isabel

I'm considering taking one of the overnight trains in Spain next summer (Barcelona to Granada). I've never done an overnight and was wondering if someone who has done it could describe the accomodations.

I see prices for "individual" (it looks like 135€ plus the ticket which is 51&euro. There's also a "double" which is 93€. I'll be traveling alone. If I opt for the double does that mean they put me with some other single person? Or do you need to have two people traveling together to get the double? There's also something called "tourist" - how bad is that?

I assume there are toilets in every car. Is it safe to just leave your stuff in your "room" while you go down to them? And what about going to the dining cars?

And finially - I notice the train makes about 15 stops. Is it really noisy and obvious when the train stops or can most people sleep through it? I'm about an average sleeper.

lincasanova

i would fly.
double is shared. if you are one.. the other will be someone you do not know.
tourist is like concentration camp 3 bunks high on each side.

bathrooms.. in hall way.

no.. you cannot leave your stuff.
at least not the portable stuff, while you go anywhere from shared room with no key.

could you sleep through 15 stops.?
i doubt it.

and it is definitely not the cheapest way to go.. nor the fastest (besides air).. nor is the scenery worth the effort IMHO.

GeoffHamer

Of course you can leave your luggage when you go elsewhere in the train, but obviously keep money and valuables on your person. There are also Gran Clase compartments which have their own bathrooms. The prices quoted by RENFE are always inclusive prices: the total price for the journey in a single-berth compartment is 135 euros and you do not add on the basic fare. If you book a berth in a double compartment, you'll be sharing with a stranger of the same sex. Try www.seat61.com for pictures and descriptions of sleepers.

isabel

Thanks Geoff, that site was helpful.

lincasanova - the only flights I have found between Granada and Barcelona are on Iberia for €200. I found cheap flights to Madrid and Sevilla but not Granada. So if you figure in the cost of the hotel you would need that night, at probably close to €100 it would cost around €300 - plus the taxis to and from the airports. So a price difference of 300 vs 135 is quite substantial. I would consider flying even with the much higher price except by the time you figure in the getting to and from the airports, the waiting for the flight, etc - well, there just is no such thing as a "one hour flight" - I took a "one hour flight" last summer and from one hotel to the next it was six hours total. So given that you waste almost a whole day flying anyway, and it would cost an extra couple hundred, well it does make the overnight train look like a good option.

So - does anyone else have any experience they could share. I'm tempted to do it, but not if it really is a horrible experience. Thanks

travelnd

I think you will be fine. As long as you are not expecting especially fine accommodations. I have travelled on overnight trains several times and never had a problem (i keep my important stuff on a money belt on me while sleeping). I am an average sleeper and would maybe wake up a minute or two every now and then, but usually i would just have a couple of glasses of wine before and I'd be set I stayed in a 6 person sleeper with just one other girl and it was fine...sometimes bizaree mates, but never any big problems, pretty much everyone just went to bed as soon as they got in, anyway.

I plan on travelling this way again, too.

Good luck, and you'll be fine.

GeoffHamer

I've used overnight trains several times in Spain, and it seems the obvious way to travel as far as I'm concerned. Any air journey will take up a morning, afternoon or evening, and you'll still have to pay for a hotel for the night. On most Spanish main lines, the trains don't go too fast, so there isn't too much motion. Of course, you don't sleep as well as you would in a hotel, but I find a little wine or beer in the evening helps. It's very satisfying to go to bed in one city and wake up somewhere at the other end of Spain.

lincasanova

-how about a 50 euro morning flight to sevilla, then see the city and take the train from there to granda or a bus?

if you haven't been, it might be a nice way to get more for your 135 euros.

lincasanova

www.rumbo.es is where i found that for dates mid july one way.

isabel

Thanks for the encouragement/suggestions. It sounds like it should be alright. Does anyone know if an "individual" is a single "room" that can be locked, either when you are in it, or if you want to go to the dining car or whatever? Obviously I'd keep passport/valuable with me at all times, was just wondering how safe it is to leave your suitcase with no one to watch it (and while you are sleeping). And mostly I just wanted to hear from some people who have done it.

