Hello: I am looking for some help in booking trains from Seville to Barcelona and Barcelona to Madrid in October.
In my research I am finding responses that there are direct trains from Seville to Barcelona but I am not able to find anything on any of the train sites that do not have a connection.
Does anyone have any in site if there are direct trains, what are the preferred trains to use and which ones to stay away from? Any tips or information would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
I cannot help from experience about those Spanish train routes. But www.seat61.com contains a wealth of railroad knowledge all over the place, including Spain, so may offer some research assistance.
Make sure you are using the official train website, https://www.renfe.com/es/es
I am pretty sure you'll have to change trains in Madrid for that route.
any of the train sites
What "train sites" have you been looking at? The direct trains from Seville to Barcelona are operated by Renfe, buy the tickets from them, www.renfe.com
For Barcelona to Madrid you can also look at Iryo, their website is a bit easier to use, www.iryo.eu
Until very recently, Renfe did not publish schedules or sell tickets for trips more than 60 days out. I just took a look at some random dates in October and was surprised to see anything at all, but did not see the direct, no-change trains between Barcelona and Sevilla. I do see the direct trains for a random date in early September. I'd look again for October tickets in a month or so.
It's still a 6-hour ride—I'd look at flying that route.
For Barcelona to Madrid be sure to check Iryo, the new private operator. They have fewer trains per day, but generally much better pricing. (Though even more confusing fare structures...)
Before deciding to fly, you might share your complete itinerary--maybe there is something we have not thought of.
Nick, do the direct trains still use the same tracks, just do not stop at Madrid?
do the direct trains still use the same tracks, just do not stop at Madrid?
That's correct. They run on the high-speed tracks that are built hub-spoke from Madrird, but the direct trains bypass the station in Madrid.
(there is also a more coastal direct route, but it's not on high-speed track and makes quite a few stops. I think that ride is 11 hours.)
Thank you everyone for your help!
Fast- Train tickets through December for Seville Santa Justa to Barcelona Sants are already for sale on the website www.TheTrainline.com. IRYO ( my favorite) and Ouigo look like they have the least expensive fares at $36 for the 7:00 train departing Seville and arriving in Barcelona six hours later at 13:00. Almost all tickets combine two tickets with two train companies for the two separate legs of the Seville Santa Justa to Madrid Atocha and Madrid Atocha to Barcelona Sants routing. The IRYO (IRYO.eu) and Ouigo websites may offer their legs for a few dollars less. The early bird gets the worm so I would book your tix ASAP because when the least expensive tickets sell out, the remaining ones will be more expensive. That’s an advantage of using a ticket reseller such as The Trainline that shows all four of Spain’s fast-train companies’ ticket offerings on one screen. It is good for the consumer saving us both time and money when traveling.
All the trains listed on The Trainline show they stop at Madrid’s Atocha station with ample time to change trains. There are no direct trains—even if you travel with the same train company for both legs, you will have to change to a different train once you’re in Madrid
Have a great trip!
