Attracted by the publicity according to which since yesterday it is possible to travel by train from Madrid to Alicante for seven euros, the traveler gets down to business and, defying Renfe’s dubious cybernetic fame, gets down to work in search of the bargain. . A few hours later, he has found some… but less.
Because one of the things that Renfe explains is that their prices vary according to demand. Which means that tickets are more expensive when more travelers are looking to do so. For example, despite the promotional launch, the cheapest AVLO ticket between Madrid and Alicante next Friday, March 31, costs 75 euros, leaving Chamartín at 7 in the morning and arriving in Alicante at 9:32, after having stopped in Cuenca, Albacete and Villena. It is not even the cheapest connection of the day: the AVE at 6:30 costs 67.70 euros and the ALVIA at 20.05 -which takes 20 more minutes- 67.10.
On Friday the 31st, a large influx of travelers from the capital of Spain is expected on the Costa Blanca, since it is the beginning of the Easter school holidays there. Renfe has scheduled 16 trains from Madrid to Alicante, four of which were already full yesterday at noon, the two Media Distancia, the AVLO at 5:00 p.m. and the AVE at 2:25 p.m.
You have to pay for the best timetables and non-stop connections, which promise a journey of 2 hours and 17 minutes: 118.45 euros for the normal one-way AVE ticket at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.; 93.05 at 3:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m. and 7:55 p.m. Although in general terms the AVLO is usually cheaper than the AVE, sometimes up to three times more, on days of high demand it may not be: on April 6 (Holy Thursday), the cheapest Madrid-Alicante is an Alvia (33 55 euros at 7:55 p.m.), the AVE at 3 p.m. costs 50 euros and the AVLO at 7 p.m. goes up to 69 euros.
But, does Renfe’s advertising deceive us? Absolutely. It is possible to book tickets between Madrid and Alicante for seven euros. Of course, not on Holy Week and Easter, not even in April. Tuesday, May 9, is the first date on which the AVLO at 7 in the morning is worth, in effect, 7 euros; the one at 5:00 p.m. is worth 9. It is a third of what the cheapest AVE is worth that day: 21.15 euros.
On weekends the prices are higher, but it is possible to take advantage of good offers. Although the best ones always contain some time difficulty. For example, a typical trip for a person from Madrid who wants to spend a weekend in Playa de San Juan in mid-May, leaving on Friday and returning on Sunday, costs 50 euros round trip… as long as one takes time off on Friday, because the cheap train (19 euros) is the one at 7 in the morning. The one at 5 in the afternoon costs 30 euros more.
With the appearance of AVLO, the Madrid-Alicante relationship has 15 High-Speed ??trains in each direction, although in the coming weeks those of Ouigo will also join, the French company that will also offer this same service between Alicante and Madrid, two in each direction with a promotional price of 9 euros.
