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Spanish domestic trains: risk of not booking in advance

  • 14 July 2022
  • 7 replies
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T

I'm planning on travelling from Barcelona tot Madrid next week, but you can't make online reservations for Spanish domestic trains. I've found the forum about making a reservation for Spanish domestic trains but I find all options quite complicated except booking on the spot at a Spanish ticket office. Is it too risky not to try to make the reservation in advance but booking it a day in advance when I get in Spain so I can go to a ticket office once I'm there?

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Best answer by MartinM 14 July 2022, 17:17

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A
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Here is a guide on how to make reservations for domestic Spanish trains. 

https://community.eurail.com/train-connections-reservations-47/how-to-get-reservations-105/index2.html?postid=18419#post18419

 

Please note that I don't work for Interrail/Eurail and that I don't reply to personal messages.
T

Thanks, but that doesn't answer my question I'm afraid

M
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If I check availability for tomorrow from Barcelona to Madrid, there are still tickets for several trains available… so if you don’t want a specific hour, it should work. But of course there is not a 100% guarantee.

M
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On THIS line-the major one in all of ESpana-are hourly superfast AVE trains, and even a few extra in the peaks. So with a tiny little bit of flexibilty you´ll find space. If wanting to save 11€: there is also still 1 UNresevred local via the old-broad gauge lines, cannot really advice this-old clapped out set, taking some 6-7 hrs and meant to serve all the tiny stations along the line.

IF you can prepaln all trips in ES then you should-with enough time and perhaps perseverance, make all bookings in 1 time at first convenient stop-but expect also refusal. RENFE often asks passholders to show pass is valid and the day you book is activated-they are pretty cautious to not spoil seats that stay empty for which no ticket has been paid/pass held.

T

@MartinM Thanks! How did you check availability? Simply by going to the RENFE website? Because I thought that the train companies reserve a limited amount of seats for Interrail, so that when a train is available through the website it doesn't mean they have seats left for Interrailers?

 

M
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AFAIK in Spain there is no limitation (or they changed it?). In France there was but now 20€ instead and for Eurostar there is. Beside don’t know about limitations.

yes, just checked general availability on renfe website 

A
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@MartinM Thanks! How did you check availability? Simply by going to the RENFE website? Because I thought that the train companies reserve a limited amount of seats for Interrail, so that when a train is available through the website it doesn't mean they have seats left for Interrailers?

 


That is true with some operations (Eurostar and Thalys are the most common asked about) but not Spanish trains. Pass availability is the same as overall train.

 

As above there is no guarantee but if you are flexible over which train/time you will take there is a good chance you should find some service for the following day.

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