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how to order tickets and travel in spain

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how to order tickets and travel in spain

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See Spain by train...

Once upon a time, Spain had one of the most backward train networks in western Europe. Now, they have one of the best, indeed, one of my favourite rail systems. High-speed AVE trains (Alta Velocidad Española) link major cities at up to 300 km/h (186mph), and if you book in advance online you can find some great cheap fares. This page will give you a heads-up on how to travel cheaply around Spain by train.

A guide to taking the train in Spain

Spain by train, in a nutshell - the key points.

Railpasses for Spain & the Renfe Spain Pass

Spanish train classes explained

What are Spanish trains like?

How to buy train tickets for Spain

How to use www.renfe.com

How to transfer between Madrid Atocha & Chamartin

Train services between Barcelona & Madrid

Madrid Atocha station guide

Madrid Chamartin station guide

Barcelona Sants station guide

Tours & vacations to Spain by train

Travel insurance, mobile data, VPN & other tips

Hotels & accommodation in Spain

International trains to & from Spain

UK to Spain by train, the no-fly way

Trains from Barcelona to other European cities

Madrid, Seville, Malaga, Alicante to other cities

Trains from other European cities to Spain

Madrid to Lisbon by train

Paris to Barcelona by high-speed train

Other train travel information

Eurail passes - for overseas visitors

Interrail passes - for European residents

General European train travel information

Luggage on trains & Left luggage at stations

Taking your bike & Taking your dog

Where do the trains go?

The network links all the major towns & cities. For a zoomable train route map of Spain see www.openrailwaymap.org. For the best printed map of European rail routes, see here.

Who runs the trains?
The Spanish national train operator is Renfe (pronounced Ren-fay), originally Red Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Españoles but now a brand name in its own right. Its website is www.renfe.com. Renfe runs Spain's superb high-speed AVEs and other mainline trains, as well as local and suburban trains nationwide.

Local operators FEVE, Euskotren, FGC
In addition to Renfe there are several regional train operators which it's useful to know about. FEVE runs a rambling narrow-gauge network along the coast of Northern Spain from Bilbao & Santander to Gijon & Ferrol. FEVE has been absorbed into Renfe but now features on the Renfe website, www.renfe.com. Euskotren ( www.euskotren.eus) runs narrow-gauge local trains from the French border at Hendaye & Irun to San Sebastian & Bilbao. And in Barcelona, you might want to use the FGC local railway to reach the famous monastery at Montserrat, www.fgc.cat. However, this page is mainly concerned with travel on Renfe mainline trains.

Competing high-speed operators
Since 2021 there are several open access operators competing with state-owned Renfe on the high-speed network, all bookable at www.thetrainline.com so you can compare prices:

Avlo is a lo-cost subsidiary of Renfe which runs Barcelona-Madrid, other routes planned. Their trains are one class only, with no-catering.

Ouigo Spain is a lo-cost subsidiary of SNCF (French Railways) which runs Barcelona-Madrid, Madrid-Valencia & Madrid-Alicante, other routes planned. Two class, with basic catering.

Iryo is a joint venture of Trenitalia & Air Nostrum using Italian-designed Frecciarossa trains) which runs Barcelona-Madrid, Madrid-Valencia and Madrid-Cordoba-Seville. Full-service, with 3 classes and quality catering. More info on Iryo trains here.

Do you need a reservation? Should you pre-book?
Yes! All long distance trains in Spain and even some shorter distance regional ones require a seat reservation, you cannot just turn up and hop on. There are usually places available even on the day of travel, but at peak times such as Christmas and Easter trains can get full. It also pays to pre-book: If you book ahead there are cheap advance-purchase fares, for example Madrid-Seville from €28, but if you wait to buy your tickets on the day you'll pay the full-price fare, for example Madrid-Seville €75.

When does booking open?
This is a major problem with Renfe. In theory, tickets should go on sale 60 days ahead for all trains other than AVE trains which should open 90 days ahead. In practice, Renfe is a law unto itself and loads what it likes when it likes, in blocks of dates, sometimes as little as 30 days before departure and often loading some trains and not others. If you go online and don't see the complete train service which you're expecting to see and it's over a month before departure, WAIT, as the chances are that all trains are not yet loaded. Renfe is particularly lax in opening bookings for dates after the timetable changes at midnight on the 2nd Saturday in June and 2nd Saturday in December.

