Sevilla to Cordoba train questions

You can check schedules and fares on the Renfe website.

It appears that the round-trip fare on the (slowish) Media Distancia (MD) trains will be 11.60 euros from Sevilla-San Bernardo to Cordoba. To get that fare I imagine you have to buy both parts of the round-trip ticket at one time. I haven't done that and do not know whether that means you must come back on the specific train you choose or have some flexibility.

As far as I know you cannot reserve a seat on a Media Distancia train and therefore do not need to worry about sell-outs. I bought all my MD tickets after I arrived in Spain, usually just a day before I planned to travel.

ALSA runs buses between Seville and Cordoba, but it appears that the fare is a good bit higher than the MD train fare. You can check on the bus situation after you get to Seville to get up-to-the-minute information. Bus tickets generally come with seat assignments (though folks often sit wherever they want), so buses can and do sell out on occasion, especially around weekends and holidays.

Try using this site to figure out the times & fares all in plain English:>https://loco2.com

More advice here:>http://www.seat61.com/Spain-trains.htm

Liam,

You can book your train tickets on the AVANT train (travel time 45 minutes) for not much more than the SLOW MD train.

I just checked the Renfe website and the round trip (Ida y Vuelta) would cost you €16.65 on the AVANT train, vs. €11.60 on the slow MD train.

Keep in mind that there are more morning time options on the AVANT train.

The AVANT trains depart for Sevilla Santa Justa's train station.

We took a city bus near the Amadeus Hotel that stops right in front of Santa Justa train station. I don't recall the bus #, but I'm sure the hotel staff would be able to help you with that.

Here are a few helpful websites regarding train travel in Spain:

• Guide to Train Travel in Spain
• How to Buy Renfe Tickets online
• Seat61.com

Enjoy your trip!

Edit to add...

You can certainly buy your tickets at the station, but I'd suggest booking them in advance for peace of mind.

To purchase tickets go to Renfe.es. It is best to purchase in advance, you get a better price. I only know of one train station in Cordoba. All the buses stop there and will take you into town or you can take a taxi, or use Uber, Left, or blablacar.co.uk - that you have to arrange in advance.

It is very easy to do. purchase a round trip train ticket in advance if you know the dates.

Just took the best of spain myself. RS varys hotels but they are generally not too far from the Seville Cathedral.

I've done what you are doing a couple times now on various trips. But I find the faster AVE train to be much easier than the regional train. It is a relatively short ride (45 minutes) to Cordoba and I don't believe it was all that expensive in tourist class by AVE.

I don't have patience for local buses and depending on your time they can be a bit difficult to deal with especially with your bag. I would make your life easy and just take a taxi to the train station. At the end of your tour you can likely find one of your tour mates that will want to share a taxi.. I think it was only about a 10 Euro fare, and my sanity is worth more than that.

As others mentioned you can use the Renfe site, although I will tell you that it is one of the most frustrating excuses for a web site I've ever seen. It is very fussy about credit cards, and even when you set the language to Spanish, it still will pop up information and messages in spanish. But you can also purchase your tickets through one of the brokers sites.. I believe RS sells them as well. Also note that for some trains like you can't buy the tickets on line until about 60 or 90 days before your trip.

I must also say, 2 days is a long time in Cordoba.. Personally I usually use it as a stop off on the way to Madrid. I find about 5 hours there is plenty. Overnight more than enough. I'd rather spend the time in Seville or maybe Arcos fronterra.. but that is me.

Thanks everyone for your help.

The Renfe web site is a real pain even the spanish version. I couldnt even book the ticket. I even used teh helpful web sites recommended and still couldnt book my tickets.

I decided to take the AVANT train from Seville to Cordoba and back. It was about 20 euros each way. The AVE train is about 30 euros each way and the less expensive slower train was about 13 euros each way. The AVE and the AVANT are about 45 minutes and the slower train is about an hour and 10 minutes.

I found the following 3rd party link as the way to go and according to my research they don't mark up their prices in Spain. Even if they did it would still be worth it since the Renfe site is so frustrating. The only issue I had was they dont tell you which train you are booking only the price but based on the fact the AVE train is the most expensive and the slow train is the least expensive you can figure it out and of course the booking is in english. This is sonething the RS people should put in the Spain book to help weary travelers in booking train tickets to Cordoba .
Here is the link:
https://www.trainline.eu/train-times/seville-to-cordoba
Thanks for all your help and I hope this info will help train travelers going to Cordoba from Seville.
Adios and keep on traveling!
Liam O'Flaherty

Liam, thanks for the update.
Due to a post yesterday, I learned you can book trains through Rick's website - who knew? Prices are in US$ so I have no idea of mark ups or relative costs. Thankfully, i had no problems booking on Renfe site which bodes well when I book in Spain for short trips - like Sevilla to Cordoba.
Enjoy your trip.