Trenhotel from Barcelona to Madrid

AVE trains take 5 hrs between Barc-Madrid. Doesn't look like night trains are offered according to Renfe. http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/larga_distancia/productos/trenhotel.html

Actually most of the AVE trains take only 2 hours 45 minutes to go from Barcelona to Madrid ( or vice versa). We have ridden that train and it is fast, convenient, and comfortable. It is also quite inexpensive in you purchase tickets in advance on Renfe. No need to make an overnight trip out of it.

To be honest, the idea of a train-hotel - sleeping on a train - has always seemed like a horrible idea to me, ever since I tried doing it. If you can sleep in any conditions (lucky you) then maybe it works. For me, it's a recipe for misery for about 3 days, since inevitably I get exactly zero sleep on the train (no matter how "perfect" the sleeping conditions are), then I'm a zombie for the next 2 days as I try to recover. I know Rick has popularized this as a neat trick whereby you save money on the cost of a hotel. In practice though, if you do not sleep well when your bed is vibrating and swaying, if there are bright lights flashing in your eyes constantly, and endless very loud noises assaulting you from all directions - then it's not such a great idea. For me, I'd rather spend the money for a bed in a dark room that's not moving, get a decent night's sleep, and enjoy the next few days rather than feeling utterly miserable as I shuffle from museum to church not caring at all about the marvels passing before my eyes and just wanting to get some sleep. YMMV.

Lola is right. Was thinking Barc-Sevilla.

Where do you find the idea there is a TrenHotel on this route? As far as I was aware this has not existed for at least months.

To find schedules and book tickets for Barcelona to Madrid, use the Renfe site: http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/index.html. Renfe is the Spanish national train company. Tickets for this route start out cheap for advance non-refundable tickets, but get more expensive closer to travel and/or if you need flexibility. You can print the tickets at home (they are sent to your e-mail in PDF format).

However, be aware that Renfe's site is notoriously difficult. The biggest change that has made it easier is that you can now use PayPal. I tried to use my credit card, and it wouldn't go through (not a problem with the card, as the transaction never even got to them to be rejected). With PayPal, the transaction was fast and easy. So, be sure your PayPal account is set up with the card you want to use, before you go to book on Renfe; then it's easy.

Here is a comprehensive discussion from TripAdvisor of how to use the Renfe site; I found it invaluable, particular in translating the Spanish that will show up, even if you're using the English version of the site: http://tinyurl.com/cu48wk5

And if you're booking a connecting trip (like one of mine, which was from Toledo to Barcelona, requiring a change of trains in Madrid), be sure to check schedules on the Bahn website http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en, following Rick's tutorial: http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/online-schedules. In my case, for some reason the Renfe site would only show two trains when I tried to buy Toledo to Barcelona on one ticket. Having checked the schedule on Bahn, I knew there were lots of other options, and just bought two separate tickets from Renfe (Bahn will only sell tickets that start or end in Germany).

It's funny; when I finally booked my tickets, I thought "that wasn't so hard." Then I realized, it had taken a total of five websites, in one way or another, to make it "easy": Renfe, Rick Steves, TripAdvisor, PayPal, and Bahn. So it's not your imagination that it's not straightforward - at first.

If you're still having trouble, post your dates and exact route, and people here will try to help.

And yes, the train is less than 3 hours from Madrid to Barcelona (exact times very, depending on how many intermediate stops your particular train makes). There's an electrical outlet at your seat (but no WiFi). It's much easier than flying, and faster when you add in time getting to and from the airports. With such a short travel time, there's no need to take an overnight train (you can have breakfast in one city and be in the other with time to get to your hotel, drop your bags, and have lunch).

Do be aware that for high speed trains in Spain (including this run), there is security. It's not as intense as an airport - your bags go through an X-ray machine, but you do not go through the metal detector. Still, there can be a bit of a line, and you do have to show your ticket to get into the line. And in Madrid, high speed trains leave from two different sections of the station (Madrid to Barcelona is on one level, but Madrid to Toledo is on another). So get to the station with plenty of time to find your departure section and to go through security.

I agree with David from Seattle, WA, regarding overnight train hotels. I'm jealous of folks who can sleep well on a train, unfortunately I can't. We took the Paris-Barcelona Trenhotel. Dinner with wine in the dining car as we left the suburbs of Paris was romantic and wonderful. Likewise, breakfast in the morning was great. However the in-between was miserable. The noisy clackity-clack, flashing lights, and rocking prevented sleep. We got off the train in Barcelona exhausted.

100 times easier than sleeping on a plane.

There is an overnight train from Barcelona to Granada. But double check as the track construction work around Granada may be affecting it. And then it is another 3 hours by train or bus to Sevilla. As far as I am aware, there is not one from Barcelona to Sevilla. It's only a 5 hours trip total so you can either take the AVE or fly - the time spent will be about the same.