Standard & Comfort class
Renfe offers two classes, Standard (= 2nd class) and Comfort (= 1st class). These are the new terms from July 2021, until then they were called Turista & Turista Plus and before that, Turista & Preferente. Don't get the new class names mixed up with the new ticket type names! More explanation about classes & fares on Spanish trains.

Fare types
Renfe introduced a new fares structure for long-distance trains including the high-speed AVE in July 2021:

Básico (Basic) = The cheapest fare, for travel in Standard (2nd) class.

Elige (Choice) = A semi-flexible fare, you can choose between Elige (2nd class seat) or for a higher price, Elige Confort (1st class seat).

Premium = The most flexible fare, you get a Comfort (1st) class seat & lounge access. A meal & wine is included on AVE & EuroMed.

Children & infants
Children under 14 pay the child fare.

Infants under 4 travel free as long as they don't occupy a seat, but it's mandatory to get a free infant ticket before you travel.

This was introduced in 2014, a first for any European train operator outside Russia. You'll get the necessary free infant ticket If you add your infant with their correct age to a booking made at www.thetrainline.com, www.raileurope.com or www.renfe.com. However, you cannot book a free infant ticket on its own, so if you forget to add them to your booking you'll need to get one at a Renfe ticket office before you board.

Seniors over 60: Tarjeta Dorada
Anyone over 60 of any nationality can buy a Tarjeta Dorada card for €6 valid for one year.

Renfe's Tarjeta Dorada ( Golden Card) gives a 25% discount on all fares types for Renfe long-distance trains including AVE, EuroMed, Alvia & Intercity trains. It gives a 40% discount on Renfe medium-distance trains, and a 25% discount on weekdays, 40% discount at weekends on short-hop high-speed Avant trains.

Now for the catch, and it's some catch that Catch 22: You can only buy a Tarjeta Dorada in person at a Renfe station when you get to Spain. You cannot buy it online. But you can't buy tickets online in advance with the Tarjeta Dorada discount until after you've bought the card because you need to enter the card number to get the discount. So if you're planning a trip to Spain, it's better to forget about being senior and just buy a normal adult advance-purchase ticket now for perhaps €30 without any Tarjeta Dorada discount, than to wait until you get to Spain to buy a Tarjeta Dorada to get 25% off a fare which by that time (on or close to departure date) might have risen to €90. Just let that sink in...

You'll find full details for the Tarjeta Dorada at www.renfe.com, switch it to English, click Travel, click Discounts then look for Over-60s to find the Tarjeta Dorada page. You can buy the card over the counter at any staffed Renfe station, just present your passport as proof of age.

How to buy tickets & check train times
You can buy tickets at any Renfe station or online at www.renfe.com, but see the advice on using Renfe.com below. There's no booking fee, but Renfe.com is a pain to use with some confusing translations and quirks, it's also known for sometimes rejecting overseas payment cards. It's far easier (and quicker!) to buy tickets in plain English using www.thetrainline.com (in €, £ or $, small booking fee, works for anyone from any country) or www.raileurope.com (various currencies, small booking fee), Omio.com (various currencies, small booking fee)or www.petrabax.com (in US$, with a small mark-up). These websites all connect to Renfe's ticketing system and sell the same trains at the same prices with no payment problems and the same official Renfe print-at-home tickets.

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.

Combinado Cercanias: Free suburban travel with a long-distance ticket
When you buy a ticket for one of Renfe's long-distance trains (AVE, EuroMed, Alvia, Intercity) of any fare type in any class for a journey within Spain, you get free travel from any Renfe suburban station at the start of your journey and free travel to any Renfe suburban station at the end of your journey, in the following cities:

Asturias, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cadiz, Madrid, Malaga, Murcia/Alicante, San Sebastian, Santander, Seville, Valencia and Zaragoza. You also get free travel from/to any FEVE local station in Asturias, Santander, Bilbao & Cartagena.

