We'll be in Spain with a group of 4 in late November. My plan is to take the AVE train from Madrid to Sevilla on a weekday. However I'd like to leave it open to decide if we want to leave morning, afternoon, or evening. Will I be able to buy a ticket for the next train or do we really need to purchase our train tickets in advance?

I've never bought ticket for train travel in europe in advance, but I don't want the four of us to have to sit in the area between the cars with our luggage for a 3 hour ride either.

Thanks

The AVE is reservations only and t is always best to purchase your tickets in advance, sometimes only a day or two, but it will depend on which day of the week and the time of day you want to travel. You may be able to find one or two seats still available if you want to wait until later, but don’t count on it. Madrid-Sevilla is generally a busy route.

The Altaria runs twice a day between Madrid and Sevilla and is a bit less expensive, but you will still need to make reservations.

Guess I'll just have to make a guess how long we'll want to be in Madrid.

Thanks Robert

If you avoid the first two trains(7AM and 8AM) you should have no problem during weekdays.
You have three classes, tourist, business and club, If you don't have a booking you may end having to buying the more expensive one.
Tourist class if perfectly OK , there is no chance of boarding the train wihout a proper seat.
It is better to book in advance.

if you wait to buy your tickets at the station atocha in madrid you will most likely be in a for a very frustrating and long WAIT.( could be over an hour)

pay a small service fee and get them at a travel agency,( takes 5 minutes) or have your hotel help you order them on the phone and pick up at customer service.

first classs tickets allow you to use the VIP lounge at departing station, and also gives meals and drink included FYI.

So what exactly is the difference between tourist, first, and club seats?

Anyone ever bought tickets online from Tiknet? Or can/should I buy tickets at the airport once we arrive? (would be a couple days in advance)

Is the AV Media Distancia (Seville-Cordoba) also reservations only?

Finally, any thoughts on the train from Granada to Madrid?

You are not permitted to travel between cars in the AVE.
Lincasanova is right about lines, and we have already had reports on this.
Tiknet is easy, pages are in english.
Renfe ticket office is reported to be in T1 only. The travel agency is a good idea.

I don't know this from personal experience, but I've read posts saying there is also a Renfe ticket Office in Terminal-4. My experience with those Airport ticket offices has not been very good: I have found that they don't give you discounts that Renfe offers unless you specifically ask for them. At Puerta de Atocha the Ticket Agents will even call to one's attention any discounts that are available.

Renfe sometimes has special offers on its First Class (Club) Service such as 'Club-Duo' or 'Club Quatro:' Before you buy your tix, that might be worth checking out. November would probably be a good chance for those reduced fares to be in effect. Sometimes you can find them on the Renfe website and sometimes not: http://www.Renfe.es


At Madrid's Puerta de Atocha I have never had to wait more than 10-or-15 minutes to purchase AVE tix. There's a special Ticket Office for AVE off the Atrium on the north side of the station

I read a post some days ago saying that the Renfe office in T4 is scheduled, but still not open.
Good point the discounts.
If you plan to take the train back, keep your ticket and show it when purchasing the return for a 20% discount.