Trains in Spain
 

Have finally booked flights to Spain for March.

I'm now in the very early stages of sorting logistics and the first hurdle is train tickets. We need to get from Madrid to Barcelona and back to Madrid via high speed train. I see that reservations are mandatory, but it's not clear to me which website to use - Renfe? I'm assuming that since train reservations are mandatory, we'll need to book our train tickets well in advance?

What are the main differences between first and second class? As a point of reference, I travel second class in Switzerland and generally stick to regional trains in Germany and Austria. But I get the impression that traveling in Spain is a whole different animal...crowded? Is traveling with luggage a PITA?

We're spending our first night at a hotel in Centro on Calle Gran Via (Hotel Rui Plaza Espana). It seems we need to get to the Atocha station to catch a high speed train to Barcelona?

So many questions....

Would appreciate any insight on tips, suggestions and what to expect.

For anything involving trains in Europe, you can't do better than start with the man in seat 61:
https://www.seat61.com/

I didn't feel the need for first class in Spain. I found the trains comfortable and convenient. I don't remember any troubles with luggage.

Yes, the main train station in Madrid, and the one with the high speed terminal, is Atocha.

Thanks kja. I was just looking at the man in seat 61 site.

The fast AVE from Madrid to Barcelona is very modern and comfortable..I never felt a need for the first class.
We book with a RENFE bur some Americans have had problems with their website.
The tickets are not cheap..your ticket is your reservation. You will probably be able to book it 30-60
days in advance.

Yes, you'll need to go to Puerta de Atocha rail station from your hotel on the Plaza de España to catch the Madrid-Barcelona AVE.
Some other trains to the north (Bilbao, Burgos, etc.) leave from the other rail station, Chamartín.

Yes, reservations are mandatory on the Madrid-Barcelona high-speed AVE. *You will need to check Renfe to see when tickets become available for your March date. *As of today, fares have been loaded for this journey up until March 1. *As soon as fares for your specific date have been loaded, book then to secure the best promotional rate. *Fares only go up as your departure date approaches.

Renfe is notorious for not accepting non-Spain issued credit cars (but it does accept mine, but I'm a registered user). *If Renfe won't accept your US-issued credit card, you can use Pay Pal.

Alternatively for an additional fee you can book through US-based www.petrabax.com or loco2.com, now a part of Rail Europe.

The differences between tourist class (turista) and business class (preferente): *
Preferente offers a 2 + 1 seat configuration, so fewer passengers per car=a quieter ride, and if you're lucky, a bit more room in the luggage storage area at the end of each car for your bags. *During peak holiday periods, the luggage storage racks in either class can get packed. *If we get on the train at a midpoint (Zaragoza, for example) rather than at the train's origin (Madrid), we often find little space available but that's during peak travel dates. *At times we've had to leave our bags in the hallway, like other travelers. *There is luggage storage above one's seat for smaller bags. *

But you'll be starting in Madrid and in March, so my advice is to get to Atocha early and as soon as your track is announced on the monitors in the departures hall, head towards it right away so as to be one of the first passengers on to snag plenty of space for your bags (but maybe you pack light). *Your ticket will be scanned at the departures hall booth, then you'll go down the escalator to the tracks and may go through additional security there (but it depends on the train). *

The Preferente seats also are slightly wider and have more leg room. *Passengers are offered a newspaper, a hand towel and Monday-Friday and Sundays (but not on Saturdays), a complimentary meal and drinks, which may be a snack (aperitivo), lunch or dinner, depending on the hour of day. *Tickets indicate what meal, if any, is served. *It's a basic tourist class airline meal, no better, no worse, IME.*
You can book a Preferente promo ticket or a more expensive Preferente promo plus ticket, which in addition, gives you admission to the Atocha rail station VIP lounge (but no more than 2 hours prior to departure), where you'll find complimentary packaged snacks, drinks, newspapers and computers.*

If you normally buy a tourist class ticket in Switzerland, you'll be fine with a tourist seat on the AVE. * We do splurge for Preferente seats during a holiday period, but for a short ride of 2-3 hours, it's just not necessary. *The AVEs are very comfortable.
Often the Preferente promo fare can cost just a few euros more than the Turista fare. *On Black Friday I bought a Preferente ticket for our Madrid-Sevilla AVE for March 1 because it cost just 5 euros more than Turista.*But again, it's not necessary.

Just saw kja's response while composing this! The Man in Seat 21 tells you all of the above (except that meals are now served again in Preferente on Sundays)

Thank you all!

I am not clear on why you think trains in Spain are so different from any other country. The diference between first and second is the same as in any country where I've traveled, it can't be quantified, but first class is generally "nicer". And sometimes less crowded, just because it costs more, but if everyone has an assigned seat, I don't know what difference that makes. Luggage issues are not special on Spanish trains that I've noticed.

As for you must book early because there are seat reservations, those two things are unrelated. high speed long distance trains generally require seat reservations in any country where I've traveled. Whether you must book early (presuming you mean the seats sell out) is just a matter of season, day of week, route, holidays, etc. yes, you can usually get cheaper rates booking well in advance, but you can check that by checking a ffew dates, far off and close.