If your ticket includes this, it will say Combinado Cercanias in the corner with a reference number.

At your starting city, you must use the suburban ticket within 3 hours of your long-distance train departure, and at your destination you must use the suburban ticket within 4 hours of your long-distance train's arrival.

You can travel to or from any suburban station within that city's numbered zones, but not outside the zones (so longer routes such as Barcelona to Portbou or Latour de Carol are not included).

Different cities have slightly different processes: To access the suburban ( cercanias) platforms in Madrid or Malaga, place the QR code of your long-distance ticket against the scanner on the automatic ticket gates and they should open. In Barcelona, you must show your long-distance ticket at the information desk and ask for a ticket to open the cercanias ticket gates.

The Combinado Cercanias offer applies to any Spanish domestic long-distance tickets bought directly from Renfe.com or from websites connected to Renfe such as www.thetrainline.com, www.raileurope.com, www.petrabax.com. It does not apply to international tickets such as Paris-Barcelona as these won't print any Combinado Cercanias reference on the ticket.

Competing high-speed operator Iryo offers a similar free suburban connection with their long-distance tickets, too.

Luggage & luggage weight limits on Spanish trains
You take your bags with you onto the train, putting them on the racks above your head and at the end of each car. Renfe is unusual in specifying a 25Kg weight limit for passengers' baggage, which is a nonsense, first because a weight limit is totally unnecessary on a train as it does not have to take off, and second because your bags will not be weighed at any stage, so as long as you don't take the Mickey, this weight limit is pretty much irrelevant and can be taken with a pinch of salt. It's probably the result of employing an ex-airline senior manager. For information about left luggage at Spanish stations, see the luggage on trains page.

X-ray baggage check at Spanish stations
Before boarding any high-speed train at any Spanish mainline station, you must pass through an X-ray baggage check. This usually only takes a few minutes, a bit longer at busy times, but don't turn up for your train with only 30 seconds to spare! Sometimes this is at the entrance to the departures area, as at Madrid Atocha, sometimes at the entrance to a platform or group of platforms, as at Barcelona Sants or Algeciras. The security check applies to high-speed trains and the platforms these use, not usually for regional or suburban trains. You may or may not need to walk through a metal detector. Security staff may confiscate things like penknives.

Food & drink
On most long-distance trains there's a cafe-bar serving tea, coffee, drinks and snacks. Of course, you're also free to take your own food and even wine or beer onto the train.

Add a snack box to your booking in Elige Confort on AVE & EuroMed. You can add a snack box to your booking if you buy an Elige fare for Confort class on an AVE or EuroMed train at Renfe.com. You can add it when you book or afterwards, at least 12h before the train leaves its origin station.

An airline-style hot tray meal with wine is usually included if you pay the Premium fare on Renfe's AVE & EuroMed trains on Mondays-Fridays & Sundays. It's a hot tray meal at meal times, but only a snack box with a sandwich on some late-morning & mid-afternoon trains. Unfortunately, there's no way to check which trains only offer a snack box (although a noticeably cheaper Premium fare on a mid-morning or mid-afternoon train may well indicate ones with the snack box), but after you buy your ticket it will have the word Desayuno, Almuerzo or Cena printed on it if breakfast, lunch or dinner is included. It will say Merienda ('snack') if only a snack box is included. Incidentally, if the person sitting next to you in Confort class doesn't get fed, they probably paid the Elige fare, not the Premium fare - only Premium passengers get the meal, the staff have a list!

First class lounges at stations: If you pay the Premium fare you can use the Sala Club (1st class lounge) at Madrid Atocha, Madrid Chamartin, Barcelona Sants, Cordoba, Seville, Malaga, Alicante, Zaragoza and several other major stations, opening hours and full list on the Renfe website.

WiFi: Renfe's front-rank AVE trains are being fitted with WiFi. You should now find free WiFi on AVE trains between Madrid and Seville, Malaga, Granada, Alicante, Barcelona. And between Barcelona and Malaga, Seville, Granada, Madrid.

Taking dogs & pets: See the dogs & pets section on the Europe by train page.

