I will be arriving in Madrid and taking the train to Valencia as soon as possible after that. I am a senior citizen and understand that I can get a Tarjeta Dorada but only when I get to Spain (in the airport train station perhaps). Is the Tarjeta Dorada valid on the high speed trains from Madrid to Valencia? And if so, is it only on Renfe? Any suggestions as to whether it would be worth it to try to use it for this purpose.
Posted by
Lake District, England
7878 posts
This thread may help you to decide your options- but can be summed up as that is probably not the best option for that journey- https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/spain/train-senior-discount-card-tarjeta-dorada
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8319 posts
All I know is that it's 223 miles between those two stations, and that fast train averages 117 mph. That's a very efficient form of travel.
You should be able to get your ticketing answers online at Seat61.com
Posted by
Citizen of the World
2014 posts
If you buy train tickets online as soon as they go up for sale, you can get high-speed train tickets from Madrid to Valencia for as little as €7. That is the least expensive price I have seen. High-speed Renfe train tickets go on sale 90 days in advance, according to Renfe’s website. ( although sometimes they’re on sale earlier than 90 days and sometimes they’re not on sale even 30 days in advance due to Renfe’s inconsistency).
The Tarjeta Dorada Card gives a discount of up to 40% off “Regular” ticket prices of Renfe’s trains only. Since you’ll be waiting until you arrive in Spain to buy your ticket, the least expensive advance fares will already be sold out and you will likely be buying a regular ticket at 60% of its “regular” published price with the Tarjeta Dorada card.
So, if the regular price is around €50 and you receive a 40% discount with the Tarjeta Dorada card, the price would be €30.
That €7 ticket bought in advance is a much better deal than the €30 ticket bought with the Tarjeta Dorada card. And don’t forget the Tarjeta Dorada card is going to cost an additional €6.
I suggest visiting www.TheTrainline.com so you can get an idea of what ticket prices are for your date of travel, or for a date as close to it ans possible, and then go from there.
Keep in mind that there are now four high-speed train companies in Spain— Renfe, Iryo, Ouigo Espana and Avlo. The Trainline’s website will list and sell tickets of all these companies so you can make an informed choice. You may be able to save a bit on the ticket price by buying them on the train companies own website.