Train advice from the Man in Seat 61...

The Man in Seat 61

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A beginner's guide to

Train travel in spain.

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Once upon a time, Spain had one of the most backward train networks in western Europe.  Now, they have one of the best, indeed, one of my favourite rail systems.  High-speed AVE trains (Alta Velocidad Española) link major cities at up to 300 km/h (186mph), and if you book in advance online you can find some great cheap fares.  This page will give you a heads-up on how to travel cheaply around Spain by train.

A guide to taking the train in Spain

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International trains to & from Spain

Other train travel information, useful country information, spain by train, the key things to know.

Avlo is a lo-cost subsidiary of Renfe which runs Barcelona-Madrid, other routes planned.  Their trains are one class only, with no-catering.

Ouigo Spain is a lo-cost subsidiary of SNCF (French Railways) which runs Barcelona-Madrid, Madrid-Valencia & Madrid-Alicante, other routes planned.  Two class, with basic catering.

Elige (Choice) = A semi-flexible fare, you can choose between Elige (2nd class seat) or for a higher price, Elige Confort (1st class seat).

Now for the catch, and it's some catch that Catch 22:  You can only buy a Tarjeta Dorada in person at a Renfe station when you get to Spain.  You cannot buy it online.  But you can't buy tickets online in advance with the Tarjeta Dorada discount until after you've bought the card because you need to enter the card number to get the discount.  So if you're planning a trip to Spain, it's better to forget about being senior and just buy a normal adult advance-purchase ticket now for perhaps €30 without any Tarjeta Dorada discount, than to wait until you get to Spain to buy a Tarjeta Dorada to get 25% off a fare which by that time (on or close to departure date) might have risen to €90.  Just let that sink in...

How to buy tickets & check train times

You can buy tickets at any Renfe station or online at www.renfe.com , but see the advice on using Renfe.com below .  There's no booking fee, but Renfe.com is a pain to use with some confusing translations and quirks, it's also known for sometimes rejecting overseas payment cards.  It's far easier (and quicker!) to buy tickets in plain English using www.thetrainline.com (in €, £ or $, small booking fee, works for anyone from any country) or www.raileurope.com ( various currencies, small booking fee), Omio.com (various currencies, small booking fee) or www.petrabax.com (in US$, with a small mark-up).  These websites all connect to Renfe's ticketing system and sell the same trains at the same prices with no payment problems and the same official Renfe print-at-home tickets.

Real time information

You can see whether a train is on time and which platform it will leave from, if you download thetrainline.com 's app and run an enquiry for today. Trainline's app show real time information for all operators, Renfe, Avlo, Iryo & Ouigo.

Combinado Cercanias : Free suburban travel with a long-distance ticket

When you buy a ticket for one of Renfe's long-distance trains (AVE, EuroMed, Alvia, Intercity) of any fare type in any class for a journey within Spain, you get free travel from any Renfe suburban station at the start of your journey and free travel to any Renfe suburban station at the end of your journey, in the following cities:

Asturias, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cadiz, Madrid, Malaga, Murcia/Alicante, San Sebastian, Santander, Seville, Valencia and Zaragoza.  You also get free travel from/to any FEVE local station in Asturias, Santander, Bilbao & Cartagena.

If your ticket includes this, it will say Combinado Cercanias in the corner with a reference number.

At your starting city, you must use the suburban ticket within 3 hours of your long-distance train departure, and at your destination you must use the suburban ticket within 4 hours of your long-distance train's arrival.

You can travel to or from any suburban station within that city's numbered zones, but not outside the zones (so longer routes such as Barcelona to Portbou or Latour de Carol are not included).

Different cities have slightly different processes:  To access the suburban ( cercanias ) platforms in Madrid or Malaga, place the QR code of your long-distance ticket against the scanner on the automatic ticket gates and they should open.  In Barcelona, you must show your long-distance ticket at the information desk and ask for a ticket to open the cercanias ticket gates.

Add a snack box to your booking in Elige Confort on AVE & EuroMed .  You can add a snack box to your booking if you buy an Elige fare for Confort class on an AVE or EuroMed train at Renfe.com.  You can add it when you book or afterwards, at least 12h before the train leaves its origin station.

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Railpasses for Spain

Option 1, eurail & interrail passes.

Unfortunately, Interrail & Eurail passes do not offer hop on, hop off convenience in Spain because all Spanish long-distance train and even some regional trains require a reservation, for Interrail & Eurail passholders this costs around €10 for AVEs and similar front-rank trains or €7 for lesser trains.  This must be factored into your budget.

The next issue is that Interrail & Eurail reservations for Spanish trains often can't be made online.  Passholder reservations for most front-rank high-speed AVE trains can now be made online using the Interrail/Eurail reservations service and some Alvia and Intercity trains can also be booked this way.  However, others can't be booked online at all and most Media Distancia trains can't be booked online either, you have to go to a station when you reach Spain.  More about how to make Interrail/Eurail passholder reservations in Spain .

Option 2, Renfe's Spain Pass

Renfe offer its own Spain Pass to anyone resident outside Spain.  This can be better value as it includes all reservations, no hidden costs.  However, unlike Interrail & Eurail passes it does not give unlimited travel.  One journey = 1 train ride, if you change trains, that's 2 journeys.

You can buy a Renfe Spain Pass giving either 4, 6, 8 or 10 individual one-way train journeys of any length in a one-month period on all of Renfe's long-distance & medium-distance trains, including AVE, EuroMed, Alvia, Intercity, Media Distancia & Avant. 

With the Renfe Spain Pass, reservations can be made for free and there are no extra fees or quotas - if there is an empty seat on the train, you're entitled to it with your Spain Pass, although be warned that Spanish high-speed trains can indeed get fully-booked close to departure date.

How to buy a Renfe Spain pass

You can buy a Spain pass online at www.renfe.com/es/en.../renfe-spain-pass (has a few quirky translations and sometimes struggles with some credit cards).  The passes are completely electronic.  After setting up an account and buying your own pass, you can buy passes for your travelling companions as separate transactions.  They will also appear as passes in your account.

You have up to 6 months to make your first trip after you buy the pass, then one month to use the remaining trips after that first trip.

You can make reservations to go with a Spain pass either at stations as you go or at www.renfe.com , but the online method isn't obvious.  Here's how to make Renfe Pass seat reservations using www.renfe.com ( feedback appreciated ):

1. After buying your Renfe pass, go to www.renfe.com and switch it to English by clicking the globe logo at top right and select Ingles .

2. Log into your account and select the tab called My passes. You should see each Renfe pass you have bought for you and your companions. 

3. At the top of that page is a from and to field, like the journey planner used to book tickets on their home page.  Use this to make reservations, the price will be shown as €0.

You can only make reservations for one person/pass at a time.  But if you click Choose seats you can select your seat from a seat map and can use this feature to select seats next to each other.

Important:  When you make your first reservation, Renfe assumes that this is the first train you want to take with your pass and automatically starts the one-month pass validity from that date.  This now prevents you from making reservations on an earlier date.  So make sure that the first reservation you make is for the day you intend to start using the pass!

Spanish train fares & classes explained

In July 2021, Renfe introduced a completely new fares structure for all its long-distance trains including the high-speed AVE, and also changed the terms it uses for 1st & 2nd class.  It's easy to get confused between what's a class of accommodation and what's a fare type, so here's a run-down of Renfe's new classes & fares.

Standard & Comfort class

Básico, elige & premium fares.

Elige (Choice).  A semi-flexible fare.  If you select this you get a choice of Elige to travel in Standard (2nd) class or Elige Confort at a higher price to travel in Comfort (1st) class but without any included food or access to lounges.  Elige & Elige Confort tickets are refundable & changeable for a fee.

What are Spanish trains like?

AVE or Alta Velocidad Española is Spain's front-rank high-speed train.  Reservation is compulsory, and all trains have a cafe-bar.  AVEs are now being fitted with free WiFi.  If you pay the Premium fare, an airline-style hot tray meal with wine is included although on some departures you get a snack box instead, see the food & drink section above .  AVE trains come in various types.

S100 :  The original French-designed AVE used between Madrid & Seville and also now used into France, see the photos below.

S102 & S112 :  The Spanish Talgo-designed AVE used between Madrid & Malaga, Barcelona & Malaga/Seville, a classy train indeed, see S102/S112 photos here .

S103 :  The German-designed AVE used between Barcelona & Madrid plus some Madrid-Malaga trains, see S103 photos here .

Alvia & EuroMed trains

These S130 trains operate the EuroMed services linking Barcelona with Valencia & Alicante, as well as Alvia trains from Madrid to Cadiz & Huelva.  They consist of little articulated coaches built by the Talgo company sandwiched between two duck-billed power cars.  There are other Alvia services operates by similar trains with a diesel power-car added, and a few Alvia trains (including Barcelona to Bilbao, Pamplona & San Sebastian) operated by the wedge-nosed S120 type, of similar high quality.  All Alvia trains have a cafe-bar.  On EuroMed services a hot meal with wine is usually available in Comfort class on weekdays & Sundays if you buy a Premium ticket or add the meal to an Elige ticket, see the information above .

Intercity trains

These run on many long distance routes, including Madrid-Ronda-Algeciras, Madrid-Granada, Madrid-San Sebastian.  Most (including Madrid-Algeciras) are former Altaria trains, little articulated trains built by the Talgo company and hauled by a separate locomotive, they have adjustable axles so they can run at up to 200 km/h on the high-speed AVE lines (which are standard European gauge) then go though a gauge-changing shed to emerge on traditional Spanish broad gauge to complete their journey on the classic Iberian gauge network.  A few Intercity trains have been created by rebranding former Alvia trains built by CAF, for example on the Madrid-San Sebastian route, which also have gauge-changing wheels.  All Intercity trains have a cafe-bar.

Avlo, Iryo, Ouigo...

Spain's high-speed lines have been opened up to competition.  Renfe now has a lo-cost brand called Avlo , and competitor operators Iryo & Ouigo now operate on key routes including Barcelona-Madrid , Madrid-Valencia, Madrid-Cordoba/Seville/Malaga.  See the Barcelona-Madrid page for a run down of these 3 operators .

How to buy train tickets for Spain

When does booking open?   Anything between 15 days and 11 months, Renfe is a law unto itself when it comes to booking horizons, see the introduction .

What can these sites sell?   They can sell Renfe's mainline trains and sometimes competing high-speed trains run by Avlo, Iryo or Ouigo.  They can't sell tickets for Renfe's suburban (cercanias) routes including Latour de Carol-Barcelona or Cerbère-Portbou-Barcelona, nor can they sell tickets for Euskotren (Hendaye-San Sebastian-Bilbao) or the former FEVE routes (Bilbao-Santander-Gijon-Ferrol).

Option 1, buy at Raileurope.com

The quickest & easiest way to buy Spanish train tickets is at Raileurope.com with cheap advance-purchase fares & print-at-home or collect-at-station tickets.  You can choose to pay in €, £ or $. There's a small booking fee.

Raileurope.com links directly to Renfe's (Spanish Railways) ticketing system and charges the same price as Renfe themselves with the same print-your-own ticket delivery.  Unlike Renfe's own site it's in plain English without any of Renfe.com's quirky translations and no credit card rejection problems.

Raileurope.com can book the lo-cost Barcelona-Madrid Ouigo Spain trains as well as the normal Renfe trains, but cannot book lo-cost Avlo trains

Anyone from any country can use Raileurope.com as international credit cards are welcomed.  It can also sell international trains between Spain and Portugal or France, as it links to the French, German, Italian & British ticketing systems.  Who are Raileurope.com?

Important:   If you have a baby or infant, remember to add them as a child and enter their age, they'll still go free but will get the free infant ticket which is now necessary in Spain.

Option 2, buy at Thetrainline.com or Omio.com

www.omio.com & www.thetrainline.com also connect to Renfe's ticketing system to sell Renfe tickets at exactly the same prices as Renfe with the same print-your-own or collect-at-station tickets, very easily, all overseas credit cards accepted.  Both charge a small booking fee.  They can also book Ouigo Spain trains & Avlo trains .  Who are Thetrainline.com?

Option 3, buy at Petrabax.com , easy to use, in US$

If you'd rather pay in USD, use www.petrabax.com .  This is a US-based agency which also links directly to the Renfe ticketing system to sell the same trains as Renfe.com with the same print-at-home tickets.  They add a small mark-up, but it's easy to use in plain English and it avoids the English translation and credit card acceptance problems people can experience with Renfe.com.  Anyone from any country can use Petrabax, including the United States, Canada, Australia, India & Singapore.

Option 4, buy at Renfe.com

How to use www.renfe.com.

Renfe are usually particularly late opening reservations for dates after the main annual timetable change in mid-December.

G uidebooks

Lonely Planet Spain - click to buy online

Click the images to buy online at Amazon.co.uk

Alternatively, download just the chapters or areas you need in .PDF format from the Lonely Planet Website , from around £2.99 or US$4.95 a chapter.

European Rail Timetable & maps

Traveller's Railway Map of Europe - buy online

Rail Map Europe is the map I recommend, covering all of Europe from Portugal in the west to Moscow & Istanbul in the east, Finland in the north to Sicily & Athens in the south.  Scenic routes & high-speed lines are highlighted.  See an extract from the map .  Buy online at www.europeanrailtimetable.eu (shipping worldwide) or at www.amazon.co.uk (UK addresses).

Hotels in Spain

Backpacker hostels.

www.hostelworld.com :  If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels.  Hostelworld offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in Paris and most other European cities at rock-bottom prices.

Environmentally aware, actively ethical adventures in Spain:  www.wildsideholidays.com

For environmentally-aware guesthouses offering walking, hiking, riding or nature-watching in the Spanish countryside and national parks, try www.wildsideholidays.com , a new site listing independent, environmentally-aware properties across Spain.  It was started by British ex-pats Clive Muir and Sue Eatock, when they found nowhere to advertise their own wonderful property deep in the heart of the Sierra de Grazelema near Ronda in Southern Spain.

Custom-made tours of Spain

Railbookers, railbookers.co.uk.

If you want to tour Spain by train, with all your train reservations and hotels sorted for you to your own specification, contact train tour specialists Railbookers and they'll create the best rail holiday for you, hassle-free.  They take good care of their clients and get a lot of repeat business.  In particular, check out their Ultimate Barcelona, Madrid & Seville tour on their US & Canada site, or a top seller on their UK site, Madrid & Andalusia.  They have offices in the UK, USA & Australia.

UK flag

Tailor Made Rail, tailormaderail.com

Tailor Made Rail can arrange tours of Spain by train based on your own requirements, they welcome complex itineraries.  As it's a package, they'll take care of you if anything happens on one part of the trip, for example, a national strike.  They're TTA-protected - like ATOL, but not only for agencies that sell air travel.

Call their dedicated seat61 phone line 020 3778 1461 and quote seat 61 when booking.  From outside the UK call +44 20 3778 1461.  Lines open 09:00-17:30 Monday-Friday.  Their website is www.tailormaderail.com/destinations/spain .

Car hire comparison:  www.carrentals.co.uk

The award-winning website www.carrentals.co.uk compares many different car hire companies including Holiday Autos, meaning not only a cheapest price comparison but a wider choice of hire and drop off location.

Travel insurance & other tips

Always take out travel insurance.

You should take out travel insurance with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover from a reliable insurer.  It should cover trip cancellation and loss of cash & belongings up to a reasonable limit.  These days, check you're covered for covid-19-related issues, and use an insurer whose cover isn't invalidated by well-meant but excessive Foreign Office travel advice against non-essential travel. An annual policy is usually cheapest even for just 2 or 3 trips a year, I have an annual policy with Staysure.co.uk myself.  Don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed connection, see the advice on missed connections here .  Here are some suggested insurers, I get a little commission if you buy through these links, feedback always welcome.

