Travel tips

• Iryo, AVE, Avlo or Ouigo, which is best?

  The Spanish rail network has been opened up to competition, meaning more trains and lower fares.  Which train should you choose?

  Avlo & Ouigo are both 'lo-cost' operators meaning no frills (Avlo has no catering at all) and strict luggage restrictions which can catch overseas travellers out.  You can't argue with their rock bottom fares, but once you add baggage fees the price difference isn't as great as it looks.  Personally, I'd stick with AVE & Iryo.

  The full-service AVE & Iryo trains are both excellent, darned if I can call it, you won't be disappointed whichever you choose.  AVE is fully-carpeted, Iryo has linoleum even in the top class which always seems odd to me at least.  Iryo's website is much nicer to use than Renfe's but both operators can be booked easily (and prices compared side by side) at Thetrainline.com.  The price may decide for you - Iryo pricing is very keen, even in Infinita Bistro class with a light meal included.  Why not take one AVE one way and Iryo the other, and decide for yourself?

• Which class?

  Inicial and Singular are absolutely fine for most travellers, no need to pay more unless you want to.  Singular is more accurately described as a fare upgrade not a class, it uses exactly the same 2nd class seats as Inicial, but Inicial limits luggage to one small bag & one cabin-size bag so isn't ideal for international travellers.  If you upgrade to the Singular fare you can take a larger bag and your ticket is more flexible.

  Singular Only You & Infinita Bistro give you first class seats with more leg & elbow room, arranged 2+1 across the car width.  The solo seats on one side of the aisle are great if you're travelling alone, and Infinita Bistro includes food & drink, if you can stretch to this class, it's worth it.

• Seat maps

  See seat map for Iryo trains showing the layout of each class.  You can select your seat when booking at iryo.eu.

  In Infinita Bistro car 1, rows 3, 5, 6 & 7, 9 line up best with the windows, amongst others (1, 2, 4, 8, 10 etc. get the pillar between windows)

  In Infinita Bistro car 2, rows 9 & 10, 12, 14, 16 line up best with the windows, amongst others.

  In Singular Only You, all table seats line up well with the windows.

  In Inicial & Singular cars 5 & 7, seat rows 4, 6, 8, 10 & 11, 13, 15 line up best with the windows (5, 7, 9 etc. get the pillar between windows)

  In Inicial & Singular car 6, seat rows 3, 5, 7, 9 & 10, 12, 14 line up best with the windows (4, 6, 8 etc get the pillar between windows)

• Luggage

  There's a baggage limit of 1 small bag & 1 cabin-size bag in Inicial class, but other classes allow more & larger bags, see iryo.eu for details.  However, no-one will weigh or measure your bag unless it looks like a problem.  There are overhead racks which take anything up to a backpack or medium suitcase, and floor-standing racks at car ends which take larger suitcases.

• X-ray luggage control

  You have to put your luggage through an X-ray scanner before boarding a Spanish high-speed train at a station on the high-speed network.

  Luggage control only takes a few minutes, there are no metal detectors so it's nothing like an airport.  Security staff next to each scanner may have a metal-detecting 'wand' but on a recent trip the 'wand' was used on me once in 8 trips and even then they failed to find the corkscrew in my left pocket or iPhone in my right one, it's basically security theatre.  Your ticket is usually checked before boarding, too.  Tip:  Put any Swiss Army knives or corkscrews in your pocket to avoid arguments if they see them in the scanner.  Boarding an Iryo at Madrid Chamartin.  Boarding an Iryo at Madrid Atocha.  Boarding an Iryo at Barcelona Sants.

• Seat reservation

  Iryo trains are all-reserved and tickets come with a reserved seat for a specific train.

• Infants need a ticket

  Infants under 4 travel for free if they don't need their own seat.  However, unlike almost all other European countries, you can't just bring them along without a ticket.  On Spanish high-speed trains they need a zero-fare ticket showing their name.  You'll get this if you enter them as a passenger with their actual age when you buy tickets at www.thetrainline.com or www.raileurope.com.

• Food & drink

  The cafe-bar car serves snacks, hot dishes, coffee. soft drinks, beer & wine. The Infinita Bistro fare includes a light meal served at your seat.

  You are of course free to bring your own food and drink along to eat & drink in your seat, even a beer or bottle of wine if you like.

• WiFi & power outlets

  Iryo trains have free WiFi and power outlets at all seats.  Mobile data usually works fine most of the way.

• Pets

  Pets under 10 Kg in carriers are carried for a small fee, you can add a pet when booking at iryo.eu.  Larger dogs are not carried.

• Interrail & Eurail passes

  Interrail & Eurail passes are not valid on Iryo, you should use Renfe's AVE trains instead.

• Free connection by suburban train in cities

  Iryo offers free connections by suburban train (Cercanias) at the beginning and end of your journey within the urban areas in both Barcelona & Madrid, on the same basis as Renfe's Cercanias Combinado arrangement explained here.  It means that you can transfer for free between (for example) Madrid Atocha and Madrid Chamartin, or Barcelona Sants and Barcelona Franca.  The Iryo QR code should work the suburban platform gates in Madrid and Barcelona.

An Iryo train at Barcelona Sants.