In September we want to catch an international flight in Madrid which leaves at 1:35pm. The first train out of Santiago de Compostel leaves at 5:40am in the morning and arrives in Madrid at 8:45am. There is another 15 min train to the airport. This should give us time to catch our flight if trains are reliable. Do these trains run on time?Reading the forum it looks difficult to buy tickets in advance on line in the US. Can I wait to buy them when we arrive in Spain 12 days before departure date or will they be sold out?
Posted by
Brooklyn, NY
4124 posts
We’re waiting to buy train tickets in the opposite direction from you, also in September. We’ve purchased them before online. I believe they don’t become available till 60 days out. We had to pay through PayPal.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
6978 posts
The Renfe site can have glitches from time to time, but I had no trouble buying advance tickets on it using my credit card. The time I went from Santiago de Compostela to Madrid the train departed on time.
In September you should be able to wait to buy tickets. Before going over, check to see if there is any track work taking place along that route. If there is you will need to transfer to a bus for part of the trip.
Edited: no track work according to the Renfe site. The 05:40 train goes to Ourense where there is a train change. The train does arrive at the Chamartín station in Madrid. Fortunately your schedule does have some leeway in the event one of the trains is a few minutes lates.