Buying Barcelona-Sevilla AVE tickets in advance or not

As you are at the Airport, why not connect with a Vueling or Ryanair flight to Sevilla?

Good question. I was shooting for the "joy is in the journey" experience of taking a train trip for my daughter, and it just kind of worked into our travel itinerary at this point. Also, we want to see some of the Spain at the ground level, and not just fly over it (we are taking a few other flights).

In early July, my daughter and I are arriving at Barcelona El Prat airport at 7:15 morning after an international flight, and planning to immediately take the next possible AVE train to Sevilla.

Do you realize that the train journey from Barcelona to Sevilla will take 5.5 to 6 hours with a train transfer in Madrid?

I’d definitely not want to take such a long trek after a transatlantic flight.

I’d suggest spending that first night in Barcelona. Then travel to Sevilla the following morning after a good nights rest . By doing this, you can book a discounted train ticket now and save some money.

Another option, as mentioned by Joan, would be to fly to Sevilla, or to change your original flight to Madrid.

Have a wonderful trip! 🌼

If you plan to visit Granada, don’t forget to book your Alhambra tickets NOW!

After some time spent on the Renfe.com site, my conclusion is: buy a ticket at the station.
The uplift for flexible is obscene.

Thanks for everyone's very sound advice. I was aware of how long the train would take and the stop in Madrid. It is cost prohibitive to change our inbound flight, so we'll look again at a Barcelona-Sevilla flight. My 14 year really wants to take the train, even with how long it takes, and it seems possible she can get a AVE ticket at a lower price (according to the loco2 site), which I have found easiest to use). We'll have to take another hard look at our travel plans and see what we up for!

I think I misread the Loco2 site. I don't think there was a student discount on the ticket. Whoops.