Alsa bus
 

I've booked bus tickets on Alsa from Seville to Granada and was in the process of booking Granada to Madrid - when as an afterthought - I decided to take a look at the reviews. Oh my!

I thought someone here had spoken of a good experience on buses in Spain, but I can't find where I read that.

Reviews on Trip Advisor are pretty bad, although some of the worst are for trips outside of Spain. I'm now wondering if I've made a bad choice, and should stick to the train instead. The bus was attractive as it offers more departure options than the train on the Granada-Madrid route, whereas there are only three trains from Granada to Madrid, and the departure times are less than ideal.

I've traveled on RedeExpress in Portugal and had a good experience, but they don't seem to operate outside of Portugal? I've also traveled on Flixbus in Germany and Switzerland and will check to see if they operate in Spain.

Any thoughts and experiences on traveling by bus in Spain much appreciated.

The train is faster and more comfortable, of course!
But as you survived even a Flixbus ride, you will have no problems at all with ALSA.

We took the Alsa bus from Sevilla to Ronda and back early March 2020, just before the Covid lockdowns. Perfectly acceptable and quite comfortable, I don’t recall anything to complain, so IMO you should be fine.

We took the train for the Córdoba-Granada-Sevilla loop and of course it was way more comfortable, faster too.

We took the ALSA bus from Cordoba to Granada, and then again from Granada to Malaga. We have no complaints. The buses are modern, air-conditioned, comfortable and very convenient. You shouldn’t have any problems. Don’t know what the complaints are about.

neckervd -

I realize the train is faster - only by an hour or so - but there are only three departures, none of which really work for us. It's also 3-4 times more expensive, but I'd take the train in a heartbeat if the departures were better timed.

The one time we took the Flixbus - from Chur to Munich I think - it was a great trip. No complaints whatsoever. I know a lot of people seem to hate Flixbus, but our experience was fantastic.

I’ve taken the ALSA bus from Barajas Airport to Burgos. It was fine.

Hi Mel!

Yeah, I'm one who avoids Flixbus at all costs.

I've taken it several times between Garmisch and the Munich airport and Garmisch and Innsbruck, and more than half the time it was late. Like 2h late. Because, of course, it is vulnerable to traffic jams. A visiting friend took it to the airport and almost missed her flight to the US. So I'd just advise that you schedule your trips to avoid weekends, especially 3-day weekends, when highways are bound to be crowded.

I also found the seating to be uncomfortable, mainly due to the high backs of the seats. I sooo prefer train seating with low backs that makes the carriage feel more spacious and airy. But of course you already know that!

Have fun as you plan!

s

Here’s the previous thread.
https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...ville-1708999/

we have taken the bus a couple times in Spain and it’s been a good experience. We did get non reclining seats on the Granada to Sevilla trip and that wasn’t great since my husband is 6’4”. When we went in 2019 there was no train running between those two towns so that was our only option. Also took a bus from San Sebastián to Madrid 7 or 8 years ago and it was great.

Thanks macdogmom for both your response and the link!

I've taken buses several times in Spain and the experience was always outstanding. Not for a few years, of course, but I have.

I've taken Flixbus from Poland to Berlin and it was great, also, on another note versus someone's else's experience. And it left about right on time.

Remember you have to wear a mask while travelling on any bus in Spain, and it's strictly enforced. The driver will tell you to put it on when you board without. Also on trains, but it's more difficult to enforce it as there is minimum involvement with train staff.

I've taken several ALSA buses, and it's been fine. ALSA buses are common for people to take when getting to or from the Camino de Santiago and I haven't really heard about problems from fellow pilgrims. Typically I prefer trains to buses, but wouldn't hesitate to take the bus if it made more sense.

No problem.

I took the ALSA bus from Barcelona to Valencia. I prefer the train but the bus schedule was more convenient and saved some money Thie was several years ago.

We took the Alsa bus from Malaga to Granada, then another Alsa bus from Granada to Seville in 2017. They were comfortable and clean, but no WC.
We also took the train from Seville to Cordoba, and then also train from Cordoba to Madrid which were convenient and comfortable as well.

We took the ALSA bus from Lisbon to Seville and also Granada to Seville. On time, clean and comfortable. No complaints from us. Now I'm going to have to check out the bad reviews lol.

Thanks everyone. I feel a bit better now.

I'm leaning towards the bus; I just now checked Renfe again and our dates are now available to book should I decide on the train.

Weirdly, the train from Granada to Madrid isn't that much faster than the bus - the bus takes 4:30 direct, the three train options take 4:31, 3:37 and 3:57.

My sons were in Spain last month and looking for train or bus from Granada to Barcelona. After looking at all the possibilities it made more sense and was less expensive to fly. Not sure if it would be the same to Madrid.

The 5 fast trains take between 3 hrs 20 min and 3 hrs 40 min.
But the number of trains is not the same every day.
The ALSA buses take 4 1/2 hrs non stop, resp 5 hrs with a intermediate stop. They all end at the bus terminal Madrid Sur.
If your final destination is in this aea, you will be fine. Otherwise you must add the journey time to the city center (may be Atocha).

neckervd - there are only three trains from October 17 on, but yes there are several more options earlier in the month. We'll be there in early November. The travel times for the three available trains are mentioned above. I'm aware that the bus stops in Madrid Sur, and I've taken the travel time into the city into account, thank you.

wtm003 - I looked into flying too, but nixed that already.

I'm another who has no complaints about the buses in Andalusia (although I've never taken one that long) but if you decide to take the train - and aren't already visiting there - perhaps consider breaking the journey in Cordoba. We really like it there.

I took an ALSA bus from Seville to Granada, in March 2022. The trip worked ok. The driver stopped at a gas station and let himself out but he forgot to keep the bus door unlocked so that we could get out too. The bus did have a bathroom. I used it once without a problem.

Appreciate all the responses.

I've just booked the 13:18 train. We don't have to check out of our accommodation until noon, so the timing works okay. The thought of being on a bus for 4.5 hours without a bathroom...well. I know some buses have loos, but evidently not all, and I'm not sure I trust that the bus we book is the bus we'll get based on many reviews. Taking the train puts us in Madrid just a few hours later than the bus would have, and decreases the journey by an hour. We can't accomplish much on a travel day anyway, so not a big deal.

dreamon - we might take a day trip to Cordoba from Seville - only 40+ minutes from there.

This trip has come and gone. We took the Alsa bus from Seville to Granada, and the train on our other routes.

Hello there I know your trip has come and gone.
In a nutshell how did it work for you to take the bus?

It worked great amsdon. We had one small hitch - our bus had some minor motor issue prior to departure, but it was quickly replaced with another one, so no worries.

I'd do it again in a heartbeat - in fact, the bus was nicer than a few of the trains.

Thank you !

Hi amsdon,
I have taken many Alsa buses, as has mikelg, and especially the trip from Sevilla to Granada (or vice versa) is absolutely fine, as the departures times are more frequent, more convenient, than the trains. As mikelg often reminds us,
the Spain bus system is not your American Greyhound. The buses are clean, comfortable, modern, cheap, efficient, on time and widely used by Spaniards (and by us).

Thank you Maribel.
There are several sections in Our much anticipated trip that will likely be including buses, and perhaps a train or 2. . 🙂 I've been here Is lurking and reading New and also the old posts.
I guess I'll post my general itinerary soon.