Urban Trekker
Happy Trails
- Time of past OR future Camino
- English Camino (2013)
Portuguese Camino (2014)
French Camino (2016)
Way of Saint Francis April 2017
For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here. (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation) |
---|
This happens regularly with the Renfe site. In theory, the tickets should be available for purchase about 3 months before your travel date. In practice, it can be two months or less in advance, especially if Renfe is updating a schedule for a new season. Just keep checking every few days and your dates will hopefully appear soon!Help! I have been trying to book train tickets from Madrid to Pamplona for the morning of 12 April. Yesterday the site was showing results through 10 April . Today there's no schedule for April at all. Is Renfe going out of business at the end of March? Does anyone have a suggestion on how I can book train tickets from Madrid to Pamplona for the morning of 12 April? Buen Camino
Do I need to purchase my Renfe tickets in advance?
This is a good resource - some of the mystery explained, and certainly some tips.
Do I need to purchase my Renfe tickets in advance? I'll have a tight connection between my plane, shuttle T1 to T4, buying my Tarjeta Dorada and my train ticket and getting to Madrid-Chamartin. I'm hoping to make the 10:15a train from a 9:00a arriving flight. No problem last time when I took the 10:15a-ish ALSA but i didn't have the commuter train part of the trip to add to the equation.
This is a good resource - some of the mystery explained, and certainly some tips.
Wow! That's a great website.
I haven't seen it before.
Do I need to purchase my Renfe tickets in advance? I'll have a tight connection between my plane, shuttle T1 to T4, buying my Tarjeta Dorada and my train ticket and getting to Madrid-Chamartin. I'm hoping to make the 10:15a train from a 9:00a arriving flight. No problem last time when I took the 10:15a-ish ALSA but i didn't have the commuter train part of the trip to add to the equation.
I forgot to mention I am headed to Burgos.... 1) I was wondering if buying tickets in advance is cheaper - and it appears it is (Promo+??) and 2) if I were to miss the train can the tickets be transferred to another departure that day or to my Leon to Madrid ticket later on? I prefer as early as possible because I want as much time on the ground in Burgos as I can before heading out the next morning.1) Your schedule is too tight. Perhaps a taxi from T1 (if available) could help. I would prefer to take the next train.
2) Buy your tickets in advance because train might be full and tickets are far more cheaper (Promo+) if bought as soon as available on the Renfe website.
Do I need to purchase my Renfe tickets in advance? I'll have a tight connection between my plane, shuttle T1 to T4, buying my Tarjeta Dorada and my train ticket and getting to Madrid-Chamartin. I'm hoping to make the 10:15a train from a 9:00a arriving flight. No problem last time when I took the 10:15a-ish ALSA but i didn't have the commuter train part of the trip to add to the equation.
Yes it does make more sense... but I like train travel and wanted to treat myself. Last time I took ALSA from T4 to Pamplona and then Burgos back to Madrid. Both times I got -luck of the draw - the oldest dirty broken down dusty sticky no-restroom buses in the fleet. I do know the Rose de Lima station is NE well away from the Burgos cathedral area, already had that part figured out!!! (and know that the bus station is only a hop skip and a jump across the river from my hostel). Oh and if it really matters I'll have no luggage to pick up, I carry on my pack.Great Dane, if you are going to Burgos, it probably makes more sense to take an Alsa bus directly from the airport (T4), you will be actually faster than by train, the bus price is lower, and you will arrive right in the center of Burgos (while the train station is outside of Burgos)
I was checking all the options of getting to Burgos lately as I am heading there ...soon.
http://www.alsa.es
oooops, it seems like I unintentionally duplicated Tincatinker's post, sorry about it! (it is just the Camino fever)
I got lucky last timeI like trains much more than buses too!it is just your short connection time that can be a problem. From my experience, if the flight is listed to arrive at 9:00 usually it means this is the "touchdown" time and you are out of the terminal around 9:30. Then the t4 is 5 km from t123... and the cercanias leave once every 30 minutes as NualaOC mentioned. Thats... just too much, at least for me. But you might be lucky, who knows!
Good point about the train station in Burgos - forgot it is about five miles outside the city centerGreat Dane, if you are going to Burgos, it probably makes more sense to take an Alsa bus directly from the airport (T4), you will be there actually faster than by train, the bus price is lower, and you will arrive right in the center of Burgos (while the train station is outside of Burgos)
I was checking all the options of getting to Burgos lately as I am heading there ...soon.
http://www.alsa.es
oooops, it seems like I unintentionally duplicated Tincatinker's post, sorry about it! (it is just the Camino fever)
I just did it in January with a checked bag, and it was nearly two hours before I was in Chamartin. Fifty minutes was waiting for my bag, the rest was Cercanias and buying the ticket. It all is convenient, but not necessarily fast. If you had a ticket (you have to get your Cerancias free ticket from the clerk if you bought your Renfe ticket on line) and perfect timing, you might get from the gate to Chamartin in 45 minutes. It will depend on whether the Cercanias is about to leave or has just left!I like trains much more than buses too!it is just your short connection time that can be a problem.