Just my two penn'oth - by booking early I paid only slightly more to travel Preferente from Madrid to Valencia and back again last May and it was very pleasant as were the refreshments we got both ways. Plenty of space for me and my luggage.

Definitely worth trying to book early [try a dummy run now to see how it works so that you're not faffing about when you really want to do it] and register at the same time. Then actually buying the tickets should be easy/er.

It's a good idea to get to Atocha early but if you're too early and the gates aren't open for your train, go and have a look at the tropical style gardens in the huge atrium. Fabulous. I think there's a restaurant up there too.

When I went to Spain, I booked as early as possible. Sometimes we went preferente, sometimes turista, but I don't recall a huge difference in quality. And the times we went preferente, it was because the increase in price wasn't much. If you are moving with bags, it can be worth a few euros extra for more luggage space, but going turista is nothing to fret over, either.

Melnq8,
Meant "Man in Seat 61", a great resource for train travel all over, not just Spain.

Just to add that the Preferente Promo ticket doesn't allow seat selection (but I never bother with that, as 2 passengers traveling together are allocated seats next to each other) or any changes. The more expensive Promo + ticket allows seat selection and the ability to change one's dates. The fully Flexible fare allows changes and cancellations, but it's quite pricey, up to even 4 times the price of a Promo ticket. I never purchase it.

The price difference between Preferente and Turista tickets for March 1 for some AVEs is only 6-8 euros. The trains take between 2 hrs, 30 min and 3 hrs 10 min, given the # of stops. For a 3 hr.+ ride it's sometimes nice to have a complimentary meal or snacks just to pass away the time, but again, the Preferente ticket isn't necessary. If you can find a Turista Promo fare on that route for under 60 euros, you might want to grab it, as soon as the fares are loaded for your dates.

There's also a MESA fare in both Preferente and Turista, which is a joint fare for 4 seats facing each other for a family group.

Very helpful, thank you again!

I did all our reservations on Renfe but I know some Spanish. You can't go wrong with Man in Seat 61 and you can also write to Mark if you have a specific problem that isn't addressed on his site. I did and I got a prompt and helpful answer.

You can't go wrong with Man in Seat 61 and you can also write to Mark if you have a specific problem that isn't addressed on his site. I did and I got a prompt and helpful answer.>>

I seem to remember that he's cropped up here once or twice too. or am I imagining that?

Not only, once or twice.

1693 times :-)

For those traveling between MADRID and BARCELONA starting APRIL 6:

Renfe announced yesterday a new low-cost version of the high-speed AVE, called the AVLO, which will begin service on April 6 on the Madrid-Zaragoza-Barcelona route, with the first departure from Barcelona.
Tickets will go on sale at the end of January after the "promotional roll out". during FITUR (international tourism congress).

Renfe will begin this low cost service with the Madrid-Zaragoza-Barcelona route, then expand it during 2020- 2021 to other high-speed AVE routes.
The AVLO will have only one class of service (turista, no preferente) and won't have a bar car (just drink/sandwich dispensing machines), and it will carry more passengers with a total of 438 seats, 20% more than currently.
Renfe hasn't revealed the prices, but they're expected to be about 40% less than the current AVE fares.

It will be a RENFE's answer to the SNCF Ouigo.

https://www.railwaygazette.com/high-.../55343.article

AVLO (low-cost high speed train). The most significant change for passengers accustomed to the AVE trains will not be speed, but comfort. Renfe squeezes five seats to a row where once there were four, thereby increasing capacity by 30%.

I've checked the Renfe site as well as Rail Europe - tickets don't go on sale for our dates until mid-January (per Rail Europe anyway).

Interesting about the AVLO - not an option for us as we'll be there in March.

Ditto to Revulgo's comment about comfort, with more seats per train and no Preferente class. The first generation of AVLOs, the Talgo112, will have 438 seats and the next generation, new series 106, to come out in 2021 will have 581 seats. But it's a 2 1/2 hour to 3 hr. 10 min. ride, depending on how many stops.

danon,
If this goes well Renfe hopes to extend the AVLO to the other AVE routes. They want to get a leg up on the upcoming competition.
On Dec. 14, 2020, Renfe will have some competition, when SNCF is allowed to compete on its high-speed routes, Madrid-Barcelona, Madrid-Levante (Valencia/Alicante) and Madrid-Sevilla-Málaga. And Trenitalia intends to join the market in January 2022, so reports say.

https://www.elperiodico.com/es/econo...corail-7752708

https://www.businesstraveller.com/bu...-spains-renfe/

It's only a pity that no one wants to bring back the night trains.

Despite the high-speed trains Barcelona - Granada is still more than 6 hours. I'd rather spend 8-10 hours on a night train than vaste half day on a high-speed train. Until 2015 the Trehotel Alhambra connected Barcelona and Granada every night.

Paris - Madrid takes almost a whole day by high-speed train, but the night train has been suspended as soon as the Perpignan-Barcelona HS track opened.