Ticket To Ride: To Barcelona on the Eco-Express

A cup of freshly ground coffee, brimming with frothy hot milk, arrives on the table. It is accompanied by a glass of zesty orange juice, a buttery croissant and a pain au chocolat. To my left, the sun is making a dramatic entrance over the glittering expanse of the Mediterranean. A string of sandy coves, craggy cliffs and pretty seaside villages greets the sun as it begins the daily climb into the heavens. On my right, the snowbound peaks of the Pyrenees, turning pink with the soft light of morning, slowly rise from the earth as the train glides smoothly ahead.

The waiter arrives. "Would you like more coffee, sir?" he asks, with a smile. I thank him and look out over the landscape, absorbing the uplifting, ever changing view. I stretch, yawn and decide it's time for a shower.

Twenty minutes later, after a refreshing blast under a private hot shower, I am suited, booted and ready for the day. I recline on the bed reading the paper, look out of the window and realise I will have to disembark soon. With a full day in Barcelona awaiting, arriving in such a civilised fashion has set me up perfectly.

We roll into Barcelona Franca bang on schedule. I walk into the huge marble hall of the city centre railway station and then get my first taste of warming Spanish sunshine. Within five minutes I'm at the beach, watching the waves and surfers. At a tapas bar I take in the location while munching on olives and Serrano ham. I'd forgotten that travelling could be so humane.

The journey from London to the Catalan capital has been stress-free and comfortable. I've not had to go anywhere near an airport and I've had more leg room and better food than I'd get in British Airways first class. OK, with a journey time from London city centre to Barcelona city centre of 17 and a half hours it has been somewhat slower. But, for most of that time, I have been sleeping (or eating) and, anyway, who said cutting down on travel emissions was going to make things quicker? This is guilt-free travel, after all.

There is little doubt that the British public's use of low-cost (high cost during school holidays), global-warming, oil state-reliant, disabled-customer-unfriendly air travel is going to have to be curtailed at some point. With an insatiable addiction for travel, consumers will have to find alternatives to the gas-guzzling contraptions that fill our skies. However, just as the Jamie Olivers of this world are getting us all to eat more healthily, many of us are going to want to alter our diet of fast-food, low-budget travel. After all, there is no doubt it is hurting us. "Short-haul journeys to places such as Barcelona are particularly bad," says Tony Bosworth, the senior campaigner for transport and climate at Friends of the Earth. "Rail can have as much as 90 per cent less climate-change impact per passenger on some short-haul journeys."

Government statistics produced by the Commission for Integrated Transport appear to back up Bosworth's claims. The data on its website (cfit.gov.uk) shows that a flight from London to Glasgow produces six times as much CO2 per passenger than rail for the same journey. But how bad do things have to get before we take the train? Luckily for us, not all railways are British-owned.

I had begun my journey on the afternoon French-owned Eurostar to Paris. With the high-speed line through Kent now nearly complete I travel from central London to Gare du Nord in two and a half easy hours. On the outward leg I do not have time for the French capital as I have to reach Gare d'Austerlitz to connect with my train to Barcelona. It is a cold evening and I am happy to find the Spain-bound train open and ready to receive travellers some 30 minutes before departure.

The sleeper train that travels the Paris-Barcelona (and Madrid) route is co-owned and operated by both French (SNCF) and Spanish (RENFE) national railway companies. Known as the Elipsos, this standard daily-timetabled service calls itself a "train hotel" with most of the on-board facilities run by the Accor hotel group. Accommodation includes airline-type full-length recliner seats and basic four- and two-berth cabins, all the way through to the twin-berth "Grand" class, which is en-suite and comes with dinner and breakfast included.

After I have stowed my bags in my cabin I head to the restaurant car. "A glass of cava, sir?" says the waiter as I sit down and contemplate a menu that includes roast guinea fowl and sea bass. He takes my order as we pull out of Gare d'Austerlitz, on time. For starters I've gone for a delicate salmon terrine while my main is succulent pork. A dessert of cake, cheese and biscuits is followed by coffee. I eagerly devour all as the train speeds through the inky French night. The service is impeccable, and the restaurant car is notably spacious, on account of being made for the wider gauge used in Spain.

While I've been eating, the steward has transformed the two seats inside the cabin into a comfy bed, with blankets and cotton sheets. My night's sleep is far from perfect, with bumping points and rattling rails occasionally disturbing me but, by the time I wake and head for breakfast, I do feel rested.

I leave Barcelona on the Elipsos the same day as I arrive - cramming in tapas, Gaudi and the Ramblas in one hectic, thoroughly enjoyable, 12-hour swoop around the city. The next day, waking up to a bright Parisian morning, I am ready to explore city number two. On the return leg I have opted for a full day in the French capital.

I begin by walking along the banks of the Seine from Gare d'Austerlitz to the Gothic drama of Notre Dame. The sky is the purest azure. As I gaze upwards I think of tiny seats, bad food, stale air and jet engines belching noxious fumes. Things might be slower on the ground but, oh boy, do I feel better for it.

Andrew Spooner travelled from London to Paris on Eurostar, which offers return fares from £59. He continued from Paris to Barcelona on the Elipsos, which offers return fares from £146 per person in a reclining seat. Club Class costs from £209 per person and Grand Class from £249, based on two sharing. For tickets contact Rail Europe (08708 304 862; rail europe.co.uk)

Interesting? Click here to explore further