Do I need to purchase my Renfe tickets in advance? I'll have a tight connection between my plane, shuttle T1 to T4, buying my Tarjeta Dorada and my train ticket and getting to Madrid-Chamartin. I'm hoping to make the 10:15a train from a 9:00a arriving flight. No problem last time when I took the 10:15a-ish ALSA but i didn't have the commuter train part of the trip to add to the equation.
I got lucky last time, flight arrived a little early, no lines at customs, my checked box with trekking poles came right away as did the T4 shuttle. Bought bus ticket and had enough time to wait and wait and wait for the bus.
I forgot to mention I am headed to Burgos.... 1) I was wondering if buying tickets in advance is cheaper - and it appears it is (Promo+??) and 2) if I were to miss the train can the tickets be transferred to another departure that day or to my Leon to Madrid ticket later on?
Thank You Whirwharangi. Went to the petranax site and got my tickets. Now I can work on there to stay when we get to Pamplona Buen Camiono
Happy Trails
P.S. Can I refer to you as Whirligig, I can pronounce that.
I'm flying in from the west coast. Arrival time is 0900. Booked a 1500 train from the Atocha station to PamplonaThis may or may not work - depending on the timing of the train from T4 to Chamartin. Although it's a short ride (about 11 mins), as far as I can recall, the trains are at 30 minute intervals. You could be lucky and jump on one when you arrive in T4 - or you might have just missed one!
The Tarjeta Dorada discount is probably about the same as the early booking (Promo) discount - so if you're determined to catch that train, you might want to book online to save time at the station. However, you still have to get your ticket for the local train to Chamartin (which is free when you show your Renfe booking) - so that means going to a machine or to the information desk.
As @arthur1218 suggests, a taxi to Chamartin might be your best option if you're determined to catch the 10.15am train.
I have a similar dilemma for travelling to Leon in September. Our flight arrives at 9.55am and there's a train at 11.05 from Chamartin. I'm thinking of taking a chance and booking the tickets, even though it's a big risk. There's also a bus at around 12 noon, so that will be our Plan B - especially if I can bag one of the €5 promotional tickets!
Good luck and happy planning!
Me too!Whariwharangi is a place name on the Abel Tasman Great Walk South Island New Zealand.
Think of it as two words. Whari is a Maori word for house. Wharangi is the name of a New Zealand shrub officially designated Melicope Ternata.
I am neither Maori nor do I live in New Zealand. I just prefer to take an unusual online name instead of calling myself pleb1234 or some such. I hiked the Abel Tasman track several years ago and camped at Whariwharangi hut.
You can mispronounce it any way you like. Just don't call me 'late for dinner'.
Yes, saw all that in my research (the 2 trains, the Cercanias commuter - I talked to RENFE about that, etc) , thanks!!! Your last lines "If I missed it, I'd just walk upstairs and take the "dusty bus" to Burgos from the ALSA T4 stop" is my plan of attack. If I get the train it is icing on the cake, if I don't it won't break my heart because I'll still get to Burgos in time to wander some more.Well, there is the Cercanias schedule available online
http://www.renfe.com/viajeros/cercanias/madrid/index.html
the trains from the terminal T4 to Chamartin are leaving at 9:27 and 9:57 .
If you can get on the 9:27, you are fine.
If I missed it, I'd just walk upstairs and take the "dusty bus"to Burgos from the Alsa T4 stop.
So another reason not to buy the tickets ahead of time and see what the Camino has in store for us.
By the way, 10:15 From Madrid to Burgos is not a direct train. Those are actually 2 trains with half an hour connection time in Valladolid.
I had to sacrifice a fare when British Airways/Iberia couldn't fly their schedule and I had allowed two hours. The Promo fare and the Dorado fare (often the same) are available at the counter as well sometimes, so reserving a seat on a tight transfer schedule can double the cost!How do people feel about booking the Promo and Promo+ tickets with Renfe? They seem to be 1/3 of the full Flexible tickets but can't change - so if you miss your train you are out of luck. Barrie at 7:45 am on May 8th and am looking at a 11:35 train from Atocha. To risky? The next train isn't until 3pm.
Barrie at 7:45 am
However, you still have to get your ticket for the local train to Chamartin (which is free when you show your Renfe booking) - so that means going to a machine or to the information desk.
Hi Victoria, that's correct. If you show your Renfe ticket in the T4 information / ticket office, you'll be given a free ticket to Atocha. I think you can also get it from a machine, by putting in a code.I already have a train ticket from Atocha to Pamplona. Does it mean that my ride from T4 to Atocha free?
How do people feel about booking the Promo and Promo+ tickets with Renefe? They seem to be 1/3 of the full Flexible tickets but can't change - so if you miss your train you are out of luck. I arrive at 7:45 am on May 8th and am looking at a 11:35 train from Atocha. To risky? The next train isn't until 3pm.
How do people feel about booking the Promo and Promo+ tickets with Renefe? They seem to be 1/3 of the full Flexible tickets but can't change - so if you miss your train you are out of luck. I arrive at 7:45 am on May 8th and am looking at a 11:35 train from Atocha. To risky? The next train isn't until 3pm.
Thanks @peregrina2000 for the info. I was thinking I'd just take a taxi to Atocha to simplify things. I'm assuming I'll still have to get to the main terminal to catch a taxi. Will check out the map too. Thanks !!
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?