US flag

Get an eSIM with mobile data package

Don't rely on WiFi, download an eSIM with a European mobile data package and stay connected.  Most newer mobile phones can download a virtual SIM including iPhone 11 & later, see device compatibility list .  There's no need to buy a physical SIM card!  Maya.net is a reliable eSIM data retailer with a 4.5 out of 5 Trustpilot rating and a range of packages including unlimited data .

Get a Curve card for foreign travel

Most banks give you a poor exchange rate then add a foreign transaction fee on top.  A Curve MasterCard means no foreign transaction fees and gives you the mid-market exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, £500 per month as I write this.  The money you spend on your Curve card goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards.  And you can get a Curve card for free.

How it works:   1. Download the Curve app for iPhone or Android .  2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to the UK and most European addresses.  3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app, you can link up to two cards with the free version of Curve, I link my normal debit card and my normal credit card.  4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, exactly like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance in your own currency onto whichever debit or credit card is currently selected in the Curve app.  You can even change your mind about which card it goes onto, within 14 days of the transaction.

I have a Curve Blue card myself, it means I can buy a coffee on a foreign station on a card without being stung by fees and lousy exchange rates, just by tapping the Curve card on their card reader.  The money goes through Curve to my normal debit card and is taken directly from my account (in fact I have the Curve card set up as payment card on Apple Pay on my iPhone, so can double-click my phone, let it do Face ID then tap the reader with the phone - even easier than getting a card out).  I get a little commission if you sign up to Curve, but I recommend it here because I think it's great.  See details, download the app and get a Curve card , they'll give you £5 cashback through that link.

Get a VPN for safe browsing.  Why you need a VPN

When travelling you may use free public WiFi which is often insecure.  A VPN encrypts your connection so it's always secure, even on unsecured WiFi.  It also means you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geoblocking which a surprising number of websites apply.  See VPNs & why you need one explained .  ExpressVPN is a best buy with a 4.7 out of 5 Trustpilot ranking which I use myself - I've signed up as an ExpressVPN affiliate, and if you go with expressvpn.com using this link you should see a special deal, 3 months free with an annual subscription.  I also get some commission to help support this site.

Carry an Anker powerbank

Tickets, reservations, hotel bookings and Interrail or Eurail passes are often now held on your mobile phone.  You daren't let it run out of power, and you can't always rely on the phone's internal battery or on being near a power outlet.  I always carry an Anker powerbank which can recharge my phone several times over.  Buy from Amazon.co.uk or Buy from Amazon.com .

Touring cities?  Use hill walking shoes!

One of the best things I've done is swap my normal shoes for hill-walking shoes, in my case from Scarpa.  They're intended for hiking across the Pennines not wandering around Florence, but the support and cushioning for hiking works equally well when you're on your feet all day exploring foreign cities.  My feet used to give out first and limit my day, now the rest of me gives up before they do!

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Renfe Spain Pass is it worth it? - Spain Forum

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Renfe Spain Pass is it worth it?

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' class=

Will this be cheaper?

Will it be more convenient?

Better to buy from website well in advance or just buy it when I land in Barcelona?

Do I still need to book tickets (reserve seats on the train) well in advance or can I do it when I land in Barcelona?

Thanks for your help

' class=

Some good general information about buying Spanish rail tickets on here.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g187514-c80518/Madrid:Spain:Buying.Renfe.Tickets.Online.html

You can take the regular Media Distancia train from Granada to Seville .

I think I would avoid the Pass idea and persevere with planning the itinerary using RENFE if possible. With pass you still need to reserve the seats on the trains.

There is an Australian booking agent listed on RENFE in case you need help with ticketing:

http://www.internationalrail.com.au/

Most routes you cannot book seats until around 62 days ahead but this does vary. The cheaper tickets do not apply on the MD Granada to Seville route which is basically €30 each adult with infant free.

Thanks for your advice

renfe travel card

The crucial point to remember is that it is FLEXIBLE, i.e even if you book tickets in advance you can change them, and you don't have to choose which trains you are travelling on until one hour a particular train departs.

The Promo+ fares are indeed great but remember that, like lo-cost flights , they are totally inflexible. No changes, no refunds.

http://www.seat61.com/Spain-trains.htm#.U1IxZ0tOWM8

This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity.

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For travellers residing outside spain.

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Tour the Vibrant Cities of Spain with a Renfe Spain Pass

Renfe Spain Pass

Spain is one of the most popular holiday destinations in the world. Famous for its hot and sunny climate, it’s also a country known for its excellent wine, gorgeous cuisine and lively, beautiful cities.

Madrid, the sophisticated capital, is a haven for shoppers, foodies and culture junkies, boasting world-renowned attractions like the Prado Museum. To the northeast, the Catalonian capital of Barcelona is all about cosmopolitan vibes and quirky art, with its Gaudí architecture, vibrant centre and excellent museums. Head south and you can explore the wonders of Andalucia, the home of flamenco dancing, bullfighting and historic sites like the Moorish Alhambra.

Best of all? With a Renfe Spain Pass in your pocket, you can explore this beautiful country at your own pace - and for a fantastic price.

Booking your Renfe Spain Pass

With the Renfe Spain Pass, travellers who live outside of Spain can take 4, 6, 8 or 10 journeys in one month. When booking, simply select your chosen number of journeys and decide whether you want to travel first or second class - it’s that simple.

If you think another style of pass might suit you better, head to our Rail Passes page. Alternatively, you can book individual train tickets for Spanish destinations using our Rail Tickets page.

Using your Renfe Spain Pass

This pass can be used on all participating Renfe services, including AVE Long Distance and Medium Distance trains. You can also obtain fantastic discounts on museums, restaurants, and guided tours. Just remember to always present your pass with your passport.

Delivery of Electronic Pass

Electronic passes will be sent to you via email within 24 business hours of confirmation.

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Madrid, Spain

4 Tips for How to Buy Train Tickets in Spain on Renfe

renfe travel card

Published by Jeremy . Last Updated on August 16, 2022.

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For those who have tried to buy Spain train tickets on the booking website Renfe , you are probably cringing in recollection of your experiences.

For those who are heading to Spain in the future but have yet to purchase tickets, you probably have heard the rumors about how bad the service is.

For those who do not know what I am talking about, you're about to have an eye opening experience.  Buying tickets on Renfe is quite possibly one of the worst travel experiences one can have, and after several frustrating purchase attempts for our vacation in Spain  we figured out 4 great tips to help make your purchasing experience a breeze! 

Why the Headache When Trying to Buy Train Tickets in Spain?

Madrid, Spain

The notoriety of buying Renfe train tickets comes from many sources throughout the years.  The network is the main site to purchase all train travel in Spain and also offers some of the best deals you can find.

But as the attractive ticket prices lure you in, the poor website design and seemingly impossible network results in many headaches as purchase attempt after purchase attempt get denied and timeout.

This process repeats itself several times over such that many people often just give up on trying to get the deal and spend more money at a 3rd party websites to get past the time required to get Renfe to work altogether. 

But for those who wish to try their luck, follow these four tips we put together after purchasing our own tickets on Renfe Spain with moderately good success!

Tip #1 – Buy Your Train Tickets in Spain Early (and at the Right Time)

Spain Train Tickets

The online booking deals through Renfe are one of the most popular anywhere in the world.  For every ticket that is available, early booking promotions exist that can allow a few select people to get up to 60% off the price of a ticket.

For us, that meant buying an overnight private room for two from Granada to Barcelona for less than the cost of a more open room for four, and even comparable to some of the basic seated fares.

When looking at the larger picture, these fares are even cheaper than flying a budget airline carrier and having one more night of an expensive hotel stay in your destination city. 

But as these deals are almost too good to be true, you must get them early .

Tickets from the Renfe system become available 62 days in advance at midnight Spain time and recently started selling tickets between Madrid and Barcelona 120 days in advance.* 

Nearly all tickets will have published web fares at significantly discounted prices, but only in such a low quantity that the tickets are often sold out a day or two after going on sale.

It is sad to say, but a few short hours could be the difference between an incredibly discounted ticket or another for the same seat that is 50% more expensive as happened to us when buying tickets from Madrid to Sevilla (although shorter Madrid day trips are less of an issue- click the previous link to read more!).

When it doubt on the exact time to purchase a ticket on Renfe, try out the following two activities:

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  • Look at dates closer to today's date to see when the ticket sales cease.  Renfe typically adds ticket sales one day at a time, so it is easy to find where the current sales date is.
  • Watch ticket sales around midnight Spain time to confirm they go on sale at this time.  Two sets of our tickets went on sale a few hours before midnight Spain time on the day they were to go on sale.

As getting a good deal on Renfe is part being in the right place at the right time, it is worth looking in advance to know without a shadow of a doubt when tickets will become available.

*Note – These dates were accurate as of May 2012. Please check to see if these have changed when researching in the future.

Tip #2 – Prepare for Website Crashes and Oddities

La Sagrada Familia

Booking on the site often feels like performing an activity on the internet from the mid-1990s. Some computer in their system, located in some part of Spain, has likely not been updated since then.

Add in a few hundred tourists wanting to buy tickets as soon as they go on sale and the computer overloads. 

Don't be surprised if this overload on the computer results in many minutes passing by with nothing happening, and several crashes of their server with only the prompt to return later.  But in order to get the web fare deal, especially in the busy summer months, you must keep working through it.

The second oddity to watch out for when buying Renfe train tickets is that the site will often switch back and forth from English to Spanish text.

While some writers swear that starting the prompt entirely in Spanish will yield better results in completing the transaction, we believe this is not the case. 

What you do need to consider is the Spanish translations of some of the common transaction terms you'll see on the Renfe system:

  • Email – Correo Electronico
  • First Name – Nombre
  • Last Name – Apellidos
  • Type of Document: Tipo de Documento  (Choose Pasaporte)
  • Passport # – Numero de Documento
  • Address – Direccion
  • Post Code – Codigo Postal
  • City – Poblacion
  • State/Province – Provincia
  • Country – Pais

Even though we are only moderately proficient in Spanish, seeing these prompts dozens of times made us be able to recall these phrases from memory with ease.

A working Renfe system will get to a check out screen, allow you to enter a credit card, and most likely prompt you to complete a Verified by Visa or Mastercard log-in.

Any interruption between these pages will result in you having to start over, and a failure to purchase after the Verified by Visa prompt is likely due to your bank denying charges. 

Any interruption before these pages will likely be well before any information is sent to your bank for approval, so the risk of being double charged for your Spain train tickets is minimal.

*Note – I do not work for Renfe or any transportation department in Spain, my statement of old computers is a tongue-in-cheek joke.  To anyone in Spain or workers of Renfe, I mean no disrespect, but it is incredibly difficult to buy tickets on the website.  I'd be happy to provide a consultation to improve your services if needed.

Tip #3 – Use a Bank Card and Call in Advance

Granada Spain seen after buying Renfe Spain train tickets

One of the biggest published headaches on the whole Renfe purchasing system is that it is incredibly difficult for those who use credit cards issued outside of Spain and many other European countries.

Those that are hit especially hard with this issue are Americans, and hundreds of published stories exist online where many American and foreign travelers alike are simply unable to purchase Renfe train tickets due to their credit card being denied.

There are two reasons for a credit card being denied on an international purchase. 

The first is that your bank is assuming your card is being used fraudulently and the charged is stopped to avoid future issues.

The second is that the software is having issues sending approval to your specific banking institution.  Renfe's notoriety with the latter of these two issues is so well known that a great majority of the time you cannot even make it to the final confirmation screen, and when you do, your card may get denied for fraud issues anyway.

After putting in several hours of tries to get to the final checkout screen, only to be denied, you can imagine the frustration comes up.

Our successful attempts came about when we used our bank debit card to purchase these tickets, but only after several days went by from our first call to the bank to notify an international transaction was about to take place to when we actually purchased the tickets. 

All attempts with our trusty credit cards failed, and even though we were assured we could make instant purchases on our bank card, we did not have success until more than 48 hours after giving notice.

Once that occurred, we made two unique orders over a period of several days without a single issue.

For full disclosure, we tried both Visa and Mastercards issued from several major banking institutions.  Our banking institution that worked was PNC Bank .

Tip #4 – When All Else Fails, Use a 3rd Party for Spain Train Tickets

Book via 3rd Party to get Spain Train Tickets

If the above three tips do not work, then fall back on our fourth tip – use a 3rd party service like Rail Europe , Omio (we personally use this one), or Eurail (if you have a train pass, they can make reservations for you but do not offer individual bookings).

Many of these services will offer similar web fares that Renfe Spain offers, but will charge up to 10-15 Euro per ticket as a service fee. 

After wasting several hours trying to purchase on the Renfe ticket system and no visible signs of progress due to site outages, not reaching the final checkout screen, or any other number of factors, keep in mind that your time is valuable.

Figure out what your limit is, when you reach it stop, pay the premium, and move on. The headaches are not worth it.

Do you have any tips for buying train tickets in Spain with either Renfe or another 3rd party service? If so, let us know by commenting below!

For the most common FAQ on purchasing RENFE tickets, read on.

What is RENFE?

RENFE is a state owned train line in Spain that is used for both commercial and public transit.

How do you book tickets with RENFE?

The RENFE booking system operates much like other ticketing agencies where you can select your date, route, and more; however, problems often arise in booking due to translation issues on the site and bank processing.

Does RENFE work with credit card?

In our experience, ordering via RENFE works best with direct bank transfers; however, you may have better odds.

I can't order on RENFE, what should I do?

If you are receiving errors on the RENFE site, it may be best to book on a 3rd party which accepts international credit cards for a small processing fee.

About Jeremy

Jeremy from Living the Dream

About the Author: Jeremy is a full-time travel writer based in Pittsburgh and primary author of this site. He has been to 70+ countries on five continents and seeks out new food, adventure activities, and off-the-beaten-path experiences wherever he travels.

35 thoughts on “4 Tips for How to Buy Train Tickets in Spain on Renfe”

You made my day! I now know it is not ME!!! First tried on the app, and it would not take my phone number. It kept telling me “incorrect format” but it never would tell me the correct format. I tried every combo possible with international code, area code, etc. Finally, I went to the website and it took my phone number no problem. Then, it gave me trouble with the date calendar, but finally got my dates entered. Then, it wasn’t clear if you could do multi city-trips (Madrid to Sevilla to Cadiz and back to Madrid) so I decided to book each leg separately. It also wasn’t clear about the commuter trains…I need to go from Las Matas to Madrid and finally figured out with the help of our Air BnB host that with an AVE ticket, you can scan it at Las Matas and ride free to Atocha Cercanias and then catch the AVE at Madrid Puerta Atocha – which I finally figured out are right next to each other or one in the same? Also, it looks like you can buy the AVE tickets in advance but not the Cercanias (Commuter) tickets. SO, I finally got to the payment part for the first trip of three, and entered everything and it wouldn’t take my credit card (which is approved for international travel) I tried again and then called my credit card company, and they said there is not any problem on the credit card company end. I then tried another credit card and had the same issue. (Side note: I had chosen English on the site but each time I clicked on the next step, it switched back to Spanish – luckily my high school Spanish kicked in a bit). FINALLY, I noticed that it would accept PayPal, so I went and set up an account at Paypal with the original credit card I tried, and it WORKED using PayPal! When I wen to book the next leg of the journey, it didn’t accept my PayPal on the first try, so I tried a second time, and it worked. The third booking worked on the first time with PayPal! 3rd time must be a charm! I saved all of my tickets in my Apple wallet but also printed all of my tickets – just to be safe! Whew! October, 2021.

