Trains in Spain

RENFE is Spain's national rail company. They operate most, but not all, of the trains in the country. AVE is the acronym for Spain's high speed trains (Alta Velocidad de España). Spain Rail passes are good for trains within the country, for the period of time you choose. Eurail Passes are for combinations of countries, again for the period of time you choose. Since they cover more countries than a Spain Rail pass, they will cost more for the same number of days. These days, rail passes are almost never a good deal. Tickets bought in advance on line are much cheaper. However, these tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable (or have significant restrictions on these actions). Before you even consider buying a pass of any kind, read this: http://tinyurl.com/bkw4u6c Unfortunately, many find that using the RENFE website to buy tickets is complicated. Here's an extensive tutorial: http://tinyurl.com/cu48wk5. In that tutorial, they note that people can have more success with http://petrabax.com/renfe/, http://www.palacetours.com/renfe, or http://www.rumbo.es (the last won't hotlink for some reason). These are not quite as cheap as RENFE (they're resellers), but at least you can take advantage of the advance purchase discounts.

As noted above, Renfe is the official Spanish Train System. The various classes of travel on the system are noted on its web site. AVE is the high speed train between major cities. The others are either slower trains, or may be 'commuter' trains.. All are good. In order to purchase tickets in the states, go to this site on Trip Advisor for assistance. It is updated as of July 30. Madrid Traveler Article: Madrid: Buying Renfe Tickets Online And, if using the site, be sure to 'register' first on the first page as it will make the process simpler. Tickets may be purchased about 60 days in advance at a substantial savings. Also, if over 60, you may purchase a 'senior discount' for five euros and then purchase tickets at a discount, but not as great as an advance purchase. You will need to go to the information desk at the station, present your passport, and purchase the pass. I would advise purchasing the tickets directly and save the commission charged by the tour sites. The tickets will have the car number and the seat number on them. And, the trains leave on time, not a minute later!! By the tourista ticket in most cases. It is a first class operation.

We are going to Spain in October and I just purchased my tickets today. We saved a lot of money by purchasing the tickets 62 days from departure. Make sure you call your credit card company and let them know you will be charging train tickets. I found the RENFE website fairly easy to use. Bonnie

I had to register my credit card with Master Secure Card before it would work on the Renfe site. After that I had no problems.

Thank you all for your replies.
Bonnie, did you buy rail passes for a set number of journeys or trips, or did you buy point to point tickets?

We bought point to point. It was a lot cheaper to do each segment separately.

Thanks again.