the train in Spain - the need for help is plain
 

We are vacationing in Spain in October and plan to travel between cities by train. I really need help from you train experts. Sorry this is so long, but I am trying to include all the relevant info.

I have read a lot about the train system online and this summarizes what I have learned. Please correct me if any of this is incorrect.

The trains themselves are comfortable and efficient.

You can buy tickets at the station, but it always costs more than online.

If you buy tickets online, they can't be exchanged for a different time. (Is this right?)

You can buy tickets online through rail Europe http://www.raileurope.com/ This website is easy to use and reliable. However, you pay full web price (maybe a euro or two less than what you'd pay at station).

You can buy tickets at http://www.renfe.com/ the Spanish train system website. This site sometimes has great bargains, but is a major pain to use. One day a price is there, the next day not. Sometimes the whole system is down. Sometimes you go through the whole process to buy a ticket and then it crashes or won't accept your American credit card.

I'm trying to decide how best to buy tickets. You can see our itinerary below.

Oct 10, arrive in Madrid, travel to Zaragoza
Oct 10-12 stay Zaragoza (for festival Pilar)
Oct 13 travel to Valladolid
Oct 13-15 stay Valladolid (conference for DH)
Oct 16 travel to Seville
Oct 16-19 stay Seville, including day trip to Cordoba
Oct 20 travel to Madrid
Oct 20-24 stay in Madrid, including day trip to Toledo
Oct 25 fly home

1. Should we buy a ticket in advance for Madrid to Zaragoza? If our plane is late and we miss our train is there any way to exchange our tickets? If we don't buy tickets in advance would there be any chance the trains would be completely booked? There are many trips a day, but there is a festival in Zaragoza then.

2. For our trip from Zaragoza to Valladolid, there appears to be only 1 direct train a day. I assume we should book this in advance. Do you think there's any chance on getting a web fare for this leg given the festival will have just ended in Zaragoza? If not, I might as well book now through the easier rail Europe site.

3. For the other two legs of our trip, do you think there's a good chance of getting a great web fare on renfe at this point (only a month in advance)?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Yes, you should always purchase your tickets ahead of time on the Renfe website to obtain the best discount price and to assure that there are seats available on the train you want. Only the Regional trains have open seating, everything else is reserved seating.

And no, if your flight is late and you miss your train, the ticket is useless, so plan accordingly.

If you purchase your tickets through Rail Europe you pay a premium for their service, as well as paying the rack rate, no discounts. Rail Europe is nothing more than a broker who charges a fee and they do not have special access to Renfe's tickets. If the tickets are not shown on the website, then they are not available.

And yes, the Renfe website can be a pain, but it’s still the best way to buy tickets.

All as robert.

I cannot tell what you have read on the web, so here to get you through the purchase on RENFE is the most pertinent conciseness -
http://www.seat61.com/Europe-train-t...ways%20website

and elaboration -
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-...s.Online..html

The greatest problem, these days, is software compatibility between the bank/finance house of your debit or credit card and RENFE, if the company is from parts of the world other than Europe. If following the guides (above) all other problems are surmountable.

Best wishes.

Let your credit-card company know about your plans so they unblock their security system that otherwise would stop attempts at overseas purchases.

Now before you jump into the trains with their substantial cost and hassle and worry about refunds if you can't make the train on time - did you know that long-distance buses in Spain are very common and popular, taking you speedily from city to city (not as fast as the fastest supertrains but still - at expressway speed limit speeds)?

Look at the website of the main departure point for buses leaving Madrid for example - you only need minimal Spanish-language knowledge to make sense of it:

www.estaciondeautobuses.com

It is the Estacion Sur - the word horario means timetable, and the link Como llegar brings up directions and a map to this location.

Cheap, quick, easy. You can book ahead, but if you just go there when you know you're ready, you'll find a departure in the next two or three hours, meanwhile you have lunch or whatever - you're on vacation, so minutes don't count I suppose.

It is possible that visa can buy on the website of Renfe, if not in the same station
Madrid Puerta de Atocha, there are many train between madrid and zaragoza,

Another option is the bus, but it takes more than double time, web is the page
www.ALSA.es

Make sure you have hotel in Zaragoza, in the celebrations of the pillar is all full-

Update

First, thanks for the input. After many tries with different browsers, credit cards etc and a call to my bank, I successfully bought 2 tickets on renfe for the Zaragoza to Valladolid leg of the trip. yeh! Even got the estrella discount rate. I printed the tickets and saved the pdf. FYI, unlike the generally useful advice from the tripadvisor link listed above, I was never asked for my passport number.

However, one question remains - since I can't use a train ticket for another time, how much time should I allow between arrival at Madrid airport and departure of the train from Atoche station? I saw one website say 4-5 hours. Is that right? (And no, we really don't want to take a bus.)

For the person who asked, yes, fortunately I made reservations for the hotel in Zaragoza a while ago.