We’re in Spain at the moment, having bought all our tickets (from the UK) via the Renfe website. We found the statement “tickets are available 62 days in advance” not to be true. That’s the theory. In the case of our tickets, none of the long-distance journeys was available until 39 days before, and one of the short distance ones only became available three weeks before. This is quite a common occurrence.

However, we didn’t have any other problems. We’ve been using the Renfe site since 2012, when it was poor, and it was quite common for bank cards to be declined. Though it hasn’t changed visually very much since then, the back end is a lot better. I booked nine journeys straight off without trouble.

When using third party sites, you will find that they don’t always manage to get all the information from Renfe, so they offer you a subset of available journeys. If you’re going to use one to book, check on the Renfe site first to see what’s possible, then see if the third party matches it. Some of our journeys were only bookable on Renfe as they involved connexions that did not appear on third parties’.

Some insights on buying RENFE Tickets May/June 2019 This year 2019, we decided to use RENFE extensively during our two week Spain vacation. In the past advance purchase of tickets has not been a difficult task, despite everything published on blog sites. We learned that RENFE AVE (high speed trains to some major cities, mostly to the southern areas) tickets were now available up to three months in advance, and other trains, thirty to sixty days. Unfortunately this turned out to be erroneous. Our Madrid Malaga AVE tickets became available two weeks before our June 6th travel date. How this came about was strange. We had been checking every day to see when they would come on line and nothing. Finally I called a friend in Madrid and asked for help. I wanted the Malaga tickets as well as tickets from Madrid to Puebla de Sanabria and then from Puebla to Santiago de Compostela. I also wanted to go from Santiago to Vigo and return the same day. Finally I wanted day returns to Toledo from Madrid. Two weeks before the first journey, nothing was on sale on line at the RENFE site. Then my luck changed! My friend called back and said he had spoken to RENFE and they would look into my complaint. Ten minutes later, everything opened up to all destinations. I got my AVE tickets to Malaga and my ride to Puebla de Sanabria. From Puebla to Santiago de Compostela was a little more complicated as it involved a change in Ourense to what seemed to be another train. It was clear on the tickets with the coach and seat numbers so no problem. The Vigo and Toledo trips were easily obtained, all in a couple of hours. There were some small problems. RENFE only let me buy one ticket at a time and I was obliged to use a different credit card for each of the journeys. Five different cards I used and finally got my tickets. Why I don’t know but once a card was used, I could not use it to buy another tickets and had to run through every resource the family had! But that’s not the end! Pueblo de Sanabria is a tiny (Pop. 1400) town and we spent a pleasant night there (have a taxi in advance). Next morning the train from Madrid was late and we arrived at Ourense 30 minutes after scheduled and we could see the ongoing train was to have left 15 minutes earlier. What to do? Well, we were directed to a coach outside the station and without more delays, off we went on a 75 minute bus ride to Santiago! All’s well that ends well. The trains are comfortable and clean and information is in English and Spanish. One last tip! Do not cut off the page below the actual ticket! RENFE does not like that and may send you to a ticket machine where you are obliged to put in the reference numbers and get tickets printed. No all machines have the cardboard rolls available and you may have to try several until a loaded one is encountered. Good luck!

Great article and thank you Michael Merry for sharing your current experience. We noticed trying to buy a round trip ticket on renfe versus a one way ticket is not a savings. For example: buying a ticket from barcelona to madrid was 72.15 per person for the promo+ fare which allows cancellations for a 30% charge and changes for 20% charge but Ida y Vuelta (Round trip) was 86.15 per person EACH WAY so the ticket price was higher AND offered no change options and 40% fee should we need to cancel. Did you find the same rates/information? We’re wondering if we not entering something or missing a step on the renfe website.

Thanks for sharing your experience Jeremy. I have been waiting for tickets to become available in late October, and found your article when looking up how far in advance they post on Renfe. I am happy that I read your article before I started the booking process. I now have a low expectation when using their site and won’t be ticked off when it ends up not working.

Nightmare experience! I have been trying to book tickets from Barcelona to Valencia on 3rd July 2018, but no progress made yet. Tickets on 30th June seem bookable, though.

Instead of train services, the search results always show bus services.

Any help would be appreciated.

I have tried for DAYS to book RENFE from Madrid to Valencia & back. The transaction did go through once – and I realized I was so fed up that I put in the wrong return date, so had to cancel the transaction! I cannot seem to get anywhere on ACP Rail, either – looks like they don’t offer tickets for the time I want from Madrid to Valencia?? Only a few of the scheduled times actually show a price; the others just say “DETAILS,” and “No product available for this itinerary.” QUESTION: Can I purchase my tickets at Madrid airport? When I spoke by phone the other day with Renfe, they told me that both of the trains I wanted had over 200 seats available. Travel dates are May 24 Madrid to Valencia, 10:40 a.m. or 11:10 train, and May 28 Valencia to Madrid, 6:10 or 7:10 p.m. I think are the two best options. HELP!! Please reply!! Thanks!!!

My advice is to avoid both Renfe and Loco2 online. I too had problems to use the Renfe website to book tickets from Tarraonga to Madrid as it would change to Spanish half way through and session time out. After two days I gave up and booked via Loco2 travel site and paid more for a flexible fare so that I could be sure that I could arrive early or later and not have travel problems. I printed the tickets as Loco2 advised but found you can print for free at the station ticket desk with the booking number.

Unfortunately i arrived 5 hours early and found that the flexible tickets i paid extra for are not flexible according to Renfe even though it says it on the Renfe ticket.

So logged into Loco2 website and they dont have an online way to update the tickets. Its email only. I find out they are a small travel agency that you can only be contacted to change the tickets via ema. Only open mon to friday 9 to 5 with no contact number. Not open on weekends.

Loco2 are very weasely on their T&C which is not clear about support for flexible tickets that they charge extra for. There is a disconnect between flexible and rebookable. In the Uk, France and German rail you can travel at different times with flexible tickets but not with Renfe in Spain on Loco2 tickets.

So with Loco2 you can only change tickets 24 hours before depture and in their office hours via email if they get back to you. That is rebookable but not flexible.

According to Renfe customer service mangers at the station Renfe are restricted to change tickets issued by them but can be flexible for other Internet agencies as this is their agreement with Loco2. I spoke to 4 managers at a renfe and they tried to change the ticket but it’s impossible as it’s blocked on their ticket desk computer at the station even though it says flexible on the ticket.

So Renfe can’t help me even if they wanted to so they told me to ask for a refund from Loco2 and buy another ticket from them. Problem is you cant cancel the Loco2 ticket unless 24 hours before departure.

Though Loco2 have a nice easy to buy from website their T&C prohibit cancelling so I can see this would not be possible. The T&C even mention that you can’t change tickets at the station.

So now I have to wait at the train station for 5 hours until17.30.

Ironies are If i was late i would have to buy another ticket as only Loco2 can issue it.

And finally you can use the ticket machines at the station in English and there are plenty of seats available whilst being cheaper than Loco2 online.

I Just tried to buy ticket on Renfe site, provided all my credits card details and website posted error so I could not get any confirmation about ticket, I check my bank statement and money has gone to Renfe. I tried to ring them but they do not speak English. Sent them e-mail, no reply. Bank promised to help to invetigate this.

Did you manage to get the money back? same exact thing happened to me.

So last summer was Germany, and I got so spoiled using Deutsche Bahn’s fantastic website and even better mobile app.

This summer is Spain. I had no trouble booking Barcelona to Madrid well in advance (and used PayPal to avoid having my credit card declined). However, trying to book tickets to and between smaller cities was impossible. Over and over the Renfe website would tell me there were no trains between those cities – even though I was staring at a freaking map of the Spanish rail network!

I checked on Loco2.com and found a train, no problem…and realized something. The tickets I was trying to book required a train change. Unlike Deutsche Bahn and SNCF and even freaking Amtrak, RENFE DOESN’T AUTOMATICALLY FIND CONNECTIONS FOR YOU.

So I booked a ticket from, say, Algeciras to Bobadillo and then a second ticket from Bobadillo to Malaga using the time information gleaned from Loco2.com. Boom. Tickets booked.

Too bad I figured it out less than a month before the trip and paid a premium for my “tardy” booking…

Please i cant stand it any longer. Im in israel trying to book and every website has some kind of glitch either with calendars not opening up or error message cant find any ticket, that was from Renfe itself. I have 50 days till May 1st to get a ticket between Barcelona and Madrid. But I have given up. Spent 4 hours without result anywhere. If anyone can help.

Well yeah I too agree with the fact that buying a train ticket is a herculean task now a days and it is very hard to get a reservation. The four tips that you have mention are quite good.

RENFE worst website ever

As far as the 3rd party services are concerned, I booked my tickets via the http://www.thetrainline-europe.com website, which redirected me to http://www.acprail.com . No problem using a credit card. I think the prices were the same to those from the renfe website. They sent me an email containing links to my tickets in pdf format.

acprail.com worked perfectly! Thanks!! Renfe’s website is the worst!!!

Thanks a lot, acprail.com worked!!! I tried renfe, rumbo, called my cc company, tried paypal, your recommended website worked immediately and with the same prices!!

hello there, can anybody help me: “tipo documento” when I filled in “otros” my ID number is not accpeted…any idea why? how should i procced? thanks

Hi there, do you have any recommended third party online American agents that you can reserve with?

I cannot relate to this post and I glad to not be able to relate to it if you know what i mean. I think the trick is to book well, well in advance and at a time when not many people are likely to be on the website. I am in Asia so I was booking mine while it was 4am in Spain. Also, I used an american express card which completely went through hassle free. I booked several tickets and touchwood, all of them went through like a breeze, though I am slightly bummed that I wanted to change one ticket from 6am to 11am and since I’d bought the promo price, i could not change it. Also, probably worth mentioning that i booked 70 days in advance. I do want to know based on your experience though if I can buy the tickets for short day trips, like madrid to Chinchon, or from barcelona to Montserrat, can I buy them off the counter? I am not sure I will be taking these trips so don’t want to book them in advance. Or would buying bus tickets on the spot make more sense? Thanks!

That is good to hear you didn’t have issues! I always felt like the booking time was quite important, but the system was so horrible for us that it took quite a bit of time! Very much appreciate giving your experience to help out with our tips.

For short trips we never had any issues buying at the stations. Angie did have to speak Spanish with some of the workers though, but with her moderate skillset we did just fine. I do not recall ever having issues booking these on the day of!

Hi Jeremy, do you have a recommended third party online sites that I can reserve with, American or at least ‘American friendly’, thank you for your insight!

Hi everyone- Has any had an experience where you never get to the confirmation screen or get a confirmation email, but your bank HAS authorized the purchase and it’s being “processed”?? This is a problem I haven’t seen in any of my internet research so far, but as you might guess, it happened to me. Now I don’t know if I have a ticket or not.

The bank said the charge is pending and could go away if Renfe doesn’t finalize it. How dreadful. I just want to book my transportation!

Hi Anonymous – That is probably the case. I’ve seen a lot of places in Europe do debit transactions only, so perhaps doing a credit card from the US (or other account) may be an issue too. Our debit card worked like a champ, but maybe we were just lucky.

Tried 3 different cards with no luck. Worked perfectly and fast with the fourth one. My speculative guess – because it’s with euro account. Good luck everyone!

Hi Anonymous – that sounds very similar to us. Did you try it with your bank account and bypass credit cards altogether? That is the only way we got it to work and even then we had to wait a few days to make sure the authorization was ready even though our bank swore it was immediate.

Bought a ticket first try with MC from Canada. Went to buy the next leg of the journey and failed. And failed. And failed. Perhaps the worst internet experience I have had in a decade. And after the initial success – we knew it was possible, which made it very difficult to give up.

But I am now at the point where I would give my first born to anyone who can get me a tiacket. Truly a horrible experience.

Spent several hours trying to guy tickets. AMEX didn’t work. Tried 2 different Visa cards. No luck. Finally bought a pass through an agent. Paid a little more, but worth it for the ease.

The RENFE website is a real pain! Its not only a USA thing. I currently live in UK but also cannot complete the ticket-buying after two days of frustration. Will try it again. Thanks for your tips. At least now I am feeling not alone…

Trying to cancel a ticket is absolutely impossible. I am a travel agent acting for a client and I can’t bring the record locator or the the ticket numbers up to cancel and the call center numbers don’t work either – numbers not in use. Frustrating and time consuming.

That Renfe website can be a real pain. I found the best way to do it is to use the Spanish version and use Google translate to change the page to English. I also found a good forum on Trip Advisor that explained how to book tickets.

Excellent tips! Also, when traveling in Spain, I have found that the printed brochure you pick up in the train station is not always the reality.

So glad to read about your tips on how to buy a train ticket when in Spain. I never realised how challenging it would be (online) when its all in Spanish! Love the idea of buying a ticket at a cheaper rate. If we ever get to Spain (not sure how we would get our bus there!) will have to remember your handy hints. Cheers Lisa

I’m glad to hear you didn’t have any issues! It must be a USA thing then. I was horrified when I read all of the forum posts about it. Somehow once we got our bank to authorize our cards and waited a few days it was all good from there on.

Great tips! I’m from Canada, and didn’t have any problems with the site or my credit card. I was almost disappointed that I didn’t have a horrible RENFE site story. I got tons of great advice in advance, kept the site in Spanish, and maybe said a prayer – or two.

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  • Public Transport Tickets in Barcelona (single and integrated tickets and passes)
  • Getting around Barcelona
  • Public Transportation in Barcelona

Updated Feb 23 2024

Knowing the different types of public transport tickets in Barcelona, both from single tickets to integrated tickets and travel passes , is essential when it comes to being able to buy the most suitable one for you.

The information we include here is therefore of interest both to those of us who live in the city and to those who are visiting for a few days. For this reason, in this article on our website, you will find all the public transport tickets in Barcelona, including their main characteristics.

Useful information on public transport in Barcelona 2024

Do you want to know the price of Barcelona’s public transport tickets and travel passes , the fare zones in which each of them is valid, their most appropriate type of use , and which means of transport they are valid for? Well, don’t worry because you’ll find all this information and much more below.

Where can you buy transport tickets in Barcelona?

We also provide different details on how the fare zones work and what they include, as well as the different modes and places where you can buy tickets for public transport in the city.

Public transport zones in Barcelona

When buying a public transport ticket you will realise that there are up to 6 different transport zones for each of them and, depending on the area for which you buy the ticket or transport card, the price varies considerably.

In short, zone 1 corresponds to the whole city of Barcelona and the municipalities closest to it, featuring cities such as Badalona, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Montgat, Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Castelldefels and Montcada i Reixac, among others.

What does it mean to say that a transport ticket is integrated?

An integrated transport ticket allows you to use several means of public transport in Barcelona (up to a maximum of three) within the same zone or service area without having to purchase additional tickets and for a limited period of time.

The time to use the same integrated transport ticket varies according to the zone, being 1h15 for zone 1 and increasing by 15 minutes for each extra zone.

All the most used public transport tickets in Barcelona (tickets and passes 2024)

Single ticket.

No. of trips: 1. Valid for: Metro, Buses (daytime and nightime), Tram, FGC and Renfe (commuter train). Use: individual. Integrated: no. Ideal for: if you are in a hurry and in principle you are not going to take public transport in the next few days. Expiration: 28th February of the year after its purchase. To keep in mind: has to be validated at the turnstiles or machines. Airport: it is not valid for the Airport stations (T1 and T2) of L9 Sud.

