Renfe won't let me buy tickets for a day trip from Madrid to Toledo. Renfe just gives the message "El trayecto consultado no se encuentra disponible para la venta en estos momentos o bien no existe conexión directa, por favor inténtelo más adelante y disculpe las molestias."
Should I give up on the train and look for bus tickets?
When are you traveling? Maybe you are looking too far in advance?
A Wednesday or Thursday in 4th week in March is when I am looking for tickets for.
I would agree with Nick’s take on ticket situation. We had a similar experience a number of years ago & waited for ticket availability. We were very pleased with the short, pleasant train ride to Toledo. We took a 0900 train (pre COVID) and upon arrival hopped a bus up to town. We enjoyed lunch & spent about 6 hours. We especially enjoyed the Jewish history.
The schedule only goes out to the end of February right now. You’re not doing anything wrong.
good replies above - I would just add that you should plan on buying the tickets at least a few days ahead - they often sell out, and the current security setup in Atocha makes it harder to just jump on and pretend you have a seat. Not that people don't still try...
Yes, sell-outs are possible on the route. However, you don't need to worry about the fare increasing as your travel date approaches, so there's no need to worry if you can't buy tickets soon.
Renfe’s website would never accept my U.S. credit card — I got the same message you described — so I bought all my train tickets through the Omio app as recommended by a Madrileño friend.
Omio charges a small service fee but to me it was a good value during my 2-week visit last November. The app stored all my tickets electronically and the gate agent or conductor just scanned the QR code.
I was able to buy a Spanish rail ticket from the Renfe website in 2019. I don't remember which credit card I used; I have both Visa and MasterCard. It's possible I used PayPal, if that's an option Renfe offers. But there definitely are issues from time to time with acceptance of US credit cards on foreign websites. Sometimes it helps to notify your credit card company that you intend to make a foreign purchase.
I too was able to purchase Renfe rail tickets in 2019 using my U.S. credit card. When purchasing from overseas you will probably receive a code on your phone or email that you enter to complete the purchase.
I was able to use a credit card to buy 3 other tickets on the renfe site.
In that case it may just be a timing issue. Just wait.
The "man in seat 61" website has a whole bunch of useful information on booking on Renfe including a section on the quirks of using the Renfe website especially with a US credit card. See https://www.seat61.com/train-travel-in-spain.htm. It explains that tickets are usually available 60 day in advance, as others have noted, but that sometimes some are not available until later.