Lincasanova - I tried that site but it doesn't seem to work. I am planning on going to Seville, but was planning on that on the way up to Madrid.

Anyway, thanks for the replys.

lincasanova

don't know why that site isn't working for you.
maybe www.expedia.com has same rates. good luck.

i understand your concerns about leaving luggage.
i don't think the large pieces are to be worried about too much, but medium or smaller pieces get me kind of nervous.

how about the euromed to alicante, (or valencia)spend the night, and then a bus from there?
bus will be about 30 euros i imagine max.

suze

I like overnight trains and sleep not too bad (have not taken one in Spain, but in Italy, France, Switzerland).

I paid the extra for a wagon-lit (2 person cabin) and the time I was solo they could have assigned another female to the cabin, but I got lucky and ended up having it to myself. You could pay even more of a charge to guarantee you had it alone.

Personally I would not be comfortable in a couchette (which I'm assuming is <tourist>?) with 4 to 6 people sharing a room with flip-down bunk beds.

I bring my own food along (wine, sandwiches, snacks, water).

PalQ

Spanish Night Train Data:
Gran Clase Single: cabins with toilet, wash basin, shower and a.c. included in cost of ticket
Gran Clase Double: cabins with toilets, wash basin, showere and a.c. Cabin needs to booked in full.
Breakfast and dinner included in price of gran clase single and double
Single: cabins with wash basin and a.c.
Double: same as single but for two, needs to be booked in full.
Tourist T4: cabins with wash basin and a.c. - need not be booked in full, not gender specific
Couchettes T6: just three bunks on each side of aisle.
All compartments can lock from the inside, not sure about from outside, always carry valuables that are carryable with you to WC or pay more for a cabin with toilet/shower.
can book up to 60 days in advance.
Global fares (regardless of route) but not all trains necessarily have all types of accommodations but most do.
Fares in US dollars, bought in US,including rail fare + sleeping accommodations:
Gran Clase single= $203; gran clase double= $140 p.p
single=$152
double=$102 p.p.
T4= $79 p.p.
Couchette T-6 $69 p.p.

PalQ

woops hit post button before done.
Plus a $15 booking fee. US booking and to have any questions answered: 800-441-9413.
If you're paying 135 euro plus 51 euro or 186 euro for a single, the US prices, thru Raileurope would seem like a bargain ($218 total; 186 euro x 1.3 euro=1$ = $241 vs Raileurope $218 total. If you have a railpass, sleepers are $50-55 cheaper as railpass pays for train fare not sleeping accommodation. As for noise though these trains stop a lot it's not always that noisy as few people get on in the middle of the night; a normal sleeper shouldn't have a problem.

kvadragon

I traveled on an overnight train from southern Spain to Barcelona about 9 years ago as a student. I was in a 6-person compartment (couchette). Three of us were traveling together--the other three travelers were strangers. It was mixed gender (men and women in same compartment).

Beware: This is not glamorous travel. The bunks are very small (wouldn't be good if you are claustrophobic), and there are no wash facilities in the compartment. You have to go to the end of the car to use the bathroom, which was pretty yucky by morning. I slept ok (woke up a few times in the night).

Bottom line: I would travel this way again if the budget was really tight. If not, I would fly or at least upgrade to a nicer compartment.

isabel

PalQ - thanks so much, very useful information. Did you say you got those rates on rail europe.com? I generally check them for European train travel but since the renfe site seemed to have everything I didn't bother. I'll definitly check it out.

And everyone, thanks for the opinions. It does seem like getting a single would be worth the money - and still end up being less than a train ticket and a hotel, not to mention saving a whole day for sightseeing. I'm not going till summer so it's too early to book the tickets, but now I can continue with my planning knowing that an overnight train is a realistic option.

PalQ

In addition to the RailEurope web site (I got the fares from one of their 2005 product sheets issued to agents) I'd call Budget Europe (800-441-2387), a Raileurope agent who is so knowledgable and helpful -same prices as RailEurope except don't have $15 order fee - i buy passes from them - anyway check current prices as they can change.