I understand about waiting and continuing to check availability, but I’m not seeing trains available for several legs even looking within the next week even though Rome2Rio tells me there should be direct routes.
Salamanca to Segovia
Segovia to Bilbao
Bilbao to San Sebastián. Looks like only a bus works for this - is that right?
San Sebastián to Zaragoza Shows a train but ‘not available to buy’. Looks like I’m just too early ?
Anyone able to advise?
From www.seat61.com:
When does booking open?
This is a major problem with Renfe. In theory, tickets should go on sale 60 days ahead for all trains other than AVE trains which should open 90 days ahead. In practice, Renfe is a law unto itself and loads what it likes when it likes, in blocks of dates, sometimes as little as 30 days before departure and often loading some trains and not others. Did I say 30 days? I've seen Madrid-San Sebastian trains from 22 July onwards not open for booking until 7 July! Of course, on routes where Renfe now has competition, tickets are magically available months & months in advance!
So if you go online and don't see the complete train service which you're expecting to see with over a month to go, WAIT, chances are that all trains are not yet loaded. Renfe is particularly lax in opening bookings for dates after the timetable changes at midnight on the 2nd Saturday in June and 2nd Saturday in December.
Salamanca to Segovia is interesting- the 3 through trains per day (the cheap ones) are not bookable into May, but the expensive ones, changing at Valladolid are bookable.
Segovia to Bilbao is not bookable for the 2 trains per day beyond the start of May- presumably too early.
Bilbao to San Sebastian isn't on RENFE, although you could do it indirectly with them.
It's on EuskoTren- the eastern part of the Spanish narrow gauge. Bus is probably faster- but it's Eusko Tren if you want the train
I was able to - finally - book tickets from Bilbao to Segovia for May 1, via Trainline just two weeks ago. Also managed to get tickets for Segovia to Toledo for May 3. So depending on when in May, you may indeed be too early.
I would get the "sold out" or "not available" messages as well on both Renfe and Trainline, or simply just error messages that there was no such thing as the train route I was looking for. Renfe is a bit nonsensical in that regard, and apparently there is no reasoning for when they release tickets. It's stressful, for sure. I had a car rental plan researched as a "Plan B" just in case.
Bilbao to San Sebastian is by bus (I think there is also a train but it actually takes longer, and doesn't run as often).
Just keep checking. I found Renfe to be non-functional for booking and was happy to pay a few extra euros to Trainline...
