Hello. My husband and I are going to Spain in late April. We're flying in and out of Madrid. We're looking at going to Granada and Seville. I know it's too far out to book train tickets, but when I was looking it appears that each leg is about 100 euros. Does that seem right? Seems pricey.
I looked at a rental car, and it was under $250 for a week, so a lot less expensive than the train. I'd rather take the train, but not sure if it's worth an extra $400. Am I missing something? Parking fees? Tolls?
We would not have the car in Madrid.
Thanks for any insight!
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23626 posts
Ya -- all of it -- gas, tolls, insurance, parking fees, and the sheer inconvenience of a car in some of those locations. Stick to the train -- for those cities. There should be advance sales discount tickets available on that route.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7157 posts
If you’re just going to those cities then a rental car makes no sense. A rental car is better when you want to visit off the beaten path places where there is little or no public transportation.
With a car you can generally avoid most toll roads. Insurance can be 30€ a day or more depending on which coverages you choose. Parking in cities will cost between 15-25€ a day.
Posted by
Uppsala, Sweden
6974 posts
And where are you looking for train tickets? It's not too early, Iryo is selling train tickets for late April. While they don't have trains to Granada, they are selling tickets from Madrid to Seville for less than €30, which is not a bad price in my opinion. https://iryo.eu/en/home
Posted by
Citizen of the World
2014 posts
Each leg of your itinerary does not usually cost €100. The least expensive train tickets for the Madrid Atocha to Seville Santa Justa leg can be as little as €30 each in April on an Iryo train, as stated above by 🦡 Badger. (You can see what’s available at www.Iryo.eu)
The Seville to Granada leg is usually about €55 on Renfe. However, tickets from Seville to Granada on an Alsa bus, which has far more departures than the trains have, cost only €12 and take only 15 minutes longer than the high-speed trains. www.Alsa.es is where you can buy those tix. And don’t think Greyhound when it comes to buses in Spain— they’re modern, clean and energy-efficient.
Some April tickets for Granada to Madrid Atocha currently for sale start at €26 each on Renfe AVE trains. Renfe is the national train company of Spain.
In theory high-speed train tickets go on sale on Renfe’s website 90 days in advance. However, for the month of April, they are not yet all for sale You can check www.TheTrainline.com, a company that contracts with Renfe to sell its tickets. The Trainline often has Renfe tickets for sale online before Renfe does.
Posted by
Brooklyn, NY
4262 posts
I just checked my trip from October 2022. The train from Madrid to Granada was $106.25 for 2. Granada to Seville was $98.66 for 2. And we booked first class tickets. The train stations have lounges for the 1st Class passengers.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you all so much for the information. Sounds like the train is the way to go. I'll keep my eyes on the prices and check the websites you mentioned.