Going to Barcelona from Malaga - Plane vs Train

[klpenny]

Hi,

In early May we are staying at the Marriott Playa Andaluza. We are going to then go to Barcelona for a few days and to see a soccer match. Does anyone know if the train ride between those two places is scenic or should we just fly to Barcelona from Malaga? There will be 4 of us. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[Venter]

We did this last year in June. We chose to fly because the train ride is 8 hours with a change in Madrid. The flight was a little over 2 hours I believe. The change in Madrid does not allow much time especially if the platforms are different. We had family who chose to do the train ride and they said it was fine but nothing spectacular worth keeping you glued to your seat for 8 hours.

I would normally take the train in Europe because of less stress with security etc. but this trip with the train is a bit of a detour.

Book early enough and the savings taking the train would not be that much greater compared to the plane ticket. We were sitting drinking cocktail at the beach by 10am and our family only arrived at around 5pm.

Would definitely recommend the early flight out.

 

[Passepartout]

Take the flight. Iirc, there is no direct high speed train. You have to change in Madrid. And Spain is as big as Texas, so distance is not on your side.

 

[Ken555]

There are actually two direct trains I found on a random date in early May, which do transit Madrid but you don't change trains. Look at www.renfe.com for details on your exact date.

8:25am-2:21pm
4:18pm-10:36pm

 

[klpenny]

Thanks everyone. We opted for a direct flight. Was a good price and it sounded like the train scenery wouldn't be that great.