Our tour of Spain ends on a Sunday in Sevilla and we are flying out on of Madrid on Monday. It looks like the train is the best way to go. How far in advance to we buy tickets? Is it a day of thing or should, we buy them farther in advance?
Posted by
Los Angeles
954 posts
Hi Gretchen,
Hopefully someone else will jump in but I think it's beneficial to buy asap. I believe prices go up as the date gets closer.
Posted by
Washington DC
27137 posts
Take a look at the fares for Tuesday on the Renfe website, then check the fares for your travel date. If you see a difference, that's what you can save by buying now. Note that fares can vary by time of day.
Your origin will be Sevilla-Santa Justa; your destination, Madrid-Puerta de Atocha. Click on a price to see the rules on refunds and changes. The lowest prices are for the most restrictive tickets, which you may decide are too risky, especially this year.
Another potential factor is that trains can sell out. I don't think that usually happens way in advance, but as I write this message at 1 AM EST, the next five trains are sold out.
I think at the very least, if I was still seeing less-than-maximum fares offered, I'd buy the tickets the day I arrived in Spain, being sure at that point that the trip was a "go". The odds of needing to change or cancel at that point would be quite low.
Posted by
Hudson Valley
2267 posts
Definitely buy in advance—no need to rush, but pricing and availability are factors, as mentioned above.
Note that REFNE is funny about releasing tickets. I think it's supposed to be 90 days in advance, but that seems to vary by as much as a few weeks. So more than 60-ish days out don't be surprised if the system says something like "no tickets available for your dates".
If your flight isn't brutally early, I'd suggest you stay in the city, enjoying one more dinner and paseo before a morning taxi to Barajas.