Whew! finally able to buy my train tickets from Barcelona to Madrid from Rumbo.es. Since all the instructions are in Spanish I'm not sure how to proceed. They are actual colored tickets with a bar code and seat assignments. Do I need to do anything before boarding the train or just have my ticket on board?
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16330 posts
Ambrosia, we have bought and printed out our Renfe tickets too. I am assuming since they are reserved seats we just board the train and find our seats. I believe that since this is an AVE train, we will go through security and show our tickets before boarding as well. I hope someone who has doen this will clarify.
Posted by
OP
Dreaming of my next trip to Europe
273 posts
Lola - Did you buy yours direct from Renfe or trough Rumbo.es?
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23282 posts
Just board the train. Your tickets are train/seat specific which means if you miss the train they are no good. You will pass through security which is fairly light. Looking mostly for body bombs. Just find your specific car and seat.
Posted by
San Diego, CA
638 posts
Last year when traveling from Madrid to Pamplona via the train, there was a woman by the door leading down to the tracks (the access was not open till time to board) that checked our tickets. Just for peace of mind, arrive early, go to an information desk, find an attendant or go to a ticket window and ask if you need to do anything. From pretty much all my train travel in Europe a conductor will come through and check at some point anyway.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16330 posts
Ambrosia ( what a nice name), We have 5 train journeys in Spain and I have bought tickets from both rumbo.es and Renfe. The tickets are the same, identical. In fact, when you see your credit card bill, you will see a charge from Renfe for the tickets, and a separate charge from Rumbo for the service fee. Do not be alarmed by the size of the fee; they discount the ticket by about 5 euros and then charge it back as a fee. So the net fee is less than what your statement shows. They must have some kind of arrangement with Renfe to sell the tickets at a discount. After 1 purchase on rumbo I was able to buy tickets on Renfe with no problem. And now I have all these pretty full color printed tickets for our travels.
Posted by
OP
Dreaming of my next trip to Europe
273 posts
Thanks everyone. I am such a planner about travel, now I can relax!
Posted by
Texan in CA
4407 posts
"And now I have all these pretty full color printed tickets for our travels." And THAT'S a fine reason to purchase train tickets in Spain!!! I have a huge collection of 'hospital mint green' tickets (yawn).
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16330 posts
Ah, but the ones you print at home are pink, with lots of full-color ads.