Why is Renfe not letting me book my train which is 33 days out. I have tried on Renfe, The Trainline, and Rail.ninja. Rail.Ninja gives me the schedule I want, but it states Bilbao railway station. Is that the Abando station? Also is this a reliable place to book?
Posted by
Hudson Valley
2267 posts
I’m seeing trains that far out on Renfe, but no pure High Speed/Ave, because that infrastructure doesn’t reach into the Basque Country.
Posted by
Paris
7303 posts
Rail Ninja is not a reliable reseller. Perhaps there is some track work that delays sales? It happens from time to time.
And if for some reason no trains run on your date, you can fly quite affordably from Bilbao to Madrid. It is more hassle than the train, but it is a bit faster overall.
Posted by
Uppsala, Sweden
6974 posts
Railninja is not what I would call a reliable place to book. 33 days out means that you plan to travel on the 27th, is that correct? I see two Alvia trains from Bilbao to Madrid that day on Renfe's website. They cost around €50 each.
Posted by
Citizen of the World
2014 posts
You’ll want “Bilbao Abando” train station to “Madrid Charmatin…” station. Many posters have reported Renfe’s website will
not process American credit card payments. www.The Trainline.com is easy to use with fewer issues.
Posted by
Washington DC
28082 posts
Madrid Chamartin.
I had no trouble paying for a ticket on the Renfe web site back in 2019. I might have ended up using PayPal if that is an option.
Posted by
Bilbao
743 posts
There´s no high speed train yet to or from the Basque Country. Abando (aka Indalecio Prieto) station is the departure train station from Bilbao. I would use the bus or fly over the train.