Spain Transportation
 

Four of us are going to Barcelona by air. We then want to go to Valencia and then to Madrid. We don't plan to drive. So, we're thinking about taking trains but not sure how and how much it will cost.

I have heard that train has hidden fee (or soemthing called supplement). Can someone explain about it? Should I get the train tickets now or wait until we get to Barcelona?

Is travel by air a practical (economcial) option for my case? Don't know how much is the airfare in traveling to different cities in Spain?


Thanks for any suggestion.

the link
http://horarios.renfe.es/hir/ingles.html
will give you times & prices of tickets.
I don't know much about the supplement, I think it applies to premium trains/ seats if you have a rail pass.
cheap airlines within Spain: vueling,
air europa; also try Iberia, it may have cheap deals at times, as well as Spanair.

Definitely wait until you get to Spain before buying train tickets. Barcelona to Valencia is probably much cheaper by Bus (Restroom equipped MotorCoach) as will your Valencia-Madrid segment. Some Bus Companies have Business Class non-stop (Supra) Coaches on which refreshments are included. It's often worth the few extra Euros they cost.

Rail supplements may be applicable if you have a Railpass: You must pay for a reservation on most Talgos or other Passenger services. That's included in regular point-to-point ticket prices.

If Barcelona-Valencia-Madrid is the total extent of your itinerary, travel by air would probably not be practical.

Spanish train fares are complicated, with fares for different types of train. Faster trains are more expensive, of course. In Spain, tickets for long-distance trains are sold with a seat reservation and the ticket is valid for a specific train. The fare shown on the RENFE web site is thus fully inclusive and there is no supplementary fare. Unless you're travelling around a holiday weekend, you should be able to buy tickets in Barcelona; the main station is Barcelona Sants, but there are often long queues at the ticket office, so it might be better to go to a travel agency.

I'm not sure how many hours is the bus Valencia to Madrid but I would think is at least 5 hrs. In case you prefer to fly( I probably would if the bus was more thay 5 hrs), Spanair ( www.spanair.com) has very reasonable rates from Valencia to Madrid.

I took the train from Madrid to Valencia last month. It was a fast and comfortable ride with reserved seats. We purchased the tickets one day in advance; the trip took about 3.5 hours and cost 38E (about $50) per person one way.

splurge and take first class trains to valencia from barcelona. it includes meals and beverages and a lovely vip lounge at departure station...the rates are on the website.if you are lucky you will be abel to reserve one of the card table type set-ups for your group.

it can be very difficult to secure four seats together on weekends to any major city in spain so i would NOT wait to get those types of tickets til you get to spain.but remeber.. if you miss your train.. you are OUT of a ticket. so careful if you are trying to connect from flight. not a reasonable option.

you may want to take the bus to madrid.from vlc but do take the EXPRESS. it is a first class bus with oversized reclining seats. takes 4 hours . makes one stop. about 30 euros.
but will get caught in traffic if travelling in afternoons.

trains less complicated traffic-wise and more central in most cases for getting to your hotel in madrid.

I do that route quite often and my advice is take trains, without doubt. They are faster and more comfortable than buses. Buses are a bit cheaper though. There are good deals by air, but it's always more expensive and the trips are not so long. Barcelona-Valencia in the Euromed train in 3 h and a half, the same Valencia-Madrid in the Alaris train.
You don't tell which time of the year you are talking about, but in summer (first and last days of the month) it is advisable to book in advance, they are full :) In any other day, it's better you wait to get to Barcelona. No supplement at all.

Patty