If you just want to go from A to B cheaply, forget railpasses, just book a cheap ticket online in advance. That's the cheapest & easiest option! But if you want to buy your train travel in bulk, and retain flexibility without having to commit to a specific train way in advance to get a cheap fare, it's worth considering a railpass, especially Renfe's own Spain Pass.

Eurail & Interrail passes
You can buy a one-country Interrail or Eurail pass for Spain, see the Interrail guide if you live in Europe or the Eurail pass guide if you live outside Europe. However, Interrail & Eurail passes have lost their convenience factor in Spain because every Spanish long-distance train requires a passholder reservation costing around €10 for AVEs and similar front-rank trains or €7 for lesser trains which must be factored into your budget.

The next problem is that Interrail & Eurail reservations for Spanish trains can't always be made online, which means you have to go to a station when you reach Spain or contact an agency, see my advice on how to make Interrail or Eurail passholder reservations in Spain. However, there's another type of pass which can be better value than Interrail or Eurail, Renfe's Spain Pass.

Renfe's Spain Pass
Renfe now offer its own Spain Pass to anyone resident outside Spain which can be better value as it includes all reservations, no hidden costs. You can buy a Renfe Spain Pass giving either 4, 6, 8 or 10 individual one-way train journeys of any length in a one-month period on all of Renfe's long-distance & medium-distance trains, including AVE, EuroMed, Alvia, Intercity, Media Distancia & Avant. Unlike Interrail & Eurail passes it does not give unlimited travel. One journey = 1 train ride, if you change trains, that's 2 journeys.

The Renfe Spain Pass includes all reservations, there are no extra fees or quotas - if there are empty seats on the train, you're entitled to one with your Spain Pass. With Renfe's Spain Pass it's all included, reservations are free. You have up to 6 months to make your first trip after you buy the pass, then one month to use the remaining trips after that first trip.

You can buy a Spain pass online at www.renfe.com/es/en.../renfe-spain-pass (cheapest, but has a few quirky translations and sometimes struggles with some credit cards). After setting up an account and buying your own pass, you can buy passes for your travelling companions as separate transactions.

You can also buy in plain English and with no payment card problems at www.internationalrail.com (UK-based), although there may be a fee to pay. The pass is emailed to you. If you live in the UK, you can also buy a Spain Pass by phone and make any associated reservations by calling www.internationalrail.com on 0844 248 248 3, small booking fee.

How to make reservations with a Renfe Spain Pass
You can make reservations to go with a Spain pass either at stations as you go or at www.renfe.com, but the online method isn't obvious! Here's how to make Renfe Pass seat reservations at www.renfe.com:

After buying your Renfe pass, log into your account. For English, click the globe logo and select Ingles.

Select the tab called My passes which should then show each Renfe Spain Pass you have bought. Click See all, which takes you to another page. Then click New validation against a pass and make a reservation to go with that pass. Feedback appreciated!

You can only make reservations for one pass at a time, in other words, for one person at a time. But if you click Choose seats you can select your seat from a seat map, use this feature to select seats next to each other.

If for any reason you end up needing to do it in Spanish, select the tab called Mis abonos which should show your Renfe Spain Pass. Then click Detalles or Ver todos, which takes you to another page. Then click Nueva formalizacion and make a reservation.

Important: When you make your first reservation, Renfe assumes that this is the first train you want to take with your pass and automatically starts the one-month pass validity from that date. This now prevents you from making reservations on any earlier date. So make sure that the first reservation you make is for the day you intend to start using the pass.

In July 2021, Renfe introduced a completely new fares structure for all its long-distance trains including the high-speed AVE, and also changed the terms it uses for 1st & 2nd class. It's easy to get confused between what's a class of accommodation and what's a fare type, so here's a run-down of Renfe's new classes & fares.

Standard & Comfort class

Standard= 2nd class, Estándar in Spanish, formerly called Turista. Seats are usually arranged 2+2 across the car width.

Comfort= 1st class, Confort in Spanish, formerly Turista Plus or Preferente. Seats usually arranged 2+1 across the car width.