T-Casual card / pass

No. of trips: 10. Valid for: Metro, Buses (daytime and nightime), Tram, FGC and Renfe (commuter train). Use: individual. Integrated: yes. Ideal for: for those who, over the course of a month, have to make several journeys, but not so many that it would be worthwhile to opt for another type of card. Expiration: 28th February of the year after its purchase. To keep in mind: has to be validated at the turnstiles or machines. Airport: it is not valid for the Airport stations (T1 and T2) of L9 Sud.

T-Usual card / pass

No. of trips: unlimited (for 30 days). Valid for: Metro, Buses (daytime and nightime), Tram, FGC and Renfe (commuter train). Use: personalised. Integrated: yes. Ideal for: for those who make a few trips per week and tourists who do not intend to use public transport too much. Expiration: 28th February of the year after its purchase. To keep in mind: has to be validated at the turnstiles or machines each time it is accessed and a proof of identity document (DNI) is required. Airport: it is not valid for the Airport stations (T1 and T2) of L9 Sud.

T-Familiar card / pass

No. of trips: 8 (over one month). Valid for: Metro, Buses (daytime and nightime), Tram, FGC and Renfe (commuter train). Use: multi-personal. Integrated: yes. Ideal for: for those who use public transport infrequently and for tourists travelling as a couple or in a small group and do not intend to travel too often by public transport, as the card can be shared. Expiration: 28th February of the year after its purchase. To keep in mind: has to be validated at the turnstiles or machines each time you access public transport. Airport: it is not valid for the Airport stations (T1 and T2) of L9 Sud.

T-Dia pass / card

No. of trips: unlimited (for 24 hours from the first validation). Valid for: Metro, Buses (daytime and nightime), Tram, FGC and Renfe (commuter train). Use: individual. Integrated: yes. Ideal for: for those who have to make 5 or more journeys by public transport over 24 hours and are not expected to use public transport in the same way on the following days. Expiration: 28th February of the year after its purchase. To keep in mind: has to be validated at the turnstiles or machines each time you access public transport. Airport: it is not valid for the Airport stations (T1 and T2) of L9 Sud.

T-Grup pass / card

No. of trips: 70 (for 30 days from its first validation). Valid for: Metro, Buses (daytime and nightime), Tram, FGC and Renfe (commuter train). Use: multi-personal. Integrated: yes. Ideal for: for groups, as it can be shared, that have to make a considerable number of trips by public transport over a month or less. Expiration: 28th February of the year after its purchase. To keep in mind: has to be validated each time you access public transport. Airport: it is not valid .

Airport Ticket T1 and T2 (Line 9 Sud)

No. of trips: 1. Valid for: one way between to/from Aeroport T1 and Aeroport T2 stops on line L9 Sud and the rest of the metro network. Uso: individual Integrated: no. Ideal for: all those who have to go to Barcelona from the airport and vice versa. Expiration: 28th February of the year after its purchase. To keep in mind: has to be validated each time you access public transport. Other options: travel passes such as Hola Barcelona Travel Card, T-Dia and T-Usual are also valid for travel to the airport. Airport: it is valid .

T-70/90 FM/FN pass / card

No. of trips: 70 (for 90 days from the first validation). Valid for: Metro, Buses (daytime and nightime), Tram, FGC and Renfe (commuter train). Use: individual. Integrated: yes. Ideal for: a 90-day pass valid for multiple people belonging to single-parent families or families with a large number of members, which allows up to 70 journeys. Expiration: 28th February of the year after its purchase. To keep in mind: has to be validated each time you access public transport. Airport: it is not valid for the Airport stations (T1 and T2) of L9 Sud.

T-4 pass / card

No. of trips: 10 . Valid for: Metro, Buses (daytime and nightime), Tram, FGC and Renfe (commuter train). Use: individual. Integrated: yes. Ideal for: exclusively for pensioners. Expiration: 28th February of the year after its purchase. To keep in mind: has to be validated each time you access public transport. Airport: it is valid for the Airport stations (T1 and T2) of L9 Sud.

T-16 pass / card

No. of trips: unlimited (all year round). Valid for: Metro, Buses (daytime and nightime), Tram, FGC and Renfe (commuter train). Use: personalized. Integrated: yes. Ideal for: exclusively for children and adolescents aged 4 to 16 and only for use in the zone number in which they reside. Expiration: until 31 December of the year in which the child turns 16. To keep in mind: has to be validated each time you access public transport. Airport: it is valid (provided that the child lives in fare zone 1).

T-Jove pass / card

No. of trips: unlimited (quarterly). Valid for: Metro, Buses (daytime and nightime), Tram, FGC and Renfe (commuter train). Use: personalizado. Integrated: yes. Ideal for: exclusivo para menores de 30 años y con DNI. Expiration: to be confirmed. To keep in mind: has to be validated each time you access public transport. Airport: it is valid for the Airport stations (T1 and T2) of L9 Sud.

different modes of Barcelona public transport

Below you will find a list of the means of public transport in Barcelona for which the transport cards are valid.

Useful information when buying and/or using public transport tickets in Barcelona

Transport travel pass with unlimited trips (ideal for tourists).

purchase Barcelona Card

Barcelona Card 3, 4 or 5 days

Access to museums and tourist attractions

Public transport included

-10% online

Barcelona Turisme

Hola Barcelona Travel Card

buy Barcelona Card Express

Barcelona Card Express

Discounts on museums and tourist attractions

Valid for 2 days

Barcelona public transport

Public transport Barcelona: Travel cards & tickets Overview and prices (2024)

Whether you need a single ticket, a 10-ride T-Casual or a “Hola BCN” travel card, here you will find up-to-date prices and information. This will help you find the right ticket for your stay in Barcelona quickly and easily.

Our tips for finding & buying the right ticket for your needs will save you time & money during your trip to Barcelona.

All public transport in Barcelona is organised under a single fare system, run by the Autoritat del Transport Metropolità (ATM). This makes it easier for passengers.

The main tickets for visitors and tourists

Here we present what we consider to be the most important tickets for visitors and tourists. For the sake of clarity, we have not included tickets for longer stays, such as monthly tickets, annual tickets, etc. in this list.

renfe travel card

Tickets for public transport in Barcelona: the choice is huge. Choosing the right ticket before you travel will save you time and money.

1) Single Ticket

If you want to use the public transport occasionally.

The classic single ticket is the right choice if you only use public transport occasionally. With a single ticket you can, for example, travel on a TMB city bus or use the metro.

Single ticket – current price

The current price (2024) for a single ticket is EUR 2.55. You can buy it from ticket machines.

renfe travel card

Single tickets for the local transport companies TMB and FGC in Barcelona. These tickets are not valid on the airport metro / railway lines.

Specific regulations of the single ticket in Barcelona:

attention

  • A single ticket does NOT entitle you to use the metro to/from the airport. You need to buy an extra ticket called an “airport ticket”, which costs €5.50 (one way) or €11 (return). Many visitors therefore buy the cheap day ticket “Hola BCN” (see below for details). This ticket includes metro or train service between the city center and the airport. In addition, it offers unlimited travel in all Barcelona’s public transport services for the period of validity (2-5 days).
  • Bus, metro and tram have different single tickets , which may not be valid in the other transport system. The 10-Ticket “T-casual” or the “Hola BCN” travel card will get you around this problem.

2) Travel card “Hola BCN!” for 2–5 days: cheap & easy to use

Unlimited travel on bus, metro, tram, suburban train + metro to/from airport.

The “Hola Barcelona Travel Card” is very popular with visitors to the city because it’s easy and convenient to use. You don’t have to deal with the fares and ticketing systems of Barcelona’s 5 transport companies.

One ticket, several names:

Until 2019, this ticket was called “Hola BCN! Now it has a new name: “Hola Barcelona Travel Card”. Apart from the name and the design of the cards, nothing has changed.

One ticket for almost all local transport:

The “Hola BCN” card offers you unlimited journeys using the metro (subway), city buses (TMB), tram, regional railway (Rodalies de Catalunya, Zone 1), urban railway (FGC, zone 1) and the funicular railway (Funicular de Montjuïc).

Hola BCN! ticket

Hola BCN ticket: easy & cheap use of local transport including airport transfer. Tip: You can buy your ticket online – this will save you time and stress in Barcelona.

“Hola BCN” card includes metro service travel between city center and the airport

Hola Barcelona Airport El Prat Metro

F ares and prices of the “Hola BCN” travel card (2024):

2 days validity: €17.50 3 days validity: €25.50 4 days validity: €33.30 5 days validity: €40.80

You can buy the “Hola BCN” card before departure via this website . This may save time and stress.

Buying the “Hola BCN” card – is it worth it?

Save time and stress: Buy the Hola BCN travel card online. You can buy the “Hola BCN” card online – click here The advantages of buying online: – You will not waste your holiday time in queues in front of the ticket vending machines. – After a long flight, you don’t have to deal with fare systems and ticket purchase. You have already the right ticket to take the metro or RENFE train from the airport to downtown Barcelona and back.

“Hola BCN!” Card – FAQ

If I buy a 3 day card, does it cover a full 72 hours from the time of purchase? You can start using your Hola BCN! card at any time of the day and enjoy all the benefits of unlimited travel for 48 (2 day card), 72 (3 day card), 96 (4 day card) or 120 (5 day card) hours from the first use (validation).

Is there a discount for children or a children’s ticket for the Hola BCN Travel card? Children under the age of four do not need a ticket. They travel free. Older children require a standard Hola BCN! card.

→ You can find more information about the HolaBCN Card here

3) Barcelona Card: free travel on public transport + discount card for sightseeing

Ideal ticket for visitors who want to discover the city’s attractions.

With the Barcelona Card, you can discover many of Barcelona’s cultural and leisure activities for free or at a reduced price. It is a combination of a day pass for public transport and a discount card for entrance fees. It gives you unlimited free travel on public transport (including the metro to and from the airport) . You can save money with more than 85 discounts and time by skipping the queue at some attractions.

The Barcelona Card is issued by the official tourist office of the City of Barcelona and offers more than 85 advantages :

  • Free or reduced admission for museums, aquarium, zoo…
  • Skip the line entry for some attractions
  • Free or reduced admission for events or tours (with guide) through the city
  • Unlimited and free travel on public transport : city bus, metro (also airport route), tram, Renfe – trains (suburban train, zone 1), FGC-Bahn (suburban train, zone 1) – comparable to the “Hola BCN Card” see above
  • For children between the ages of 4 and 12, there’s the Barcelona Card Kids, which offers all the advantages of the Barcelona Card at a significantly reduced price..

Barcelona Card 2017

Barcelona Card: day ticket for public transport (incl. airport line) + 85 discounts at tourist attractions: some with free entry and queue skip.

Buying the “Barcelona Card” card – is it worth it?

The Barcelona Card is more expensive than the “Hola BCN” public transport card, as it includes many benefits for sightseeing & more. But if you are planning to visit some of the sights, the Barcelona Card can save you time and money.

The Barcelona Card is available for 72h, 96h or 120h (3, 4 or 5 consecutive days).

The Barcelona Card also gives you priority access to some attractions (skip the queue). This saves you having to queue at the entrance.

Prices for the Barcelona Card (2024):

3 days: 53 euros / 30 euros  (adults / kids) 4 days: 63 euros / 40 euros  (adults / kids) 5 days: 75 euros / 45 euros  (adults / kids)

Save time and stress by buying the Barcelona Card online – no extra charges Here you can buy the “Barcelona Card” online before departure – without any extra charge . You can also find out more about the discounts on this page. Bonus: After a long flight, you don’t have to deal with fare systems and ticket machines. You already have the right ticket to take the metro from the airport to Barcelona city centre and back.

4) 10 journey ticket “T-Casual” former “ATM T-10”

Cheaper than a single ticket – airport transfer is not possible.

The 10 journey card “T-10” will no longer be available from 2020. It is now called “T-Casual”. The “T-Casual” card is suitable for you, if you have a longer stay in Barcelona with a rare use of the public transport.

With the T-Casual card you can use the metro, trams, suburban trains (Rodalies) or buses a total of 10 times.

The T-Casual card cannot be used by several people at the same time.

Prices for the 10-ticket (T-Casual)

A ride with this ticket is cheaper than by a “single ticket”. The ticket “T-Casual” currently costs (2024):

  • for one zone: €12.15
  •  for 2 zones: €23.90

It is available at the ticket vending machines.

renfe travel card

The 10-ride “T-10” card no longer exists. It is now called “T-Casual”. This card is not valid for the airport lines of the underground/trains.

Specific regulations of the “T-Casual” ticket:

  • The 10-ticket “T-Casual” does not include the metro ride to or from the airport . A separate ticket (airport ticket – €10.30 return) is required. This is why many visitors buy the day ticket “Hola BCN” (see above) . This allows you to travel to and from the airport and use Barcelona’s public transport for the chosen period (2-5 days).
  • With a “T-Casual” 1-zone ticket, you have 75 minutes between the first and last validation when changing lines or mode of transport.
  • The T-Casual card cannot be used by more than one person at the same time. This was possible with the “T-10” card, which is no longer available.

5) Group ticket for travel groups or school classes

For larger groups, school classes, etc. there is no convenient group ticket.

HolaBCN Travel Card for travel groups

Many travel groups therefore use the HolaBCN ticket .

With this ticket you can use public transport cheaply and unlimitedly (including airport transfers by metro). Each member of the group gets their own card. This means that someone in your group can also travel individually.

renfe travel card

The right ticket for a group trip – here are our tips

In addition, you can order this ticket online before departure at no extra charge via this website . So you don’t have to deal with a large amount of money at the machine while your group is waiting impatiently. When buying online, you will get an invoice for all tickets, which makes it easier to cash up a group trip.

6) Overview: tickets & prices (2024)

renfe travel card

7) Barcelona urban transport zones

For how many zones do i have to buy my ticket.

he price of the ticket depends on the number of zones you wish to travel through. A ticket must always be purchased according to the number of zones that the passenger is travelling through. A maximum of 6 zones can be paid for.

Most tourists stay in zone 1

Nearly 300 municipalities are involved in Barcelona’s public transport system. That’s why the area is so vast. Most of the tourist attractions and the centre of the Barcelona region are in Zone 1.

Download: Map of public transport zones in Barcelona

Frequently Asked Questions – FAQ 2024

How much does a single ticket cost in Barcelona 2024?

A single ticket for the bus, tram or metro will cost €2.55 in 2024.

Many visitors to the city prefer to buy the “Hola Barcelona Travel Ticket” day pass. It is cheap and pays for itself with just a few trips. In addition, the airport transfer by metro is also free with this card.

You can find more information in our online travel guide.

How much does a day ticket cost in Barcelona?

The day pass “HolaBCN!” costs 2024:

With the “Hola BCN” card you can use the metro (subway, incl. airport transfer), the city buses, the streetcar (Tram), the suburban train (Rodalies, zone 1), the suburban trains (FGC, zone 1) and the funicular (Funicular de Montjuïc) unlimited over the validity period (2, 3, 4 or 5 days).

You can buy the day pass online before your trip. This saves time and stress in Barcelona. More information about this in our travel guide.

Is there a 10-trip card for local transport in Barcelona?

The 10-trip card for local transport in Barcelona is called “T-Casual”. It costs 12.15 euros for one zone in 2024 and 23.90 euros for 2 zones. It does NOT entitle you to take the metro to and from the airport.

More information about this, but also alternatives like a day pass, can be found in our travel guide. 

Barcelona public transport: Is there a group ticket?

