Lockdown is still on, but Renfe is already preparing for a (hopefully) busy summer and autumn/winter ahead. Their offers are very convincing! Read on to learn more!

This year RENFE is turning 80 years old! Congratulations! 🙂 To celebrate, it launched its biggest ever sale: for 15€ you can reach any destination on the network on AVE/long-distance trains! That is an incredible offer! Think of five and a half hours journey from Barcelona to Seville for only 15€ one way! That is a fantastic value! There are many other destinations on offer – a popular route between Madrid and Barcelona, for example. Just browse renfe.com to see what is available.

What trains are eligible
The AVE/long-distance trains are participating in this offer. But I suggest simply typing your destination in and see if it is eligible. The promo offer is clearly marked with the green bar and words ’80 ANIV.’ (80th anniversary).

Sale with a snag
Of course, such a low price comes with a snag: the 15€ tickets are non-refundable (changes and cancellations are not allowed) and come with an automatically assigned seat (means you can’t choose the seat you like – the system will do it for you). But hey, this price is really good!

When to book and when to travel
You need to book from now until the 14th of February.
Travel between 23rd of June and 11th of December 2021.

Where to book
You can book these tickets via all Renfe’s sales channels: on renfe.com, via a telephone, or in-person at a station.

Another offer for even less money!
Don’t forget – Renfe is also running a sale of tickets for its newly created low-cost railway brand called Avlo: it has a smaller footprint (trains only run between Madrid and Barcelona, with a few stops along the route), but also lower price 5€! Sale dates and conditions are the same: book by 14 of February and travel between 23rd of June and 11th of December. For 5 euros you will get the basic ticket: minimum luggage, non-cancellable/non- changeable, and seat selected by the system. You can add the option of flexibility, seat selection, and additional luggage, by paying extra. Also keep in mind that Avlo passengers are going to travel at special Avlo trains which are trimmed down ‘low-cost’ experience, rather than full AVE experience. You can buy Avlo tickets on all Renfe’s sale channels, as well as on AvloRenfe.com

My thoughts
This is an incredible sale! I haven’t seen prices this low in years! The lowest sale price for a long-distance train ride I remember was 25€! And those tickets were really hard to get. Now the availability is wide open – for both 15€ and 5€ tickets. Also, Renfe did a great job by opening the booking horizon till the end of the year (well, almost). That gives us a lot of opportunities to plan a trip for late in the year.
Seeing Renfe having wide open bookings from the end of June, gives an idea that the company is hoping for the return to normal travel pattern in summer. I keep my fingers crossed for this to be the case! Being an optimist, I already have a few tickets booked on Avlo and OuiGo for this summer. Also, an escape to warm Andalusia in October or November sounds very tempting.

You can read the official announcement and conditions of this sale here.

Happy booking and do share your thoughts! 🙂