Travel: AVE train from Alicante to Madrid

Does anyone know how to buy tickets on line for the AVE train from Alicante to Madrid? I downloaded the Renfe app but I still can't book tickets on it & I've also emailed Renfe but I got no reply. I read on line that you can get 60% off when four people are travelling. Is that correct?

Hi

Here is a link to a page in English explaining what you have to do to use the app

http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/movilidad/renfeticket/index.html

If the app is giving you trouble, you can just book online on the Renfe website. Key in your journey and dates and time, it should give you available trains and ticket prices. Book Preferente Class for comfort and service.

I recently booked Euromed from Barcelona to Alicante online, took a little working out as you need passport numbers as well as credit card to pay. Senior citizen discount railcards can be bought from train Stations, not sure about group discounts.

The discount for 4 is a mesa ticket.  Basically 4 seats face to face with a table in the middle.  I tend to book my train tickets online and haven't had any problems although sometimes the train I want and know exists doesn't appear online so I search for the next station along the line book to there and get off at the station before.  Have had to do that a couple of times now.

Hi

You can also use this Website to Book AVE Tickets.

https://loco2.com/

Good Luck

Looks a useful site but prices appear to be higher than equivalent on Renfe site which can be changed to English language for ease of use.

Thanks for all the comments😀😀

I like the RENFE website for booking. It's easy to book trains using it and I like the airline style seat maps where you can chose your seat. Unfortunately, in terms of timetable enquiries its less useful as it treats long distance, Cercanias and some Regional lines as separate entities so if you need to change between these, or if different types of service connect the same city pairs (for example Alicante to Murcia), you need to make separate enquiries. It can also be a bit dim witted when you need to change trains and often fails to show all connections.

As an alternative to the website, major stations there are also ticket machines where you can buy tickets. Quite a lot of travel agancies also sell RENFE tickets.

We booked Callosa to Madrid - thinking it would be cheaper, we bought senior railcards first (around €5 each) but when we went to book online it was cheaper to buy tourist rate and not use the cards.  Hope this may help someone..

Spanishtogs,

I may be wrong, but perhaps you are not comparing like with like.  I've used my senior railcard a few times but to book "preferente" - you get to use the "departure lounge" with complimentary snacks and get a meal on the train, with a better seat etc and the price difference is not much at all.  The tourist class is "no frills".

The standard discount using your card is about 30% - but they also have promotions on these fairs which causes confusion and sometimes the senior railcard discount is less than others.  But it is a marvellous sevice - heavily subsidised by the Spanish govt apparently.

Like Amogles I often use a local travel agent to book longer journeys - it's worth the 5€ fee.