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"Combinado Cercanías", a free ticket for AVE and Long Distance travellers?
- Thread starter Ian99
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It is that easy. You have to go to a ticket machine to print your free ticket
A beginner's guide to train travel in Spain | How to use www.renfe.com
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LNW-GW Joint
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Very easy, you just punch a code into the Cercanias ATM to get the free ticket.
Except if you arrive on a day when all the ATMs at Chamartin are off-line and the queue at the ticket office is a mile long.
I had to resort to a €15 taxi to make my connection at Atocha, but I did get to see some of the city sights on the way (a surprisingly long transfer, 7km I think).
I must have found the only taxi-driver in Madrid who had never heard of the Vuelta a España (then in progress), or at least my pronunciation of it.
The free Cercanias tickets work in other cities too.
Not directly relevant, but I attempted to take advantage of this on the Rodalies from La Tour de Carol to Barcelona - the friendly conductor explained that it wasn't vslid quite so far, and issued us with full-fare tickets part way and Combinados for the zones where it was valid (sorry, can't remember the dividing point, possibly Ripoll which is "only" 110km from Barcelona).
Actually, by way of an update, it is even easier than anticipated. First discovered that the Metro wasn't included - a good thing as it's quicker to take the Cercanias. I couldn't get the Cercanias ticket machine to issue the ticket but the woman at the desk said just to use the QR code on my Renfe ticket for the gate and that all worked fine.
dutchflyer
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Yes thats it. No need-in most urban regions-anymore to get a free ticket for it-but other regions are not yet equipped with the new-style readers for this (notably indeed Catalunya-as it has integrated Verbund-style fares with metro/bus etc.). Also applies to a trip BEFOre long-distance and its even possible to have it both sides. Note that more&more also it has to be asked for when buying ticket and this allowance has to be kind of ´embedded´ in the codes.
We used it at Malaga recently; just tap the 'CombinadoCercanias' code that is printed on your AVE ticket into the Cercanias machines (which have an English option). Cant remember what menu we selected, but it was easy enough. HOWEVER beware that on the way back we tried the same with our Avant tickets, and it didn't work. Turns out, according to the ticket office lady, that CC only applies to AVE (and maybe some other types of train) but NOT Avant. So why do they print a CC code on the Avant tickets then?! Thats RENFE for you...
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