train from Madrid to Pamplona - necessary to book ahead?

[narimaidl]

My husband and I will be arriving in Madrid May 25, traveling from Portland, OR. The plan is to take the train to Pamplona and then be picked up by taxi for the rest of the journey to SJPP. I have not been able to buy tickets on the renfe website. Has anyone else had luck? Or is it safe to wait until we arrive and book the train at the airport? Also, how long does it take, using public transportation to get from the Madrid airport to the train station. Any and all suggestions/advice welcome!

 

[renegadepilgrim]

You might want to look at the bus, it's cheaper.

http://www.alsa.es/portal/site/Alsa?por ... cale=en_GB

We took the bus from Madrid to Burgos (then onto Sto Domingo de la Calzada) for just a few Euros, vs the train which is much more expensive. I am fairly certain there are busses directly to Pamplona from Madrid, too.

Also, from the Madrid airport, you can catch a city bus to the Avenida de Americas bus terminal, get off the bus, go upstairs and purchase bus tickets at the kiosk. It's under two euros to get there and they have free wifi on the bus! You will also want to see if the bus is running from Pamplona to SJPdP....it's a new shuttle bus they started running last year during busy season. It's cheaper than a taxi.

And if you are interested in picking our brains in Portland, come out for our Portlandia Chapter of American Pilgrims on the Camino walk on February 26th at 2p.....details are here:
http://americanpilgrims.com/about/local_portlandia.html

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi,

You're having a problem buying tickets because you can only buy tickets two months in advance for any Spanish train. There are several threads on this forum that deal with how to do that, you can find them easily using the search function. It is definitely worth your while, because if you buy the tickets when they first become available, you can save well over half of the regular price. For every train, there is a limited number of "web fares" (cheapest) and "estrella fares" (next cheapest).

In my experience, buying tickets on the RENFE website is hit or miss. One thing you definitely want to do is call your credit card company before you try to book them, and that might eliminate the problems that many people have. I have heard from SO many people who have gone all the way through the complicatd site, made their reservations, only to find that the payment isn't accepted.

As of 2012, ticket brokers can now sell the cheap tickets themselves, but only within the two month window. So Raileurope, petrobax, and others will sell you the same cheap fares with their service fee (about $8 US). Or you can try it yourself on the RENFE site and save the service fee.

Yet another alternative is to buy the tickets when you arrive in Spain. If you're over 65 (or is it 60?), you can then buy a special card that allows you a discount off the regular fares.

So many options! Buen camino, Laurie

 

[annakappa]

If by any small chance you are flying with Iberia (but I guess not), then you take a local connecting flight to Pamplona which costs even less than the bus fare! That's what we do each year. Saves all the hassle! Personally, I wouldn't book ahead your ground transport, just in case you arrive on a delayed flight, this is especially so with the long distance flights. We got diverted on flight from Costa Rica a few years back because of an emmergency landing (drug overdose). Spent 3 hours on the ground in the Dominican Republic, arrived late in Madrid and so of course loads of people lost their connections. We had little problem because we were simply put on the next flight to Pamplona, but had we chosen an overland way of travelling, and paid ahead, well we would have lost everything! Anne

 

[narimaidl]

Thanks for all your helpful responses. Know now we need to be a bit more patient and persistent in securing our train reservations. Also, knowing that others before us have figured out how to get around using public transportation in Spain gives us hope that we too will be successful!

 

[david g]

nice to see someone else from the pacific northwest on here. i'm going on the camino in sept.(from washougal)so keep me updated so that i can learn things from your experience.( i never knew i could have so many questions!)

 

[sinziana]

Hi, I was looking at prices to fly from Madrid to Pamplona but the prices were rather high for June, over 150 euro. Can you tell me when you were travelling, maybe it is due to that?
thanks
Sinziana

 

[deanfred]

Yet another alternative is to buy the tickets when you arrive in Spain. If you're over 65 (or is it 60?), you can then buy a special card that allows you a discount off the regular fares.

Hi Laurie,

Could I ask where does one of 60 or 65 years of age get the speical card that allows discounts?
Many thanks.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

For ALSA and Renfe you are a senior citizen at 60.

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi deanfred,

Here is the information on the "Tarjeta Dorada" (Golden Card), which provides discounts to those over 60.