On the premier high-speed AVE or EuroMed trains an at-seat meal & wine is included, see the food & drink section here, but only if you've paid the Premium fare, not if you only paid the Elige fare.

Básico, Elige & Premium fares

Básico (Basic). The cheapest fare, only for travel in Standard class (2nd class). Básico tickets are non-refundable & non-changeable unless you pay a hefty extra fee to make them so.

Elige (Choice). A semi-flexible fare. If you select this you get a choice of Elige to travel in Standard (2nd) class or Elige Confort at a higher price to travel in Comfort (1st) class but without any included food or access to lounges. Elige & Elige Confort tickets are refundable & changeable for a fee.

Premium. The most flexible fare. You travel in Comfort class (1st class) and on Renfe's premier AVE or EuroMed trains an airline-style hot tray meal with wine is included - although on some departures you get a snack box instead, see the food & drink section to learn more. You can use the Sala Club lounges at major stations with complimentary drinks & snacks. Changeable without fee, refundable for a minimal fee.

AVE trains

AVE or Alta Velocidad Española is Spain's front-rank high-speed train. Reservation is compulsory, and all trains have a cafe-bar. AVEs are now being fitted with free WiFi. If you pay the Premium fare, an airline-style hot tray meal with wine is included although on some departures you get a snack box instead, see the food & drink section above. AVE trains come in various types.

S100: The original French-designed AVE used between Madrid & Seville and also now used into France, see the photos below.

S102 & S112: The Spanish Talgo-designed AVE used between Madrid & Malaga, Barcelona & Malaga/Seville, a classy train indeed, see S102/S112 photos here.

S103: The German-designed AVE used between Barcelona & Madrid plus some Madrid-Malaga trains, see S103 photos here.

These S130 trains operate the EuroMed services linking Barcelona with Valencia & Alicante, as well as Alvia trains from Madrid to Cadiz & Huelva. They consist of little articulated coaches built by the Talgo company sandwiched between two duck-billed power cars. There are other Alvia services operates by similar trains with a diesel power-car added, and a few Alvia trains (including Barcelona to Bilbao, Pamplona & San Sebastian) operated by the wedge-nosed S120 type, of similar high quality. All Alvia trains have a cafe-bar. On EuroMed services a hot meal with wine is usually available in Comfort class on weekdays & Sundays if you buy a Premium ticket or add the meal to an Elige ticket, see the information above.

These run on many long distance routes, including Madrid-Ronda-Algeciras, Madrid-Granada, Madrid-San Sebastian. Most (including Madrid-Algeciras) are former Altaria trains, little articulated trains built by the Talgo company and hauled by a separate locomotive, they have adjustable axles so they can run at up to 200 km/h on the high-speed AVE lines (which are standard European gauge) then go though a gauge-changing shed to emerge on traditional Spanish broad gauge to complete their journey on the classic Iberian gauge network. A few Intercity trains have been created by rebranding former Alvia trains built by CAF, for example on the Madrid-San Sebastian route, which also have gauge-changing wheels. All Intercity trains have a cafe-bar.

Comfort (1st class).

Standard (2nd class) seating.

Avlo, Iryo, Ouigo...

Spain's high-speed lines have been opened up to competition. Renfe now has a lo-cost brand called Avlo, and competitor operators Iryo & Ouigo now operate on key routes including Barcelona-Madrid, Madrid-Valencia, Madrid-Cordoba/Seville/Malaga. See the Barcelona-Madrid page for a run down of these 3 operators.

The quickest & easiest way to buy Spanish train tickets is at Raileurope.com with cheap advance-purchase fares & print-at-home or collect-at-station tickets. You can choose to pay in €, £ or $. There's a small booking fee.

Raileurope.com links directly to Renfe's (Spanish Railways) ticketing system and charges the same price as Renfe themselves with the same print-your-own ticket delivery. Unlike Renfe's own site it's in plain English without any of Renfe.com's quirky translations and no credit card rejection problems.

Raileurope.com can book the lo-cost Barcelona-Madrid Ouigo Spain trains as well as the normal Renfe trains, but cannot book lo-cost Avlo trains

Anyone from any country can use Raileurope.com as international credit cards are welcomed. It can also sell international trains between Spain and Portugal or France, as it links to the French, German, Italian & British ticketing systems. Who are Raileurope.com?

