For Madrid - Porto go via Vigo:

- ALVIA Madrid-Chamartin - Vigo-Urzaiz 11:20 - 15:38 8.50€ reservation

- break + little walk between both stations

- Vigo-Guixar - Porto 19:56 - 21:18 (incl. 1h time difference)

Unfortunately the Interrail website still doesn't recognize Vigo station so impossible to book the ALVIA. Try to visit a DB ticket counter, for example at Basel Bad Bf. They can sell them: tell staff to search by train number (it used to be possible with SBB...).

A few seats should be left when you arrive in Spain but not guaranteed.

The Vigo - Porto free reservations should be available at Vigo. Availability won't be an issue. You can try in Madrid but expect looong queues.

For Porto - Lisbon you won't have issues booking reservations the day before. There are plenty of trains. You could also buy cheap tickets online and save the pass day.

Feel free to ask anything. As you're experiencing Spain and Portugal are the worst countries for Interrail! Still doable but not hassle-free.

There are two options to get from Madrid to Porto:

• Madrid-Vigo and then Vigo-Porto
• Madrid-Badajoz, Badajoz-Entroncamento and then Entroncamento-Porto.

For the first one, you're able to make seat reservations for both trains at a Spanish ticket office: the Vigo-Porto train is run jointly between Renfe and CP. Reservations for the Vigo-Porto train are free.

For the second option, you'll need seat reservations from Madrid to Badajoz (bookable at a DB ticket office, or at a Renfe ticket office in Spain, or through the interrail reservation portal) and for the train from Entroncamento to Porto. You can buy the reservation for that train from the staff onboard the regional train from Badajoz to Entroncamento (which does not require a reservation).