The AVE is the high-speed train service in Spain. With most services running from Madrid (and some north from Barcelona), you can now get to Seville, Valencia, Malaga, and Cordoba (as well as travel between Madrid and Barcelona) faster than you could fly.
AVE trains are a luxurious and efficient way to get around the country. If it weren’t for the AVE, certain day trips from Madrid would not be possible.
Buying tickets
AVE train tickets can be purchased in person at the Atocha train station in Madrid or at the Sants station in Barcelona.
But the easiest thing is to book your tickets online.
Madrid – Zaragoza – Tarragona – Barcelona
The most popular AVE train route is from Madrid to Barcelona, but this is actually the only route where taking the train is not necessarily the best way to travel. Now there is the Iberia Air Shuttle which has its own advantages, such as the fact that you don’t need to book a specific flight, you can simply hop on and off the next plane.
Madrid – Cordoba – Seville
The original route of the AVE, you can get from the capital to the jewel of southern Spain in two hours and thirty minutes. Or stop a little earlier in Córdoba.
Travel times:
Madrid – Seville (2h30)
Madrid – Córdoba (1h45)
Cordoba – Seville (45m)
Madrid to Toledo
Madrid’s most popular day trip is only thirty minutes from the capital. But the new will be better for most travelers (unless you stay next to the Atocha train station).
Travel times:
Madrid – Toledo (30m)
Madrid – Cuenca – Valencia
Visit the third largest city in Spain from Madrid in less than one hour and three quarters. Stay in Cuenca for one night to see its famous hanging houses and visit the city’s world-class modern art museums (the small town has three of them! The AVE route also continues to Alicante.
Travel time:
Madrid – Valencia 1h30
Madrid – Cordoba – Malaga
Visit the largest city on the south coast in just two and a half hours.
Travel times:
Madrid – Malaga (3h)
Malaga – Cordoba (50m)
Madrid – Segovia – Valladolid – Leon
The AVE is slowly unfolding to the northwest.
Travel time:
Madrid – Leon (2h)
Barcelona to Paris
Get to the French capital in six hours and twenty minutes, giving the flight route a chance for your comfort. The route has been continuous since December 2013.
Barcelona to Figueres
Getting to the Salvador Dalí museum from Barcelona used to be quite difficult, but the new AVE route takes only 53 minutes.
Barcelona and Girona
Travel between the two most popular cities in Catalonia in just 37 minutes.
Barcelona to Malaga
Travel times:
Barcelona – Córdoba (4h30)
Barcelona – Malaga (6h)
Seville – Cordoba – Cuenca – Valencia
Travel times:
Seville – Valencia (3h50)
Cordoba – Valencia (3h)
Other routes from Barcelona to France
In December 2013, the high-speed rail route between France and Spain was finally completed. AVE trains now run between the following routes:
- Barcelona to Paris: see above.
- Barcelona to Lyon: a five-hour train ride is all that separates these two cities.
- Barcelona to Marseille: It takes four and a half hours to get from Barcelona to the French Riviera. In fact, this route starts in Madrid, but you better fly from Madrid.
- Barcelona to Montpellier: Getting to Montpellier by train now takes three hours.
- Barcelona to Toulouse: Trips to Toulouse now also take just three hours.
Guided visits
With such an efficient train service available in Spain, it makes sense to use it for day trips that would normally be impossible due to the distance between cities.
The AVE makes it possible to visit Seville as a day trip. However, if you are going to run through one of the best cities in Spain in a single day, you will need help to make the most of it. A guided tour, with AVE tickets included in the price, is the best way to see Seville in one day:
Seville day trip from Madrid
There are some longer tours that include Córdoba and / or Cáceres. The trip normally starts with a tourist bus but makes the return trip by AVE:
- Two-day trip: Seville with a stop in Córdoba
- Three-day trip: Seville, Cáceres and Córdoba
- Three-day trip: Seville and Córdoba (additional day in Seville)
Reflexes
- The AVE is fast. The AVE Madrid-Seville service is the fastest and most efficient way to travel between the two cities, making the trip in two and a half hours.
- It is convenient. Taking the AVE train makes the journey even faster than flying, as the train avoids the hassle of checking in and getting to and from the airport. Spain’s train stations are generally in the center of the city, so once you’re there, you really are there!
- The speed and convenience of the AVE mean that some of the most distant cities in Spain can be seen on a day trip from Madrid. You can even get to the beach and come back in one day.
- The AVE is punctual. The AVE train service has a “commitment to punctuality”: if your train is more than five minutes late, you will receive a full refund of your ticket price. Not bad, huh? Sure beats flying!
- The AVE is luxurious. Great reclining seats, recent movies (in Spanish), and music (which you can listen to with the free headphones).
- The AVE is expensive. Unfortunately, all of this comes at a price. The AVE can’t compete with budget airlines for low prices, but it can’t be beat for convenience. However, if you travel on short notice, the train is cheaper than the plane.
