minamax10

Greetings!

Getting ready to purchase our tickets for the AVE train from Seville to Madrid.
We are traveling in October on a Saturday (if that makes any difference in terms of traffic).

We'll be staying at the Gran Melia Colon .

Now in order to purchase train tickets,
--- I need to know how much time to allocate for the transfer from the hotel to the station.
--- how much time in advance should we be at the station in order to board the train without delays?

The two train times I am looking at are the 8.45am and the 9.45am trains (not sure if traffic differs around these times on Saturdays).

8.45am train :
what time would we need to leave the hotel?

9.45am train:
what time would we need to leave the hotel?

Transportation option:
-- we'll charter a minibus due to the number of suitcases (7 people + 7 suitcases)

kimhe

It's little more than a mile and max some five-ten minutes car ride given red lights, traffic and one way roads. Should be easy traffic on a Saturday morning. The boarding is easy, a fast and no delay security scan of the bags and suitcases. We'll do the same prosedure from a hotel at about the same distance in a couple of months, and we'll leave the hotel about 30 mins before departure, and then we'll probably have time for a cup of coffee before boarding the train


Takes of course some time to get all the suitcases in and out of the car, so leaving the hotel some 40 minutues before departure will give you all the peace of mind you want (then you probably will be sitting waiting at the train station for half an hour).

minamax10

Thank you Kimhe. Japanese ladies hate being late, so I guess if we leave on the hour, we'd be there in plenty of time for the train leaving at quarter to.

Is it pretty easy to find where to go to board the AVE trains? I remember two years ago having a mini panic attack while running around Madrid Atocha station trying to figure out where to go for the Barcelona train. I think we had to go up to the second floor or something like that. And there were no clear markings to show the way. Is Seville station easier to manage?

Christina

I don't know what you will gain by trying to time it to the minimum minute, and I don't see how that trip can only take 5-10 minutes. I just think it is not worth anxiety as you have nothing to gain by that and you've never been to the station before. What if it does take you a while to find the right place to go? That hotel is over a bit past El Corte Ingles store which is more than a mile away by driving. I would guess a taxi would go down to paseo C. Colon along the river and then up ave Maria Luisa towards Santa Justa and that it would be about 6 km. If they go the other direction and by calle Alfonso XII then calle Bilbao, it's still about 5 km. I would guess it would take about 20 minutes. The hotel itself claims it is 2 km from the station, but I bet that is walking or as the crow flies.

Last time I took a taxi, I was closer than that in the Santa Cruz area and it probably took about 15 minutes, and it wasn't a busy time of day. So it's up to you, but I would make a decision counting on at least 20 minutes for the drive.

minamax10

Thank you Christina. I think we'll be scheduling about 45min for the drive and getting through the security etc. As you said, not knowing the station, I don't want to put it off to the last minute.

Timing is a bit more important if we take the 8.45 train. (As long as it's safe) I'd rather not leave the hotel earlier than necessary. We'll need to get breakfast, check out of the hotel, get the luggage down, etc all before 8am *_*.

I tried to find a PDF file or something of the sort with the layout of Seville train station just to be able to see where we'd need to go once we get there, but so far I've had no luck.

doloresb121

I took the AVE last November from Sevilla to Madrid alone and do not recall any difficulty whatsoever in finding my way to the correct track. I don't think you need to worry so much as you might about allotting enough travel time from hotel to the train station. I always err on the side of caution... And get there too early... Take a seat and read up on my next destination a bit more. Your hotel would be a much better guide as far as time to leave hotel goes.

RonZ

Google how to best the lines at the cathedral if you plan on seeing it.

golyn

We are also considering taking the train from Seville to Madrid. Our big concern is handling our luggage. Is there such a thing as checking in luggage on the train or is it always carried on? If carried on, Is there help to handle it & would there be help as well in Madrid? We've never used trains in Europe before & thought this might be the perfect opportunity.

HappyTrvlr

I have never seen anyone helping with luggage on any train in Europe. You carry it on and stow it overhead your seat or in tne area at end of train car..

minamax10

Doloresb121, good to hear that the station is not too difficult to navigate!

Golyn, not sure about Seville, but from my experience at Atocha station in Madrid, there were no porters to help with the luggage. We dragged our suitcases on our own. There were escalators, so I assume the situation is the same in Seville. You do have to lift your suitcases onto the train though. On the train, at the end of the carriage/car, there is an area to store larger pieces such as suitcases. Last time we traveled in a group of 15, so all our 15 suitcases fitted in.

kimhe

The Santa Justa Train station in Sevilla is easy to navigate. Correct that it's a longer way to drive than to walk, taxifarefinder says 5km and 15 minutes.

minamax10

Glad to hear that the station is easily manageable, Kimhe!

suze

You're on your own as far as handling your luggage.

HappyTrvlr

And you will have to place your luggage through an airport type security scan down next to the tracks. We had a short line this week at 10:45 am but our friends had a long wait at security for an earlier train. This was on a bank holiday. Train cars are well marked as to class and car number.

cruiseluv

Just to comment, there're are escalators in these stations but also elevators. But yes, hauling your luggage into the train, you're on your own!

janisj

>>And you will have to place your luggage through an airport type security scan <<

>>But yes, hauling your luggage into the train, you're on your own!<<

Their train trip is over and done with. - Old thread

minamax10

Thank you for the new answers.

Indeed, our train trip is over and done with

In my Andalusia report, I had this to say regarding Santa Justa Seville station.

A word of warning regarding Santa Justa Station in Seville. I was reassured that the station is very easy to navigate. And it was. It’s a pretty small station and finding the departure platform is not a big problem. BUT! I didn’t realize that one entrance to the platform also means that there will be a lot of people trying to get to the platform at the same time. Sort of a bottleneck effect. We arrived (in what we thought) plenty of time and once we passed the luggage-check point, I breathed easier. That was a premature relief. Our car number was 4. And boy, that is one long train! Our car was at the very end of the platform so we started walking fast, then jogged, then ran (imagine that picturing older ladies with suitcases!). We basically made it onto the train with perhaps 3-4minutes before the train left the station. So for anyone buying train tickets to use AVE from Seville to Madrid, I would recommend not getting tickets for the smaller numbered cars. OR if you do have a ticket for cars 1-10, that you get to the station in plenty of time.

And yes, we used the elevator to get down to the platform. That was very convenient.