jp4120

Hi All
we are flying in and out of Barcelona in early Oct for 7 nights.
have been to Barcelona before so wanted to use the trains to see major cities south
any suggestions on a 7 night trip

fly into Barcelona - stay 1 night in Barcelona
train to madrid 3 nights in madrid - day trips to Toledo
train to valencia 2 nights in Valencia
train to barcelona 1 night in barcelona
plane home

any comments on the above? any alternatives you would recommend?
thanks again.

kja

Do you already have your flight reservations? if not, consider open-jaw options. And if you do fly into Barcelona and have the energy and the timing works out, leave Barcelona for your first destination ASAP so you have one less hotel with which to deal.

Although it depends on what you want to see and experience, I personally thought Madrid worth 4 days and I thought Toledo worth 2 full days.

Sassafrass

Have you been to Seville, Granada, Cordoba or Segovia or Salamanca? You could save time and cost of train by flying into Madrid and out of Barcelona or in and out of Madrid and skipping Barcelona this trip. With only six days, I would concentrate on Madrid and Seville with day trips or fly into Seville and concentrate on Seville and Granada with a day trip to Cordoba from Seville.

lincasanova

you can stop in cuenca on your way to Valencia. it might be worth a day stop. The high speed train goes to both places now and opens up another travel possibility quite easily.

nytraveler

Makes no sense to fly in and out of Barcelona based on what you want to see - why not Madrid?

lincasanova

It sounds like the flights are already booked. Perhaps with miles?.. sometimes you can't find dates or destinations you really want and make the best of it.

amer_can

Take a look at www.spanish-fiestas.com..New and very comprehensive info about the trains in Spain..Take advantage of any discounts etc.. Train travel is great..

ribeirasacra

The best (the most comprehensive) guide about Spanish train is on this site:
http://www.seat61.com/Spain.htm
http://www.seat61.com/Spain-trains.htm#.U6Cu3CjwySo

jp4120

thanks all...yes booked with miles so no east way to change and tough to find flights even 90 days in advance

IMDonehere

Take the high speed train form Barcelona to Madrid and between Madrid and Valencia but there is no AVE between Barcelona and Valencia.

lincasanova

no AVE but a 3 hr Euromed

PalenQ

Spain's trains - where it used to be the Pain in Spain IME Was Mainly on the Train - have improved greatly so they are not amongst the fastest and spiffiest in Europe on several key inter-city routes like you are taking.

Booking early can nab limited in number discounted tickets which have restrictions however so read them too - about changes and refunds - kind of set in stone I believe and must be booked weeks ahead of time to guarantee getting them as they are sold in limited numbers - so www.renfe.com is the official Spanish Railways site - but it is often flummoxing for novice users to get to work - check www.seat61.com, recommended above for more details and alternate booking sites. Other sites I like with useful general info on Spanish trains and Spain in general - www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.

there are overnight trains available too on many long-distance routes, including Barcelona to Madrid.

IMDonehere

You do not need an overnight train from Madrid to Barcelona. The AVE is about a three hour trip.

But I agree the RENFE site is a PITA.

PalenQ

No you do not need an overnight train for that short trip but if you want to spend a full day in Barcelona and then hop the night train at 9:45 pm and get to Madrid around 7 am - yes much slower than high-speed day trains - you can save on a hotel room and have the experience of an overnight train - a once in a lifetime experience if an American.

Plus the scenery between the two cities is constantly dreary - you'll miss nothing by going by night and could save a few hundred bucks on a hotel.

danon

One can easily spend a day in Barcelona and take AVe to Madrid at 9:00 PM.

A night on a train is an experience I gladly left behind in my early 20's .

IMDonehere

I also agree there is little to be seen between the two cities along the train line.

lincasanova

If you can afford a few hundred bucks a night for a hotel I don't think you're too worried about saving them to begin with. (I'm not using a criticizing tone.. actually.. a humorous one)