MADRID TO SEVILLA

I've just been looking on the AVE high speed
train web-site & it appears that you have to ring thru to book seats. Is that correct?
Also the price seems to be about 9900 pts each with some discount for ida y vuelta.

It looks like you're correct, steveaqui. I just checked the RENFE site myself and 9900pts for turista class is what it costs for the 2.5 hour AVE train trip.

Too book/buy online, click on TIKNET (the computer mouse graphic). Not sure if you can reserve without actually buying them online though. Maybe Antonio knows something more about this. Antonio!?

Saludos, MadridMan

You can travel cheaper if you take off-peak trains ("valle" trains), but there are only 3 "valle" trains each way a day.

You can buy the ticket online but only from 7 to 22 Spain time. If you have any problem, you can contact the customer's service (during that time).

I don't think you can book a ticket without paying it. However, you can always buy your tickets from the Renfe office at Alcalá, 44 in the city centre.

Regards,

Antonio

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The best tips from your favourite hostal in Madrid.
Hostal Chelo at http://www.chelo.com

[This message has been edited by Antonio (edited 01-10-2001).]

Thanks MadridMan & Antonio,
I'm off to Sevilla,Cordaba & Cadiz in April & I'm 50/50 so far on hiring a car or using the train. Looks like I'll be able to see the Semana Santa festival in Sevilla during my time there.

Madridman, Antonio, or steveaqui:
Do any of you know the availability of AVE tickets at the time of departure? Basically, I know the general day when I'll be traveling from Madrid to Sevilla, but if possible I'd rather not buy the ticket in advance and be committed to a certain time of departure. But if it is a big hassle, or is often full, I would rather buy in advance for convenience sake. By the way Madridman, great site - it is making the planning for my first Spain visit much easier!

SpecialFX,

I've currently got the same problem.
If I book in advance I will have to allow enough time for possible plane delays and trafiic in Madrid.
I'm also exploring if it's possible to break the journey at Cordaba and continue to Sevilla a few days later.

[This message has been edited by steveaqui (edited 01-11-2001).]

[This message has been edited by steveaqui (edited 01-11-2001).]

Check the RENFE website to be sure, but I would think there would be several AVE trains going to/from Madrid/Sevilla on any given day. So, if you get shut out of one you could try another. Remember, the fast AVE is the "rich person's train" and there are fewer of these people in Spain than other countries. Plus, if you're not traveling during a weekend or holiday your chances are much much better of finding available seats. Maybe Antonio can confirm this.

Saludos, MadridMan

I took AVE from Madrid to Sevilla in early May and bought my ticket the day before at Atocha. It was a valle train and there was plent of room. It was a great trip, just hold on to something if you're standing as the train rounds a turn! There were some 'G' forces at work!

Also, you can get off and on at any stop, and continue a few days later if you wish.

[This message has been edited by Kurt (edited 01-11-2001).]

Here you will find a link to a page on Renfe website with information about the AVE.

Check also this information about changes and refunds. Did you know you can change your ticket for the same day at a different time for free?.

Regards,

Antonio

------------------
The best tips from your favourite hostal in Madrid.
Hostal Chelo at http://www.chelo.com

To Steveaqui and SpecialFX:
In September I tried to buy tickets and reservations on an AVE (Valle) a day in advance but it was fully booked. I had to settle for an AVE (llano) an hour later.
Sometimes there will be seats available in a 'smoking' car when all the 'non-smoking' are booked. It's only 2.5 hours and you have to walk thru the smoking car to get to the Cafeteria-car (lots of smoking there) in any case. So, if I were traveling by myself I would ask if there were seats available in a smoking car.

I went to the Atocha RENFE station to book my seats for the AVE to Sevilla. Had my Iberic Rail Pass. It took more than an hour for my turn. When I got to the counter, the lady at the counter spoke no English and wasn't very helpful. I had to make bookings for my return to trip Sevilla as well as to Lisboa.

