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Last year, in August 2023, I was looking to get tickets from Santiago to Madrid. I knew it was likely to be busy. I purchased tickets from RailClick. Renfe's online site didn't have tickets available at this time. They appeared about two weeks...
A minute ago I checked trains fron Madrid charmartin to Léon on railclick.com but even less trains appeared compared to renfre.es. (For April 11.) So at the moment I’m not impressed by this website.
Yes, in 2018, 2019 and 2022 I booked early with Petrabax from Barcelona to Pamplona on the way to St Jean. Last year I booked early from Santiago to Madrid with RailClick and have this years tickets from RailClick from Barcelona to Pamplona.
I completely agree with what @ShoshTrvls says here:
I can speak Spanish well enough to call and make a reservation, but it's often difficult to understand the other party without the benefit of body language.
I think that WhatsApp is...
Fortunately, I can call and talk and reserve a bed in Spanish. For the life of it, I do not understand why you won't make the small effort to learn this. Learning a small piece of a foreign languge will enhance your life and make it better.
But...
Avoid abbreviated dates when booking.
In Europe, 3/4 means 3 April, not 4 March.
That might be a problem if you are on the Camino on 4 March, and looking for a bed.
Write the month name to prevent misunderstandings.
Forget emails, you are more likely to get a reply if you use Whatsapp, in Spanish.
Mobile numbers in Spain start with +34 (Spain’s dialing code) followed by: 6 . . .
It’s very easy, using Google Translate:
I would like to book one bed for one...
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