Important: If you have a baby or infant, remember to add them as a child and enter their age, they'll still go free but will get the free infant ticket which is now necessary in Spain.

www.omio.com & www.thetrainline.com also connect to Renfe's ticketing system to sell Renfe tickets at exactly the same prices as Renfe with the same print-your-own or collect-at-station tickets, very easily, all overseas credit cards accepted. Both charge a small booking fee. They can also book Ouigo Spain trains & Avlo trains. Who are Thetrainline.com?

Option 3, buy at Petrabax.com, easy to use, in US$

If you'd rather pay in USD, use www.petrabax.com. This is a US-based agency which also links directly to the Renfe ticketing system to sell the same trains as Renfe.com with the same print-at-home tickets. They add a small mark-up, but it's easy to use in plain English and it avoids the English translation and credit card acceptance problems people can experience with Renfe.com. Anyone from any country can use Petrabax, including the United States, Canada, Australia, India & Singapore.

You can of course buy tickets direct from Spanish Railways at www.renfe.com, in € with print-your-own tickets. Unfortunately, Renfe.com has more than its fair share of quirks and a reputation for rejecting a significant proportion of overseas credit cards. It's very fiddly to use.

Pretty much the only reasons to battle with renfe.com rather than buying easily from www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com is that you avoid paying any booking fee and it may allow you to select a specific seats from a seating plan for an extra fee. However, www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com allow you to specify seating options and they both show you your seat numbers before you pay, so you can always compare them with a seating plan then run multiple enquiries if you don't like the first ones you are given, adding seats to your basket until you get ones you like. Then cancel the ones you don't need and pay for those you do.

If you want to try using Renfe.com please read the advice on using Renfe.com below. It frustrates many people, though I have to say it has always worked fine with my own credit card and it now also accepts PayPal.

Renfe.com also doesn't handle connections well, so if you want to book (say) from Bilbao to Seville you'll have to guess that this involves a change in Madrid, then book as two journeys, Bilbao to Madrid and Madrid to Seville - whereas Raileurope.com can generally book from anywhere to anywhere as one transaction, even if connections are involved.

So if you want a quick and easy transaction, use www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com, but if you really want to avoid their small booking fee and are prepared to overcome confusing translations and a website which keeps slipping back into Spanish, try using Renfe.com with the help of the advice below.

Spanish train bookings usually open 60 days ahead, AVEs may open up to 90 days ahead. You can't book before reservations open!

The 60 days isn't exact, Renfe loads trains in blocks of dates as and when it feels like it, often less than 60 days, sometimes more, and sometimes certain trains appear on the system before others. If you don't see the whole complete train service you're expecting to see, and it's over a month before departure, the chances are that not all trains have been loaded yet, so wait a bit!

If you see Train blocked in the search results it means that date or train hasn't opened for booking.

Renfe are also usually late opening reservations for dates after the twice-yearly timetable change in mid-June and mid-December.

There are several alternatives to Renfe.com which are much easier to use: Buying direct from Renfe means you pay no booking fee, their site works OK for me and has always accepted my credit card. But it's fiddly to use and I reckon up to 25% of overseas travellers have their credit card rejected when using Renfe.com, especially Americans or Australians, so if you have any problems there are several easy alternatives, www.thetrainline.com, www.raileurope.com & www.omio.com (same price as Renfe with small booking fee) and www.petrabax.com (prices in US$, with a small mark-up). All these sites link directly to Renfe's ticketing system to sell the same trains with the same fares and the same print-at-home tickets (although they can't sell Mesa fares). Renfe now also accepts PayPal.

OK, so go to www.renfe.com, click the globe symbol top right & select Inglés to switch it to English.

It's worth registering before you start to book - because if you have any problems receiving your .pdf tickets later, you can log in to your account and see your bookings. To register, click the head-and-shoulders account symbol top right and click the I want to sign up link.

Use the journey planner: For a one-way trip, change Return to one-way. Leave Promotional cards & codes alone. Enter journey details.

