I need to travel from Seville to Valencia on March 14, 2019, which I assumed would be easy, but so far, no luck. I'm surprised there isn't a direct AVE train, but even going through Madrid isn't showing up. Bahn.de seems to show trains, but the sites that actually sell tickets don't. I've checked for info on Seat 61.com, too.
I understand it's too early to buy, but even checking dates in the next month or 2 are suggesting my only choice is a long bus trip.
Help appreciated.
Have you considered flying? Vueling have a direct flight with prices starting at about €12. I think Ryanair and others might do this route too.
You're right there is no direct AVE link, and given where the two cities are that's not surprising. One day there might be a direct coastal AVE around the south-east, but probably not in my lifetime. If Renfe are not showing an AVE route via Madrid/Cordoba then it's likely they haven't loaded details for the next sixmonths yet, in which case the agencies like Trainline and Loco won't show it either. Try again in a couple of weeks when new timetables might start appearing. Even then, Renfe is rubbish at showing connections, so also check on the agent websites or split the journey eg S-M/M-V if using Renfe.
There’s an AVE train from Cordoba. I recall our train stopping there from Malaga on the way to Valencia. Flying as Nick suggests would make sense.
The Bahn.de schedule should be accurate. It is too early to buy tickets for March; the AVE trains generally go on sale 60 days in advance. And when they do, you may have to buy as separate transactions, Seville to Madrid and Madrid to Valencia. That 4.5 hour total travel time is not bad at all.
You're right LIZinPA, don't panic. This is easily possible connecting through Madrid or Cordoba and as Marika says it's too early for March tickets to be available and posted yet.
If you want to check your potential options I would recommend using the Loco2.com site for the day of the week in question but a couple months earlier to get a look at potential options that have been posted. (In my experience Loco2 does a better job at booking all the tickets you need for a multi-stage journey than the Renfe site does and is in English with fares in dollars.)
For Thursday January 10th it looks like there are 15+ reasonable options throughout the day ranging from $85 to $150 dollars. Just be careful to look at the number of stops (1 is obviously best) and the travel time (should be about 5 hours) to sure you're not looking at some weird stretch option they have put together for you. It will be obvious when you click on the travel option itself but you can see it on the fine print on the first screen. You will need to wait until the March trains are posted but this should give you at least an overview of what your options are.
Overthinking travel plans (as I do you) might also consider:
You should then check the station at which you are changing and then amount of time allowed for the 'interchange' of trains. If you have a lot of luggage or are a nervous traveler maybe you want to allow more time between trains. You can also choose to upgrade your ticket - especially the second leg to flexible or semi-flexible so you can change the time if you miss the second train for any reason for a small or no fee. You check for upgrades - class and flexibility - on the Loco2 site by clicking on the price of ticket or the pink arrow on the second screen. Once you see the in and out train schedules there is no reason you can't simply book your own tickets into and out of Madrid to get a longer layover or whatever you want.
Often first class is cheaper or only a few dollars more because... well... because Renfe - but it's not a trick feel free to choose first class or pay $5 more for it. There's not a ton of differences between the classes - free food and some slightly better seats - but you'll have an assigned seat either way which is the really important thing.
Also you don't give any details about your travel but he Atocha train station is just nearby Madrid's two great museums. You could easily book into Madrid early, put your luggage into 'left luggage' at the Atocha train shed, see the Prado or the Reina Sofia since both are east walking distance from the train station or take the metro 4 stops and see the city and then resume your journey later.
If you want more information about a train station or Spanish trains in general this guy is a great resource: https://www.seat61.com/Spain-trains.htm
Have a great trip - don't panic this will be as easy as you thought it would you just have to wait to book it,
=Tod
I took a look at Renfe's current schedule. They propose several morning departures with a train change in Madrid. There is one direct train a day to Valencia leaving Sevilla at 6.25 pm and arriving at 10.19 pm. Generally Renfe's schedules don't change much. Taking the evening train would give you nearly a full day of sightseeing in Sevilla before heading to the train station. I arrived in Valencia on the 15th around midday and no taxi would go near the center of town of all the street closures. I took the free shuttle bus from the San Joaquin Sorolla station to the Nord station (it's about 1 km) and then walked to my hotel in the center, about 1/2 km. At 10.30 pm on the 14th, you should be able to get a taxi to your hotel. Enjoy Las Fallas!!
Chani, 😊
This will be my 2nd Fallas. 3 years ago, a group of us enjoyed it so much that we decided to return.
I'm not concerned about buying the train ticket, I was just surprised the route wasn't showing up even when checking dates in the next month and wondered if maybe track work was the problem. Discovering the VIA button has helped.
I'm meeting my friends for dinner on the 14th, so the late train won't work, but I'll just go through Madrid on an earlier train.
Thanks, all!
I had a similar issue with Renfe not showing all the options. I wanted to go from Toledo to Barcelona; I knew I'd have to take separate trains and connect in Madrid Atocha. Imagine my surprise when only two options for the whole day were shown on Renfe's website, when I knew both of these routes had frequent service all day.
What I had to do was use the Bahn website to see all the options. Then, on Renfe, I booked Toledo to Madrid and Madrid to Barcelona as separate segments for the times I wanted.
Note that if you are changing trains in Atocha, you may have to change levels as well (I did). There is an elevator, outside the lounge, near the high number tracks, that connects the upper and lower level lounges, so you don't have to go through security again (not to mention, you don't have to risk getting lost in that wild maze of a station). If you need the elevator, ask for it, as it's not obvious.
