Train questions

[CSmith]

Hey all,

My husband and I are beginning our Camino in Ponferrada. We fly into Madrid and plan to travel by train to Ponferrada.

My first question is, do I need to buy train tickets in advance?

Secondly, the train connects through Leon and on Renfe.com, the itinerary says under Leon, "1hr 13 m interchange, Intercity #283." Do you think that means we need to change train stations in Leon?

Thanks, all.

 

[Ian Afloat]

Yes and yes

 

[whariwharangi]

No you don't need to buy tickets in advance. You do need to buy tickets before boarding.

Worst case scenario is you wait for the next train.

If you do buy tickets in advance you may save money.

If you buy tickets in advance the worst case scenario is you miss your train and you eat your tickets.

I have had flights arrive more than 3 hours late; I wouldn't buy in advance for same day travel.

There is only one train station in Leon. The transfer is from one train to another.

Are you using the Renfe (service provider) website? Perhaps the 1hr 13 min refers to travel time and there are transposed digits? The Renfe site says the trip duration from Leon to Ponferrada is 1:31

 

[Thornley]

Hey all,

My husband and I are beginning our Camino in Ponferrada. We fly into Madrid and plan to travel by train to Ponferrada.

My first question is, do I need to buy train tickets in advance?

Secondly, the train connects through Leon and on Renfe.com, the itinerary says under Leon, "1hr 13 m interchange, Intercity #283." Do you think that means we need to change train stations in Leon?

Thanks, all.

No and Yes

 

[NualaOC]

No need to book in advance, but it's often cheaper to do so. However, if you're lucky enough to be over 60, the early-booking discount is about the same as the one you get with a Renfe discount card.

You can also take a bus from Madrid Airport T4 to Ponferrada. It's a long bus ride (5 hours +), but it's worth considering if the departure times line up with your flight arrival time.

Buen Camino to both of you!

 

[Ian Afloat]

Please do try to book your train tickets in advance. Yes you could get the next train...but that could be tomorrow. Or the only seats available might be in first class (DAMHIKIJK). Or they might not have 2 seats available on the same train.

 

[FLEUR]

I really recommend you spend the night in Irun. We stayed at a small pension, nothing fancy but very clean. (message me if you'd like details) it was handy for the station, shops and cafés. We bought our senior rail cards and train tickets on arrival ready for the journey next day.
At Leon the station is easy to navigate and from a previous visit there I remember it had a good café for refreshments.

 

[poogeyejr]

I really recommend you spend the night in Irun. . . . Leon the station is easy to navigate and from a previous visit there I remember it had a good café for refreshments.

Did you mean Irun? Is there another Irun? The one I am familiar with is on the North coast.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

At Leon the station is easy to navigate and from a previous visit there I remember it had a good café for refreshments.

Irun? They are flying into Madrid.

 

[FLEUR]

Sorry, I was confusing their arrival point with another post where someone was flying in to Paris and travelling onwards to Irun by train. Apologies.