train travel in southern Spain

If you are buying point-to-point tickets, they will include the seat reservation. Seat reservations will be required on almost all trains and are highly recommended anyway as many trains fill up.

You should buy your tickets a couple days ahead of time to avoid lines that make you miss a train or finding the train you want already fully reserved. It happens.

If you are using the AVE high speed trains, and you can commit to travel dates, you might also want to consider purchasing in advance at the Spanish rail website, www.renfe.com. The AVE trains can get pricey, and purchasing on the web up to 62 1/2 days in advance can save you up to 60%.

In November? Just buy your tickets for your next journey when you arrive in a city and you know your departure date. But do check www.renfe.es as sometimes there are web fares for booking in advance. You don't list any routes or we could offer more detail. In some cases the bus may be the same speed or faster (or possibly the only option based on time of day or at all) and certainly less expensive too.

I wanted to add that we will be traveling from Malaga to Granada, Granada to Seville, Seville to Ronda, and back to Malaga. Do you all still agree that advance tix and reservations are necessary?

Peggy

.....Do you all still agree that advance tix and reservations are necessary? ......

No, absolutely NOT. First, the ONLY reason to buy advance ticket is for the discount which may be significant but not needed for space. We were in that area over New Years last year -- high travel time for locals -- and had no problems buying tickets the day before, no lines to buy tickets, and no train was more than half full in second class.

Second, there is no train between Malaga and Granada. There is a very nice two hour bus ride between the two for 8E. The train between Granada and Seville is a regional. Don't know if discounts apply to regional trains. Don't know about Ronda but would guess that it is better serve by a bus.

Don't be afraid of the bus system. It is very nice, extensive, and cheap. The train system in Spain is not as well developed as other parts of Europe. But the bus system is great.

Peggy - I don't think anyone here agreed that you HAD to purchase in advance. For some trains, seat reservations are required but you get one when you buy your ticket. For the other trains, you should get a seat reservation when you get your ticket (it's only a few Euro) because some trains, like Grenada-Sevilla do fill up. And lastly, just buy them a day ahead to avoid potential lines and full trains that can happen if you wait till the last minute. You'll pay more than buying online in advance, but its really not all that expensive anyway.

And the bus can be a good option for many routes since train service is limited or non-existent. In some cases, busses will be faster and they will always be cheaper.

Frank's correct. Granada-Sevilla is a regional train, so no advance booking discounts. However, there are only 4 trains/day, so if you want a specific train, you might want to book in advance just to be sure. The bus service is about as fast, very comfortable, and about 5 Euro less...and there are many buses/day making that run.
You can't get from Sevilla to Ronda by train. There are 3 o4 4 buses/day that make the two-hour trip...taking the first out in the morning and the last back in the evening should give you 9 hours or so in Ronda.
You may want to consider a slightly altered itinerary. Take the train from Granada to Ronda, spend a night, then head for Sevilla the next day. It'll avoid back-tracking, and give you a night in Ronda, a great place to be once the tourists are all gone. Again, if you can commit to travel dates, you may want to book this one in advance, since there are only 3 trains/day from Granada to Ronda.

Those buses are great! Nicer than some of the trains.