For larger groups, school classes, etc. there is no convenient group ticket. Therefore, many travel groups use the HolaBCN day ticket .

It is uncomplicated to use, as it allows you to use local transport cheaply and without limits (including the airport transfer by metro).

Walter Chan

If I bought the 3 or 4 days pass on line: 1) can I pay with a Euro credit card by a French bank; 2) where do I pick up the card on arrival in Barcelona.

webmail@publictransport.barcelona

Dear Walter,

thank you for your post. If you decide to book online a “Hola BCN!” card, you don’t book it via our website. We just show with our link, that you can book it at getyourguide.com, Europe’s leading company for booking tourist guides, tours and tickets. So you have the standards and service of a big company. Nevertheless we want to answer your question. 1) Yes, you can pay by credit card or PayPal. 2) After booking, you receive a voucher via email. Your voucher must be printed and exchanged at the Barcelona Tourism Office located at Plaça Catalunya, 17 or at any other tourist information point. There are also tourist information points at the Barcelona ElPrat Airport (terminals 1 and 2). So you can easy get yout ticket and use the metro, to get e.g. to the city center.

Julia Barber

Hello, we travel to Barcelona on the 4/1/17 and our party is 2 adults and a child. Is there a child price or is it just a flat one price for all? We would want the Hola BCN 4

Hello Julia, thank your for your question. Here the official terms of use of tickets :”Children under four are not required to have a ticket. All other passengers must have a valid, suitable and validated ticket.” There is no special HolaBCN! ticket for children older than 4 years. That means: If your child is under four you don’t need a ticket, if your child is 4 years and older you need a standard HolaBCN! ticket.

Bia

Hi!With the Hola BCN card can I take the metro from and towards the airport?Or I can take the metro just one time from the airport?Thank you!

Dear Bia, If your HolaBCN! Card is still valid, you can use it to travel from AND to the airport.

Jarek

Hi, Could you be so kind and let me know, if Hola BCN is valid for all metro lines and stations marked on this map?: https://travelguide.barcelona/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/metrobarcelona_networkmap.pdf For example, if I want to go from Barcelona to Badalona by metro, is the Hola BCN valid for all these zones? Or I need to buy additional tickets for the zones outside Barcelona? Thank you in advance for your information.

travelguide.barcelona

Dear Darek, the HolaBCN! card, allows you make as many journeys as you like in the whole metro network.

Kanthabhabha

Hello Let me know any discount is available for the entrance at attraction tourist spots by buying HolaBCN card

The HolaBCN! card offers no discounts to museums or attractions. It is a ticket for public transport.

But there are two City Passes, that offer free public transport, free admission to various museums and attractions and skip-the-line admission:

– Barcelona City Pass : Free public transport, free entrance to Gaudi’s masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia (Skip the line admission), free city tour, free harbor cruise, free admission to museums and attractions, and special discounts on sightseeing, shopping, eating, and drinking.

– Barcelona Card : Cheaper and minor offers than the Barcelona City Pass

The links provide more information

Naveen

Hello. Can we use one HolaBCN CARD FOR 2 adults, as we will be only staying for 2 days ?

Dear Naveen, the Hola BCN! card is a non-transferable travel card. One card can only be used by one person.

Have a nice stay

David

If i buy the hola bcn! Card online can i exhange the voucher in the AirPort? So we can use already from AirPort to centre of Barcelona? Many thanx

Dear David,

Your voucher must be printed and exchanged at one of the 17 Barcelona Tourism Offices or other tourist information points. There are two at Barcelona airport (terminals 1 and 2). You can exchange your voucher direct at the BCN Airport and use the Metro from Airport to City Center with your HolaBCN Card. So you save the money for the standard Metro Airport Ticket (4.50 Euro one way).

Chriss

If we arrive at Barcelona Sants rail station, can we exchange the voucher at the train station to ride the bus or metro into the city?

there is a “Turisme de Barcelona tourist information point” direct at Barcelona Sants railway station. There you can exchange your voucher. Than you can use the Metro, city bus… Opening Times : daily, from 8am to 8pm.

Robin Urquhart

If I buy a 3 day pass does it cover a full 72 hours from when I buy it… or in other words…. if I buy it at 21.30 on Wednesday does it run out at 21.30 on Saturday?

Hello Robin,

you can start using your Hola BCN! card at any time of day and get all the advantages of unlimited travel over 48, 72, 96 or 120 hours as of the first validation.

Vania

Is the hop on hop off included in the HOLA BCN ticket ??

Hello Vania,

thanks for your question. Hola BCN is a travel card for public transport (city bus, metro, commuter rail…). Private buses as “Hop on hop off buses” or aerobus is not included.

Here you can find actual prices and information about hop on hop off bus tours in Barcelona. You can book these tours before departure without any extra charge. This may save time and stress.

Hop on Hop off in Barcelona

Have a nice trip

Brendan Swords

If I buy a 2 day HolaBCN ticket and activate it on 14/11/2017 at 10.00 does the 2 day period stop on 16/11/2017 at 09.59 or does it stop at midnight on 15/11/2017?

Hello Brendan,

a 48h HolaBCN ticket is valid for 48h after first validation. In your case from 14/11/2017 10.00 to 16/11/2017 09.59.

Enjoy your trip.

Cassey

Thinking of purchasing the Hola BCN for 4 days for the F1 in May 2018, but am I correct in thinking that it will actually run out on the 4th day – which for us would be the Sunday at 2pm as we arriving on the prior Thursday around 2pm?

Hello Cassey,

If you buy a 4 day (96 hour card) on Thursday 2pm, it runs out following Monday 1.59pm, not Sunday as you wrote.

Emily

Hi, thinking of purchasing the Hola bcn card for 9 of us for hen do in June. We will arrive on the Friday at approx 12:15, and we fly home on the Monday at approx 13:00, would we need the 3 or 4 day card to cover us for the whole trip? Thanks in advance!

your aircraft lands at 12.15? Due to waiting times, e.g. at the baggage claim, you will not enter the metro at Friday before 13.00. To depart Monday at 13:00, you must check in at the airport before 13:00. The 3 day Hola BCN! is valid for 72h as of the first validation. So from our point of view, the 3 day card is the right card for you.

Alkazri

Very informative! Thanks Hola BCN! We’re flying to Barcelona today. ???????

Linda Sampedey

Hi. Is the N17 buses included in the Hola Barcelona travel card?

The N17 Nitebus is operated by the private bus company Mohn. The Hola Barcelona travel card is NOT valid on this bus.

Have fun in Barcelona

Ken

I understand that a Hola BCN card includes a free roundtrip metro ride between the airport and city center. If I buy a 3-day Hola BCN card on Day 1 and leave Barcelona on Day 5, is my card still valid for a free return ride from city center to the airport?

The period of use for the HolaBCN card begins with the first use and ends in your case 3 days later.

David

Hello, can I use the HolaBCN travel card to Molins de Rei from Barcelona city centre?

Hi David, Molins de Rei is in fare zone 2B. The Hola BCN ticket is not valid here. Have fun in Barcelona

Aj

Hi, I would like to ask if I buy a HolaBCN 48 hours, can I use that from Granollers Centre to Barcelona city centre ? Are all the zones are covered in HolaBCN ?

Hello Aj, Granollers Center is in Zone 3 and is therefore outside the validity of the Hola BCN Travel Card. One-way tickets are probably the best alternative. Have fun in Barcelona

Ana

Hello, can I use the HolaBCN travel card to Montmeló station from Barcelona city centre? I am going to MotoGP and I need to get to Montmelo so I can after that use shuttle bus to the circuit.

Hello Ana, The “Montmeló” station of the Formula 1 circuit is approximately 15-20 km from Barcelona city centre (FGC zone 2D). The Hola BCN ticket is not valid here. Enjoy the race

Dayo

I’ve got two questions. 1/ how can I find out when my Hola BCN Card expires? I can’t really remember when I used the first time. 2/ I know the Hola BCN card is for TMB buses in Barcelona but why TMB app (I use a Journey Planner) shows me AMB bus?

Thank you in advance.

Hello Dayo, 1) Once you have purchased the Hola Barcelona Travel Card, you have 90 days from the day of purchase to validate your card. After that, i.e. after the first validation, the card will expire depending on the number of hours you have on your card. For example, if you validate the 2-day card (48 hours) on Tuesday at 8am, you can travel unlimited until Thursday at 8am.

2)The TMB app shows all buses TMB operating in Barcelona.

Have fun in Barcelona.

Hi, Thank you for reply. 1/ I know about this but the question was “how can I found out what time I first used the Hola Card as I don’t remember. But anyway someone told me it’s on printed on the back of the card 😀 Me silly. 2/ “The TMB app shows all buses operating in Barcelona”. Not true. I used the app and waited for a bus and then I found out from the driver that I couldn’t use his bus because it’s a different company (AMB). Then I realised on the app I can use buses with red numbers.

Ryan

Hi we’re a family of six and will be visiting Barcelona and it seems like the Hola Barcelona card is the best option. Will in need to buy one for each of my kids (ages 3,7,9), or do any of those ages ride public transport for free?

Hello Ryan, Children under four are not required to have a ticket. They travel free. Older children need a standard Hola BCN! card.

Enjoy your Barcelona trip

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Privacy Overview

(barcelona-metropolitan.com)

How to Register for Free Train Travel in Spain

by Tara Shain

August 12, 2022

railways-stations-suburbs-barcelona.jpg

This week Renfe announced that it opened up registrations for the free travel passes that will allow users to travel for free on Cercanías, Rodalias and Media Distancia routes from September 1 to December 31, 2022.

How to Register

Travel passes will not be made available until August 24, 2022, however users are encouraged to register in advance either on the Renfe website , the Renfe app or the Renfe Cercanías app —the Renfe website indicates that registering in advance will make it easier to get your abono (travel pass) later on, and encourages users to use the app to avoid long lines in the train station. 

How to Get Your Free Travel Voucher 

On August 24, registered users will be able to request passes through the app, on the website, at self-service machines or at station ticket offices. To prevent infrequent travelers from taking advantage of the subsidy, a deposit of €10 euros is required for the Cercanías and Rodalies, and €20 for Media Distancia.

You will be refunded your deposit if you make a minimum of 16 trips—four per month—with your pass. To make sure your trips are registered, it’s important to validate your pass at the beginning of each trip and, in some cases, also at the end. If you make the minimum number of trips, your money will be refunded via the same method your deposit was made. Renfe recommends that you make the deposit by card so that your deposit will be refunded to your account automatically after the end of the year. If you pay the deposit in cash, you will need to request a refund at a Renfe ticketing window in person.

Though travel will be free, you will need to reserve your travel in advance. Because a large influx of travelers is expected Renfe recommends that travelers create an account and pay the deposit as early as possible, preferably before September 1. Also, if you download the Renfe app you will be able to plan and reserve your trips in advance before all the places are taken.

Registering: One user’s Experience

I was curious to see if there was a registration process specific to applying for the free travel passes, or if the announcement was simply a campaign to get users registered in advance to avoid crashing the system on the first day, so I applied. 

Renfe Cercanías App

Since Renfe pushes users to register via one of its apps, I downloaded the Renfe Cercanías app. However I experienced a number of problems both in the registration process and in trying to sign in to my account once my registration was finally confirmed. 

The app was easy to find and install on my phone. When I opened it, it was in English—I assume because my phone’s default language is English. There is a step-by-step explanation of the app registration process on Renfe’s website (in Spanish), which was helpful because without it I wouldn't have known that for the “Mobile payment password” field I needed to create a four digit PIN number. But once I figured that out I thought the rest would be a breeze, but no. 

I use a password manager to save and randomly generate my passwords, so I opened my handy PW manager and had it generate a 25 character password using upper- and lower-case letters, numbers and special characters. No dice. I got a generic “wrong password” message. Thinking that perhaps it was too long, I generated a second password, this time with 19 characters. It still didn't work. My third attempt with a 12 character password seemed to work. I received a brief on-screen confirmation on the app, as well as an email confirmation. However, I was never able to sign on to the app, even after multiple attempts. Each time I received the message “We are not available to help you right now. Please try again later.”

Renfe Website

Unable to access my account via the app, I was curious to see if my registration was valid for use on the Renfe website. I attempted to sign in with the data I used to create my account via the Cercanías app. Oddly, the website does have my user ID, password, first and last names and NIE, however before allowing me to access the site it prompts me to add additional info to my account via a popup window. Upon filling out the additional required data it kicks me back to the sign-in page. I repeated this never-ending circle several times before giving up.

With my first two attempts unsuccessful, I downloaded the regular Renfe app. It’s worth a try, right? Using the same user name and password that I created on the Cercanías app I was finally able to login.

After going through the process—or rather attempting to—online and on both apps, I was finally able to register and sign in. From what I can tell, the process doesn't seem to be designed for the free travel passes; it appears that the goal is to get users registered in advance. Hopefully, the kinks will get ironed out and the payment processes (for the deposit) and ticketing will be less difficult once August 24th rolls around. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

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Barcelona Lowdown

How To Book Spanish Train Tickets On The RENFE Website (Step-by-Step Guide)

The Spanish rail network is among the best in Europe, with a fleet of modern high-speed AVE trains connecting major cities at speeds of up to 300km/h.

Tickets for the AVE trains typically go on sale ninety days before that date of travel, and if you book in advance, you can get a discount of up to 75% off the full price. In fact, if you book a ticket for a high-speed AVE train as soon as it goes on sale, it will often work out cheaper than purchasing a regular long-distance train ticket for the same route.

When planning a trip to Spain, especially if you plan to visit several of the major cities, you can save money by purchasing your tickets online in advance. The cheapest place to book train tickets for Spain is directly on the national train operator’s website at RENFE.com .

Unfortunately, the RENFE website is notoriously hard to use. This is especially true when booking from outside of Spain.

The website itself isn’t very user-friendly, some pages aren’t translated into English, and even the pages that are translated often have parts in Spanish. It is also prone to crashing and not taking payments from foreign (non-Spanish) credit or debit cards.

This post will guide you step-by-step through the entire booking process from start to finish. Along the way, I’ll point out common pitfalls and explain what all the untranslated parts of the site mean.

If you still encounter any problems after reading this post, feel free to contact me by leaving a message in the comment section below.

How to buy train tickets from RENFE.com

  • Create an account at RENFE.com
  • Check availability and fares
  • Decide which type of ticket you want
  • Buy your tickets and reserve a seat
  • Download Your ticket (optional)
  • Download and use the RENFE app (optional)
  • Download an invoice (optional)

Create an acount at RENFE.com

Although it is possible to purchase a ticket without creating an account, it definitely makes things easier, especially if you will be purchasing multiple tickets.

Even if you don’t create an account at this stage, you’ll still have to enter your details in order to complete your booking. You will also need an account if you want to modify your booking, create an invoice or use the RENFE app.

Start by going to RENFE.com and changing the language to English by clicking on the little globe icon at the top right of the page and selecting “English” from the list which appears below.

Screenshot showing how to select English on the RENFE website

Next, you click on the “Login” icon, which opens the login page and gives you the option to create an account.

Screenshot showing how to login to the RENFE website

Click on the “REGISTER ME” button at the bottom of the page to open the registration form.

The page where you can log in or create an account for the RENFE website

Create an account by filling in the boxes marked with an asterisk on the registration form.

Where it says “ID DOCUMENT”, you should select “Pasaporte/Doc. comunitario” and enter your passport number.

Don’t worry about the “Second surname” box. In Spain, people have two surnames because women don’t change their surname when they get married, and children take both parents’ first surname. If you don’t have a second surname, you can leave this box blank.