For Madrid, select MADRID (TODAS), for Barcelona select BARCELONA (TODAS) as this means all stations and the system will work out whether trains on your chosen route use Madrid Atocha, Madrid Chamartin, Barcelona Sants or Barcelona Franca. For Seville, use Sevilla Santa Justa. For Malaga you want Malaga Maria Zambrano. For Lisbon use LISBOA (TODAS).

The system can't handle changes of train, it will only show direct trains plus a few popular connecting services that Renfe's sales department has manually programmed in, marked con enlace or con transbordo. So if you ask it for San Sebastian to Algeciras it won't show any trains at all as there are no direct ones and no 'con enlaces' have been programmed in, but of course you'll see several trains if you ask it first for San Sebastian to Madrid, then separately for Madrid to Algeciras. This is another reason for using www.thetrainline.com or www.raileurope.com which can identify and book multi-train journeys across Spain.

On the results page (see the screenshot above) you'll see a list of trains, each with three possible fares.

It's important to realise that here you're selecting fare types, not classes, see the explanation of these fare types above. If you want a 1st class seat, you have to select either Elige or Premium at this stage.

Tip: Parts of the page may slip back into Spanish, I use Google's Chrome browser so I can right click & choose Translate into English.

If you want a 2nd class seat at the cheapest price, select Basico.

If you want a 1st class seat at the cheapest price, select Elige. On the next page, you'll have to change the default Elige (which gets you a 2nd class seat) to Elige Confort, which gets you a 1st class ( Comfort) seat. See the explanation of classes & fare types above.

On the next page, enter your details.

Name means you first name. Primer Apellido means surname. Most people can leave the Segundo apellido box empty.

Change the Document type drop down box from DNI to Pasaporte and enter your passport number in the box.

Enter your phone number with no spaces between the numbers and no preceding 0, for example 1844292884.

Leave the +Renfe card section alone unless you have a Renfe discount card, which you probably don't.

Enter your payment details: Enter your card details and complete the purchase, or use PayPal if you want. Renfe uses the 3D Secure/Verified by Visa/MasterCard Secure system, you should enable your credit cards for this.

Make sure your browser will allow pop-ups as you might otherwise lose your PDF format tickets, which pop up as a new tab or window.

Error GU001 at payment stage? If you get error message GU001 when paying, it could be your bank blocking an unusual foreign transaction, rather than renfe.com itself. Try another credit card, and/or call your bank and tell them you're making a legitimate payment on a foreign website. Renfe uses the Verified by Visa and MasterCard Secure schemes, and anecdotal evidence suggests that a card that doesn't work before it is enrolled in one of these schemes suddenly works once you've signed up.

Print your tickets: When you've booked and paid, the tickets should automatically pop up in .pdf format in a new window or tab. You can print them out on your own PC printer, and save them to your PC. Personally, I not only print a spare set of tickets to place elsewhere in my luggage, I save the tickets to a dropbox.com account I can access from anywhere.

These PDF format print-at-home tickets are good for travel without further formality. You do not need to 'check in' or exchange them for anything. Just board the train and show the printout when asked. It has your reserved seat and coach numbers printed on it, along with your travel date, train time and journey.

If your print-at-home tickets fail to appear, do not navigate away from the confirmation screen before noting down the localiser booking reference, which will also be shown in an email you'll be sent. If you have the localiser, you can type it into the ticket machines at the station to print your tickets, even if you haven't been able to print your tickets at home.

If you get really stuck, try calling renfe for help on . It has a voice-activated system, say 00 34 919 19 05 04 Ingles when prompted for English. Even if you didn't register the customer services staff can usually provide you with your booking's 'localiser' which allows you to print your ticket at the station either at the staffed ticket office or self-service machines.

Feedback (positive or negative) is very welcome if you use renfe.com to buy tickets, especially as things change from time to time and I won't always spot it.

If you have any difficulty, for example credit card payment errors, see the alternative ways to buy Spanish tickets.

