Guide to buying train tickets in Spain How to buy train tickets in Spain

If you are planning to go to Spain, then it is necessary for you to know the Spanish train guide. Below, the editor will briefly introduce to you the guide to buying train tickets in Spain, and there are: An introduction to Spain Pass. Things to know before taking the train

1. What is Eurail

Eurail is a European train ticket agency group founded in 2001 and headquartered in the Netherlands. It is known as "European Railways" in China. . Eurail represents train ticket products for more than 30 European countries, covering almost all of Europe. They package and sell a variety of personalized Eurail

Eurail

and InterRailPass products, making it increasingly convenient and cost-effective for travelers to travel in depth to a specific country by train, or to travel across multiple countries. .

Eurail

Pass (commonly known as "Eurail Pass"): only available to non-European citizens or residents, which means that most domestic travelers should purchase this Class pass. You need to purchase with a valid passport and have your passport and pass with you when using it.

InterRailpass: only available to European citizens or people with European residence permits, which means that some international students with European residence permits can purchase this type of pass.

2. What is Renfe

Renfe is the abbreviation of the Spanish National Railway Company. It is operated by the government and can provide all levels of railway operations including regional railway operations and high-speed intercity trains. , Renfe’s logo can be seen everywhere in train stations and trains. Spain’s railway network ranks first in Europe, and the development and expansion of high-speed rail makes exploring Spanish cities at all levels fast and comfortable.

The high-speed train AVE, operated by Renfe, has a speed of up to 350km/h and can travel from Madrid to Barcelona in 3 hours. Other railway lines have formed the suburban railway network (Cercanías), the central railway network (Media

Distancia) and the long-distance railway network (Larga

Distancia) according to the distance. Among them, the most developed The central railway network connects hundreds of small towns. By rail, you can go almost anywhere you want in Spain, very efficiently.

3. Where to buy train tickets in Spain

1. Purchase at the train station

Purchase at the train station has a high degree of freedom, and you can buy it and go immediately. The disadvantage is that it is difficult to buy discount tickets, and you need to queue for a long time to buy tickets at the window. Buying tickets from vending machines has certain requirements for credit card type and language level (self-service machines are generally English, Spanish, Catalan). Romanian). Spanish train stations are very large and have a huge flow of people. Whether it is the Atocha train station in Madrid or the Sants train station in Barcelona, ??the subway, suburban railway and high-speed railway are built together. It is best to go to the train station for the first time and pay more attention to the screen. For prompts and platform instructions, you can also show the ticket directly to the staff (Spanish people are very keen to help others) and let them confirm it for you to avoid missing the train.

2. Purchase on the official website or official APP

As mentioned above, Spanish railways are state-owned. One of the ways to buy tickets with peace of mind is to go to the Renfe official website or download their official APP. The earlier you buy your tickets, the cheaper they will be. However, this method of purchasing tickets is a bit wasteful, because the interface is in Spanish or English, and ticket purchasing is restricted to credit cards outside Spain (the APP must be registered before purchasing tickets). Sometimes domestic networks will work against them and load pages slowly.

3. Third-party agent purchase

As the most important distribution, there are many third-party agent purchase channels. For example, Eurail mentioned above has Chinese websites and The APP supports multiple payment methods, which are not listed here. There are many agency websites in China. If you are price-sensitive, you can compare it with the official website and pay attention to the exchange rate conversion.

4. How to check the train time and route

In addition to looking up at the big screen at the train station, the most effective and convenient way must be to check the train time and route through the mobile APP. You can check it at any time Get practical information such as train times, station details and travel time anywhere.

The following 3 APPs are recommended, which can be downloaded from the Apple and Android app stores:

1. RenfeHorarios: Officially produced by the Spanish National Railways.

2.RailPlanner: Produced by Eurail, you can check train information throughout Europe.

3.

GoEuro: can be used to check European railway, bus and flight time information, supports ticket purchase, and has a Chinese version.

5. Train category and parking space level

Train category: Spain’s high-speed rail brand is called AVE,

just like our domestic high-speed rail brand is called Harmony. There are many other train brands representing different speeds or operating areas. For example, Avant trains mainly operate short- and medium-distance lines; Alvaris trains mainly operate Madrid to Valencia and Alicante areas, etc. You can pay attention to this when choosing a train. .

Parking space class: Different from the simple names of first class and second class in China, Spain likes to give their parking spaces fancy names. The seats of trains with seats are usually divided into: Club (first class), Preferente (business class), Turista (economy class), Turista

Plus (super economy class). The seats of sleeper train Trenhotel are usually divided into: CamaG.Clase (first-class sleeper, 1-2 people with separate toilet), Cama

Preferent (business sleeper, 1-2 people), CamaTurista (ordinary sleeper, 4-person room). You can tell the level of the seats from the price.

