Spanish Trains help - Barcelona to Salou

[Bold Seagull]

Can any Spanish speakers help me with Spanish trains please - or anyone with recent experience? http://www.renfe.com

We're arriving at Barcelona Airport on Wednesday this week at 12.00. Need to get to our accommodation near Salou train station. The website is partly in English, but also a bit confusing in terms of ticket prices, times and connections.

We will then need to depart Salou on Wednesday 5th Sept to get back to Barcelona Airport by about 14.00.

Any help appreciated.

 

[aolstudios]

From memory that should be easy. They're on the same line - equivalent to Gatwick to Brighton, pretty much...

 

[Stat Brother]

Can any Spanish speakers help me with Spanish trains please - or anyone with recent experience? http://www.renfe.com

We're arriving at Barcelona Airport on Wednesday this week at 12.00. Need to get to our accommodation near Salou train station. The website is partly in English, but also a bit confusing in terms of ticket prices, times and connections.

We will then need to depart Salou on Wednesday 5th Sept to get back to Barcelona Airport by about 14.00.

Any help appreciated.

The 5th of Sept isn't a Wednesday.

Either Friday 5th or Wednesday the 3rd.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Wednesday 3rd return - sorry! Too much stress booking a family holiday so late!

 

[ATFC Seagull]

I think the German trains website www.bahn.com covers all of continental Europe and is in English.

 

[L'hampton Eagle]

Wednesday 3rd return - sorry! Too much stress booking a family holiday so late!

It's very easy, the site below is in English, the ticket office in Barcelona Sants speaks English, so you'll be fine

http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/


Salou Por favor billetes de ida y vuelta write dates down

 

[tewksburygull]

No direct trains- you have to change at Sants (see previous post). There is an alternative which doesn't involve changing at Sants and that would be to take the direct bus from the Airport Terminal 1 to Salou. They are frequent and the journey time wouldn't be very different from the overall train journey, in fact probably quicker bearing in mind waiting time at Sants. See this link for the bus timetable.. http://autocaresplana.pesvalencia.com/Documento.asp?w=1&idc=3994&tipo=HORARIOS

 

[Cosmic Joker]

Hi The seat61 website may help, it's brilliant for all foreign rail travel.
http://www.seat61.com/Spain-trains.htm#How_to_use_www.renfe.com

The Renfe site doesn't seem to have Barcelona Aeroport station on it and it only does bookings for direct trains. So you will need to get the airport train to Barcelona Sants main station by buying a ticket on the day. It runs every 30 mins and travel time is just under 20 mins. It runs from terminal 2B, so if you arrive at terminal 1 you will need to get the shuttle bus to terminal 2 first. Terminal 2C which Easyjet used last time I went to Barcelona is about 10 mins walk from 2B and the footbridge to the rail station.

From that work out what time you are comfortable with leaving from Sants on weds and arriving there on the 3rd with plenty of time for your airport transfer. Then use www.Renfe.com to book the trains between Barcelona Sants and Salou. Different types of trains have different priced tickets, with "Talgo" trains being more expensive than regional trains. Read the info on Seat61 before making your booking to understand how the site works and the different fare types.

I'm finding a Talgo train at 15:00 and a regional train at 16:33 and on the way back regional trains at 08:43 and 11:40 Not the most frequent service in the world but direct.

 

[KNC]

Loco2.com

 

[Bold Seagull]

Thanks for the help - NSC is truly a fountain of knowledge when it wants to be.

Looking at the train and bus prices, for a family of 5 it's looking like we might be better off hiring a car for the week which works about the same as the return journeys.

Perhaps our trains are easier to understand than I've ever given them credit for (even allowing for the language barrier).

 

[Stat Brother]

Gotta love NSC.

 

[Jbanged]

Train from the airport to estacio de sants take half hour and cost is about a euro something.
From sants station you can take a train to salou, which if I remember takes about an hour or so, it should cost no more than 15 euros, maybe less.

Sants is a big train station with lots of booths with english speakers to help.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Thanks for the help - NSC is truly a fountain of knowledge when it wants to be.

Looking at the train and bus prices, for a family of 5 it's looking like we might be better off hiring a car for the week which works about the same as the return journeys.

Perhaps our trains are easier to understand than I've ever given them credit for (even allowing for the language barrier).

I'd be surprised if car hire is "about the same" as rail fares - even for a family of five. Spanish rail fares are incredibly cheap, by UK standards - unless the economic crisis has changed things dramatically over the past few years.

 

[Bold Seagull]

I'd be surprised if car hire is "about the same" as rail fares - even for a family of five. Spanish rail fares are incredibly cheap, by UK standards - unless the economic crisis has changed things dramatically over the past few years.

A car is looking like £50 - 65 for the week. The train is looking like 40 euros each way - unless I'm looking and searching these websites incorrectly.

I'd rather get the train to be honest.

 

[Nigella's Cream Pie]

If you like Salou and want to go back there, might be worth considering the local airport Reus which Ryanair fly to, my sister does this every year

 

[Bold Seagull]

If you like Salou and want to go back there, might be worth considering the local airport Reus which Ryanair fly to, my sister does this every year

Did look at that, but they don't fly there from Gatwick, so you've got Stansted, so one ends gain is another ends loss in terms of transfer time. Very expensive as well given we've left it so late. Thanks for the tip though.

 

[L'hampton Eagle]

A car is looking like £50 - 65 for the week. The train is looking like 40 euros each way - unless I'm looking and searching these websites incorrectly.

I'd rather get the train to be honest.

Bus might be an option ?
http://www.busplana.com/new2013/en/transfers/


Wow where can you find a car for that price? be careful you might have to pay for a full tank and perhaps other extras massive excess charges if you do have a knock, a credit card deposit will be taken! do use Gold car what ever you do!
Look at tripadvisor for reviews on car hire companies etc.
Try Cicar they have 100% full insurance and very good ,I use them all the time in the Canaries, good luck which ever way you do it, enjoy your hols in Salou.
https://www.cicar.com/EN/action/booking2

 

[Vegas Seagull]

Isn't Salou the place where everyone has the Trots back to the airport ?

 

[Bold Seagull]

Bus might be an option ?
http://www.busplana.com/new2013/en/transfers/


Wow where can you find a car for that price? be careful you might have to pay for a full tank and perhaps other extras massive excess charges if you do have a knock, a credit card deposit will be taken! do use Gold car what ever you do!
Look at tripadvisor for reviews on car hire companies etc.
Try Cicar they have 100% full insurance and very good ,I use them all the time in the Canaries, good luck which ever way you do it, enjoy your hols in Salou.
https://www.cicar.com/EN/action/booking2

Bus was 135eu. Great advice re:car the really cheap ones now do I thing where you pay for a full tank and device charge for filling it - rip off in other words. Got a reputable car rented full returned full for £70 + I'll get a separate excess cover.

Thanks for the help

 

[Boroseagull]

I'd be surprised if car hire is "about the same" as rail fares - even for a family of five. Spanish rail fares are incredibly cheap, by UK standards - unless the economic crisis has changed things dramatically over the past few years.

Still as incredibly cheap to travel here by train, and as reliable as the renowned Japanese network.