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Day Trip to See How the Horses Dance In Jerez

Posted by (Oregon) on

I'm currently filling in the details of our trip to Spain in April and May. Flight, apartments, trains, and obligatory advance tickets like the Alhambra, have been easy. And I thank everyone for the help in putting together the itinerary.

Now I have a train puzzlement. We would like to see a horse show in Jerez del la Frontera. Generally all shows are on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12:00 and practices are at 12:00 during the week. We will be in Seville from the 25 to the 29th of April. The 26th is a Thursday and the 28th is the one Saturday of the month on which there is a show.

I went to Locco to check for trains and discovered that in April the earliest train leaves around 11:00 and arrives in Jerez at 12:15, which would makes us at least a half hour late to the show or practice. I'm not even sure they would seat us. So I looked into buses and found the situation the same. 12:15 appears to be as early as we can reach Jerez by public transportation in April. But Rome2rio and Google both suggest there are many earlier trains, but when I give our dates they disappear.

If anyone knows of a good way to get to Jerez by 11:45 or earlier in April, please let me know. Or if there is something stupid I'm doing looking at tickets. I did try both Tuesday and Saturday as my initial thought was that fewer trains run on Saturday.

Barring that, I'm looking for tours to the Jerez Horse Show from Seville. This one by Andalsur Viajes Congresos y Excursiones, https://www.getyourguide.com/seville-l48/from-seville-jerez-cadiz-and-andalusian-horses-day-trip-t96717/ which I can find only on consolidators, gets good reviews. It also includes a pre-show sherry tour and tasting (before noon is a little early for me when it comes to tasting) and goes on to Cadiz afterwords (not a bad thing) and runs roughly 8:00 to 20:00. All for $116 each. Not bad considering it includes admission to the winery and horse show. Does anyone know anything about this company?

There are also a couple of private tour companies running a similar program, or just a winery plus the horse show, but where I can imagine paying a $150 or so each for an all day trip with entertainment, I really can't imagine spending the $600 to $1300 for a day charged by the private guides I've found via Google. It's not that I don't think they are worth it, only that I can't afford them.

Rick Steves recommends All Sevilla Guided Tours. However, their website suggests a minimum of 950 pounds for a mini van of up to 6 people for a similar trip or one combining Arcos de la Frontera and Jerez. There are just two of us, so unless we could round up 4 companions, it would also be too expensive for us though we would have more control over the itinerary. ---- Edit: I didn't look deep enough in the website here. We may be able to just book this for two at a reasonable 112 Euros each. Has anyone used this company?

Any tour suggestions?

Posted by
54 posts

Hi. We’re also going to the horse show on March 20. I just booked train tix on Loco2 for 9:45 am. It departs from Santa Justa and arrives Jerez at 10:45am. Try again? Ellen

Posted by
650 posts

And there, like magic, are all the earlier times, where they weren't this morning! Thank you.

Posted by
64 posts

I am looking now at www.renfe.com (the official website of spanish rail operator) and I can see MD trains and Alvia's from 06:40 in the morning and so on, with lots of time to go there.
For MD trains you do not need to prebook, they are the same fare no matter what happens. However, there is a discount if you buy return tickets (20%-Ida y vuelta). For Alvia trains, these use low cost fares, so if you prebook in advance, there are more discounts. However, MD trains are cheaper, they only take 5-6 more minutes, they are very comfortable and you can remain flexible, as MD tickets are totally flexible.
Note that MD trains stop at Sevilla-San Bernardo stop, which is closer to the city centre and has more connections with the Metro Line 1 and the MetroCentro tramway. You can go to Sevilla San Bernardo stop and buy tickets there few minutes before the train departs. You can buy a ticket with or without reservation, it is free of charge both options.
Always look at www.renfe.com , all the info is there. If you want to prebook online, note that US cards must have set up Verified by Visa or Mastercard SecureCode systems, in order to operate. If your card doesn't work, use PayPal option to pay for your tickets.

Posted by
15582 posts

Book show tickets in advance, there's usually a long line and they often sell out. Take a taxi from the train station - it's about 3 km. Try to get there early - I was told you can view the horses in the paddocks before the show (I went on the spur of the moment and didn't have time). The grounds are lovely, worth spending a few minutes walking around, and there are nesting storks in the area.

There are trains as early as 7.45 am on Saturdays. The Renfe site is best for seeing schedules (and prices too). Read this article for everthing you need to know about the trains in Spain. Many US credit cards don't work but Paypal does. Trains only show up on the Renfe site when they are offered for sale - the site is somewhat erratic. Though trains usually appear 62 days in advance, some trains may not be listed until a couple of weeks ahead, while others may turn up 3-4 months in advance.

After the show, you could spend the rest of your day in Jerez, sightseeing and touring one or more sherry bodegas. Tio Pepe is the most fun and conveniently located just a couple minutes' walk from the cathedral and town center where you can have a nice lunch. Or you could go back to the train station and get a bus to Arcos for the afternoon (take the RS self-guided walk) or take the train to Cadiz.

It is really easy to manage on your own.

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