Hey gang, went to Jerez de la Frontera (Andaluc�a) early last week on biz and decided to do a little bit of my patented investigative reporting

So, in case any of you are wondering what the difference is between "Clase Turista" and "Clase Preferente" (Tourist and Preferential Classes), this thread is for you.

I made my reservations last minute and all thye had going was preferential class but on the way back I was able to get tourist class. So, it worked out well since I was able to compare the 2 on the same exact journey. The trip was just over 4 hours long.

The prices were:

Turista = 58.00� (Euros)
Preferente = 86.00� (Euros)

My combined round trip (preferente going and turista coming back) ran me 115� (Euros) since you get a 20% discount when buying round trip.

Ok, in my humble opinion the 28.00� (Euro) differnce between tourist and preferential class is NOT worhtwhile.

Here is what you get in preferential that you do not have in tourist class:

� seats that are a bit wider.
� a snack of sandwiches and a drink (CLICK HERE FOR THE PHOTO)
� a small lunch of cold cuts, drink, caf�, etc... ( CLICK HERE FOR THE PHOTO)
� attendants that offer you drinks quite often.

So, for a 4 hour ride, those were some pretty expensive sanwiches and I highly recommend that you take "clase turista" whenever possible and just save the 28.00�. Buy yourself a nice lunch and/or snacks and bring it with you for the trip, it will surely not cost you anywhere near 28.00�

There is a cafeteria car on the trains as well for cold drinks if you decide to bring your own lunch.

Saludos & hope this report helps,
jer...

p.d. if you do go preferential class and are a vegetarian, ORDER YOUR VEGGIE MEAL when you buy the ticket or make your reservation. I had a grumpy German guy next to me who was a MEGA vegetarian (did not even drink milk) and forgot to ask for the vegie meals beforehand, he was NOT a happy camper

Jer,
Your went from Madrid to Jerez in just four hours in train? Was it a fast Talgo? I thought it took longer?

Also, how much wider was the Preferente seat than the tourist class seat?

Hey Booklady, thanks for posting here, I though this thread was going to be much more popular than it is proving to be

The train was a Talgo indeed, the 4 hours just fly by on that baby It only makes stops in Ciudad Real, C�rdoba & Sevilla before hitting Jerez

Well, my but is pretty big and it was comfy enough in the "turista" class but I had room to shake & wiggle it around in "preferente" If I had to guess I would say about 3-4 inches wider.

I am kicking myself for not measuring it when I had the chance but my fellow passengers were looking at me weird enough when I was taking pictures of the food, did not want them to call the men in the white suits or think I was a spy from another railway service

Saludos,
jer...

Anyone out there have experiences with "coche camas" accommodations? I'm trying to make recommendations for a retired couple who have ridden on a lot of European trains, but have never taken a night train.

I've slept ( :z: sometimes, yes sometimes no) on a gazillion literas, but only on one or two "coche camas", and that was quite a while ago.

I see that there are Gran Clase, Preferente, and Turista accommodations for TRENHOTEL and some other trains. Anyone have experiences with these? Would it be worth an extra 35 euros each for them to go Gran Clase instead of Preferente?

I have told them that while they'll do just fine in 2- and 3-star hotels, they might want to splurge a little and get the top of the line sleeping accommodations. Any comments? Thanks!

Hey Paul, check out the thread HERE, especially starting with the post by member "El Prado" near the bottom of the page.

So, "literas" are a no no for anyone over the age of... um ... 2 yrs old

On the other hand, I got some great feedback on the "TrenHotel" (Hotel Train) from a middle aged couple who had rented phones from me. Sat with them upon their return to Madrid and they told me the hotel train was very comfortable for them and their 8 year old son.

I think it would work well for your retired couple.

Saludos,
jer...

Jer, thanks for the trenhotel recommendation, I'll pass it on to my friends. They're pretty tough, and could handle riding in literas if nothing else were available.

I can fully appreciate El Prado's comments about hot overnight train rides. (Spain hot in August, ya think? ) I'd surely prefer a coche camas compartment. But if the only options were 1)sitting up in a seat all night or 2) getting a litera, I'd usually choose the latter because at least you get to stretch out.

Irene and I went to see Carlos Santana in concert here last night. He sort of looks like Edward James Olmos without the acne scars, but is still jammin'!

Santana! I am so envious! But then, I'm envious of where you live, too, and try to get there from time to time.

I think literas can be FUN---if all six people know one another well and there is a large container of wine involved, plus snacks. Otherwise, if truly comfortable sleep is desired, go for the trenhotel/coche cama option with only two beds per compartment(this is a memory from a looooooog time ago)