Renfe AVE from Madrid to Barcelona, at Madrid Atocha. Buy Renfe, Iryo, Avlo or Ouigo tickets in €, £ or $ and print your own ticket. More info on how to book.
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Choice of 3 high-speed train services
The 621 km (386 mile) high-speed line from Barcelona to Madrid opened in 2008, and high-speed trains now link Barcelona Sants & Madrid Atocha in as little as 2h30 at up to 310 km/h (193 mph). Before it opened, trains took 7 hours on the classic line. Spanish high-speed lines were opened up to competition in 2021, and you now have a choice of 4 train operators: Renfe, Iryo, and lo-cost operators Ouigo and Avlo. This page will help you choose.
Option 3: Lo-cost Ouigo trains
Which train to choose?
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AVE
Renfe's (Spanish Railways') AVE trains are the most frequent, with 10 or more departures a day from €19 upwards. These are the principal Barcelona-Madrid trains, run by Spanish national railways (Renfe), and before 2021 they were the only option. AVEs are 'full-service' trains, so no draconian luggage limits or extra fees to pay for suitcases or backpacks. There's a cafe-bar, and the Premium fare gets you a first class leather seat in Comfort class with a meal & wine included. More about AVE trains.
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Iryo
Iryo is another high-quality 'full service' train, also a top choice for comfort, with excellent catering and no draconian luggage limits or extra fees to pay for suitcases or backpacks. There's an excellent cafe-bar and in Infinita Bistro class you get a first class leather seat with a meal & wine included. More about Iryo trains.
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Ouigo
Ouigo is a lo-cost operator, a subsidiary of French railways (SNCF). It offers around 5 departures per day from only €9. There are strict baggage limits, you need to pay an extra €5 for a suitcase or backpack. In principle, Ouigo trains are one class only, but there are several cars of roomier 'XL' seating for a €9 surcharge which are really 1st class seats. There's a cafe-bar. More about Ouigo.
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Avlo
Avlo is also a lo-cost operator, a subsidiary of Renfe (Spanish Railways) with around 3 departures per day from only €7. There are strict baggage limits, you need to pay an extra €10 for a suitcase or backpack. There's no cafe-bar, only vending machines, and no first class. Some seats may offer a restricted view. More about Avlo.
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If you need help choosing an operator, watch this excellent video. You can check times, compare prices & buy tickets for all of these operators in one place at www.thetrainline.com.
Option 1, Renfe's AVE trains
This is the principal train service between Barcelona & Madrid, with the most frequent departures and some fast non-stop services. Renfe is Spain's national train operator, their premier high-speed trains are branded AVE which stands for Alta Velocidad Española (Spanish High-Speed). It's also the Spanish for bird, hence the AVE logo. Most AVE services between Madrid & Barcelona are operated by smart S103 AVE trains built by Siemens as shown below, hence the resemblance to Germany's ICE3.
AVEs are fully air-conditioned with free WiFi and power sockets at all seats. There's a convivial cafe-bar selling alcoholic & non-alcoholic drinks, snacks and hot dishes. As with most European trains, suitcases & backpacks can be taken at no extra cost, you just take it with you and put it on the luggage racks inside each car.
AVEs have 2 classes of seating, Standard (2nd class, seats 2+2 across the car width) and Comfort (1st class, seats 2+1 across the car width).
There are 3 fare types, Basico (you get a standard class seat), Elige (you get a standard class seat but can pay to upgrade to a comfort class seat) and Premium (you get a comfort class seat, flexible tickets, access to the Sala Club lounges in Barcelona & Madrid and a meal with wine included in the fare). If you're sitting in comfort class and the person next to you is served a nice hot meal from the trolley, but you aren't, they paid the Premium fare, you only paid the Elige fare, even though you're both in comfort class!
For a seating plan of an AVE S103, see the seat numbering page.
There is no formal check-in for an AVE, you can board any time up to a minute or two before departure, but as there's a brief X-ray baggage scan & ticket check before boarding at Spanish high-speed stations, so don't arrive at the last minute, see the travel tips section below.
Option 2, Iryo trains
Iryo is another 'full service' operator which can be highly recommended, especially in Infinita Bistró. Launched on 25 November 2022, Iryo is run by a consortium of Trenitalia & Air Nostrum called Ilsa using a version of Trenitalia's Frecciarossa 1000. You can buy tickets at www.thetrainline.com or iryo.eu. See video of a journey by Iryo.
The new trains offer 3, 4 or 5 classes depending on how you define a class, possibly the most complex system I have come across!
Inicial = 2nd class, with seats arranged 2+2 across the car width in cars 6, 7 & 8. A refreshment trolley serves drinks and snacks.
Singular = similar 2nd class 2+2 seating, but in cars 4 & 5. Singular tickets are more flexible and you can pre-order meals online at iryo.eu.
Singular Only You is sold as an upgrade to Singular. It gets you 1st class 2+1 seating in the cafe car (car 3) with seats around tables to work or dine at. Meals & drinks can be served at your table at extra cost, you can pre-order meals online at iryo.eu.
