Traveling Spain by train is a great experience but there are some things you need to know before you go. Spain’s train network is fast, reliable and relatively cheap but if you go without an itinerary and assume that everything is going to work out, you might find yourself in hot water

Although Spain’s network is vast and impressive, there are a few routes that are not very well served and certain parts of the country are rather difficult to get to and from. Finding out which train you need to be on is probably the most important part of traveling by rail in Spain so try to spend some time on this and make sure you get it right.

It isn’t always going to be quick and easy so make sure that you are ready for anything. Travel with an open mind and don’t really expect the norm to keep happening. Trains break down, connections are missed and people often get on the wrong trains altogether. Don’t be embarrassed about asking for help if you are in any of these situations because looking like an idiot is much more desirable than sitting on the wrong train for three hours having no idea how to get to where you’re going.

For the most part, traveling by train through Spain takes very little time. The more common routes have very fast trains with very few stops because it tends to travel these roots much more often. Traveling over half of the country from Madrid to Barcelona is a relatively quick trip that will leave you with much of the day to see sites. The same goes for traveling down to the south of the country from Madrid to, say, Seville.

Traveling Spain’s rail network with a Eurail Pass is a great way to save some money, if you’re going to be taking the train quite frequently. In addition to the savings that can be had with a Eurail pass, it also gives you peace of mind and saves you some time having to wait in line to purchase tickets from the ticket booth. Make sure that your train doesn’t require a reservation prior to getting on or else you will have to pay out the nose for it once you are already on the train.

If you do have to, booking tickets for the train is rather simple compared to getting one’s for buses and rented cars. Spain only has one rail company and there is no need to search through multiple sites to find the best deal. Simply going up to the counter and paying for the ticket is often the cheapest way to get it. Ticket lines are not normally long so you shouldn’t miss any trains due to those. The people that work for the rail company were always helpful and usually spoke my language. If I couldn’t find somebody who spoke English, some helpful Spaniard would usually chirp in and translate for me.

Make sure that you find your trip to at least a small degree of accuracy so that you have some idea of where you would like to be the next day. Don’t, however, plan it down to the second because if you happen to miss one train or have a bag stolen, you will screw up your entire trip. With just a little common sense and an open mind you will have a great trip through Spain and see one of Europe’s most beautiful countries.