migraneboy
Traveller
8 comments
Posted 10 years ago
Hello!
Im planning an InterRail Global Pass trip in April/May that includes lots of travel inside Spain (starting from Canfranc and ending in Lissabon).
By searching timetables between different cities in Spain it looks like the reservation fees are ALL minimum 15 euros for any connection. This seems very expensive... (in the rest of Europe the fees start from 1,50 euros)
Am I missing something here or is the InterRail Pass just not such a good deal for Spain?
Thanks in advance!
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Hi!
For domestic travel in Spain you might have a look at the RENFE Spain Pass: [ux]https://rail.shop/acprail/renfepass[/ux]
Unlike with InterRail, reservations are already included in the fare.
Flo 8)
migraneboy
Traveller
8 comments
Thanks Flow :)
The Spain Pass looks too expensive as I already have the InterRail Pass.. (I travel with it from Finland)
Spain Pass with 6 journeys = 242 euros
thats 16 (!) journeys with the InterRailPass at 15 euros per train so...
with my daily budget of 30euros I guess I´ll just limit my travels in Spain and head straight to Portugal :)
I don´t know when this was written, but looks likes the prices have gone up to 15 euros, and as to these lesser trains with 6 euro fees, Im not sure how common or slow they are to be an option...
I will continue my research and post the results here for other people interested in Interrailing Spain in 2014.
If anyone has more experience or insight in this matter, please do post!
P.S. My route:
Start 15.04.2014 (with InterrailGlobalPass)
Finland - Netherlands - Paris - French Pyrenees - Spanish Pyrenees - SPAIN - PORTUGAL - Fly home from Madrid
End 20.05.2014
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Well, if you already have a IR pass it's another story...
Where did you look for reservation fares?
You can find a list of trains and fares here as well: [u]https://rail.cc/en/interrail-train-reservation/spain/es[/u]
The 10€ reservation applies to AVE and Avant trains operating solely on the high speed lines; the 6,50€ reservation applies for all other long distance services operating on the high speed as well as on the conventional network.
BTW the InterRail pass still is a good offer for Spain as normal fares are very high. But it depends on your individual route and distances travelled.
migraneboy
Traveller
8 comments
The 10€ reservation applies to AVE and Avant trains operating solely on the high speed lines; the 6,50€ reservation applies for all other long distance services operating on the high speed as well as on the conventional network.
That´s some good info there, Thanks! I hope the initial high prices I got from RE were due to poor ticketsearching skills :os
Actually now that Im searching trains there again Im getting 11€ fares instead of the 15€ I kept getting earlier, strange... buggy site? propably buggy me.
I guess my starting point for Spain, Canfranc in the Pyrenees, might be a little costier cause of lots of shorter trips before getting to the more well connected Madrid.
The supplements presented at railcc look more like it, I´ll have to see if I can integrate them into my trip and avoid the 10€+ fares..
Anyways If the 6,50€/10€ rule you mentioned is to be trusted I guess I´ll be happy exploring Spain with my InterRailPass, more good meals, more wine :D
Thanks Flo!
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Reservations made online are usually more expensive than at a station due to added handling fees etc. We always list the standard reservation fare when buying locally at a station.
From Canfranc two Regional trains run to Zaragoza, from where you can continue by high speed AVE to Madrid (there is as well one daily Regional from Zaragoza to Madrid.
Regional are supposed to be reservation free; other regional trains called MD are ususally with a 4€ compulsory reservation but it is difficult to get exact information regarding regional trains in Spain.
If you can come back with your experiences after your trip it would be of great help. :)
To support the free information and the forum on railcc, please be fair and buy your official Interrail pass via our railcc partner link: [ux]https://rail.shop/interrail[/ux]
Thank you! :)
migraneboy
Traveller
8 comments
Reservations made online are usually more expensive than at a station due to added handling fees etc. We always list the standard reservation fare when buying locally at a station.
Great!!!
Concerning your info on the Canfranc connections, I have to say THANK YOU so much, the prices I got online were obviously very misleading. I´ll be sure to post my experiences on the route here for future reference.
On another note, while researching my trip I stumbled onto information that for InterRail pass holders there is a FREE bus connection from Oloron Sainte Marie (France) to Canfranc (Spain). I´ve tried to locate the site since with no luck, maybe you guys can find confirmation on this?
And... I´d love to buy my InterRail pass thru railcc, but looks like it doesn´t have the 15% discount that my local has, or does it? Anyways, I´ll be more than happy to book my reservations on my trip thru here in the future, promise. :)
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
You're welcome. As I tried to point out, the trains from Canfranc _should_ be reservation-free, but information regarding regional trains is very sparse and hard to get, so it would be great to hear your experience. Is there any special reason why you want to go to Canfranc? Do you want to visit the station?
The bus connection should indeed be free as it is a TER bus operated by SNCF. Just show your IR ticket to the driver, he may be confused a bit since he probably doesnt see such tickets very often. Happened to me on a trip starting from Latour de Carol.