Infinita = 1st class with seats arranged 2+1 across the car width in cars 1 & 2.
Infinita Bistró = the same as Infinita, but with a meal & drinks from the bistro menu included in the fare and served at your seat.
The Iryo website iryo.eu normally sells Infinita Bistró with a meal & drinks included in the fare, but in the 48 hours before departure it sells it as plain Infinita without any food or drink. However, www.thetrainline.com lists both types of Infinita fare when booking in advance, so after selecting 1st class and Infinita, make sure you look at the Comfort options and change the default Infinita to Infinita Bistró if you want to be fed. Basically, if it doesn't say Bistró, it doesn't include food & drink.
All seats in all classes have power sockets and free WiFi. Pets under 10 Kg in carriers are carried in Infinita class.
There are two types of fare: Flexible, which offers a good level of flexibility and Abierta (open) which is 100% fully-flexible, see iryo.eu for details.
See seat map for Iryo trains showing the layout of each class.
Iryo offers free connections by suburban train (Cercanias) at the beginning and end of your journey within the urban areas in both Barcelona & Madrid, similar to the Cercanias Combinado arrangement offered by Renfe and explained here.
Option 3, lo-cost Ouigo trains
Ouigo is a lo-cost subsidiary of SNCF (French Railways), offering 5 or so trains per day in each direction between Barcelona & Madrid. Fully air-conditioned, free WiFi, power sockets at all seats and (unlike Ouigo in France) a spacious cafe-bar on the upper deck in car 4.
Ouigo is a lo-cost train with budget airline-style baggage limits, so you'll need to pay an extra €5 for a suitcase or backpack when you book. Bags go on the racks inside the seating area in each car. Small pets in carriers can be carried, at extra charge. Bikes are not carried.
Ouigo uses French double-deck TGV Duplex trains. I recommend an upper deck seat for the best views, it's just 9 easy, wide & shallow steps with handrails from the entrance to the upper deck, which Ouigo calls Sky - they call the lower deck Earth. There are toilets & luggage racks both upstairs & downstairs in each car.
First class? Although Ouigo bill their trains as all one class, the seats are unchanged from the TGV Duplex trains used in France. Cars 1, 2 & 3 retain their larger, more comfortable 1st class seats with extra legroom, arranged 2+1 across the car width. Cars 5-8 remain 2nd class with seats to 2+2 across the car width. Ouigo call the former first class seating 'XL' and charge a €9 fee for it on top of the basic fare - a bargain. The XL fee includes an extra-baggage fee for one suitcase or backpack, it's easy to miss this perk when booking XL, so don't accidentally pay twice.
There's a formal 30-minute minimum check-in for Ouigo trains, a ticket check happens before boarding and as for all operators there's an X-ray baggage check before accessing the platforms, see the travel tips section below. Within a few months of the service starting, Ouigo was achieving 90% load factors.
Option 4, lo-cost Avlo trains
Avlo is a subsidiary of Renfe (Spanish Railways), operating three or so lo-cost trains per day in each direction between Barcelona & Madrid. Fully air-conditioned, free WiFi, power sockets at all seats. But no cafe-bar, just credit-card-operated vending machines selling snacks and drinks, and no first class.
Avlo uses a version of Renfe's S112 AVE train, repainted in Avlo colours with an all-new one-class (but high-quality) interior. It has leather seats and plenty of legroom. The S112 is nicknamed Pato (duck) by Renfe staff, no prizes for guessing why.
If possible, avoid seats in car 6 as this was the former cafe-bar. It's been converted into a seats car, but the small high-level windows have not been changed, so you can only see out if you stand up!
Unlike normal trains, Avlo is a lo-cost train with strict airline-style baggage limits, you need to pay an extra €10 for a suitcase or backpack. You take your bags onto the train and put them on the racks inside the seating area in each car. Only folding bikes are carried. No pets allowed. If your bags are found to exceed the set dimensions when you arrive at the station (even if they simply bulge a bit) you'll have to pay a €30 fee - if in any doubt about luggage, stick with the normal Renfe AVE service.
Boarding closes 5 minutes before departure, for all operators there's an X-ray baggage check before accessing the platforms so don't cut it fine, see the travel tips below.
Travel tips (all operators)
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Seat reservation
Seat reservation is compulsory on all these high-speed trains, all tickets come with a specified reserved seat automatically included. For a seating plan of an AVE S103, see the seat numbering page.
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Real time information
You can see whether a train is on time and which platform it will leave from, if you download thetrainline.com's app and run an enquiry for today. Trainline's app show real time information for all operators, Renfe, Avlo, Iryo & Ouigo.
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Security checks before boarding
At Spanish stations including Madrid Atocha & Barcelona Sants there is a quick and simple baggage X-ray check before entering the departures area and your ticket may be checked. It only takes minutes, much easier than any airport, but don't turn up with seconds to spare. How to board a high-speed train at Madrid Atocha. How to board a high-speed train at Barcelona Sants.
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Luggage limits
You take your luggage with you onto the train and put it on any suitable rack near your seat.
