Spain Train Travel

Harriet, in Spain, if you are over 60 years old, you can buy the Tarjeta Dorada pass for 5,15Euro at any staffed train station. If you buy tickets for travel on Mon-Thurs, you get a 40% discount. If you buy tickets for travel on Fri-Sun, you get a 25% discount.

'would like to know if it would be most economical to buy a rail pass or point-to-point tickets. ' Only you can do the maths. but it is most unlikely any pass will work out cheaper than discounted advance purchase of tickets if you have a planned itinerary. This is a concise guide to purchase - http://www.seat61.com/Spain-trains.htm#How_to_use_www.renfe.com and this a comprehensive guide to all and sundry - http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g187514-c80518/Madrid:Spain:Buying.Renfe.Tickets.Online.html Barcelona to Malaga - with a six hours(ish) train journey you may want to consider a less than two hour flight with vueling.com, book early for cheap. Malaga to Granada - less travel time by bus - www.alsa.es Have your understanding of what you want to see and how to navigate Seville, a city where many spend two or three days, and Granada if these are day trips.

The trouble with two hour flights is the two hours or so ahead of time, the hassle with security, and the getting to and from airports. Our bench mark is around the five, six hour mark. I would still take the train. The cheapest way to go will be the very early, advance purchase discount tickets but that locks you into a very tight schedule. The senior card is only a few dollars more but you can go with five minutes advance notice and is still a very good deal over the standard prices. Also do not overlook the bus. Don't believe there is rail connection between Malaga and Granada. You would have to use the bus - about two, two and half hours. If going to see the Alhambra I would stay overnight in Granada. It is worth the time. Malaga to Seville is too far for a day trip. I would catch both Granada and Seville on the way back to Madrid along with Cordoba.

I would also NOT use a US credit card to pay for train tickets in Spain even in person my card ended up getting stopped until I called my issuer as despite the fact that I had done all correct predeparture notifications they triggered a fraud alert.

last year we took two weeks in October and covered much of your itinerary. Some thoughts: Are you already committed to arriving in Madrid? Would be easier to arrive in Barcelona and depart Madrid. For a week we stayed in Malaga and rented a car. We found driving to be easy and parking was not a problem. We did day trips to Ronda and Granada. Early morning departure with late evening returns. We chose to spend the night in Seville. If possible go: Arrive Barcelona, then one way AVE to Madrid, then one way AVE to Malaga, do day trips from Malaga to Granada and Ronda, then go to Seville and take AVE to Madrid. We are in our 50's so you can call us semi seniors. Safe Travels! Steven

Unlike Thomas' experience, I used my US credit card just fine in Spain, even buying Renfe tickets. I suspect his experience had more to do with his card company or bank.

Like Nancy, I had no trouble using my U.S. credit card for Renfe train tickets. I did notify my bank before I purchased. And I had to register my card with "master secure" (or verify by visa, I think) before I could use it on the Spanish site. It's just an added layer of security for vendors and takes a couple of minutes. Use the Renfe website to see the train schedules. If you can lock into advanced sales, you save a lot. If you want to be more flexible, get the Dorado (gold) card. It still saves you money. It looks like you are planning to be based in Malaga. It would be more efficient to travel in a circular route than to keep returning to Malaga.