I see a lot of posts about train tickets and it seems that many people get them in advance. We will be in Madrid in mid May and plan to take the train to Cordoba. We will then take the train from Cordoba to Seville
We will also do daytrip to Toledo and Segovia when we are in Madrid.
Can I get the tickets when I am there or should I order them in advance? I think I read that there are discounts for "seniors" but you have to wait until you get there to do this type of discount--I am 61 and my husband is 58.

You will rarely have any problem getting on trains if you wait until you get to Spain to buy tickets - the reason for buying in advance at www.renfe.com is yes to get discounted tickets, sold in limited numbers so must be booked way in advance and have restrictions of changing, refunding, etc I believe.

For Toledo and Segovia you may as well wait as those are short trips with little savings - it's the long-distance trains where you can save lots of money.

For info on Spanish trains check www.seat61.com - good info on discounted tickets; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.

Do you know how much I would save if I got the tickets in advance?

Going to Toledo from Madrid, the 10:20 train was full when I tried to buy a ticket so I had to wait 1 1/2 hours for the next train. If you know when you want to go, you may consider making an advance reservation.

Not senior enough. Have to be 60. 40% discount on weekday a 25% for weekend when bought at window. Very unusual for any train to be completely full.

My experience was on a Thursday morning in mid-September 2012.