The “Name as it appears on the card” field refers to a RENFE loyalty card and will be filled in automatically.

Only select “Professional” in the POSTAL ADDRESS section if you will be using your company’s address. Otherwise, leave it set to “Private” and enter your home address.

The registration form on the RENFE website in English

As I said earlier, some parts of the RENFE website aren’t translated into English. This includes the “Terms & Conditions” section at the bottom of the registration form. To continue, you just need to tick the box where it says “He leido y acepto las condiciones del programma + RENFE” (English: I’ve read and accept the conditions of the + RENFE program) and then click the purple “REGISTER ME” button.

The other tick poxes are to receive publicity and offers from RENFE and its partner companies. You don’t need to tick these boxes.

The terms and conditions of the RENFE website (Spanish only)

If you’re using Google Chrome, you can translate the text automatically by right-clicking somewhere on the page and then selecting the option “Translate to English”

How to translate the terms and conditions page of the RENFE website

At this stage, if you didn’t tick the boxes saying you want to receive publicity from RENFE and partner companies, a pop-up will appear warning you (in Spanish) that you’re going to miss out on special offers.

Click on “CONFIRMAR” to continue.

Pop-up window warning that you won't receive publicity

If you haven’t completed any of the mandatory fields, a Spanish error message will appear in red below the field left blank. The message reads “Este campo es obligatorio” which means “This field is mandatory”.

If an error message appears below the Second Surname field, make sure that you have selected the correct nationality. The system expects Spanish nationals to fill in both surnames, whereas other nationalities only need to fill in the first surname.

error message on the RENFE website

If you have completed the form correctly, a captcha window may appear after you click “CONFRMAR”. Once you have correctly solved the puzzle, you will be redirected to the login page.

Congratulations, you have now created an account and can log in.

If you are using Google Chrome, then the email address and password which you entered when creating your account will already be filled in, and you just need to click “ENTER”.

If not, you will be prompted to enter your details as shown below.

login page of the RENFE website

Check Availability & Fares

Once you have logged in, you will be taken to a page similar to the image below. There are two fields at the top of the page where you can enter the names of the cities or stations that you plan to travel between.

Search boxes on the RENFE website

Let’s start by selecting the departure station or city.

As you start to type the name of the city, a drop-down list of possible stations will appear. In larger cities, where there is more than one train station, you will see a list of stations similar to the one shown below. Note that some of the stations listed in the screenshot below aren’t in Barcelona; they just happen to contain the search term “barc” as part of their name.

If you are not sure which station your chosen train will depart from, I recommend that you start by selecting “TODAS” (English: ALL), which will show all trains departing from all stations within the selected city.

If, on the other hand, you know that you want to travel from a specific station, you can reduce the number of trains which are shown at the next stage by selecting that station—for example, BARCELONA-SANTS.

Personally, I always start by selecting “TODAS” to ensure that I am seeing all available trains.

Spanish train timetables on the RENFE website

We then repeat the process for our destination. In this case, I’ve chosen Girona, which only has one train station.

selecting the destination on the RENFE Spanish train website

Next, you choose whether you need a one-way or return ticket and the dates when you wish to travel.

As I said earlier in this post, tickets for AVE trains generally go on sale between sixty and ninety days in advance and are cheapest when purchased as soon as they go on sale. However, this isn’t always the case, and RENFE often delays the release of tickets.

If your planned journey is more than three months away, I recommend you do the following:

  • Get an idea of the cheapest fare which will be available by checking prices ninety days from now.
  • Check the train schedule by searching for trains one week from now.

For this example, I am going to book a train approximately three months in advance.

Chosing a date on the Spanish train website

Once you have chosen the date of travel and clicked on “Accept”, the “Search for a ticket” button should change colour from grey to purple and become clickable.

Ticket search button on the RENFE website

When you click on “Search for a ticket”, a list of all available high-speed, long-distance and regional trains which cover this route on the chosen date appears.

A list train times on the RENFE website, some parets ofg the text are not available in English yet

The list of trains is in chronological order and is effectively a timetable.

The left-hand side of the timetable shows departure and arrival times, journey duration and train type. The right-hand side displays the prices of the different ticket categories available for each train.

Tickets for regional and middle-distance trains can not be purchased online, and the following message (in Spanish) appears informing travellers that they may be purchased at the station:

Los billetes para este tren no están incluidos en la venta electrónica, puede adquirirlos en los puntos de venta de las Estaciones.

Comparing prices of Spanish trains on the RENFE website

In the example above, you can see that, at the time of writing, there is one type of ticket available for the AVANT (middle-distance high-speed) and two types of tickets available for the AVE high-speed train.

When you click on the price blocks, an information pane opens which tells you what is included in the chosen tariff. Unfortunately, even though we have selected English, the information is displayed in Spanish.

Box showing what is included in the ticket, Spanish language only

Once again, if you are using Google Chrome, you can get around this by right-clicking on the text and selecting “Translate to English”.

Screenshot showing how you can trace the Spanish sections of the RENFE website into English

The “Journey Details” link opens a new window (in English) with information about the train, where it stops and what services are available.

Journey details

At this stage, you can choose the type of ticket you want to purchase. For example, in the case of AVE high-speed trains, you can choose between Básico, Elige, Elige Confort and Prémium tickets.

You can find out more about the different ticket types which are available in this post. Generally speaking, prices vary depending on flexibility (penalisation if you want to change the date of travel) and seat type.

If you chose a return ticket, the next step is to repeat the process for the return journey.

How to purchase a ticket on the RENFE website

Once you have decided when you want to travel and which type of ticket fits your needs. It’s time to purchase your tickets.

Select the required tariff and then click “Next” at the bottom of the page, which takes you to the checkout.

How to book a ticket on the RENFE website

Depending on the type of train and ticket chosen, RENFE may suggest you upgrade to a better seat at an additional cost. To continue with the current choice, click on “Continuar…”

The window which tries to upsell a better train seat

Since you’re already logged in, your details should automatically appear as passenger one on the checkout page. For obvious reasons, I’ve greyed out my email address and other information in the screenshot below.

enter passenger details here (if not filled in automatically)

Below this, you will be asked to fill in the details of the other people in your group (if applicable).

enter second passenger details here

Below each passenger, you have the option to select a discount. Once selected, you will see that the total price that appears on the page’s right-hand side is automatically modified.

boxes where you can select a discount on the RENFE website

Once again, the discounts only appear in Spanish. If you are travelling with children between four and 13 years old, select “Niño 4-13”.

How to select a child fare on the renfe website

All tickets for long-distance and high-speed trains in Spain include a seat reservation. In most cases, the seat is allocated automatically, and you can indicate whether you prefer a window or aisle seat.

buttons to choose which seat you prefer

When travelling by AVE, you also have the chance to select a specific seat and carriage, although you have to pay extra to do so. If you want to choose a seat, you should select the button “Seating Preferences” before continuing with the payment process.

renfe travel card

The next step is to pay for the ticket. This is the stage where many overseas visitors have reported problems when trying to pay by credit card.

Typically things go wrong for one of the following reasons:

  • Your bank refused the payment, usually because it is an unauthorised overseas transaction. If this happens, you should contact your bank and tell them that you will be using the card in Spain.
  • The RENFE website doesn’t recognize your credit card number or says that is invalid. Unfortunately, as far as I’m aware, there’s nothing you can do to fix this error.

Fortunately, the RENFE website now accepts payments via PayPal, and, if you’re purchasing tickets from outside Spain, this is by far the best choice.

screenshot showing how to select the payment method on the RENFE website

Once you have selected PayPal, you will be asked whether you want your data to be saved in your account for future purchases (optional) and have to accept the terms and conditions. Once again, the terms and conditions are in Spanish, which can be fixed by right-clicking on the text and selecting “Translate to English” as we did earlier.

You then click on the “PURCHASE” button, which takes you to the PayPal login page.

PayPal log in window

Once you have logged in to PayPal, you will be asked to confirm the payment and which account PayPal should take the funds from. I have my PayPal account set up for two-factor authorisation, which adds an additional level of security.

Step 12a (optional)

If you chose “Seating Preferences” at Step 11, when you click “PURCHASE” you will be taken to an additional window where you choose your seats before clicking “PURCHASE” again to continue with the payment process.

renfe travel card

After the payment has been made, you will be redirected back to RENFE.COM, where you will see a confirmation message with your booking reference and a button to print your tickets as a PDF.

after payment has completed, you can download your tickets using this button

At this point, you should have received an email with the subject “Confirmacion de venta Renfe” with a PDF of your tickets.

If you return to the RENFE.COM homepage, you will also see that the journey now appears under “MY JOURNEYS”

The my journeys window on RENFE.COM

From here, by clicking on “Details” to the right of the booking reference, you can download the tickets, send them to a passbook or request an invoice.

Choose how you want to receive your tickets from the Journey details window

Personally, I usually use the RENFE app and show the ticket directly from the app on my phone.

How to download and use the RENFE app

The RENFE Ticket app is available for android and iPhone. Search for RENFE on Google Play or at the App Store and install RENFE Ticket .

Despite its one-star rating, the app works quite well. It may not be perfect but it’s definitely more user friendly and less buggy than the RENFE website.

This is where you can download the RENFE Ticket app

Open the app and click on the person icon to log in.

how to login to the renfe app

Enter the email and password which you used when you created an account at RENFE.COM, then select “Conectarse”.

enter your details here to login to the renfe ticket app

Within a few seconds, you will receive an email with a two-factor authentication code. Enter the code in the app and press OK.

two factor authentication window on the RENFE ticket app

You’ll find your tickets in “My Trips”.

Select My Trips on the RENFE Ticket app

The ticket on the app includes a QR Code which may be scanned at the station and by ticket inspectors on the train.

Digital ticket on the RENFE app

How to request an invoice from RENFE.com

If you are travelling on business, you will probably need an invoice so that you can claim back travel expenses.

To request an invoice, you should log in to the RENFE website, click on your name at the top of the screen and then select “My Journeys”

How to change to the My Journeys screen on the RENFE website

This opens a list of all the tickets which you have purchased from RENFE. Click on the “i” icon at the right-hand side of the page to select the journey you need an invoice for.

The my journeys screen on the Spanish train company website

Then select “Request Invoice” as shown.

The button for requesting an invoice for your train journey

You then need to select the tick box next to the ticket for which you want to generate an invoice, enter the VAT number of your company in the box marked DNI/CIF and click “GENERAR FACTURAS”.

Click this button to generate an invoioce on the RENFE website

After this, a window opens with a draft version of the invoice. You should check the information shown on this page carefully before clicking on “CONFIRMAR”.

At this stage, once the invoice has been created, it’s impossible to go back and change things.

Once you have confirmed that the invoice is correct, you are redirected back to the “My Invoices” page, where you can download the invoice as a PDF.

Download your invoice in PDF format using this icon

RENFE.com FAQs

Here are my answers to the most popular questions I’ve received about buying tickets from the RENFE.com website.

I’ve already got a RENFE account, how do I log in?

If you’ve already created an account, you can log in here by following these steps:

1. Change language to English

2. Click the Login icon at the top right corner of the page.

3. Enter your email address or RENFE card number and password in the Login window on the left-hand side of the page and press “ENTER”.

renfe travel card

Related posts:

Combinado Cercanias - AVE train ticket with free transfers

59 comments

I love your informative, illustrated guide to train travel in Spain. Thank you!! Two quick questions: When booking on Renfe, how can you tell if you have to change trains to get to your destination? I am trying to decide if our group of five should buy the Spain pass or book each trip individually. Also, if it shows Barcelona to San Sebastian “Sold Out” for the entire month of April, does that mean the route is REALLY sold out or the schedule has not been released yet? Thanks very much.

If you’re looking on renfe.com, then when you have to change trains you’ll see two train types listed under the arrival time.

For example AVE-AVANT or AVE-MD

Instead of just AVANT, for example, if it was just one train, without changes.

If you then click on one of the ticket price bubbles a grey rectangle appears with the conditions of the ticket.

Just below this grey rectangle, you’ll see the words “Journey details” in purple.

If you click on “Journey details” a pop-up opens with full details of the journey including all the stops each of the trains make.

You may have to deactivate your popup blocker if use one. If it still doesn’t appear try using a different browser.

The renfe site normally says either “full train” or “Not available” when there’s no availability.

Are you sure you’re not looking on a third party site?

I’ve just checked Barcelona to San Sebastian on renfe.com and there seems to be plenty of availability, including the 15:30 ALVIA which is the fastest option on that route as far as I can see.

If you let me know the dates you’re looking at I’ll double check.

By the way, for this particular route, it’s worth checking for cheap flights on vueling.com.

I have simply included second surname – N.A when I registered for member. This is because it’s compulsory for me to include in order to complete the registration. I didn’t know about the change of language selection earlier. Unfortunately I have purchased train tickets with the wrong second surname included and I couldn’t update the details as the basic fare train do not allow change of details. Will this stop me from boarding? Should I repurchase a new ticket?

The Spanish know that most foriegners don’t have a second surname so if you put something like n/a, or repeated your surname, I really don’t think it will be an issue.

Having said that, if I were you, I’d call the RENFE online booking helpline on +34 91 919 05 04 to make sure.

Hi, I am trying to book a Renfre high speed train from Barcelona to San Sebastián for September 15 and have not had any luck. I even put todays date (which would be 60 days out) and nothing shows. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you for your help.

I’m looking at the RENFE site right now.

Currently it’s showing tickets up until the 31st of August, but none for september, which is a little odd, but that’s just RENFE unfortunately.

If you look at this Friday, July 14th, you should see four options; three via Madrid, and one direct from Barcelona Sants to San Sebastián at 15:30 which is fully booked.

If you don’t see that, make sure you select BARCELONA(TODAS) to SAN SEBASTIÁN/DONOSTIA, One-way only.

If that works, then I recommend you keep checking every couple of days until tickets become available.

Having said that, I’ve just checked on vueling.es and they’ve got direct flights available on September 15th starting at €33.99 if you don’t mind taking the early morning flight. Just a thought!

Hi Richard,

Thank you for your article. It’s super helpful!

I just wanted to confirm: I’m booking tickets for 4 people and all of us will each have 1 big luggage, possibly 1 carry-on luggage, and our personal handbag/backpack. Are these luggage allowances already included in the trip or do I need to purchase any extras?

Also, just wanted to ask if we will be holding our luggages inside the train during the entire duration of the trip or will they be getting our luggages and releasing them upon arrival at the destination?

Thank you and hoping for your response!

Hi Samantha,

There’s no extra charge for luggage on the AVE, your ticket allows you to carry up to three items of luggage to a maximum weight of 25kg, although I’ve never noticed anyone checking this. There are luggage racks at either end of each wagon with space for large suitcases and an overhead shelf which is large enough for the typical carry-on luggage sized spinner suitcases and hand bags. You have to put the luggage through an airport type scanner before boarding the train and may be asked to open it if the security person operating the scanner thinks there may be dangerous objects in it. When I travel via AVE for work I typically have a suitcase, a toolbox and a backpack with my laptop and never have any issues finding space.

Thank you for your excellent article! I hope you can help us with our issue. My husband booked 4 RENFE passes using his account for our group. The RENFE website only allows us to print one of the passes and refuses to print the other 3. We thought we could all install the RENFE mobile app on our phones and have him transfer each individual’s pass that way. To be on the safe side, I used his RENFE account but the only pass I can access is his. Do I need to create my own RENFE account? How does he transfer my pass to me? Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Sorry, but I’ve no experience with purchasing multiple passes, as you describe. I recommend you call RENFE on +34 91 919 05 04 which is the Helpline for online purchases.

