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Goog morning guys,

I was thinking about planning my (very spontanous) summer vacation as an interrail tour because I like travelling by train. But now I have to admit I am a bit lost concerning all the seatresevations you have to prebook in Spain. I found a way to get to Barcelona via Switzerland but then it sees everything is just already booked out I guess. Is there any possibility I I did not take into account or does anybody have any tips for me on travelling in Spain ?

I would love to hear about your experiences.

Thank you in advance!

First of all, when do you want to travel?

Otherwise it’s difficult to give suggestions ;)

 

Basically there are three routes to enter Spain by train:

Eastern, via the mediterranean route (Three options, via TGV, AVE or regional trains via Perpignan, Cerbère and Portbou to Barcelona, last option is reservation free)

Central, via Latour-de-Carol (and a regional train to Barcelona - reservation free by TER)

Western, via Hendaye and Euskotren to San Sebastian/Donostia (Euskotren not included in the pass, but very cheap and very frequent to get to the Basque country)

Once in Spain it’s recommended to make all your reservations in one go, at the ticket office.

If you’ll do most of your travel in Spain, then I would seriously consider whether Interrail is going to be the best option for you.

Reservations needed on most trains, and many can only be done at the station.

Train fares can be cheap in Spain, so consider buying tickets instead.

You can check ticket prices on Trainline.com or Rail Europe (not necessarily the best place to buy, because they charge booking fees, but very easy for searching)

Thank you for your advice!

My original plan was to travel from Saturday on but that is not going to be manageable I think 🙉

I will probably start next Wednesday...

The route I saved to get to Barcelona is the mediterranean one then via Portbou.

It just not feels goog to have no trains booked but book accomodation on certain day.

Yes, thats what I thought as well, I could just chose the pass for France (I have a ticket valid in Germany) and then buy tickets in Spain. Or even buy tickets in France as well. 

You could likely find something expensive for Saturday but yeah better travel from Wednesday -> weekday tickets are usually cheaper. Definitely book ASAP.

With the Olympics I'd avoid Paris (unless you find a quick transfer). Ouigo high-speed trains remain a good deal at short notice -> Interrail is not included though.

If you're adventurous (and under 28 y.o.) you could get the Pass Rail in France: 49€, similar to the Deutschlandticket but with lots of restrictions lol. No TGVs included.

Something like Cologne - Mainz - Mannheim - Karlsruhe -> France. Then Strasbourg - Mulhouse - Belfort - Lyon. Feel free to ask for advice.

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