beth23

Is it possible to travel by train from Spain to Portugal? Do you have to make reservations in advance or can you just show up at the train station? Also when traveling by train within Spain do you need advance reservations?

rex

<<Is it possible to travel by train from Spain to Portugal?>>

Sure. From what city to what city? See www.renfe.es or for a few of the major routes, www.raileurope.com

<<Do you have to make reservations in advance>>

Yes, for the AVE trains, but I don't think there are any of those between Spain and Portugal

<<or can you just show up at the train station?>>

Yes, even on trains that require reservations, they will sell you a seat at anytime until the train leaves, if they are still available.

<<Also when traveling by train within Spain do you need advance reservations?>>

Same two answers.

Best wishes,

Rex

kaudrey

Definitely need to know what cities. But think about buses, also. When I was in Spain, I met a lot of backpackers who were traveling around Portugal and Spain by bus, because buses go to more towns and cities than the trains do.

Karen

selinalei

I travelled with my friend from Lisbon to Serville (via Madrid) once on an overnight train. We had our passes and we headed to the station, trying to see if we could get on but the train to Madrid was full and we had to make an advance reservation for the following evening. Thus, we had to get back to downtown to find a hotel for that extra night.

Meanwhile, a couple we met in Lisbon went to Serville by bus. The bus went to Faro in Portugal to Serville and dropped them right in the centre of the town where they didn't know where to go in order to find a hotel. That's where we met again and we showed them the hotel we settled in (we found it in the Tourist Information at the train station in Serville). And they managed to get a room there.

In short, it's "yes" to all the questions posted by beth23. Regarding travelling by bus, I don't have personal experience but the experience of that couple may be worth considered.

Singletail

With the exception of the AVE high-speed trains, unless every single person who is traveling on the same day you are has made a seat reservation (which is HIGHLY unlikely) then there will be seats that are unreserved. (AVE trains, as mentioned above, require reservations which are sold as part of the ticket). The strategy remains the same for non-AVE trains: if you don;t wish to pay for a seat reservation then get to the train EARLY, get on as soon as it arrives if you aren't at an originating station, and look for seats that don't have "reserved" tickets posted for them.
I don't think you'll have any trouble if you are proactive.
I agree with checking on the bus routes..in Spain, unlike some other European countries, the busses can often be faster than the local rail services.