I am a solo woman wishing to travel from Santiago Compostela to Barcelona by train, making stops along the way. Any thoughts on safety and the use of trains? I don't want a planned trip by train but to stop and stay as I wish. Help would be appreciated. Thanks
Posted by
Bainbridge Island
3287 posts
Sounds like you plan to just buy tickets at the station as you go. You will be on regional trains from Santiago to Madrid! and then an AVE from there to Barcelona. You could save a lot of money by buying that one ( Madrid to Barcelona) in advance on Renfe.
To see the route of the train and actual stops, it is a whole lot easier to use the German train site bahn.de. Put in your start and end points (SdC and Barcelona) and it will show you the general route with places you must change trains. Pick one and click on " show intermediate stops" and it will show every town where the train stops, so you can plan ahead where you want to stop. Leon is one.
Posted by
Oak Park, Illinois
4535 posts
There are no concerns about safety on Spanish trains. The renfe website can be tricky to navigate, but it will show all train itineraries and stops. Not sure exactly what you are asking about the "stop and stay as I wish," but you can easily buy tickets as you go at each train station. Long haul trains offer deep discounts with advanced purchase online (around 60%) but except in rare cases, you can just buy tickets the day of or a day before if you wish to be flexible.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
You're on the right track with the advice above. I will reiterate there are no particular safety issues. See also Tips for Traveling Solo.