It costs 5.05 euros, and is available in RENFE train stations, RENFE ticket offices, and travel agencies (I assume only in Spain). It's valid for one year.

The discounts are taken off the regular ticket price (not the web specials) and are as follows:

For the AVE (high speed). Monday, Tuesday, Wed., Thurs., 40% discount with advance purchase. Friday, Sat., Sunday, and all days without advance purchase, 25%.

For the AVANT (next fastest). 25% discount M-F; 40% discount Sat-Sun (I know this is the opposite of the discounts for the AVE, but I'm just reporting what the RENFE website says).

For the regular trains: 40% discount all the time

Cercanias: 40% discount all the time

If you can get the online web fares two months out, they are even cheaper, but this is a great deal, too. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[CatherineAnn]

I am wondering if Renfe trains run from the Chamartin train station?

I can't figure out where the train stations are in Madrid or if it's another train company out of Chamartin.

I have figured out how to get to the chamartin station from the airport on the metro.

I am trying to get to Leon from Madrid. I just read this whole post and found out about the booking only two months in advance so that explains part of my confustion.

We are both 60 and over so we could buy the pass when we get to the Renfe station?

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, CatherineAnn,

Chamartin is one of the main train stations in Madrid; Atocha is the other. But trains to Leon leave from Chamartin. There's only one train company, RENFE.

If you arrive in T4 (the new terminal of the Barajas airport -- used by Iberia and its partners), it will be quicker to take the Cercanias train, rather than the metro. There's a recently opened line that goes direct from T4 to Chamartin, in about 11 minutes, I think. The metro will take much longer.

You will be able to buy your Tarjeta Dorada at the train station, and you will get the discounts I described. The online web fares are a bit cheaper, as low as 17 euros for a one way on the AVE from Madrid to Leon. But if you don't want to risk missing your train because of airline delays or if the RENFE website won't cooperate for you, it's certainly worth it to buy a Tarjeta Dorada for 5 euros and use it to buy your ticket on the day of travel.

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[CatherineAnn]

Thank you so much for the info Laurie!

 

[pulsantilla]

Hi, there is also buses from Madrid to Pamplona that run more often than the trains. You catch them from the Avenid America bus station wich is on an easy route from the airport on the underground, the metro. I travelled this way having missed the morning train and found it very sastisfactory. Enjoy your camino, best wishes...sandy

 

[narimaidl]

Happy to report that the renfe website worked just fine and we've booked our train from Madrid to Pamplona. Just needed to be patient - the tickets are available precisely 2 months before you need to leave. And the prices were greatly discounted by purchasing online vs. waiting until we get there. Now we just hope that our flight arrives on time and we get to the train station on time. We are hopeful!

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, narimaidl,

Well, it was the most frustrating thing -- I have bought tickets on the RENFE website before, but this year, I found it wouldn't take my credit card number, even though I had called and notified my CC company ahead of time. I got on promptly at 12:00 am Spanish time two months before I am traveling, and in the few minutes it took me to get through the website, see my card rejected and move over to book on RailEurope and let them take their $8 booking fee, the cheapest tickets were gone! I still got a pretty good deal -- Madrid to Santander, first class (! -- since the cheapest economy fare was sold out) for $51 U.S. (regular economy fare is 49 euros).

But I just want to encourage people who are going to try to buy cheap tickets, especially if you're traveling on a Friday or Sunday, buy them as early as possible, two months ahead to the minute!

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[narimaidl]

Hi, narimaidl,

Well, it was the most frustrating thing -- I have bought tickets on the RENFE website before, but this year, I found it wouldn't take my credit card number, even though I had called and notified my CC company ahead of time. I got on promptly at 12:00 am Spanish time two months before I am traveling, and in the few minutes it took me to get through the website, see my card rejected and move over to book on RailEurope and let them take their $8 booking fee, the cheapest tickets were gone! I still got a pretty good deal -- Madrid to Santander, first class (! -- since the cheapest economy fare was sold out) for $51 U.S. (regular economy fare is 49 euros).

But I just want to encourage people who are going to try to buy cheap tickets, especially if you're traveling on a Friday or Sunday, buy them as early as possible, two months ahead to the minute!

Buen camino, Laurie

Laurie - glad you got a good fare as well! nari