Generally speaking, the operating time, train type and parking space level determine the price of train tickets. When choosing, be sure to read the description of the train and seat, as well as the corresponding change and withdrawal rules.

6. One-way ticket VS pass

Transportation has always been one of the necessary expenses for traveling in Europe. When purchasing train tickets or railway products, you should find one that suits your travel plans. Even if you are not good at math, you should be patient and calculate carefully. If you are traveling for a few days, not seeing many places, or not taking the train often enough, it is sometimes more cost-effective to buy a one-way ticket than a Eurail Pass. Below we will introduce two different Spanish train pass products. Eurail Spain Pass

1. Pass introduction

EurailSpain

Pass is a train pass in Spain sold by Eurail, mainly for travelers who are non-European residents. For use in Spain. The biggest feature is that you can take unlimited rides on various trains in Spain to travel destinations on any number of days in a month (optional 3 days, 4 days, 5 days, 8 days, the days do not need to be consecutive), and the pass price is fixed , but there are varying degrees of discounts for children, youth and group travel.

The Eurail Spanish Rail Pass is valid for 11 months after it is purchased and issued. But when you start your first train journey, your first ride date will be written on the pass. Within a month starting from this date, you can choose any number of days during these days and you can use the pass for unlimited rides. The train is gone.

Tip: Eurail

In addition to making train travel more convenient and affordable, the Spanish Rail Pass also provides other different benefits for travel, such as discounts on contracted hotels and museum discounts wait. When you purchase a pass, you will receive a set of European rail travel guides (including travel maps, pass guides and discount coupons).

2. How to use

When you are ready to use the pass, you need to go to the ticket window of the train station to activate it, and remember to bring your passport. After activation, the railway staff will fill in your passport on the pass and stamp it to indicate that it has been activated. The pass's functions will be effective within one month from that day. It’s up to you to decide which days are the bus days, so be sure to fill them in on the pass. There will be a ticket inspector on the train who will check your pass, date and passport.

3. About seat reservation fees

On the basis of having a pass, you still need to pay a small additional seat reservation fee before riding on some trains. This is a common situation on European railways. In Spain, you do not need to reserve a seat on most regional trains, and you can get on the train at any time with your pass.

Before taking Spain's AVE/Altaria/

Alvia/Avant high-speed trains, international trains and night trains, you need to pay a small portion of the reservation fee in advance to ensure that you have a seat, and then hold the pass to ride. car.

Would it not be worthwhile if you need to pay additional reservation fees for certain trains after purchasing the pass? Calculating it this way, the one-way tickets for the trains mentioned above are usually very expensive (such as the one-way high-speed train from Madrid to Barcelona) The price is about 600 yuan), and if you have purchased a pass (about 1,300 yuan/ticket), you need to pay a reservation fee (about 50/time) every time you take the train. It is more cost-effective to use the pass + pay the reservation fee for multi-day trips. of. Renfe Spain Pass

1. Introduction to the pass

Renfe Spain

Pass is a train pass launched by the Spanish National Railways, mainly for travelers who are not Spanish citizens. For use in Spain. The biggest feature is that you can take multiple different trains in Spain within a month (optional 4 times, 6 times, 8 times, 10 times), which can be understood as a sub-card valid within a month, and you can choose Preferente (Business Class) Or Turista (economy class). Renfe

SpainPass cannot be used to travel on sleeper cars, even if you pay the fare difference. It can be used on other trains including the high-speed AVE train.

The Renfe Spanish Rail Pass is valid for 6 months after purchase and issuance. But when you start your first train journey, within a month starting from this date, you can take X trains, as many times as you specified when you purchased the pass.

Renfe Spain Pass price list. The table above is for ordinary seats, and the table below is for business seats.

2. How to buy and use

If you are very clear about the number of train rides you need to take during your trip, you can consider purchasing this type of package. RenfeSpain

Pass is a relatively high-end ticket product for domestic travelers, because there is currently no Renfe agent in China, and purchasing tickets on the Renfe official website or APP has higher requirements for language proficiency and payment methods. Please check carefully when purchasing your ticket.

After purchasing the RenfeSpainPass, you need to redeem the corresponding number of tickets. You can redeem the train ticket you want to take on the Renfe official website, the train station ticket window or the self-service ticket machine. You need to bring your passport, pass and redeemed ticket when riding.