Train travel in Spain is reliable but buses can be faster and more economical and it's always best to compare schedules and prices before going. Sometimes the bus routes are faster, although not always as the high speed AVE train from Madrid to Cordoba and Seville is the quickest option on this line. Other really fast routes are Madrid-Barcelona, Madrid-Segovia-Valladolid and Madrid-Córdoba-Málaga. Spanish trains are predominantly operated by RENFE (http://www.renfe.es) but there are also regional train operates like Euskotren (http://www.euskotren.es) in the Basque Country. But the advantage of trains is that there is only one main station in each place and most are operated by these 1-2 companies.


TYPES OF TRAINS
RENFE have a number of train services:

Regionales - all s trains and are generally cheaper but slower.
Expresso and Rapido - are the next step up and run regular, daytime long-distance inter-regional trains
InterCity (IC) - are quicker and make fewer ss.
Talgos - are the fastest trains and only s at the major cities.

Estrellas - are the night time version of Rapidos.

Cercanias - are the local commuter trains that travel between major cities to surrounding suburbs and hinterland and sometimes cross regional boundaries.

AVE –  of the range, high speed train from Madrid to Seville (2.5 hours) , Madrid to Zaragoza (1.5 hours) or Madrid to Toledo (30 mins)

EUROMED - high speed train from Barcelona to Valencia (2 hours 50 mins)

Arco - line between Barcelona and Valencia, sping at main cities on the Mediterranean.

Alaris - high speed line between Madrid and Valencia (3.5 hours)
 
Largo recorrido are long distance trains. Daytime trains are diruno, night trains are estrella.

Euskotren service in the Basque country consist mainly of Euskopullman that link Bilbao, San Sebastian and Hendaye in France. These are complemented by Intercity services linking Bilbao with San Sebastian.

 

TICKETS
Buying a ticket in Spanish train stations can be confusing particularly at the enormous stations in Barcelona and Madrid. There are ticket booths and information points everywhere. First find the sign for the kind of train you plan to take eg. Cercanias, Regionales etc and then go to the manned information booth, in large cities there will be someone here who speaks English. You may need to take a ticket for your turn in the line, so look out for dispensing machines. You can expect to wait 30-60 minutes to get to the front of the queue so make sure you line up in the right place! In smaller towns the wait should not be as long (do note for buses you rarely have to wait long at all).

Tickets in Spain are generally cheaper than in France or Germany, but as indicated earlier not usually cheaper than buses. Try and make use of some of the discount cards and passes for more savings. You can save up to 20% on Carnet Joven, Euro<26, GO25/IYTC and ISIC. Purchasing return tickets usually enables another 20% discount.

Spanish trains often require supplements even on ordinary trains like the expressos and rapidos. Check in advance so you are not fined on the train. If you are making a reservation in advance you will definitely need to pay a supplement. Even if you have an Interail or Eurail pass you will have to pay a supplement on AVE and Talgo trains.

InterRail (zone F), Eurail, Eurodomino and Europass tickets are valid on RENFE trains and are supplemented by the Spain Flexipass.

 

RAIL PASSES
RENFE offers the following deals and discounts:

Dias Azules (Blue Days) – on dates that do not coincide with holidays you receive a 50% discount.
Tarjeta Joven (Youth Card) - allows 12-25 year olds a 50% discount on all tickets on Blue Days.
Tarjeta Turistica (Tourist Card) or Spain Flexi Pass - reserved for non-Spanish travellers alowing unrestricted circulation and no distance limitation on any RENFE line. Prices vary depending on the duration of travel time requested, which may be 3, 5 or 10 days within a two month period. Supplements are still required for AVE, Talgo and sleeper reservations.

Other passes:
Euro- Railpass (Eurail Pass)
To be purchased in the country of origin and provides unlimited travel rights on any line. It can be 15, 25, 30, 60 or 90 days in duration. Many consider this as the best pass for travelling in Europe as it covers up to 21 countries and is especially good for those with limited time. You can choose a global pass (21 countries), select pass (3, 4 or 5 countries), regional pass or one country pass. There are a variety of durations available. Discounts are available for those under 26 years. Make sure you check out what discounts are available to you as a senior, student or child.

Eurail Spain Pass

This pass is a single country only pass offered by Eurail. It is valid for unlimited travel on Renfe trains for between three and 10 days in a two month period. Supplements are required for AVE and Talgo trains in addition to seat/couchette/sleeper reservations.

InterRail One Country Pass – Spain

This is availabe to European residents and allows them 3-8 days of unlimited train travel in Spain within a one month period.

Iberic Railpass
Can be used in Spain and Portugal for 3-10 days of 1st class travel within 2 months.
 
France’n Spain Pass
This gives the bearer unlimited train travel on the national rail networks of France and Spain although it can not be used on FEVE, FCG, EUSKOTREN and FGV trains in Spain. There is a choice of 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10 days of unlimited train travel within a two month period.

Italy Spain Pass
Similar to the France’n Spain this pass is between Spain and Italy with up to 10 days of unlimited travel within a two month period.

Eurail Spain Rail 'n Drive

This pass gives you 3 days unlimited train travel (first class) and 2 days hire car rental in Spain. It is for non-European citizens only. You should check that this one is actually saving you money.

We recommend you look into buying your rail passes before you leave as they can be more expensive overseas. Also remember that rail passes do not guarantee seats on trains. You still need to book a reservation ahead of time as many trains are often crowded.

For these and other train passes consider using Backpackglobe.com to buy your tickets as the revenue raised goes directly back into improving the site and helping you. Rail Connection www.railconnection.com has more details on the Eurail pass. Europrail www.europrail.net offers Eurail and other European passes.


 

CLASSES
All Spanish trains have first and second classes and prices will vary accordingly. On local trains the higher first-class fare might not get you much more than in 2nd class but on long-distance trains the wider seats and more legroom can make the journey far more comfortable. Remember to always make seat reservations in advance, for either class.

 

SAFETY
Traveling by night is inexpensive, but never leave your belongings unattended and make sure the door of your compartment is well locked. Train stations in Spain are not the best places to spend the night although they are generally well attended by police.

 

USEFUL LINKS

Inter rail
www.inter-rail.net

Rail Connection
www.railconnection.com

Europrail
www.europrail.net

Eurail
www.eurail.com

Rail Europe
www.raileurope.com


YOUR ADVICE
It's not worth falsifying dates on your Eurail pass or even writing it in pencil. Ours were confiscated! Fortunately we got them back in the morning but it was a close shave. (Martha, Australia)