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Spanish Day trains
Travel is all about experiences
Experience comfort and style, upgrade to 1st class!
Experience comfort and style, upgrade to 1st class!
Spanish day trains. High speed AVE connection between cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Seville etc.
Find a point to point ticket
Spanish Day trains network
Traveling through Spain is an enchanting experience on an AVE high-speed train. You’ll enjoy your journey on the most modern train fleet in Europe, and also benefit from attentive service in all classes of travel. In fact, it’s so popular (251,754 passengers in July 2009) that air-passenger traffic on the route has dropped almost 40% in 18 months.
The full name Alta Velocidad Española literally means Spanish High Speed, and is also a play on ave, the Spanish for bird. The trains definitely stay true to their name, reaching speeds of up to 300km/h (186mph).
Popular journeys and travel durations
Main destinations for the Spanish AVE Train include Madrid, Sevilla, Barcelona and Malaga.
| Journey | Travel time |
|---|---|
| Madrid – Valladolid | 1h 11 |
| Barcelona – Zaragosa | 1h 29 |
| Madrid – Cordoba | 1h 44 |
| Madrid – Sevilla | 2h 20 |
| Madrid – Barcelona | 2h 38 |
| Madrid – Malaga | 2h 40 |
| Barcelona – Valencia | 2h 59 |
Barcelona Madrid 02:30 R447 Madrid Lisbon 09:30 R290 Madrid Seville 02:20 R386 Bilbao Madrid 04:47 R229 Lille Calais 02:28 R761 Granada Seville 03:03 R338
Our tips
The AVE trains are a luxurious and efficient way to get around the country. With excellent customer service, punctuality and easy to understand fares, the AVE network continues to be a great boost to Spain’s tourism and business.
Booking & Ticket delivery
Booking :- Spanish Day trains tickets are open for booking 90 days ahead.
- Get the lowest prices by booking early and don’t wait until the last minute as cheaper seats sell the fastest.
- Opt for off-peak trains when you have to travel short notice. They are more affordable than morning and evening trains along with those running on holiday eves, Friday and Sunday afternoon.
Ticket delivery option(s) :
| Print @ home | Print your ticket anywhere and anytime before your travel. Skip shipping fees. | Printing guide |
Seat reservation :
- Mandatory for this train! The seat reservation is included in the price of your ticket. Please note that seats are auto-allocated by train carriers. Depending on availabilities, carriers will ensure that all passengers of a same party are seated together. Seats can be swapped only once on-board.
- Pass holders . Book your seat reservation exclusively with Rail Europe.
More details
Renfe is a modern and efficient railway system that offers every level of service in Spain. Among its services, it offers a high-speed rail called AVE, making travel in this country even more delightful.
Experience the service
Before you board
- May appear overwhelming, so make sure you get there early to figure out where you are meant to be and to have the time to seek out any help should you need it.
Onboard
| First class | First class | Second class | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carrier’s designationName of class of service as you might see on your ticket. | Club | Preferente | Turista |
| Bar buffet car Access to the bar buffet car where snacks and beverages can be bought. | √ | √ | √ |
| Audio system Listen to your favourite tune while enjoying the passing landscape. | √ | √ | √ |
| Video screens Ideal for entertainment, some coaches are equipped with screens. | √ | √ | √ |
| Kid’s facilities Intuitive board games are available for children. | √ | √ | √ |
| Meal and drink A delicious meal and drinks are served at seat on board. | √ | √ | |
| AVE lounges at station Get the ultimate treat before any trip, or simply an ideal place to continue working. | √ | √ | |
| On board conference lounge Ideal for business travellers to conduct any urgent meeting. | √ |
Highlights
AVE trains offer 2 first class options called Club (Business Class) and Preferente (First Class).
- Club class and Preferente Class aboard AVE trains offer large comfortable reclining seats that make you feel at ease. A selection of video and audio programs at your seat will help you take your mind off any work you should be doing! Friendly staff will serve you drinks and light snacks at your seat.
- Dedicated to Business travellers, the Club class also offers an “à la carte” menu. Travel and work in style: the Club class offer leather seats. This class of service also offers tables for each seat.
Travel in comfort even in 2nd class
- Tourist class (2nd Class) on the AVE offers generous legroom, a selection of video and audio programs at your seat and a bar-buffet car offering a selection of food and beverages. Like Club Class and Preferente, Turista Class also offers you puzzle for your children. There is also a dedicated family area for your enjoyment. Turista class offers good value for money, and you can also easily upgrade to 1st class- Club or Preferente.
