We are going to Valencia, leaving from New York Newark Airport. We are leaning towards flying non-stop to Madrid or Barcelona and then taking a train to Valencia as opposed to flying all the way to Valencia. Which city would be easier to get from the airport to the train station? Would one city have more trains to get to Valencia? Would one fare be cheaper than another? Does anyone know anything about BlaBlaCar service? Any advice greatly appreciated.
Posted by
Florida (previously California)
3701 posts
I guess you have looked at one-stop flights going via Frankfurt and decided against that. That is just as easy as flying to Madrid or Barcelona and leaving the airport to get to a train station and catching a train that is not linked to your flight. There are fast trains to Valencia from both cities. I don't know about the mass transit options but both airports are pretty close to the train stations traveling by taxi. The The trip from Madrid to Valencia by train takes less time so Madrid, it would be for me.
My nephew lived in Barcelona for a year and used BlaBlaCar. It is a system that links people driving to places with people looking for rides to those places. My nephew was in college when he used BlaBlaCar. It was good for him because money was very tight and to travel around he used BlaBlaCar and took buses like from Barcelona to Berlin. Many lessons were learned.
Posted by
northern CA
2464 posts
the fast AVE from Barcelona is a great train if you sit in preferente class, and depending on your interests there must be things you'd enjoy there on your way back out of the country. Check the schedules, though, to see if there's a train soon after your flight lands, or you might need to spend an afternoon and evening there anyway.
Posted by
Vancouver, BC, Canada
1200 posts
Use Google Maps to compare trips from each airport to the train station to Valencia to see which matches with your proposed schedule.
We travelled between the 3 cities last November. The ALVO fast train between Valencia and Madrid was only about 2 hours (€15). The Torre Oro train between Barcelona and Valencia was about 3.5 hours (€28). We bought tickets in advance and took advantage of discounts. There are other train companies with different times and prices.
I have never used Blablacar but I researched it as an option. It is a ridesharing service where you are basically hitching a ride with somebody who happens to be travelling the same route and wants to share costs. You are basically paying a share of the gas. It is not a driving service like Uber where the driver is driving people as a job.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15585 posts
The logistics aren't simple if you want to go to Valencia on landing in Spain because of connections. You have to get from the airport to the central train station (Sants in Barcelona, Charmatin in Madrid) by train, bus, or other. From perusing the Renfe schedule, it looks like the trains from Madrid are more frequent and take less time. I've only traveled through Charmatin once or twice but my impression is that it was more confusing to transfer there - the signage wasn't so clear, but that was maybe 8-10 years ago. There's a small Renfe station in the Madrid airport (probably in Barcelona as well, never taken a train from there). Absolutely buy your ticket to Valencia at the airport. Buying tickets in city train stations can take a long time, it seems there are always lines and few ticket agents. Expect to pay the full price for train tickets. Buying in advance is a big gamble.
There are two train stations in Valencia. It doesn't matter which one you go to. They are about half a km apart and there's a shuttle bus from one to the other.
IMO, you should reconsider flying to Valencia. Airport connections are a lot simpler as long as you're on one ticket. Trying to negotiate the multiple transfers after a long flight, when you're jetlagged and sleep-deprived, can be an unhappy way to start your trip.