We will be in Madrid at the beginning of March and plan to take two trips, an overnight to Salamanca during the week and a day trip to Toledo on a Saturday. Given the time of year (not quite as touristy) would you recommend buying train tickets in advance online before we go or can we wait until we are in Madrid?

There is no doubt that Toledo is almost a commuter route (only 30 odd minutes from Madrid) at any time of the year, but Salamanca less of a problem. If you have a plan, why not purchase your tickets in advance, for piece of mind and less time taken from your holiday?

You can save plenty of money if you plan ahead and buy your tickets 62 days in advance on the web. The discounts become less available as your travel date nears, because they are bought by other people. There are only a limited number of tickets with discounts.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g1...s.Online..html

For Salamanca, you may want to consider using the bus rather than the train. Buses run much more frequently (something like every hour on the hour the last time I took them) and also are faster -around 2 hrs- and cheaper 14 euros return. No need to buy bus ticket in advance, especially for mid-week. Just show up at the bus station and purchase an ida-vuelta (round trip) at the wicket.

The company is Auto-Res (avanzabus.com). Salamanca is a great city, you will certainly enjoy it.

Also for the Madrid-Toledo train, fare is around 10 euros each way on the AVANT. Availability of discounted fares is normally low (or non-existent?) on this run and any potential savings amount to very little - I would not fret about it.

If going on a popular w-e, you may want to purchase ahead though, to avoid disapointment.

alg, I just read one of your other posts and realized that you will be spending some time in Madrid prior to your Toledo trip. If you are uncomfortable or unsuccessful at purchasing train tickets from the web (seems to be a recurring topic), you would also be able to purchase from a RENFE wicket in person upon your arrival in Madrid.

Given the time of year (March) and the number of train departures, seat availability should not normally be a problem a few days ahead IMO.

thanks for the advice. I had previously tried to buy tickets online without success (even with Maribel's guide and the tripadvisor post to assist), and wasn't sure if I should keep trying or just wait until we get to Madrid.

However, I didn't know about the bus to Salamanca so thank you for the tip!

there is no discount for the Madrid to Toledo train. probably only the Madrid to Salamanca train trip would you be able to get a discount.

personally, I like to have my train tickets purchased before we get there. but yes, the Madrid to Toledo route is heavily travelled so best to buy those ahead of time.

enjoy!!