Spanish Train Travel

Actually, with the proliferation of high-speed trains in Spain these days (and their prices!), a 5 day flex pass at about $387 may not be a bad idea, depending on how you plan your routes. Reservations/supplements (which are required for the fast trains) are relatively inexpensive even at RailEurope...$17, for example for Madrid-Barcelona. Break down your five days to about $77/day. One way Madrid-Barcelona with a p2p ticket is about $160. Madrid-Cordoba is $95, while Cordoba-Sevilla is about $42. Any of these journeys done, round-trip, will more than pay for itself with a pass, even with the additional supplements. Sevilla-Granada isn't a high speed run, but it's still about $35, while Granada-Madrid (only 2 trains/day), also a regular run, is about $100. That's all "tourist" or second-class. You can look at the exact pricing for p2p for your exact route at http://www.renfe.es/horarios/english/index.html

Thanks for the input. It gets even better looked up the Pass and it is $307 for 5 days/2 mon (2nd class). I am planning a circle route out of Madrid. Can the pass be used on the fast train AVE as well as the others?

Kevin

Yes, but they require advance reservations. If you're travelling in the summer months, I would strongly suggest you use RailEurope or Euraide to book them in advance...it'll be worth the extra cost.

Madrid, Cordoba, Sevilla, and Barcelona are all served by the AVE high-speed lines. The reservation cost for a passholder was roughly 8-10 euro/train (reserving @ the station in Spain). Cordoba is a stop on the line to Sevilla, so if you want to stop and see the Mezquita and continue on to Sevilla the same day, its very possible (bout 30 min on the AVE to Sevilla from Cordoba). The new Barcelona-Madrid AVE line is fantastic.

Make sure you get Alhambra tickets in Granada ahead of time.

Enjoy your Spain trip.