These Spanish train tickets are confusing! I am going to Spain next month with my wife and two children. We are purchasing individual tickets, not a pass. Is the best (and cheapest) way to purchase the tickets at El Corte Ingles at our first stop? Should we purchase the Mesa fares? We are going to be travelling from Madrid to Barcelona the day before Good Friday. -- will those tickets be sold out a week ahead of time? One day, we are travelling from Ronda to Toledo. We would like to stop in Cordoba for several hours. Do we have to buy separate tickets for each leg of the journey or can we buy one ticket with different connections? Gracias!!

I would purchase tickets Mad - Bar, ASAP......"Mesa "is good for 4
You have to take a train to Toledo from Madrid.
Not sure how to navigate Ronda- Cordoba - Madrid
Check RENFE.

It would be best to purchase you tickets ahead of time through Renfe.com. If you have any problems, then they can be purchased through Petrabax.com.

There is an ALTARIA train which connects Ronda with Cordoba twice each day. The 4-seat Mesa fares are 13,30, but I would go with the regular Turista seats, which give you more room.

Mainline trains in Spain are 'reservation obligatory' and have airline-style pricing: Cheap 2-3 months in advance, very expensive on departure day.

So book as soon as you can at www.renfe.com

If you have any problems (Renfe is fussy about foreign cards and has some quirky translations) simply use www.loco2.com or www.pretrabax.com instead.

You can book through Renfe if you use Paypal, also, if your CC doesn't work. I did. I never had a single problem using Paypal.