Another question. At the end of our tour we want to get from Madrid to Sitges. Not sure about the trains. Anyone done this before and have advice? We are seniors and need it somewhat uncomplicated. Hah Thanks again for any responses.
Sherry
Posted by
Queens, NYC
582 posts
This is a two-train journey:
- Train 1: From Madrid (Atocha) to Barcelona (Sants) -- a high-speed train with several operators: Renfe (the state-owned operator), Iryo (a private operator), Ouigo or Avlo (low-cost operators). Seat61 has an unofficial but very informative page about these options if you'd like a bit more information to choose between operators.
- If possible, I would recommend purchasing the ticket directly from whichever operator you choose, and these trains do tend to have dynamic pricing, i.e. the later you wait the more expensive it gets, so once you have reasonable certainty about your travel dates it's worth purchasing, assuming the tickets are available for sale. (There is a maximum booking window so you can't, e.g., buy tickets for trains a year ahead of time.)
- Train 2: From Barcelona (Sants) to Sitges -- this is a regional/commuter train (line R2 Sud) operated by Rodalies de Catalunya.
- I don't believe you can buy the ticket for this train together with the Madrid-Barcelona train, but this is also a regional train that runs very frequently (every 10-20 minutes), cannot sell out, and has prices that don't change, so there is no need to buy a ticket for this service ahead of time. Just buy a ticket once you arrive at Barcelona Sants.