For a 1 way night train from Barcelona to Seville, renfe.es is charging 150 euros ($218) for 2 people (star fare, double bed?) or 76 euros ($110) for seats.
I've never rode on renfe, so I don't know how comfortable the seats are. So is it best to spring the extra $100 for the bed? Also, should we be expecting to share a cabin with another couple? The description for the sleeper is "Cama G. Clase Doble Familiar". Thanks!
Gary...the seats are comfortable, more so than aircraft seats, and there's more space between rows. But unless you like sleeping sitting up, spring for the bed. Depending on when you're travelling, RENFE offer the Cama Grande Clase Doble Familiar fare for as low as 49 Euro (WEB fare, as opposed to the Estrella (star) fare.) The sleeper you're getting is the top of the line accommodations...your cabin has two large bunks, ensuite toilet and shower, etc...all the amenities...very comfortable. Even at the 74 Euro per person Estrella fare, that's a pretty good deal.
If you can do it, get the beds! I was in Europe for a month this summer and traveled three times on overnight trains. Twice we had beds and once we were stuck in seats - the beds are TOTALLY worth it! We were so exhausted after an awful night's sleep when we had seats, it made for a harder day of sightseeing the following day.
thanks for the replies! looks like i'll be booking the sleeper.
Or consider flying. The price can be competitive, and you gain many hours.
Also consider that some folks can not sleep (at all) in a moving train, no matter how nice the bunks are. Maybe you're not one of them, but it's something to consider.
flight+hotel is only $5 more, but we would have to leave from barcelona a few hours earlier. i think i'll stick with the train.
just my luck. i went to reserve the sleeper car and my card was rejected, didn't think to call the credit company ahead of time, and immediately after that the estrella fare was gone. any chance that it will come back? I still have 22 days before the trip.
EDIT: I AM STUPID! Lol, I was trying to book the wrong date!
Gary,
I'm making the reverse of that trip this spring. Normally I like trains, but am flying because the fares are unbeatable:
Spanair has many flights between Barcelona and Sevilla. Mine was nonstop, takes 90 minutes, and cost 27.44 € total [bought on their website with a credit card. The prices are good even for one way flights like mine, so there is not the usual one-way price gouge.
Vueling also has many flights between Barcelona and Sevilla with really low fares. [baggage=10€] I'm not going until April and their calendar only goes up to March, but they will update it in October.
Buses to/from the Seville airport [SVQ] run frequently from Seville's Santa Justa main train station. Likewise, there are trains and buses going frequently between the Barcelona airport [BCN] and downtown.
Paul, thanks for the tip, but a bit too late since I already bought the train tickets haha. I searched for flights on kayak.com and fly.com so spanair didn't show up. But actually, I think I'm better off with the train tickets.
Spanair is charging 110 euros for 2 people, plus the cost of a hostel, it would be 160 euros total, 10 euros more than what I paid for the train.
If I took a morning flight instead of a night flight, so that I wouldn't have to pay for a night in the hostel, I wouldn't get into Seville until noon, so I lose about 4 hours compared to the train.
Gaining an extra 4 hours at the expense of 50 euros is worth it IMO because who knows how many times I will get to go to Spain again in the future.
edit: wow, vueling is only 70 euros -_-. I can't get a refund from renfe from their website and I can't call them because their lines are always busy. Oh well, they would charge at least a 50% refund anyways.