She booked me on the Preference for both trips. I only wanted Preference for Sevilla and the bunk beds for Lisboa as it was an overnight train. I didn't realise this until I boarded the train to Lisboa. It was a nightmare sitting in the train for about 11hrs! It was close to impossible to sleep in the hard uncomfortable seats. By the time I arrived in Lisboa, I was so tired.

Make sure that you know exactly what you want and how to communicate that to the person at the counter.

AVE high speed trains run every hour from Atocha. I've tried the internet site and also the Tiknet where it's advertised as possible to book on-line, however it seems that it's not. It would seem that booking in advance from home is not an option. Which means that planning a flight to Madrid followed by an AVE trip to Sevilla is not going to be easy.

The AVES I took had plenty of seats (11 am departures) in non smoking. I think at this time of year there's no problem, and since they leave every hour, you for sure can hop one the same day. I was impressed with the AVE for comfort and speed. It actually makes Cordoba a possible DAY TRIP from Madrid, too!

Kurt,

I don't think you can get off and on like if the AVE was a tourist bus. If you buy a ticket for Sevilla, let's say, on February 1st, and then you get off in Córdoba, you can't take again the AVE in Córdoba three days later because your ticket says February 1st, not February 4th.

Anyway, I take the train at Atocha station everyday on my way to the university. I'll check it.

---

Steveaqui,

Remember that you can only book online from 7:00 am to 10:00 pm Spain time. At any other time the system doesn't work!.

Regards,

Antonio

------------------
The best tips from your favourite hostal in Madrid.
Hostal Chelo at http://www.chelo.com

Thanks, Antonio

I tried the booking function today, so maybe it's not possible on a Sunday or weekend.

That's key information about not being able to break the journey, for example, stopping at Cordaba.

Yes, Antonio, you are correct and I didn't make myself clear.

Just tried to use the booking facility, yet again, and no go. Time 18:15 Britain.

I'ts working this evening at 18:30 Tuesday.

The booking site that is!

Hello all,

I'm going to Spain for the first time and need to book a train from
Madrid to Seville on Dec 30th. For some reason the TIKNET site is not working and I'm wondering if the AVE is going to be all booked up in the event I have to wait to purchase my tickets in Spain.
Any ideas?? I'm trying to book everything now so I'm not left out cold when I get there. I made the mistake of booking a flight to late from Paris to Rome on my first Europe Trip and paid about 700 dollars.

BTW it's 8:30 pm in Spain and 11:30 am in California

Not sure if the AVE will be booked-up, but do whatever needs to be done to reserve a seat. I'm partial, being a starved American always looking for ways on to a bullet train, but I highly suggest Spain's high speed rail. Don't worry, though, if AVE is sold out you can always get to Madrid on slower modes. But why? Although I"ve never been on this train, I've taken the TGV and Japan's ultra high speed rail, and think any traveler should experience the velocity of rail. Good luck getting your ticket!!!

Although I'm not sure if there's a direct link between Sevilla and Madrid, the Talgo 200 is another nice way to rail Spain. And for those, like myself, who salivate at the site of a fast train, feast your eyes on this beauty...

AVE!

You're right, JJP! It is a cool train. I'm thinking of making a short day trip to Sevilla from Madrid next year, I think the expense will be worth it, just to travel on such an exciting train!

Great idea, Booklady. When I was in Madrid last Christmas for my friends' wedding others day tripped to Sevilla. We would have joined them, but I'd been there previously, and we chose Toledo (great place...the city of three cultures, as I call it...Christians, Jews and Muslims once coexisted) instead. It's my understanding same-day round trips on AVE have been sold in past at a discount (cater to business travelers), but I may be mistaken. It could have been another system that offered this deal. With the high speed rail it's realistic to do Sevilla in a day, if that's all the time you have. My friends left extremely early, had all day, and returned on the latest evening train. What a jet-set life we all live...

We took the AVE RT from Madrid last year and had no trouble getting a ticket on the day we were leaving. I understand that rather than overbooking as the airlines do, they actually hold a few seats open for travelers w/o reservations. There are also several departures each day, I would drop by the station early on the day you want to leave, and if you don't make one departure you can take another.