do the rail passes work on ave trains and how do we make a reservation for seats..we are going to madrid and would like to train to seville and maybe one other place a pass seems chepest way for ave high speed train
Posted by
Bainbridge Island
3287 posts
Actually the cheapest way for the AVE train is to buy tickets 2 months in advance on Renfe.com and get the web fare. From Madrid to Sevilla that is 33 euros instead of 80 euros. I think Rick says the reservation fee for pass holders is around 20 euros for AVE trains, so you should be better off with the Web tickets.
Posted by
Oak Park, Illinois
4535 posts
Sasha is right, if you are just taking a couple trips, buying in advance is far better than a pass. And for short trips in Spain, the cost for the reservation is the same as the ticket.
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12314 posts
If you have trouble getting tickets at the Renfe website (almost everyone does). Try raileurope-world.com: http://www.raileurope-world.com/ They charge a four euro service charge per ticket but otherwise are very easy to use. Your ticket here includes your reservation. Rail passes are rarely a better deal than point to point, especially if you take advantage of early purchase discounts - on the other hand, you do have to show up at the right time (like an airline ticket).
Posted by
San Diego, CA
133 posts
A pass does work on the AVE train but you also need a reservation. Last year we paid $36USD p/p for 1st class reservations (in addition to the cost of the pass) on the AVE from Madrid to Sevilla (purchased through EurailPass). If you decide to buy a pass then you might want to buy your reservations at the same time to save on additional S&H fees; and I have heard that Renfe limits the number of seats available to passholders on some or all trains--another reason to get your reservations in advance. As others mentioned, you can likely travel more economically by buying tickets online if you can shop early. It is possible to buy the reservation once in Spain (or buy your AVE ticket there which includes the reservation) if your intended travel is not at a popular day and time. For instance Friday afternoons leaving Madrid are very busy so you should have tickets/reserv. well in advance. I don't know if the cost of the reservation (for use with a pass) would be less when purchased in Spain, maybe somebody else can answer that.
Posted by
Bainbridge Island
3287 posts
Yes a pass "will work" on the AVE trains but you end up paying more. Ralph only mentions 2 trips and the smallest pass is 3 days. $241 in 2d class, $300 in 1st. Even if he makes one more trip and all are 2d class, that is $80 per trip using the pass, PLUS the $20 reservation fee, so $100 per trip. Tickets bought in advance are less than that. So the pass costs more.