How early to book trains?
Mar 10th, 2023, 02:58 PM
#1
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How early to book trains?
I embark on my 6 week trip of Spain, Portugal and France in May and am starting to look at the train timetables for my journey.
Other than where flying is a necessity, we will be getting from one city to the next by train (i.e. Valencia to Madrid) and will also be using trains and buses for day trips (i.e. Toledo from Madrid).
Are there any recommendations as to how far in advance to book these journeys? For the routes where we move between cities (i.e. Valencia to Madrid) I will book the trains in advance to ensure we have the passage sorted. It is more for the day trips that I am wondering if we can get away with booking our trips closer to the date just in case we change our plans.
Other than where flying is a necessity, we will be getting from one city to the next by train (i.e. Valencia to Madrid) and will also be using trains and buses for day trips (i.e. Toledo from Madrid).
Are there any recommendations as to how far in advance to book these journeys? For the routes where we move between cities (i.e. Valencia to Madrid) I will book the trains in advance to ensure we have the passage sorted. It is more for the day trips that I am wondering if we can get away with booking our trips closer to the date just in case we change our plans.
Mar 10th, 2023, 05:34 PM
#2
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In general the earlier you book the better the access to reduced prices. Sometimes discounted fares have restrictions on changing/refunding. If you are fairly certain that you will be able to make a scheduled departure, no reason to not book in advance. For daytrips which may require more flexibility you should be fine booking on the fly.
Mar 10th, 2023, 10:17 PM
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some train time tables may not be published yet for that time of year.
There are other train operators than RENFE and SNCF. You need to consult the relevant websites of that train company.
I would suggest you read https://www.seat61.com/
There are other train operators than RENFE and SNCF. You need to consult the relevant websites of that train company.
I would suggest you read https://www.seat61.com/
