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Hola @EmmaATX I am in the "book early"camp also. You can usually book up to 60 days in advance. This gives you the best chance of a forward facing seat. Plus there was a discount for early bookings back in 2013. Not sure if this still applied.
+1 for book early. When I rode it in mid-October of 2016 it was pretty full. I booked online beforehand...it was one less thing to worry about at the end of a very long journey.
Yes, and yes. Book now ideally.
The card must be purchased in person at the Renfe counter. You have to show your passport so they can verify that you are 60 or older. You are then registered in a database. More than once we were "spot checked" and had to show our Tarjeta Dorada when we boarded the train to make sure we really were eligible for the fare.
I don’t think you can purchase it on line. And BTW it is offers no savings the for the fast trains
There is a Spanish Holiday Oct 13 so that may bleed into before or later for train tickets as many people will take a long weekend. We bought our tickets through the Trainline App which was easier for me in the US than Renfe.I am trying to book a train from Madrid to Leon 1/10/22 but those tickets are not yet available. Then I need another from Santiago to madrid 15/10/22. I will figure it all out. I think I just need to be patient.
I am trying to book a train from Madrid to Leon 1/10/22 but those tickets are not yet available. Then I need another from Santiago to madrid 15/10/22. I will figure it all out. I think I just need to be patient.
Should be a good time to walk weatherwise! Are you saying Oct 1 you need a ticket Madrid to Leon or Jan 10. The European way of writing the date can be tricky, I could see where January wouldn't be available.
You buy the tarjeta dorada in Spain
Decided on the bus. The train (at least from my view) is in the day before and the day after I need. But, the bus is much more affordable. Thanks again
My experience is that these trains run at capacity or near capacity. So it is recommendable to buy in advance. Renfe does not make all tickets available at the same time and some October tickets might not yet be available. One other consideration is that 12th October is a national holiday and it might mean there is more demand on 10th October, just possibly.
I'm going in October and after checking the trains to Pamplona I chose to fly for 3 hours of extra sleep and 5€ more. I then booked a flight back from Santiago for 35€. I love trains but you can't beat that.
Would you please tell us where you can purchase the tarjeta dorada (golden card). I’m in the age of wisdom and discretion I hope. Thanks for the advice.
The Renfe site indicates that you must buy the Tarjeta Dorada in person (at stations or travel agents). https://www.renfe.com/es/en/viajar/prepare-your-trip/descuentos/mayores-de-60
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You must buy the Tarjeta Dorada at a Renfe ticket counter where they can look at your passport and register you in the system. You can't buy it online or buy tickets with the discount without the registration number for the card you get at the Renfe counter. It is good from one year of the date of purchase.
Gracias!
Yes, I would suggest you pre-book. I booked last week for my return to Madrid on Oct. 26 and the premium (comfort) section was already sold out, so now we are forced to travel regular (standard).
My friend who will meet me in Santiago is arriving in Madrid from Canada and taking another flight to Santiago de Compostela it will only cost her something like 68 euros
It’s not really much of a hardship though, is it? Standard class on a Spanish high-speed train feels rather luxurious to those of suffering the UK offering.
That's right not a hardship, but the point is you may not get the desired seating or worse yet, the train may be sold out hence my recommendation to buy your ticket ahead
Ok, just be careful of Ouigo routes (Barcelona to Madrid as an example). Double decker seating. Very little legroom. Little storage area, but cheap tickets
I can't do the jet lag. I need a night in Madrid and then another sleep on the bus/train the next day. Plane travel is pretty nightmarish right now in Europe and North America. I will take the bus or train myself.
I am also spending the night in Madrid before taking the train the next day, thank goodness I will have a comfortable seat in comfort zone which includes a meal
Yes, that is good. The train meals are pretty nice. We had a breakfast unexpectedly that I didn't realize was included on one trip.
Do people go to madrid after camino to catch flights? I noticed compostela flights are hard to find sometimes
Always, in my case. Madrid is; by design; at the heart of the country and has train connections to pretty much everywhere. It’s also a great place to visit.
That's how I do it...
I've flown home from Madrid and from Porto, which is an easy bus ride from Santiago.
One thing to check out if you haven’t bought your tickets to Spain yet, is adding the Santiago to Madrid leg to your original ticket. I fly from the US and find that adding domestic flights both from Madrid to my departure city (Valencia, Almería, Sevilla, Pamplona, Irún, etc) and from Santiago to Madrid usually adds no more than the cost of the extra days you would spend getting to start point and getting back to Madrid.
Interesting. I usually book my inbound/return flight from the USA to Madrid and back separately from my in country travel. Usually it's because I want to be flexible about timing and which route I actually want to take.
That would be quite the risky decision, but maybe you are a high roller. Here’s what could happen (I have seen it). If your Ryan Air flight is late into Madrid, and you miss your international flight back to the US, you are doubly screwed. First, you will lose your ticket from MAD to LAX. Second, you will have to buy a last minute one way ticket from MAD to LAX. I saw this in Madrid, and you can bet there was a lot of screaming and crying. Maybe the young woman whose flight from Greece was late just happened to be particularly rude, but she had to call her parents to get them to use their CC for her ticket. No one was particularly happy that day.
Yah, that's why I haven't done it! But I've been tempted!
The free thing is for everyday commuters, not for long distance trains.
I want to leave Pamplona for St. Jean Pied de Port on August 31 .
