airillusion

So we have decided we would rent a car for getting from Madrid to Granada as we want to stop in Merida, Seville (overnight in Seville), Cadiz, and Rhonda (overnight in Rhonda) before arriving in Granada. But now we are deciding between car and train travel from Granada to Barcelona. This is our first experience with trains in Spain, well really Spain in general, and would like some advice. We are leaning towards train travel for Granada to Barcelona but wonder if this is the best option (we would rather not fly as we would prefer to see more of the countryside). If we do the train, it seems there are two options on the Renfe site for the day we are looking at traveling: 1) a morning train with the only available class Turista con enlace and 2) an afternoon train with the following classes: Turista, Turista Plus and Preferente. The first train is for 7 1/2 hours and the second train is for 6 hours and 15 minutes. We are an American couple in our late 30s and are wondering if we will be comfortable enough for those hours in either the Turista con enlace or Turista classes. Also what do you get for those classes? What differentiates them? I saw on the forum that the Preferente no longer includes drinks and access to the lounge if you buy the Promo ticket.

Also, what do you get with the following fares: Promo, Promo Plus and Flexible?

I can't seem to find this information on the Renfe website, maybe I'm missing something, so sorry if it is on there.

We are open to any advice you want to give as well.

kja

The man in seat 61 is an excellent resource for train travel in Spain, and elsewhere -
https://www.seat61.com/

IME, the trains in Spain are VERY comfortable and convenient.
You could not pay me enough to drive from Granada to Barcelona.

Man_in_seat_61

The direct afternoon train will be more convenient and faster than the one with a connection (with connection = 'con enlace')

Turista is absolutely fine - better than any airline economy. See photos at https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-routes/ave-s112.htm

Turista plus and Preferente give more room (seats 2+1 across car width as opposed to 2+2 in Turista) and in preferente there's a meal and wine included on many trains, certainly on weekdays.

Renfe's website is only programmed with one class for two-train journeys 'con enlace' but in fact both the trains involved (probably Granada-Madrid and Madrid-Barcelona) have Turista, Turista Plus and Preferente. If you book each train separately you can book any class. Just allow at least 45 minutes in Madrid.

You may prefer to use a site such as www.thetrainline.com or www.raileurope.co.uk rather than Renfe.com - plain English, no payment card rejection problems, and can cope with connections in all classes!

Maribel

You can read in English on Renfe about the difference in fares here. It's hard to find on the Renfe web site.
Promo ticket:
Promo Ticket.

Promo plus ticket:
Promo Ticket.

Flexible ticket:
Flexible Ticket.

The difference between Turista, Turista Plus and Preferente:

Turista is economy but as noted above, it's much more comfortable than airline cattle class.

Turista Plus (not all trains offer this) is a seat in a car with a 2 + 1 seat configuration, thus fewer passengers per car and a quieter ride. But no meal/drink service or complimentary newspaper.

Preferente is Renfe's business or first class:
leather seats, 2 + 1 seat configuration, wider seats, complimentary newspaper, hand wipes before a meal, a complimentary meal of some sort (breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack or dinner) served at one's seat plus a choice of drinks and coffee + cordials, all on the Monday-Friday AND Sunday runs but no meals served on Saturday-- plus the ability to order a special menu in advance.
But....There are no meals served in Preferente on the Madrid-León AVE.
You can read about the food service here:
In-seat Food Service.

With a Preferente Promo Plus fare (but not Preferente Promo) you receive access up to 2 hours prior to departure to the VIP Sala Club AVE lounges (such as the ones at Barcelona Sants and at Puerta de Atocha).

airillusion

Man_in_seat_61 I noticed on your site that there is a cafe-bar on board the AVE. Is that open to all travelers? Also, I noticed that the In-Service meals for Preferente class are able to accommodate a gluten free diet (I have celiac disease) but is the cafe-bar they able to accommodate a gluten free diet? On the Renfe website, they had a link to their menu but it wasn't working.

Maribel

The cafe-bars on the AVEs are open to all.
Here's the link in Spanish for the menu items. We've purchased mostly baguettes--bacon and cheese, Iberian ham, chicken with Camembert, Spanish omelet, etc.
https://www.b2in.es

It does say here that you can order a special menu (gluten free included) when you purchase your ticket but I've never done so.
https://www.b2in.es/cms-21-menus-especiales.

Or you can pick up food at a market in Granada to eat on board.

drchris

We took the fast train from Barcelona to Granada, Turista class, and it was very comfortable and quiet. Given that the fast trains are limited, we purchased our ticket online as soon as it was available and got a promo fare. It was much cheaper than waiting until after we were in Spain, plus we didn't have to worry about not getting a seat. We've also used trains in Italy and Switzerland, and the trans in Spain were wonderful - always on time, very clean, with clean restrooms. Luggage could be stored near your seat where you could keep your eye on it. The stations had good security, too -more like taking a flight. We didn't pay a lot of attention to the scenery as we were reviewing our plans for Granada but didn't see much that impressed us until we were in southern Spain. We brought snacks to eat on the train and ate a meal after arriving.
Re renting a car - You would not want to drive in Barcelona! We thought the traffic and drivers were worse than in Rome or Athens. And you would have to pay a fee to pick up in one city and drop off in another. We initially checked this option and it would have been much more expensive than using the train.
Enjoy your time in Spain - it's delightful!

airillusion

Thank you everyone for your help!!!