Good morning

It has been a while! We are planning a Christmas trip to Madrid and Granada and I think I just read somewhere that the fast train from Madrid to Granada was opening next month and will now take 3 hours.

I can't find where I read it - was I dreaming?? Can anyone confirm?

Thank you
Jamikins

https://www.raileurope.com/spip.php?...s&step=results

3 hours 19 mins

Exciting - thank you!

Currently Renfe is running a one-way promo fare of only 35 euros in tourist class. The high-speed AVE train starts running on June 26 and currently can be booked on Renfe up until September 15.

But it seems that at the same time, all direct trains Sevilla - Osuna - Antequera - Granada will be suppressed.

For anyone traveling June 26 and beyond between Córdoba-Granada, Renfe is offering a start up promo fare of 20 euros, tourist class.
The Córdoba-Granada rail journey will now take only 1 hr. 15 min.
Córdoba is the intermediate stop on the new Granada-Madrid AVE.

And as of 6/26, there will be one Granada-Barcelona AVE per day that skirts Madrid-Atocha without requiring a train change there.
But it's a long, 6 hr. 25 min. ride. That one direct AVE also stops in Zaragoza, Lleida and Tarragona.

Finally, Granada is being released from its very long train isolation!

Usually you cannot book on RENFE until about 63 days before the trip, have they changed their policy?

While the "official" policy is 60 or so days out, Renfe doesn't often follow its own rule. It loads fares when it wants to, when it gets around to it!
These promo fares Madrid-Granada have been loaded up to September 15, when this promo ends.
On the other hand, Pamplona-San Sebastian fares haven't been loaded yet beyond July 6.

Thank you Maribel

Check www.loco2.com - sells Renfe ticket at same price folks here say and is much easier to get to use. Not sure those promo fares are on there but check.

Does anyone have any idea of what the price for tickets Madrid-Granada and Granada-Cordoba (if purchased in advance) will be once the initial promo ends?

Jamikins and Scott, So happy to see you posting again! I'm a long time lurker old enough to be your grandma, who has enjoyed your colorful reports and beautiful photographs. Hope you return with a Christmas report from Spain. Thanks!

dreamon,
I think it's anyone's guess as to what the fares will be after this special initial promotion period ends Sept. 15, but fares are always lower if booked as far in advance as possible.
For example, for Madrid-Málaga: *mid-September turista fares range from 40-60 for a 3-hour ride.
For Madrid-Barcelona: September turista promo fares range from 41-80, depending on the departure time.

Thanks, Maribel. I'll look out for fares about 60 days ahead then. I'm trying to decide whether to visit Seville or Granada first - and at 35euro that would make a difference, but we won't be there until December.

Thanks linca, I don't post very often any more but will try to come back with at least pictures.

neckervd,
About booking the former Sevilla-Antequera-Granada Renfe train + replacement bus, I emailed to ask Renfe why I couldn't book it online.
I received a long, convoluted answer but the gist is this:

To paraphrase: The booking is temporarily blocked because we don't know when we'll be able to have the infrastructure ability to run the entire connection between Sevilla and Granada by train. We still don't know the exact date when this will happen, therefore we'll be loading the fares, opening the sale, little by little.

On loco2.com the only 3-hour, non-stop Sevilla-Granada service that's bookable now is the Alsa bus.

I just checked renfe.com for next week for a Sevilla-Granada train run, and it's bookable again, with four MD (Media Distancia) trains per day, but the trip takes a minimum of 3 hrs. 52 min and max of 4 hrs. 14 with 6 intermediate stops.

So for now, I'll continue to use the Alsa bus for moving from Sevilla to Granada.
The media reports that the high speed line may be operative by late September, early October, using AVANT trains rather than an AVE, but I won't hold my breath!

jamikins,
Enjoy your Christmas holiday to Madrid and Granada!

.......... but the 4 MD trains (bookable for departures until June 25 only) run up to Osuna (1 hr 20 min from Sevilla) where you will have to change to a bus.

But according to the Renfe timetable for July, it might be better to take a Malaga bound Avant up to Antequera and to change there to a Granada bound AVE coming from Madrid, like this:
Sevilla - dp 8.00 - Antequera 9.31/9.46 - Granada ar 10.39
Sevilla - dp 19.35 - Antequera 21.01/21.59 - Granada ar 22.54

Better solution: change at Cordoba:
Sevilla dp 8.00 - Granada ar 10.39
Sevilla dp 9.50 - Granada ar 13.15
Sevilla dp 14.58 - Granada ar 17.52
Sevilla dp 19.45 - Granada ar 22.54