RENFE tickets vía Trainline et al

henrythedog

Veteran Member

Donating Member

Time of past OR future Camino

Annually - often more - from 2014

• Mar 10, 2023

• #1

I customarily use Trainline or Rail Europe to book train tickets in Spain. There is a slight premium over using RENFE direct, but I find it easier.

Historically a potential downside was that the train operator could not notify the customer of changes and disruption.

That has now changed for the better. I’ve just had direct notification from RENFE of a change to my journey booked for tomorrow (predictably they’re not offering an upgrade and a free puppy; they’ve thrown the towel in, but I’ve got a bus ticket also)

 

nilesite

Tumbleweed Pilgrim

Donating Member

Time of past OR future Camino

Frances (2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021)

• Mar 10, 2023

• #2

My only issue with Trainline was when I wanted to get on an earlier train, the station staff said they couldn’t transfer the ticket or offer me a refund to travel at a different time. If I’d bought through Renfe, I could do it, but not through Trainline. I like Trainline too, but that day, it was a pain.

 

L

Liltravlr

Active Member

Time of past OR future Camino

Francés (2020)

• Mar 10, 2023

• #3

Anyone use Omio? I am trying to book Renfe tix for June but doesn’t come up, though it does on Omio.

 

B

BarbaraW

Active Member

Donating Member

Time of past OR future Camino

Frances 2019/22, Portuguese 2023, Ingles 2024

• Mar 10, 2023

• #4

Renfe is notorious for opening bookings late: often less that 60 days ahead. More on this at https://www.seat61.com/european-train-booking-horizons.htm

I normally book European journeys through Rail Europe who were very helpful when I stupidly managed to book trips from A to B and B to C for the same day, instead of consecutive days. I've just been trying to book Badajoz to Tomar through Omio, but it tells me there are no trains because the journey involves a change, and their site doesn't do journeys involving connections. So it's not as useful for longer trips.

 

SuefromVegas

2022 pilgrim

Time of past OR future Camino

2022

• Mar 10, 2023

• #5

I booked a Santiago to Madrid ticket through Trainline last October. The train left a few hours earlier than originally scheduled and I was not notified. Unfortunately there no tickets available the entire day. I had to get to Madrid for a flight the following day so I had to fly. I think booking directly with Renfe is better.

 

danielle aird

La vie est belle

Time of past OR future Camino

May 2018; September 2018; May 2019; Sept (2019)

• Mar 10, 2023

• #6

henrythedog said:

I customarily use Trainline or Rail Europe to book train tickets in Spain. There is a slight premium over using RENFE direct, but I find it easier.

Historically a potential downside was that the train operator could not notify the customer of changes and disruption.

That has now changed for the better. I’ve just had direct notification from RENFE of a change to my journey booked for tomorrow (predictably they’re not offering an upgrade and a free puppy; they’ve thrown the towel in, but I’ve got a bus ticket also)

Click to expand...

beware of train strikes and France! Right now there is only a garbage collector strike, but it is one strike after another...

 

Goyo

Active Member

Time of past OR future Camino

Fall 2023

• Mar 11, 2023

• #7

danielle aird said:

beware of train strikes and France! Right now there is only a garbage collector strike, but it is one strike after another...

Click to expand...

Beware of more than train and garbage strikes in France right now…

Macron insists pension reform is necessary as protests, strikes press on

France braced for a new round of protests against a plan to overhaul the pension system on Saturday. More than a million demonstrators marched in cities across France this week in open-ended strikes…

www.france24.com