rhl

My wife and I will spend 2 weeks in Spain in late October. We plan to stay for several days in both Madrid and Barcelona. We would like to see other Spanish cities/towns by rail. Should we book our train tickets now or after we arrive in Spain? Rail passes or site to site tickets? Any suggestions on any must see sites?

Thank you for your comments

pavfec

Buying a railpass or point-to-point tickets depends on how many days you want to travel. You'll have to figure out where exactly you want to go, then compare point-to-point prices on the RENFE site (http://www.renfe.es/ingles/) and the cost of the railpass on the RailEurope site.

PalenQ

If you were to say rail between Barcelona and Madrid and then just do short day trips to places near Madrid like Toledo, Segovia or Avila, etc. then i'd just buy tickets once you get there - there are loads of trains so don't worry about getting on. You may be able to book your tickets at.
www.renfe.es - the Spanish Railways web site - check prices there in euros
and compare to the Spanish Rail Pass, which i think will be of use only if you were going on from Madrid to Seville, etc. then it may be a good deal.
Passes i believe are not sold in Spain. Some good sources here are www.ricksteves.com has lots of rail travel and passes and www.budgeteuropetravel.com is the agency i always recommend for passes and expert info as they will answer any questions (800-441-2387) - on the site ask for their free European Planning & Rail Guide that has a good chapter on Spanish train travel and trains.
So if going by rail check renfe.es for real in Europe prices and then compare to the pass.

GeoffHamer

In general, rail passes are not a good deal for Spain. For all long-distance trains, seats must be booked, so a rail pass doesn't make travelling any more convenient, while local train fares are cheap. Many journeys are also easier by bus. For late October, I cannot believe you'll have any problem booking tickets in Spain. You need to work out where you want to go, then see if the RENFE lines are the best (there are other rail lines, such as the narrow-gauge line along the north coast, as well as a well-developed bus system).

rhl

Thank you all for your advice.

PalenQ

whereas it was once said the Pain in Spain was Mainly on the Train Spain now has some of the most modern and fastest trains in Europe - the Barcelona-Madrid high-speed line is scheduled to soon run at over 200 mph. Buses are cheaper but not as comfy as these modern trains nor nearly as fast - Barcelona-Madrid will be 3.5 hours soon - probably twice as long by bus.

But as Geoff says buses are indeed more practical in areas not served by high-speed rail - like between Granada and Seville perhaps.