Interail One Country Pass Spain

[Pyreneenguy]

I'm thinking of having a whiz around Spain's AVE network during the February school hols ( here in France).

No fixed routes or destinations as yet but I'd like to pick your brains on a few matters :-

I see that reservations using a 1st class pass are €23.50 and include a meal or refreshments. Is the catering worth the money / choice / quantity etc ?

1st class lounges are often a good place for a clean up / shower, any experiences on what RENFE have to offer ?

Any suggestions as to suitable places to grab a few hours sleep in the main stations when a hotel just wouldn't be worth the extra expense ?

Any other tips on Spanish rail travel would be appreciated.

I'll probably drive into Spain and take an AVE from Huesca to Zaragoza/Madrid.

 

[AlexNL]

Renfe sells a "Spain Pass", which is comparable to the Interrail offer but has slightly different terms. For example, while the Interrail offer is for a number of days (allowing unlimited journeys) the Renfe offer is for a number of journeys. It can be worth looking into this, depending on how many journeys you want to make.

You can find some more information about the Spain Pass on Renfe's website: http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/viajes_internacionales/spainpass/

 

[Pyreneenguy]

Following your suggestion I compared prices :-

An 8 journey Spain Pass is €480 in Preferential whilst an 8 day in 1 month Inter-rail is €399. The Spain pass covers the price of reservations which at €23.50 on AVE would probably make the Spain pass the cheaper option if I only intended using the main routes.

Thanks.

 

[Chris999999]

Following your suggestion I compared prices :-

An 8 journey Spain Pass is €480 in Preferential whilst an 8 day in 1 month Inter-rail is €399. The Spain pass covers the price of reservations which at €23.50 on AVE would probably make the Spain pass the cheaper option if I only intended using the main routes.

Thanks.

The question I have is what is a "journey" in Spain? In the UK I can buy a ticket with several changes, and that can be one ticket (or journey), but in Spain tickets general cover a single train. If you need to change trains, you need to buy another ticket for the second train. Would this be considered as one or two journeys?

 

[Pyreneenguy]

The question I have is what is a "journey" in Spain? In the UK I can buy a ticket with several changes, and that can be one ticket (or journey), but in Spain tickets general cover a single train. If you need to change trains, you need to buy another ticket for the second train. Would this be considered as one or two journeys?

A journey is one train, from A to B. However a suburban service can be used before and after that journey at no extra charge.

This pass would be worthwhile if visiting big cities such as Madrid, Sevilla, Malaga and Barcelone using the fast and frequent AVE. As I would probably also use some local services I'd be better off with the Inter-rail one country pass.

 

[dutchflyer]

On interrail.eu there is since afew monthes a IR-1C Espana SPECIAL/PREMIUM (or so) that cost more but also ioncludes all reservations-but thee have to be done 3-4 days at last before anbd via their site. have not seen any reviews if this works well.
About anywhere in Espana one can get pretty good 3 course set lunches for 8-10 eur-except pon trains themselves. Keep that in mind when thinking about ''good values''.

 

[Pyreneenguy]

Thanks for that.

Whilst it is possible to eat elsewhere for less, having a meal on the train always adds something to the experience ! My travels on Virgin First have always been very enjoyable.