I am interested in taking the overnight train from Barcelona to Madrid to save accommodation costs on May 23rd.

However, I can't seem to book it on my desired date in May. According to Renfe's website, the Costa Brava overnight train only runs until 30th of March. Does anyone know if the above overnight train will be cancelled? Or will I be able to book it at a later time?

Any assistance on the above matter will be much appreciated.

Hmm... no answers yet...

I wonder if the site will be updated in April? Those AVE prices are mighty high.

If it works out better, maybe you could get a cheap flight - I think there are some pretty inexpensive digs in Madrid. That might save you a little.

But hopefully someone will come on and answer this for you.

For most such distances in Spain, most people fly. One hour and you're there.

Ah I see..
Was hoping to get some feedback about alternative transportation since this is the Slow Travel forum after all

We originally thought of taking this overnight train as a means of saving a night's accomodation cost and for the fun of it. After looking at the cost of the ticket, and the out of the way route through Valencia including 12 stops, and what looked like a possible change of trains at 4 am, we gave up on the idea. Twelve stops does not make for a restful night. We did look into taking a Trenhotel from Barcelona to Granada and might have taken that option - it's a faster train with less stops, but it's also not particularly cheap. In the end, we bought Air Europa tickets and are flying from BCN to MAD where we are picking up a rental car. Good luck on your travels!

Why not take a day train? Advantage over air travel is that you leave and arrive in the city (no hassling with waiting for luggage and transfers from the airport), plus you get to see some scenery...

I understood that a new high speed rail link between Barcelona and Madrid became operational earlier this year with the first run taking just 155 minutes to cover the 342 miles - refer BBC article

I travelled on the Trenhotel from Madrid to Paris last year - a great way to travel, but then again I'm a train lover, we were travelling gran classe and we were able to get a discounted ticket by booking ahead and getting our friends in Madrid to pick the tickets uo for us.

Cheers
Christine

eek>
Ah I had never thought of the numerous stops which would affect the quality of sleep I would get. And change of trains too. Will go weigh the costs and benefits.

Christine>
The only thing that's discouraging me from the day train is the prices. For example, say I pay the cheapest fare that i can get, which is about 50 EUR. And will have to fork about 20 EUR for the night's accommodation, which makes 70 EUR. But on the night train i will only have to pay about 45 EUR, which is 25 EUR cost savings!
(Poor student here so have a tight budget )

I have checked the website again, and the overnight train schedules have been updated, so I guess the service is still available. Will only make a decision whether to continue with my original plan after I think through this. Thanks for all of your replies and suggestions!

Hi -- We're trying to take the Trenhotel from Barcelona to Grenada. Yep, it's more than flying, but a lot more "adventure" for the kids. SO -- can anyone tell me the real configuration of the train? Are there double bunks? Or only 4 people compartments and singles. Thanks!