Thank you for this very informative post, I wish I read it before buying our tickets! We bought a ticket from Granada to Malaga and received a email confirmation from Renfe which included a PDF attachment , which maybe the ticket. But we couldn’t open the PDF. Would you know if this is common problem?

It’s not a problem which I’ve heard of before; having said that nothing would surprise me when the RENFE website is concerned!

After completing your purchase, you should have received an email with a subject line something like “Confirmacion de venta Renfe”

That mail contains a booking reference number and a PDF which is your ticket.

From what you say, it sounds like the PDF has been corrupted, in which case you can use the reference number in the email to recover your ticket, either by creating an account on the RENFE site (if you didn’t do so already), or from the ticket machines at the train station in Granada.

have downloaded the Renfe app and created an account. How do I register for the free travel and pay the deposit to get a QR code? Does the QR code serve as the ticket? When I reserve a journey, do I need to pay?

Are you referring to the free commuter train tickets which are included with AVE tickets?

If so, you need to purchase the AVE ticket, which includes a QR code and the combinado cercanias.

To purchase tickets from the APP, select “buy” and then enter the name of your destination in the search box where it says “Set your destination”

Hi This doesn’t seem to work for Australia. And if I do manage to register, will I be able to buy a Spain Rail Pass?

If you’re having trouble creating an account, I suggest you try a different web browser. I find that Google Chrome works best. Clearing cookies and browsing history may also help.

Which pass were you hoping to purchase exactly?

I’ve not completed a purchase, but I’ve gone through the steps of purchasing an Interrail pass from this page to the point where I had to introduce my payment details and it seemed to work OK.

Eurail passes can’t be purchased from the renfe site, you have to go to the eurail website .

Hi Richard I’m trying to purchase the Renfe Spain Pass which is all inclusive and doesn’t have additional reservation fees. I downloaded Google Chrome and tried that. Still had the issue of the page reverting to the Spain Country code when I tried to register, as well as returning an error for the postcode (we have just 4 digits and they required 5). And I can’t find a third party who sells the Renfe Spain Pass with the Seniors discount. Any help would be appreciated

Did you already try contacting RENFE via the contact form on their website ?

Failing that, they have a helpline number which is specifically for online purchases: +34 91 919 05 04

I am trying to purchase 5 train tickets from Barcelona tomSeville on 12/24. I get all the way to the payment process and using PayPal, get a confirmation of the transaction from my credit card, but then get an error message from Renfe that the tickets were not purchased. What are my options to contact Renfe

You can call RENFE on +34 912320320 or write to them via their contact form here

Richard, I am trying to book two seniors from Bordeaux to Barcelona via train (through Narbonne) on October 22. I have been trying for about 4 weeks and have used SNCF, Renfe, and Trainline, different browsers and different devices, and every time I see the Narbonne-Barcelona leg is scheduled but is listed as fully booked. I even called Renfe in Spain and they agreed, it was strange and surely tickets will be released soon. They couldn’t tell me more and that was a week ago. Today – still fully booked. There’s surely no way that route has no seats unless there’s a strike or a football match I don’t know about. Thoughts? Suggestions? October 22 is getting close.

I’m not familiar with this route but agree that it’s odd that the Narbonne to Barcelona leg has sold out four weeks in advance. Seems unlikely.

Barça plays Atletic on Sunday, which, although likely to be a good match, I doubt it would be the cause.

The only thing I can suggest would be to catch either a bus or a flight, both of which have availability.

Dear Richard, Thanks for this detail instructions. I don’t know how other US people registered on renfe but I followed your instructions step by step but failed every time renfe.com. I tried with both Mac and PC using chrome or safari all failed–after I fill in all the info, and click submit button, it always stays on that registration page and the number before my phone number always changed back to +34, I did change this one to +1 coz I am in US. But every time after confirmation, it goes back to +34 and I just can’t register successfully. I need to purchase quite a few train tickets and wanted to save my info. Please advice what I should do. Many Thanks

The first thing that I would try is clearing your browsing history and cache. If this doesn’t work, you could try using another browser; the RENFE site supposedly works best with Chrome and MS Edge.

Failing that, you could try using a different PC, although I see you’ve already done this.

Another thing you could try is installing the RENFE app on your phone and creating an account from there. I’ve not created an account from the app, but I have booked tickets via it, and it generally works better than renfe.com.

If that doesn’t work, I recommend you purchase your tickets from Trainline who sell tickets at the same price as on renfe.com plus a small commission which is added at checkout. It’s much more user-friendly than renfe.com and still works out cheaper than waiting and purchasing tickets when you arrive in Spain.

This is such a helpful article with very detailed instructions. For a non-Spanish speaker – this really helped.

Thanks for your comment. I’m glad you found the article helpful.

Many people don’t know that if you book a ticket with Renfre in the US and pay with A credit card they are non refundable. If you purchase the tickets in Spain you may receive a refund in most cases

I wasn’t aware that tickets purchased with US credit cards are non-refundable, do you have a link or reference which confirms this, please?

Hi Richard Thanks for a great article. I am trying to book for the direct train from SAntiago to PAmplona which runs Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday but the system keeps saying that there are no seats available and suggests alternative routes usually via Madrid and requiring numerous changes (and at higher cost). This appears to apply for virtually every date that I select in the next two months. Are all the seats really likely to be booked up already or is this some quirk of the RENFE booking system? While I am not actually travelling until next year and have only been trying to check how quickly seats book up on the direct route it is worrying to find that there is nothing available. Thanks.

Hi Richard Regarding my earlier comment about trains from Santiago to PAmplona – please disregard as I think I have worked it out. Regards Chris

I’m glad to hear you got this sorted. I’ve no personal experience of this route, but, as you say, looking on the RENFE website, the direct trains do seem to be booked up throughout August. I’ve noticed that Trainline lists all available trains, including direct trains, and seems to have tickets available, even when there’s no availability on the RENFE site.

Thanks so much for this article. It was very helpful. I want to do Barcelona – Salou in August and I have searched on the website and app and it tells me tickets aren’t available to be purchased online, only at point of sales. Do you know how I can bypass that? I’d like to buy them online so I don’t pay the service fee they charge when the tickets are bought at the point of sales. Also, I have no clue how much I should be expecting per ticket, they don’t show me any prices online, would you know how I can find that? My trip is August 11-August 16 2022.

Thanks a lot!

Trains from Barcelona to Salou are regional trains, so you can’t purchase tickets online, only at the stations. You also can’t reserve a seat on these trains, although it isn’t a problem because they’re seldom full. There’s no service fee for these tickets when you purchase them at the station, either from the ticket machines or at the counter.

For timetables, it’s best to check the Catalan Government website , which has the full, updated, timetable. You’ll see that there are more trains than those shown on the RENFE site.

Tickets cost €7.70 for Regional trains, and €8.80 for Regional Express.

Good day Richard, Hope all is well and keeping safe. i’ve been checking renfe’s website for the last week, hoping to get tix from cordoba to granada, October 30th…but it seems that tix are only available until October 16th, when i search on renfe’s website…should i keep waiting or look for alternative transportation? :) Thank you in advance.

Hi Natalia,

Don’t worry, RENFE is a law unto itself but normally releases AVE tickets for sale about 60 days before the date of travel. Sometimes it releases them sooner, other times later. It’s pretty confusing, but that’s RENFE I’m afraid you just need to be patient and check back every now and again.

Thank you Richard — i shall keep a look out :) have a lovely day.

You’re welcome Natalia

Thanks so much for this super helpful info!

I’d like to book the Malaga>Zaragoza fast train at 14.32 on 18/08. The website says ‘The requested train is not available at the moment. We apologise for any inconvenience. Please try again later.’

Do you know if this means they will release tickets at some point? Should I wait? I could book the earlier 13.56 train instead, but it takes an hour longer and I’d much rather book the 14.32 if possible, but I’m concerned if I wait too long the price will go up and at the moment I have no sense if tickets will become available for the 14.32 or not. Thanks in advance!

RENFE really is a law unto itself wrt when it releases tickets. I just checked the website and tickets are available until the end of July and then none for August. I would normally expect tickets to be released at least 30 days before the departure date, so maybe you could check back in a week’s time and see if they are available yet. Prices don’t seem to increase on this route until about 2 weeks before departure, so if I were you, I’d check the site regularly and, wait until the tickets for the other trains start increasing in price before making a decision.

Thanks so much Richard!

You’re welcome Lauren

Hi. Thank you very much for the informative webpage. At which stage of the ticket purchase does the option to select a seat occur? (considering getting an elige comfort seat). Is it after the payment is finalised? Thank you.

Thanks for you’re comment, I’ve just re-read the article and have seen that I didn’t describe how you can choose a seat. I’ll update the post in the next few days and add this information.

To answer your question, you choose your seat before you checkout and pay.

Thank you for the reply. I reached the stage where I could click ‘seating preferences’. It was the payment page after that. I was not able to select my seats. Maybe I missed out something.

I’ve now updated the page and added a new step Step 12a(optional) .

Since you chose “Seating Preferences” at step 11, when you press “purchase” an additional window appears where you select your seats.

Once you’ve chosen your seats, you then have to press “purchase” again to complete the payment.

Your credit card isn’t charged until the second time you press “purchase”.

Just one of the many idiosyncracies of the RENFE website I’m afraid ;-)

Hi I’m wanting to book a ticket online for 9 Sept – Barcelona – Sants to Valencia Joaquin Sorolla for fast train (2hr40min). When I use Renfe website it only shows 2 fast trains: 07:15 and 20:15. However when I try to book a ticket via Rail Ninja it provides an additional 4 fast train services (2hr40mins) and directs me to Renfe and to select seats.

Somewhat confusing to say the least. Many thanks in advance for any assistance/guidance.

Well spotted, it looks like RENFE have only released some of the tickets for that day at the moment and if you wait until nearer the date the other times will become available.

I don’t know why the other tickets aren’t available at this time because the summer price and timetable update should have taken place already. All I can say is that RENFE tend to release tickets for sale as and when they feel like it, normally in batches.

I don’t know how Rail Ninja gets around this but would point out that they are charging a premium for the tickets when compared to the RENFE site and Trainline.

For example, if we look at the 7:15 train the prices for the cheapest seats on the three sites are as follows:

RENFE.com: €37.85 Trainline: €37.85 Rail Ninja: €56.00

On the other hand, the Rail Ninja price is probably the same as you’d pay when purchasing tickets about a week or two in advance, so if you want to buy your tickets now, it’s not a bad price all things considered.

I have been trying to book tickets for a direct train from Barcelona to San Sebastian (an Alvia train) on July 8th for months. The tickets seem to never be available, I have been checking the Renfe site regularly and have reached a point of frustration. Do you have suggestions for purchasing these tickets online?

RENFE usually updates their tariffs and timetables twice per year, usually in June and December, and tickets whose prices are due to be updated don’t go on sale until the new timetables are announced.

Because of this, you’ll see that there are currently ALVIA tickets available for this route throughout June, but none for July, when the new prices and times will apply.

Unfortunately, all you can do is sit tight and wait until the tickets go on sale. Even ticket resellers such as Trainline can’t sell tickets until RENFE release them for sale.

Based on previous years, I would expect that tickets for July will be available in about a week’s time and suggest you start checking availability from this Saturday (June 11th) onwards.

Thank you Richard!! The tickets went on sale a little earlier than the prediction, but I was ready for it, and was able to get exactly the tickets I wanted!

That’s great news, I’m glad to hear you were able to get the tickets you wanted.

The RENFE website really is a law unto itself and, as you’ve seen, patience is key.

Enjoy your trip to San Sebastian!

Arriving in Barcelona at noon, international flight, mid September. In case plane is late don’t want to prebook train from Sants to Beziers. Can we(4) book tickets online on arrival? If so how far in advance must the booking be? There is a train at 2:00pm and 4:30pm, approx. We would take either taxi or train to Sants. Many thanks.

You can book tickets on the renfe website up until fifteen minutes before the train is due to depart, so it would theoretically be possible to book your train tickets once you arrive at Barcelona airport. I’ve no experience of whether this route normally sells out or not, so if I were you I’d keep an eye on availability during the weeks leading up to your trip.

Richard, Many thanks for this information. Helen

You’re welcome Helen!

I’m trying to fill out the info for train ticket & I just want to make sure I’m filling it out correctly. Ex. Martha Smith (Smith is married name) Name: Martha (only put my first name or do I put Martha Smith) Primer apellido: Jones (my dad’s last name?) Segundo apellido: (I can leave blank or this would be my maiden name?) Thank you

If you change the language of the website to English (Inglés) by clicking on the globe icon at the top of the page as shown in the first screenshot above then the “Second Surname” field (Segundo apellido) isn’t compulsory and you can leave it blank.

Using your example; Name: “Martha”, First Surname: “Smith”, Second Surname: *leave blank*.

Hello, I registered as a Renfe customer. I received a Renfe customer card and customer number ********. I have a password for my account. How do I log in to Renfe so I can book a train ride? Can you post a link and instructions on the login page?

I’ve added a FAQ section at the end of the post with an explanation of how to log in here .

I’ve also deleted your RENFE card number from your comment to ensure that no-one tries to use it.

Let me know if you have any additional questions.

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Apply for Renfe Golden Card: What it is, Documents and Requirements, How to Apply, Benefits and MORE

If you are interested in knowing everything you have to do to Apply for Renfe Golden Card , you should keep reading this article. We know that you will be interested to know what a discount card is for people over 60 years , pensioners, disabled and retired military personnel.

With this card you will get benefits that you cannot even imagine. Don’t wait any longer to get your card and discover everything you can get!

We invite you not to stop reading!

What is Renfe?

We want you to have the best options. That is why we tell you that the National Network of Spanish Railways, which you will know by its acronym Renfe , is a Spanish state company that operated the Iberian gauge national railway network between 1941 and 2005. And that on December 31, 2004 was divided into two new entities:

  • Adif, which is in charge of the Spanish railway infrastructures, and
  • Renfe that operates the publicly owned railways.

It is important that you know that is a global transport operator that offers services for travelers and goods under the principle of security. You must be aware that it is handled with criteria of quality, efficiency, profitability and innovation. And full vocation of public service to satisfy your mobility needs.

For you to evaluate that they take a great effort, they want to become the first company in Sustainable Transport and they offer you two important possibilities for this:

  • A Transport Decarbonization locomotive, with which they claim to have reduced the footprint by 88%.
  • To be the first final consumer of renewable electric energy in Spain, with one hundred percent electric traction energy.
  • They are managed by 5,200 drivers who guarantee efficient driving to contribute to a consumption saving of 30%.

Too They offer you the Renfe Loyalty Program, so that you become a frequent customer . This way they will reward your loyalty and improve your travel experience, before, during and after it. Imagine that you can get trips when you accumulate Renfe Points and also exchange them for services of your partner companies.

What is the Renfe Golden Card?

You need to know what the Card Renfe Dorada. It is a discount card with which you will receive between 25% and 40%. Above all, if you meet any of these characteristics:

  • That you are over 60 years old (being retired or not),
  • If you are a pensioner over 18 years of age in a situation of total, absolute or severe permanent disability.
  • If you are a retired military man in a situation of permanent disability and people with a minimum disability of 33%.

So you can use it, just you need to add it during a purchase process or simply to your account Trainline .

In the same way, you need to know that the Gold Card is valid for one year if you get it through Renfe. If you have it associated with a credit or debit card, the duration may be longer. For this reason, we recommend that you contact your bank to find out about the validity period that your entity offers you.

