Summer Train Tickets

In addition to avoiding sold-out trains (which do happen in Spain, though I'd guess not usually terribly far in advance), saving money is another reason to buy tickets early. There can be a significant difference between the cost of a ticket for travel today or tomorrow vs. a ticket for 6, 8 or more weeks in the future.

What sort of schedule change are you concerned about?

Thanks for your reply!

The schedule change I'm worried about is, for example, a train getting cancelled or a stop being added for some reason. A shift in times a few hours either way isn't the major concern.

I've been traveling in Europe for literally decades but my train usage has been pretty minimal, and I think the last time I was on a train in Europe was over 20 years ago, so there's a pretty big knowledge gap. Because the itinerary is city-heavy, I'm avoiding driving as much as possible (because only an insane person likes driving in European cities), but a one way airport-to-airport rental is still a backup plan.

A late cancellation is always possible if something unusual (like a suicide on the tracks) happens, but trains do sell out in Spain, which is a much more substantial risk than that the train you want to take gets canceled. And an increase in fare is a near certainty on some routes if you buy your tickets late.

I've never had a train canceled in Spain, so I don't know what the process to follow is. Any schedule changes are usually pretty minor, and they're normally accounted for in the posted schedules.

Perhaps one of our other posters with more experience with Spanish trains can relieve your mind. I've traveled for over four months in Spain since 2016, but a fair amount of my mileage was via bus rather than train.

Iryo's summer tickets are for sale. So you can buy Madrid-Seville and Cordoba-Barcelona now if you want to. www.iryo.eu