later... so I%26#39;m thinking of taking the train BACK to Paris and then flying to Barcelona. Believe it or not, it%26#39;s cheaper. Now I%26#39;m just trying to figure out if I can get from Paris Austerlitz train station (I would arrive at 11:44 a.m.) in time for my flight to Barcelona at 3:25 p.m.... I would want to be there by 2:00 p.m. at the latest. I haven%26#39;t booked anything yet. All advice welcome (including your thoughts as to whether I should just bite the bullet and take the train from Gourdon to Barcelona... maybe the scenery is worth it?).

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Personally, I would just take the train. Might take a bit longer and be a bit more expensive but I think it will cause you a lot fewer headaches. You don%26#39;t say if you are hauling your own bike around or not but from my experience biking in France last year, no one cares if you bring a bike on board (as long as it%26#39;s packed in a case for a high speed train; regional trains, anything goes). Flying you will almost certainly pay extra baggage fees for your bike.

As well - there%26#39;s the whole business of airport security, checking in, being there an hour beforehand, flight delays, etc etc. Trains in France run like clockwork and it%26#39;s really nice just showing up 5 minutes beforehand, stamping your ticket and hopping on board. We took a 6 hour TGV train from Lourdes to Paris and I swear - it was the quickest 6 hours I%26#39;ve ever experienced travelling. I don%26#39;t know if it was the thrill of travelling at 300km/hr or what but it certainly was a very enjoyable 6 hours so I don%26#39;t think you would suffer too much on a day of travel by train).

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Thank you! I really had no idea which way to go so I%26#39;m grateful for the advice. I was a bit worried about making train connections because we have to switch 2 or 3 times but knowing the trains run on schedule is a huge help. Thanks!

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