Keep in mind that you can buy what you need and you will also be able to return your expense with flexibility. Note that you will get the payment method you want and you will be able to change it at any time. Here we show you the payment methods you have :

  • Total payment with which you can cancel the monthly expense of your credit card on the 21st of the same month or the 5th of the following month.
  • Revolving deferred payment in which you will have the possibility of paying a fixed amount or a percentage of your spending on the 21st of each month, both with interest. You can also do it on the 5th of the following month, keeping in mind that you will have to bear interest for the receipt until the payment date.

Before concluding this part, we want to leave you some information on how this card works that will help you to book your trip, either by entering its renfe.com page, attending a ticket office, a travel agency, among other places. In addition, You will be able to obtain Renfe Points in the collaborating companies and as long as you use the American Express Renfe Card .

For you to use this card you must:

  • Know the Renfe Points that you have accumulated before you make a purchase. These points will be recorded in your account once you have made the trip.
  • Redeem your Renfe Points for train tickets and for the products and services of our associated companies. So you can travel for free.
  • Become a holder of a + Renfe card of different levels: + Renfe, + Renfe Plata, + Renfe Oro or + Renfe Premium. You will always depend on the trips you accumulate.
  • Always strive to improve your travel experience with exclusive services such as access to club rooms, parking free, priority access, exclusive discounts, upgrades to Preferred class, etc.
  • Finally, if you wish, you can sign up for free.

Documents and Requirements for the Application

In order for you to obtain your Renfe Golden Card, you must meet certain requirements and required documentation:

  • You must be over 60 years old.
  • Have your ID, NIE or Passport.
  • If you are a pensioner over 18 years old, you must have:
  • A document proving your status as a pensioner for Permanent, Total, Absolute or Great Disability physical or mental disability.
  • To be a Person with Disability greater than 65%, you must have:
  • A certificate, Disability Card or supporting document issued by an official body.

How to make the request?

If you wish then Apply for Renfe Golden Card We tell you that you can only obtain it in person at train stations, sales offices and authorized travel agencies. Also, it is possible that you acquire it through your credit or debit card if you have a bank account with one of the banks associated with the Gold Card.

You must go to the ticket offices of the Renfe stations , to the Ceuta Sales Office or to the Face-to-Face Travel Agencies. Similarly, we advise you to locate the banking entities that offer the Renfe gold debit or credit card. Note that the cost of the gold card is 6 euros .

If you already have it, we want to tell you that in case it is stolen, lost or damaged, you can get a duplicate of your Gold Card. Of course, this is possible only if you obtained it or registered it at the ticket office of a train station with a reservation sales system.

Who can Apply for the Card?

It is important that you know that this golden card is intended for a particular audience that will be the ones who will be able to obtain it:

  • People over 60 years.
  • Pensioners over 18 years of age in a situation of Total, Absolute or Great Disability permanent physical or mental disability.
  • Pensioners over 18 years of age and military retirees in a situation of Permanent Disability.
  • People with a disability equal to or greater than 33%.

As we are sure you will want Apply for Renfe Golden Card , we are going to leave you the benefits that you can enjoy with this card. The first thing is that you will receive discounts of between 25% and 50% on your Renfe train tickets on every purchase you make with Trainline .

As a cardholder, You can also bring a companion with a 65% disability who has the Golden Card to enjoy the same economic conditions as you.

You will achieve the following savings percentages:

  • Up to 40% discount on AVE and Long Distance, Avant, Conventional Medium Distance and Cercanías.
  • Up to 50% discount on Feve.

Buy Renfe ticket with the Gold Card

When you buy your train ticket, either through the website or the Renfe app, you can add the number of your Golden Card during the purchase process so that the discounts are applied automatically to the ticket price. In addition, you will feel more protected on your travels, because you will have accident insurance of up to € 310,000 and you will have at your disposal more than 6,000 ATMs in all Spain.

Banking entities associated with the Renfe Golden Card

Likewise, you will have different possibilities to get your Gold Card through numerous Spanish banking entities or convert your credit or debit card into a Gold Card.

Here we list you some of the banking entities associated with the Gold Card :

  • Santander Bank

To conclude, we leave you some additional benefits that the Gold Card will offer you:

  • You will have the advantage of configuring the limits of use of your card and thus obtain greater control of your expenses. You can decide the maximum amount of cash to withdraw each day from an ATM or the amount you want to spend on your purchases in physical stores or the internet.
  • You will receive instant notifications every time you pay with your Renfe Golden Card or withdraw cash from an ATM. This way you will directly review your daily expenses and you can make sure that you are the one who uses the card .
  • You can turn off or turn on the Renfe Golden Card whenever you want. If you need it, you can temporarily block your card, or cancel it completely.
  • You will have security at the ATMs. In the event of a robbery at an ATM, the Renfe Gold Card insurance will cover you with compensation of up to € 600 per event , with a maximum of € 1,200 per card and year.
We are sure that you will get your Renfe Golden Card! Go ahead and follow our recommendations!

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You can travel around Spain for free by train this summer

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Spanish authorities are extending a popular free rail ticket scheme in conjunction with operator Renfe.

Launched by Spanish authorities last year to help tackle the cost-of-living crisis for residents, the free train travel period was due to end this spring. However, authorities extended the program to December 2023, meaning travelers visiting Spain this summer can now take advantage.

Anyone can snap up the free tickets as long as they select multi-journey tickets. Multi-journey tickets include a minimum of 10 return trips. To be eligible for the offer, you must travel on commuter and medium-distance services operated by Renfe.

renfe travel card

Play your (rail)cards right, and you could save money while you, ahem, Basque in the glow of San Sebastian and Bilbao, exploring great cities at your leisure.

Or, perhaps you'll want to zip between the coast of Barcelona and the Catalan countryside to maximize a short city break. There are plenty of ways the free train rides could boost your next adventure.

Madrid from above

Just be careful with how you plan your itinerary. Many major train routes, including those high-speed journeys between Madrid and Barcelona, won't be part of the scheme. It may take a little longer than usual to reach your preferred destination.

You'll need to pay a deposit of 10 euros (around $11) for commuter services, known as Cercanías and Rodalies de Catalunya. You'll pay 20 euros (roughly $22) for medium-distance services, known as Media Distancia routes covering distances up to about 186 miles.

Related: 15 of the most beautiful villages in Spain

To get the deposit back, you must complete a minimum of 16 journeys by the end of 2023 — what a great travel incentive that is.

Last year, Renfe altered the ways you can book by limiting customers to two outgoing and two return journeys. This was to tackle "ghost reservations," whereby customers book multiple seats only to cancel them at the last minute without paying any cancellation fees.

colorful flowers on countryside

The scheme's extension will cost the government around $764 million and will be funded directly by a new windfall tax on the country's banks and energy companies.

Minister of Finance María Jesús Montero hasn't ruled out extending the scheme into 2024, citing its potential impact on the environment as a reason to keep it in place.

"We are going to convert this policy into a structural one, and we will see the concrete results of public transport to reduce CO2. It is a priority policy in the coming years," she said.

Related: 4 European routes where you should take a train instead of a plane

By all accounts, the initial launch of the free tickets scheme has been a roaring success, with locals leaving their cars at home to take advantage of the offer in towns and cities across Spain.

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Over 60 in Spain? Get a Renfe ‘Gold Card’ and enjoy up to 40% discounts on train journeys across the country and even to France

Getting a card or renewing it has been made even easier

ANYONE AGED 60 and over- and of any nationality- can buy a Renfe ‘Gold Card'(Tarjeta Dorada) at any Renfe station in Spain to enjoy rail travel discounts of up to 40%.

You just need to show your passport as a proof of your age and the card is yours for €6.

Renfe has announced renewals can be done via its website (in English) rather than having to appear in person at a railway station.

All users who purchased a Gold Card will be able to renew online it unless it has been acquired or issued by some banks.

It is also important to note that renewal must be done up to 60 days before the expiration date.

To ensure that the procedure is carried out with total security, the identity document(i.e. passport) and card number, an email address and a telephone number associated with it are required.

Payment for the renewal can be made by credit or debit card, as well as via Bizum.

Once the process is complete, customers will receive the Gold Card via email in a PDF or Passbook format, along with an email confirmation of the renewal.

The non-transferable card opens up the chance of getting substantial train travel offers. These are some of the discounts:

  • Travel on AVE, AVE International and long-distance trains(including to France), with a 25% discount on any available price.
  • Avant Trains: From Monday to Friday, enjoy a 25% discount. On Saturdays and Sundays, the discount increases to 40%.
  • Media Distancia Trains: 40% discount.

Customers who bought a ticket with the Gold Card can change or cancel their ticket whenever they want, as long as they meet the conditions of each ticket, as they may be subject to charges.

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Spain in English

RENFE to return travel deposits from 9 Jan – and first free tickets now available until 30 April

Spain’s national railway operator RENFE  is to start refunding the €10 and €20 deposits  that passengers had to pay for their fully subsidised short- and medium-distance tickets used in the second half of 2022 from 9 January .

Those travellers that used their passes at least 16 times between 1 September and 31 December will be entitled to receive a full refund of their deposits.

Those who paid the deposit by credit or debit card will be refunded automatically. Those who paid in cash will be required to go to ticket desks in stations from 15 January to receive the refund.

The return of the deposits was confirmed by Spain’s Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, Raquel Sánchez , at a press briefing held on Monday in Madrid.

Multi-journey tickets on Cercanías , Rodalíes and medium-distance trains will continue to be free throughout 2023, but passengers with tickets obtained in 2022 will have to acquire new ones for this year. They are expected to be issued in four-month periods, with the first tickets already available and valid until 30 April , after which new tickets will be needed.

As was the case in 2022, tickets can be procured either via the app or in person at ticket machines and desks, and passengers will have to pay a €10 deposit for unlimited short-distance journeys or €20 for medium-distance ones, which will be returned if the ticket is used at least 16 times in the  four months , January to April 2023. For further information on how the system works, please see our report from our last year: ALSO READ:  Free train tickets now available in Spain for travel between 1 Sept-31 Dec – full details. Also click here for full details on RENFE’s website.

During 2023, the Spanish government will also reducing other public transport fares by 30% in those areas where the regional and local governments have agreed to pay an additional 20%.

👂 Adquiere ya tu abono gratuito cuatrimestral para ➡️ Cercanías ➡️ Rodalies ➡️ Media Distancia ➡️ Ancho Métrico ➡️ 5️⃣0️⃣ por ciento de descuento en abonos Avant 💡 Recuerda, con nuestras app evitas colas y esperas innecesarias. ✔️ Toda la info https://t.co/Lpj1ynznfW pic.twitter.com/bkqFfZ1x8m — Renfe (@Renfe) December 29, 2022

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5 Ways To Save Money Traveling to Europe in 2024 According to Locals

P lanning a trip to Europe can be somewhat daunting when it comes to your budget . If you plan to visit one or more of the 27 countries in the European Union (EU), you can eliminate concerns about exchange rates during your travel by visiting one or more of the 20 countries using the euro.

Check Out: 11 Expensive Vacation Destinations That Will Be Cheaper in 2024

For You: How To Get $340 Per Year in Cash Back on Gas and Other Things You Already Buy

Once you’ve picked the countries you want to visit and what you’d like to do, you’ll need to manage the expenses to be sure you can make it happen.

Here are five ways to save money traveling to and around Europe in 2024, according to locals.

Sponsored: Owe the IRS $10K or more? Schedule a FREE consultation to see if you qualify for tax relief.

Find the Right Source of Local Transportation

Habits in each country vary, so you’ll need to take that into consideration. For instance, carpooling services are a common travel method that the locals in France use to save money. If you’re traveling to Spain, you can take the Renfe AVLO to get to different cities like Seville or Valencia. It’s comfortable, fast and affordable. Prepaid cards can save you money with Portugal and Ireland’s trams, buses and city trains, while Greece offers a loyalty card program for its ferries. Rail Europe also offers rail passes .

Ideally, you should walk or bike as much as possible. Hiking is free and a great way to take in the sights. Renting a bike is relatively inexpensive if you need to get somewhere a bit more quickly. Additionally, to get to Europe in the first place, be sure to check out sites like Dollar Flight Club and Going to optimize your airfare. 

Make Use of Free Attractions

In Denmark, you can kayak for free with Green Kayak , a nice way to explore and help the environment. In France, La Fête de la Musique offers free concerts, and La Nuit des Musées offers free museum visits during the evening. Many of Ireland’s museums are free all the time, including the Galway City Museum and the Irish Museum of Modern Art. On Sundays, museums have free admission in Lisbon and Barcelona.

There are also plenty of landmarks to visit for free. Nice is home to the Monastere de Cimiez, Copenhagen has its Botanical Garden and Madrid features the Templo de Debod.

Select Alternative Lodging

Rather than expensive hotels, you can opt for local Airbnb’s, bed and breakfasts and hostels. Hostels are cheaper and less luxurious and you’ll likely have to share a communal bathroom, but they commonly have other perks like free breakfast and laundry.

If they’re still not to your fancy, micro hotels are a step up in quality and may even come with a private en-suite bathroom. You should also book directly whenever possible because you might receive a complimentary breakfast or upgrade from the front desk. Plus, if something goes wrong, it’s easier to deal directly with the lodging site instead of a third party.

Be Selective About the Items You Consider Purchasing

It’s easy for vendors to sell souvenirs at unreasonable costs because they’re banking on you wanting to bring something back to remember the experience — regardless of whether or not the item in question is even of good quality. Be selective about parting with your money.

In countries like France and Portugal, locals recommend that you purchase drinks at a market rather than at a bar. Then, you’ll be able to spend more time immersing yourself in the unfamiliar scenery.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com : 5 Ways To Save Money Traveling to Europe in 2024 According to Locals

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Talgo's Top Shareholder in Talks With Stadler Over Takeover Bid, Report Says

Talgo's Top Shareholder in Talks With Stadler Over Takeover Bid, Report Says

Reuters

FILE PHOTO: A high speed train destined for a route in Saudi Arabia between Medina and Mecca, stands at the factory of Spanish train manufacturer Talgo, in Rivabellosa, Spain, October 11, 2018. REUTERS/Vincent West/File Photo

MADRID (Reuters) - Talgo's top shareholder is in talks to sell its 40% stake in the Spanish train maker to Swiss rival Stadler Rail as an alternative to a tender offer from Hungary's Ganz-Mavag consortium, El Economista newspaper reported on Monday, citing unidentified market sources.

On March 7, Ganz-Mavag - which includes the Magyar Vagon rail group - offered 619 million euros ($669 million) for all of Talgo's shares. The bid was opposed by Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente, who was quoted by local media as saying the government would do "everything possible" to prevent the takeover.

According to El Economista's report, Trilantic sees Stadler as an alternative buyer of its 40% stake that could "complement its product range with Spanish high-speed and variable gauge technology".

However, Stadler would have to launch a full takeover bid for the whole company, as Spanish legislation requires a mandatory tender offer when a buyer wants to acquire more than 30% of any publicly traded company.

Stadler and Trilantic did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Since Ganz-Mavag filed its offer to stock market regulator CNMV, the Spanish government has repeatedly said that Talgo is a strategic company and that the deal requires its approval given Talgo's access to sensitive information on the country's railway network and, by extension, national security.

The Swiss train builder already has a subsidiary in Spain, Stadler Rail Valencia, as well as a factory in the country's east and ongoing orders contracted by state-owned rail operator Renfe, the El Economista report added.

($1 = 0.9246 euros)

(Reporting by David Latona; Additional reporting by Paul Arnold in Zurich; Editing by Mark Potter)

Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters .

Tags: Switzerland , Hungary , Europe , Spain

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