High speed train between Segovia/Madrid and Barcelona

You do have to return to Madrid, and I believe all the trains from Segovia will arrive at Chamartin, and you will have to transfer to Atocha, so allow time for that. You best option for ticket purchase for the AVE from Madrid to Barcelona is on Renfe.es, if you can get them to take your credit card (not easy). At least you can see the schedules there. Go to "purchase tickets" even if you just want to check the schedule; it is easier to read. Also it will indicate if there are discount fares (Web fares, 60% off, or Estrella fares, 40% off) still available for your date of travel. If ther ARE discounts available, and you cannot get the purchase to go through on renfe, then try either Rumbo.es (only in Spanish for ticket pruchases) or RailEurope. When I checked yesterday, RailEurope was offering the same discount fares as REnfe where they were available. They will add a $7.95 e-ticket handling fee. To get past the "no tickets can be found" thing, just use the link on the left side of the screen fo r"most popular distinations" and choose Madrid to Barcelona. I found the same thing as you when I put in the cities in the "to and from" area, but the link should work. And if the discounts are no longer available for your day of travel, there is no real need to pay th eextra cost to buy the tickets in advance. You can buy your Madrid to Barcelona tickets in spain a few days in advance; your credit card will be accepted there without difficulty. You will be asked to show ID; we carried our US drivers' licenses for that purpose so we didn't have to pull out passports all the time. Have fun---that AVE train is really great. So is Spain.

Lola is correct and to further clarify - you need to search and book a ticket to Madrid and then search and book a ticket from Madrid to Barcelona. Given the two completely different Madrid train stations, you are not find options listing the transfer.

First, use bahn.de to check schedules. Second, RE shows only the routes that they are selling tickets for so they may not have tickets for every route. Third, schedules and tickets are rarely available more than 90 days out and sometimes closer to 60 days. If you are looking further out you will get the message of no tickets available. Then check your prices carefully, RE has a prior history of charging premium prices for their tickets but some are saying that their prices are more competitive these days.

Douglas-do you know how long they should allow for the transfer from Chamartin to Atocha? We have not done that or been to any station in Madrid but Atocha. I have read there is a commuter train that connects them, but don't know how often it runs or how long it takes. Chris-you will want to be ready to enter the Atocha boarding area for the AVE train 20-30 minutes ahead of departure, as you must run your bags through the scanner and then show your ticket at the gate. It is more like boarding an airplane (withough the body screrening) than a train. Also, there are two departure lounges for the AVE, one above the other, so check the board to see which one you need.

The problem Chris describes most likely comes from not knowing which stations to enter. (They are going in October so date of travel is not causing the problem). If you enter "Madrid" and "Barcelona" the site will say "no tickets can be found" no matter what the date or availability. It doesn't recognize those, and wont' show trains even if they are fully available. You have to know to enter "Madrid Puerta De Atocha" and "Barcelona Sants" or choose them from the drop-down menu, and then the selections will appear. That is why I sugggested just using the link under "most popular destination" on the left. You don't have to know the specific stations.

Not sure there is a direct connection between Charmartin and Atocha. Someone posted earlier on another chain here and discussed the best route for that journey. The two stations are on opposite ends of the city, with lots of traffic inbetween. I have used both stations and they are both efficiently laid out. As regard the tickets, there was a posting within the past week or so on using the RENFE web site, with the suggestion to check the "purchase in Spain" box rather than the "purchase in US" box. Then use the credit card (with prior notice to your bank, and a visa guaranteed pass code or some such) so the bank would not decline the charge. I have made several purchases in the past on the REFE site, some with difficulty, but they all went through fine. You might also check out www.madridman.com for useful information.

Apparently there is a Cercanias train between the two stations, taking 10 minutes. I found this on a discussion on Tripadivosr: "The easiest way to get from Atocha station to Chamartin is to take the Cercanias local rail service. Chamartin is three stops from Atocha and the journey takes just 10 minutes. The cost of a ticket is about a euro." Doesn't say how often they run, however. Maybe that information can be found on Renfe?

You should have planned a trip to Portugal ...

You should have planned a trip to Portugal ...

Thanks everyone for your helpful advice! Success! I have booked the tickets I need for our trip to Segovia and our next day trip back to Madrid then on to Barcelona. Rail Europe was very easy to use. I never would have known about changing stations in Madrid (I left an hour and a half lag time between trains) or which station in Barcelona to use without your help.

Great Chris! Have a wonderful trip!

An hour and half is plenty of time to transfer between stations Chris. There is a direct line now between the two and if you have a train ticket into the city, the transfer is free if you show your ticket. It is about a 10-12 minute ride and it runs about every 10 minutes or so. You can ask at the station which platform to Atocha and an attendent should be happy to help.