We can offer the 15% Spring discount as well. :)
Sadly though we do not earn anything through the sale of online reservations, this is just an extra service but as I said before the best way to buy them is at a train station.
migraneboy
Traveller
8 comments
Well I chose Canfranc as a waypoint solely because I want to experience the mid-Pyrenees mountains. I plan to do trekking on both the French and Spanish sides. I´ll be there for about a week in the end of April and spend most if not all my nights in my tent. The Canfranc historical Nazi Ghost Station :P came up while researching my routes and Im sure to go and explore it! I read this one guys blog and he said that Canfranc was the strangest little town he's ever been to. :o
I´ll try and get some hard facts on the reservation fees on the Spanish side before my trip, I´ll post here when Im 100% sure.
Good to get confirmation about the free bus connection, thanks. I guess I´ll just call the drivers boss if theres a problem haha.
Latour de Carol is in the West Pyrenees right? If the weather in the mid-Pyrenees is bad I´ll be taking a detour around those parts and into Barcelona.. but thats a Plan-B and yet to be figured out, I like my mountains BIGGERRR... ;)
So you have the 15% discount too, thats great! Could you pop me the link to that, I didn´t see it.
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Latour de Carol is in the east, very close to Andorra and starting point of the Petit Train Jaune. ;)
[ux]https://rail.shop/interrail[/ux] :)
migraneboy
Traveller
8 comments
got East/West mixed up there :os
Latour de Carol looks like a cool waypoint btw. even a free regional train to Barcelona.
Have you taken the Petit Train Jaune? Looks like a good ride! No pricereductions for IR I presume..
And yes, didn´t register the PROMO prices there! So I´ll be ordering my pass thru railcc soon :)
P.S. Maybe you should advertise the 15% off more visibly? I was looking for it and didn´t find it. It´s the word PROMO... doesn´t ring a bell with me..
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Yeah, I've took the trip from Latour de Carol to Villefranche twice and really liked it. In summer it was really hot even though there are open air coaches attached to the trains during the summer season...there are quite spectacular stretches along the line and two massive bridges in the lower part of the line. The city of Villefranche, the lower/eastern terminus is also worth seeing.
The Petit Train Jaune is free to use with InterRail, it is classified as a regular TER - no extra fees. :)
:arr: [u]https://rail.cc/blog/little-yellow-train-video/[/u]
Thanks for supporting! :)
migraneboy
Traveller
8 comments
Hey, nice! I just might check it out. When I arrive from Paris to Toulouse I´ll take a final check on the weather in the Mid-Pyrenees and if its bad (they might have everything from +25 to heavy snowfall up there in late April) I´ll be taking my trip to the eastern parts take that little train!
Thanks again for your help!
-Reko
migraneboy
Traveller
8 comments
[quote]You're welcome. As I tried to point out, the trains from Canfranc _should_ be reservation-free, but information regarding regional trains is very sparse and hard to get, so it would be great to hear your experience. Is there any special reason why you want to go to Canfranc? Do you want to visit the station? [/quote]
Hola from Jaca Spain!
The train from Zaragoza to Canfranc is FREE for interrail passholders. The free bus between Canfranc and Oloron however is not operational at the moment due to roadworks. From Oloron the bus goes only as far as Urdos. From Canfranc you can get to the border, Somport, for 1,5 euros, there's a cheap guesthouse up there right in the middle of the trekking routes and the start of Camino De Santiago
Canfranc / Somport was great, the mountains are superb! Very few tourists before May 1, and the hostel was 11e a night in a dorm. Highly recommended, I spent a week up there trekking and chilling out after Barcelona.
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Hej Reko,
thank you very much for this update!
Enjoy your travels! :)
Flo 8)
nltrainer
Traveller
1404 comments
[quote]On another note, while researching my trip I stumbled onto information that for InterRail pass holders there is a FREE bus connection from Oloron Sainte Marie (France) to Canfranc (Spain). I´ve tried to locate the site since with no luck, maybe you guys can find confirmation on this?
)[/quote]
Ive used that bus going the other way-out of ES. RENFE was very late, due to works along that line and bus. The French driver knew all about it, waited till the last one had come off the train and did not spare a 2nd glance at my IR.
The times can be found in:
1.the new All_Europe Rail Timetable, replacing former ThCOoks
2.LOCAL FR trains/buses are often ONLY listed on the ter-sncf.site-click on the right region to find them. The notes may be in FR only and may differ enormously between school and holidays.
There are 100s of TER-buses in FR and most accept IR-this is not clearly stated on general info. has likely also to do with the IR-fiendish attitude of SNCF.
In ES it is often much easier to uses buses. You CAN get pretty low prices for train IF you book long time advance on the site- up to 70% less as full fare. I made Mad-Gijon last year for just 16 eur or so-compare that to the 10 eur to pay extra with IR. i think its free on the train as far as Huelva-then its pay for the ALVIA or whatever train, thats halfway to Zaragoza.
migraneboy
Traveller
8 comments
I havent been too much on the French side, but Spain has been ok with reservations being 10e on the longer routes (Barcelona - Zaragoza and Zaragoza - Madrid lines. But there really is alot of differences in the the price overall,, for example a night train from Madrid to Saniago De Compostela I was considering would have been only 6,50e. But when you get to Madrid it is dofficult to find a reason to leave ;)