Renfe | Train Tickets & Routes | Book in English | Trainline (2024)

FAQs

Is it cheaper to buy Renfe tickets in advance? ›

Remember that you will get the best deal if you buy your ticket in advance. The Prémium Ticket option is not available for AVE International high-speed trains between Spain and France, but you can choose one of the other options (Básico, Elige Estándar and Elige Confort).

Yes! All long distance trains in Spain and even some shorter distance regional ones require a seat reservation, you cannot just turn up and hop on. There are usually places available even on the day of travel, but at peak times such as Christmas and Easter trains can get full.

Renfe tickets for Alvia and Avant trains are available 62 days before travel. You can buy AVE train tickets up to 90 days in advance.

You can buy tickets for Spanish trains using our app and website. We're a trusted partner of Renfe, Spain's national train operating company, meaning every ticket bought on Trainline will always be valid for travel. We connect directly to their ticketing system – so it's as if you're buying tickets direct from Renfe.

Ouigo trains are low-cost and high-speed. Its double-decker train cars allow for more passengers on board, which makes for cheap train tickets within Spain. Ouigo trains currently call at 18 different train stations within Spain, making it a good option for anyone travelling between the major cities.

Trainline sells train tickets for the same price as the Spanish carriers. It does add a small booking fee. But, honestly, the convenience makes up for the negligible cost. The purchase process on Trainline is much simpler than on Renfe's Avlo's, OUIGO's, and iryo's website.

You can carry up to 3 pieces of luggage per train ticket, with the same departure and arrival. These include normal luggage (bags, handbags, rucksacks, computer carrier cases and the like) and special luggage (skis, golf clubs, pushchairs and bicycles, provided they are properly packed).

It's advisable to arrive 20–30 minutes early, especially as boarding can close five minutes before departure. The bonus is you'll have time to admire the stations.

Seat reservations are automatically allocated at the time of booking subject to availability. Groups of passengers in the same booking will be seated as close together as possible.

Does Renfe check passports? ›

Always travel with your passport or residence card, which proves you are a resident outside Spain. You will have to present it, together with the Renfe Spain Pass and your ticket, at the boarding controls.

You need to be carry a printed ticket to travel. You must carry a printed copy with you, which you can print using the auto check-in machines found at the stations that are ready for this or request it at the ticket offices.

Yes, you can bring food and drink on Renfe trains. I do it all the time.

Our beginnings, those of the train in Spain, date back 80 years, when a process of reconstructing and nationalising the railway industry took place in our country and gave rise to the Red Nacional de Ferrocarriles Españoles (RENFE: National Network of Spanish Railways) in 1941.

Renfe is Spain's national train operator, and their premier high-speed trains are branded AVE which stands for Alta Velocidad Española (Spanish High-Speed).

Yes, it's generally cheaper to buy your Spanish train tickets in advance.

All railway operators in Spain have a dynamic ticketing system, so fares change constantly. Renfe only offers a limited number of tickets with promotional prices.

Reserving point-to-point tickets in advance (available up to 60 days ahead of travel) is the best way to save money and to guarantee a seat on your preferred train. Furthermore, many areas of Spain aren't well served by its train system — for many trips, buses and even flights may be a better option.