- It is important to note that all classes offer facilities for disabled people. Other services for all include a bar-buffet car, phone booths, a nursery area and a meeting area.
Luggage Weight Limit
- To ensure the comfort of all passengers, there is a weight limit for individual baggage, which is fixed at 20 kg.
More details
Travelling in AVE trains, operated by Spanish rail operator Renfe, means that you are going through one of the most enjoyable and relaxing travel experience.
Interactive travel map
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Learn more about: Destinations / City trips
F.A.Q
Review and ratings
Overall rating (2910)
Comfort
Value for money
Convenience
Overall appreciation
Excellent 49% Very good 32% Average 12% Poor 3% Terrible 3% 58 Reviews
Sort by:
"Madrid to Lisbon train hotel"
Jonathan g.
Punctual. Friendly and helpful staff. No hassles
I Had spare seat next to me but comfort for sleeping was impossible. I would consider a couchette another time.
Not crowded in early May even Saturday night.
Buying and using ticket easy. Value for money Convenience
"Much better than flying!"
Janet b. 14/05/2013The train journey from Madrid to Barcelona is just 3 hours. At a similar cost to flights (both of which you need to book in advance to avoid high fees) it's far preferable to travel by rail. The scenery is beautiful - up into the mountains around Zaragoza before diverting to the coast. The train itself is very modern - large, comfortable seats and plenty of room to move amongst them. Loads of luggage racks and good bathroom facilities - the one I used even had a full length mirror, which was a nice touch. I would highly recommend getting a train to Barcelona and booking on Rail Europe means you can avoid the confusing RENFE system. Value for money Convenience
"spanish train from seville"
Susan f. 13/05/2013Great website, easy to follow and good to be able to print tickets. The train trip was fine, except that on the website the information was that there would be a buffet service aboard. It was not, there was a vending machine, but we had planned to have lunch on the train so it was quite a hungry trip! Value for money Convenience
"Review trip "
Lacrimioara Dorina h. 13/05/2013Everything was great. Comfort and speed and views. Thank you Value for money Convenience
"highly recommend"
Michal h. 13/05/2013Fast and comfortable traveling Value for money Convenience
"Madrid-Barca"
Niclas s. 13/05/2013Very good. On time and comfortable. Value for money Convenience
"Mad to Malaga"
Mohamed a. 13/05/2013very nice trip i had from Madrid to Malaga, timing was perfect, seats were comfortable and it was an enjoyable trip. thank you for everything. Value for money Convenience
"the way to go! "
Kate f. 12/05/2013if you get the chance, the train is MUCH better than flying around Spain. we also went Barcelona to San Sebastián and I booked this on the renfe site which was confusing and not always in English. Rail Europe site was fantastic! Value for money Convenience
"Euro Train Travel"
Brian j. 12/05/2013I am from Australia and decided to take the fast train from Saville to Barcelona. Went for the better seat option and was very satisfied with the travel. 6 hours went quickly, train was very clean Value for money Convenience
"Great rail trip"
Emma m. 11/05/2013Very comfortable train trip. Well worth the extra to travel tourista plus Value for money Convenience
"Very good train"
Daniela s. 10/05/2013we enjoyed the trip with my family - was confortable and fast. I wished we had such trains and railways in Bulgaria as well! Value for money Convenience
"Day Trip"
Joseph c. 10/05/2013Fantastic Value for money Convenience
"Train or booking"
Pabitra s. 08/05/2013The train service gets 4 star rating but that was Spanish Railways. You get 1 star rating since you do not provide for change of booking or cancelation. I lost the money on return journey. Value for money Convenience
"Barcelona-Valencia fast train"
David d. 06/05/2013This was our first train experience in Spain and it was great. Travelling 1st class was very comfortable and the facilities were fine. Value for money Convenience
"AVE sets the benchmark"
Philip v. 02/05/2013After passing through security, we settled into our pre-assigned AVE first-class seats. There was considerably more room than the average aircraft seat, The train departed exactly on time and gradually picked up speed until reaching the maximum 250 km/hour. It was fascinating to glide through the countryside in such comfort. The only disappointment was to get off - exactly on time. Value for money Convenience