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Should I rent car(s) or get train passes +/- some cars.

I have an ambitious 2 week tour through Spain. We are seven persons. My parents, both over 70 yrs, my wife and I, and our children aged 7,9 and 13 years. I think it will be hard and expensive to fit us all and our luggage into one car.

Here's a second option:
We start out our two week tour after a week in Madrid and its surroundings: My wife wants to visit by Barcelona, Zaragoza, and Montserrat. Then we would train (either AVE from Barcelona-Madrid-Seville, or the slower coastal route via Valencia to Granada. I was going to swing from Seville to Cordoba and Granada, with one or two drive throughs either inland or coastal. Then take a train to Madrid to fly out.

Questions:
1) Is this too ambitious and costly for drivers?
2) If I were going to train it all, I would forgo driving to some small towns, and stick, whenever possible to the rail accessible.
My plan was to get a seven day Saver pass Spain-Portugal for three adults and two children. My parents can get the targeta dorada and pay for tickets independently or we can add them to our Saver pass.

I would like to travel Madrid-Zaragosa or Madrid-Barcelona using AVE, and perhaps Barcelona-Seville using AVE.

Is there a student discount for these train passes for my 13 yr old? Do the senior discounts make sense for my parents? I think for my parents sake we may want to take first class tickets?

Suggestions? Is this too ambitious?

Posted by
23626 posts

Unless you use a van seven people will not fit in any car. Your parents can get a senior pass for 5E each that will give a 40% on weekend and 20% discount for train travel. Don't have any experience with youth tickets. Don't see any advantage for first class for your parents. One disadvantage -- seats are three across in first so someone would have sit by themself whereas you would be more of group in 2nd class where the seating is 4 across. Over New Years we did a Madrid, Cordoba, Seville, Granada, Malaga via bus and train. Give the distances you want to go the train would be more comfortable for the kids. Restrooms are easy to find on trains.