Renfe
ALVIA 00626 estandar
€28
booked on TRAINLINE app

I had a good look around at different options of where to book and what to book – I looked at Eurail which I have booked before but Trainline app is so easy to use and cheaper than Eurail and it reserves your seat so no need to pay extra – have a look at the Trainline app and see how easy it is to plan your own trip! ♥️

ALVIA TRAINS :

Fast trains with top speed of 200KM/H
2 classes of service
Cafe / bar and air con
NO wifi

ORIGIN : BARCELONA

DESTINATION : ZARAGOZA

DURATION : 1 hour 58 min

I decided to give myself an hour before my departure to find where I was going

I had breakfast around 7:30am and had already packed my backpack… I was traveling light these next 4 weeks with only my little backpack and my camera satchel thingy

From my hotel it was literally a 2min walk to the station (I was staying just on top of the station at “Barcelo Sants” I recommend if you will be doing a train trip from Barcelona to stay here because it really makes it easy and you can gain a good understanding of the train station and feel comfortable before your trip

Barcelona Sants train station is clearly labelled in English and I followed the signs for “high speed” trains
The line up is exactly like an airport where you need to x-ray all your belongings
They scan your QR code online ticket here
There are 6 gates for high speed trains from this station
Easy and clear signage of all train departures located in the centre of the station
Found my train! 30mins before they updated the gate and went and stood in line – always double check which carriage you are on as these European trains split at some destinations! I’ve had friends who have been caught out 🤣
A coffee place inside departure lounge to relax in and grab a coffee
Gate 2 – getting ready to line up
Double checking everything here… I check the last stop of the train and make sure that Ive got the train type and train number correct

The customers boarding the train didn’t seem to speak any English but I basically showed my ticket they said “si si” so I knew I was in the right line at least

The other high speed departure gates
Heading downstairs after check in
Had to look for my carriage which was no. 6 “seis”
Found it!

All noted in easy and clear way and easy for an English speaker like me to understand!

The carriage was beautiful and huge and modern! So spacious there was so much room with a huge fold down tray table in front – very impressed! It’s like business class seats on the plane
Check out the leg space! Offffft so comfy
I had a stupid west though! I got the one which had the window blocked 🤦🏽‍♀️ which was a bit useless so I was leaning toward the whole time looking out the window
There is heaps of storage above the seats – my backpack was an easy fit and I stowed it just above my head

I was pleased to hear that announcements on the train were also in english

You will need to carry your passport with you as when booking via the Trainline app you need to add your passport number to your account as the ticket officers will ask for it when inspecting (edit: having said that after my 11 train trips no one asked for my passport)

Stop 1: camp de Tarragona

Stop 2: Lleida

Overall… Wow… What an experience… Australia, please learn from the europeans and their train system! It’s just beautiful and easy to use, it’s so convenient and the locals love them! a lot of older people were on the train – such an efficient, smart, affordable and easy way to travel around