Leon to San Sebastian query

[john77]

I'm planning to travel between Leon and San Sebastian on 3rd October but there appears to be a replacement bus between Vitoria Gasteiz and San Sebastian. I want to use one of our interrail days for the journey so need to make seat reservations. I can do that for the first leg to Valladolid on RailEurope but not the second leg, it says I have to do that at the station, possibly because of the bus replacement. I don't want to get there and find there's no room on the bus, is that likely ?

As an aside, RailEurope is showing a service for San Sebastian departing Leon at 9:48, with a change in Vallodolid, but there's no sign of it on the Renfe website on Saturdays or Sundays,even though you can book the journeys individually !

 

[30907]

I'm planning to travel between Leon and San Sebastian on 3rd October but there appears to be a replacement bus between Vitoria Gasteiz and San Sebastian. I want to use one of our interrail days for the journey so need to make seat reservations. I can do that for the first leg to Valladolid on RailEurope but not the second leg, it says I have to do that at the station, possibly because of the bus replacement. I don't want to get there and find there's no room on the bus, is that likely ?

As an aside, RailEurope is showing a service for San Sebastian departing Leon at 9:48, with a change in Vallodolid, but there's no sign of it on the Renfe website on Saturdays or Sundays,even though you can book the journeys individually !

RENFE will not sell through tickets unless they have programmed it, usually with a substantial buffer at the likes of Madrid. Valladolid isn't the direct route of course.

 

[john77]

Thanks for the reply, but they do sell this service from M-F, just not weekends, at least the one I am looking at.

 

[mad_rich]

Rail Europe gives that message about reserving at the station when it can’t find a result. Don’t take it literally!

HappyRrail seems content to sell reservations from Vitoria-Gasteiz to San Sebastián-Donostía, with times that match Rene. I would book there.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

If all else fails, Alsa run Vitoria to San Sebastian in 1h 15m with a reasonable number of daily journeys starting from 10.50 Euros! The motorway is a lot more direct than the railway.

Looking at the train times the RRBs seem to run from Tolosa in the evening which is a lot nearer to San Sebastian.

 

[john77]

Thanks all, I have made reservations with HappyRail (they make no mention of replacement buses) and we will see what happens...

 

[danshrimp]

I did this rail replacement bus last weekend (which, yes, went from Tolosa, but the exact place they choose to break the journey seems to vary a little) with my Interrail reservations all booked through HappyRail, and it all went very smoothly. In fact the coaches were very nice, with blisteringly cold air con!