Hi all,
My partner and myself decided that it would be fun to go to Malaga this by train via London, Paris and Barcelona in October time. I been looking at the website Seat 61 and train operators websites and one think I noticed it the direct train between Barcelona and Malaga stops in a couple of weeks. I was hoping to do the trip direct. Is this train seasonally is it no longer operating?
In additional any tips or advice you can give on the way down would be great.
Thanks in advance.
Adam.
Hi from Spain.
Don't worry, the train has not been discontinued, and it won't be. It runs daily.
In fact there are two Barcelona to Malaga AVE trains per day (and vv).
It's just that it might have been off the website for a short while because they were uploading the new timetable.
As it happens, on June 26 the new AVE services between Barcelona and Granada and also Madrid and Granada start operating.
And because of that, they've had to modify the graphic (is that how it's called in Rail-y English?) as the Barcelona-Granada and vv will be coupled to the Barcelona-Malaga and vv. But until now, the Barcelona-Malaga was coupled to the Barcelona-Seville, so they've had to decouple them and find new paths for the Barcelona-Seville trains.
When boarding the train at Barcelona Sants, be careful to board the right coach then, otherwise you'll head to lovely Granada.
As for tips... by October it's dark sooner already, so I'm not sure wether you'll be travelling by day all the time.
If yes, look out, right after the Madrid avoiding line that connects the Barcelona HSL to the Andalusia HSL, for the new connection (on your right) between Torrejon de Velasco (where the Valencia HSL diverges from the Andalusia HSL) and Chamartin station. It's not finished yet, but very nearly.
Other interesting things... between Torrejon de Velasco and Ciudad Real, here and there you might spot remains of the old Madrid to Ciudad Real classic line, which was closed to build the HSL.
At one point you'll spot on your right a big train maintenance yard, that's La Sagra, where the Toledo HSL diverges to the left.
Not long after that, there's a big viaduct over the river Tagus, and on the right again, if it's sunny and clear, you'll spot Toledo in the distance, and just under the HSL, the classic line to Toledo, now closed (although sometimes used to park out-of-use rolling stock).
As for scenery... I don't know about your tastes, but the most beutiful parts of the trip to me are:
-Ciudad Real to Cordoba, very mountainous as it crosses Sierra Morena.
-Antequera to Malaga, as it's the descent from high Antequera to the Costa del Sol.
-Zaragoza to Guadalajara, particularly between Zaragoza and Calatayud.
-If you like bleak landscape, look out for the section between Lleida and Zaragoza, which runs through the bare, steppic landscape of Los Monegros.
-You will spot the Mediterranean only twice along the way - but very briefly, once (on the left) between Barcelona and Camp de Tarragona, and again when getting close to Malaga (on the right).
If you don't stay at Malaga proper, and want to continue towards Torremolinos, Benalmadena, Fuengirola or Mijas, the commuter trains are on the low level, on the right as you enter the hall from the high speed platforms (there are shops in the corridors that lead there). Remember that if you go to Mijas you must alight at Fuengirola as the line ends there, however certain parts of Mijas (but FAR from all of them!!) are within walking distance from Fuengirola station.
If you have a physical AVE ticket, check wether that entitles you to the "Combinado Cercanias", if yes, you'll have the Cercanias ticket free (one AVE ticket = one free Cercanias ticket). But do check that, I'm not sure wether that's valild for all types of tickets.
Have a nice trip!