On Renfe's AVEs & Iryo, luggage is easy, as on most other European trains. There's no extra cost for a suitcase or backpack, and (unless you take the mickey) nobody weighs it, measures it or argues about its exact size.
On lo-cost operators Avlo & Ouigo you need to pay a luggage fee for suitcases or backpacks, added when you buy a ticket. Check permitted dimensions carefully when you book. If you need to add an oversize or additional bag on the day of travel it will cost significantly more. If your bags are found to exceed the strict size limits on these lo-cost operators you'll be charged a hefty fee - one traveller on Avlo was charged €30 for a bag which was a few millimetres over the permitted size and his lo-cost journey became more expensive than the normal full-service AVE! Train travel really shouldn't be like that.
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Babies & infants need a ticket!
Babies and infants under 4 years old travel for free if you're happy to have them on your lap, but unlike other European countries where you can just bring them along without a ticket, on Spanish high-speed trains they need a zero-cost ticket booked in their name. You'll get this if you enter them as a passenger with their actual age, when you buy tickets. If you want to them to have their own seat, enter their age as 5+ so the system gives you a child ticket.
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Food & drink
Renfe's AVEs have a cafe-bar and Premium fares include food & wine served at seat. Iryo has a refreshment trolley service and in some classes, food served at your seat. Ouigo has a cafe-bar. Avlo has no catering other than credit-card-operated vending machines. 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, on all these trains.
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WiFi & power outlets
There are power outlets at all seats in all these trains, of the usual European 2-pin type. All these trains have free WiFi, the network name on AVE & Avlo is PlayRenfe, with some free content to stream too.
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Station guides
To get familiar with the stations, see the Barcelona Sants station guide and Madrid Atocha station guide.
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First class lounge (Sala Club)
If you have a Premium fare for a Renfe AVE you can use the Sala Club lounge at Barcelona Sants and Sala Club lounge at Madrid Atocha before departure, with complimentary tea, coffee, beer, soft drinks & snacks.
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Onward connections
If you are making a same-day connection into or out of an SNCF high-speed TGV to or from France, or another Renfe train within Spain, I'd stick with the main Renfe AVE service between Barcelona & Madrid. Iryo, Avlo & Ouigo are separate companies and if you combine them with onward trains run by Renfe or SNCF you will not be covered for missed connections if there's a delay. More about passenger rights.
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Interrail & Eurail
Passes are good for Renfe's AVE if you pay the reservation fee. Passes are not valid on Iryo, Ouigo or Avlo.
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A slow train still takes the old route
For the record, one train per day still links Barcelona & Madrid via the classic line. Run by Renfe, it's an air-conditioned Regional Express taking 9 hours, leaving Barcelona Sants around 09:03 westbound and leaving Madrid Chamartin around 07:15 eastbound. It has one fixed price, around €43. You may see it in your search results, don't book it by mistake!
Route map
Click for larger map. Red = 310 km/h high-speed line. Black = classic lines. Green = scenic sections.
Reproduced with kind permission of the European Rail Timetable people. Buy a copy of the European Rail Map at www.europeanrailtimetable.eu.
What's the journey like?
All these Madrid-Barcelona trains take the same route through the same scenery. The platforms at Barcelona Sants are underground, but the train soon emerges into daylight as it accelerates to 310 km/h (193 mph). High-speed lines in Spain are built to standard gauge (4' 8½") like the majority of Europe, even though Spain's classic railways are Iberian broad gauge (5' 6"). Soon after leaving Barcelona, look out for the distinctive jagged ridge of Montserrat on your right (on the left, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montserrat_(mountain). The rest of the high-speed journey to Madrid is pleasantly undulating and often scenic, as you can see in the second photograph below. All trains call at Zaragoza, the major city between Barcelona and Madrid.
How to buy tickets
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Thetrainline.com sells tickets for Renfe AVE, Ouigo, Avlo & Iryo so you can easily check times & buy tickets for all 4 operators, all in one place. Quick & easy to use, overseas credit cards no problem, you can pay in €, £ or $. There's a small booking fee.
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Omio.com also sells tickets for Renfe AVE, Ouigo, Avlo & Iryo, all 4 operators all bookable in one place.
Easy to use, you can pay in €, £ or $. There's a small booking fee.
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Raileurope.com sells tickets for Renfe & Ouigo, but doesn't sell tickets for Avlo or Iryo. Easy to use, overseas credit cards accepted, you can see fares & pay in €, £ or $. There's a small booking fee.
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You can of course book at the operator sites. For Renfe's AVE it's www.renfe.com, in €, not the easiest site to use as it tends to slip back into Spanish even if you select Ingles, it's often poorly worded and it has a reputation for rejecting some overseas credit cards. For Ouigo, it's www.ouigo.com, this allows you to choose a seat from a seating plan for a small fee (free if you pay for XL) although you can't tell which seats face forward or backwards as the train could enter service either way round. For Avlo, it's either www.renfe.com or avlorenfe.com, also allowing seat choice from a seating plan for an €8 fee, this time with direction of travel shown. For Iryo it's iryo.eu.
Recommended hotels
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See my recommended hotels in Barcelona, either near the station or near the old town & Las Ramblas.