Paying for a guidebook may seem an unnecessary expense, but it's a tiny fraction of what you're spending on your whole trip. You will see so much more, and know so much more about what you're looking at, if you have a decent guidebook. For the independent traveller I'd recommend either the Lonely Planet or the Rough Guide, both provide an excellent level of practical detail and useful background. You won't regret buying either of these guides!

Click the images to buy online atAmazon.co.uk

Alternatively, download just the chapters or areas you need in .PDF format from the Lonely Planet Website, from around £2.99 or US$4.95 a chapter.

The European Rail Timetable (formerly the Thomas Cook European Timetable) has train & ferry times for every country in Europe plus currency & climate information. It is essential for regular European train travellers and an inspiration for armchair travellers. Published since 1873, it had just celebrated 140 years of publication when Thomas Cook decided to pull the plug on their entire publishing department, but the dedicated ex-Thomas Cook team set up a private venture and resumed publication of the famous European Rail Timetable in March 2014. You can buy it online at www.amazon.co.uk (UK addresses) or www.europeanrailtimetable.eu (shipping worldwide). More information on what the European Rail Timetable contains.

Rail Map Europe is the map I recommend, covering all of Europe from Portugal in the west to Moscow & Istanbul in the east, Finland in the north to Sicily & Athens in the south. Scenic routes & high-speed lines are highlighted. See an extract from the map. Buy online at www.europeanrailtimetable.eu (shipping worldwide) or at www.amazon.co.uk (UK addresses).

Backpacker hostels

www.hostelworld.com: If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels. Hostelworld offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in Paris and most other European cities at rock-bottom prices.

Environmentally aware, actively ethical adventures in Spain: www.wildsideholidays.com

For environmentally-aware guesthouses offering walking, hiking, riding or nature-watching in the Spanish countryside and national parks, try www.wildsideholidays.com, a new site listing independent, environmentally-aware properties across Spain. It was started by British ex-pats Clive Muir and Sue Eatock, when they found nowhere to advertise their own wonderful property deep in the heart of the Sierra de Grazelema near Ronda in Southern Spain.

If you want to tour Spain by train, with all your train reservations and hotels sorted for you to your own specification, contact train tour specialists Railbookers and they'll create the best rail holiday for you, hassle-free. They take good care of their clients and get a lot of repeat business. In particular, check out their Ultimate Barcelona, Madrid & Seville tour on their US & Canada site, or a top seller on their UK site, Madrid & Andalusia. They have offices in the UK, USA & Australia.

UK call 0207 864 4600, www.railbookers.co.uk.

US call free 1-888-829-4775, www.railbookers.com.

Canada call free 1-855-882-2910, www.railbookers.com.

Australia call toll-free 1300 971 526, www.railbookers.com.au.

New Zealand call toll-free 0800 000 554 or see website.

Tailor Made Rail can arrange tours of Spain by train based on your own requirements, they welcome complex itineraries. As it's a package, they'll take care of you if anything happens on one part of the trip, for example, a national strike. They're TTA-protected - like ATOL, but not only for agencies that sell air travel.

Call their dedicated seat61 phone line 020 3778 1461 and quote seat 61 when booking. From outside the UK call +44 20 3778 1461. Lines open 09:00-17:30 Monday-Friday. Their website is www.tailormaderail.com/destinations/spain.

The award-winning website www.carrentals.co.uk compares many different car hire companies including Holiday Autos, meaning not only a cheapest price comparison but a wider choice of hire and drop off location.

Always take out travel insurance

You should take out travel insurance with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover from a reliable insurer. It should cover trip cancellation and loss of cash & belongings up to a reasonable limit. These days, check you're covered for covid-19-related issues, and use an insurer whose cover isn't invalidated by well-meant but excessive Foreign Office travel advice against non-essential travel. An annual policy is usually cheapest even for just 2 or 3 trips a year, I have an annual policy with Staysure.co.uk myself. Don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed connection, see the advice on missed connections here. Here are some suggested insurers, I get a little commission if you buy through these links, feedback always welcome.

www.staysure.co.uk offers enhanced Covid-19 protection and gets 4.7 out of 5 on Trustpilot.

www.columbusdirect.com is also a well-know brand.

If you live in the USA try Travel Guard USA.

Get an eSIM with mobile data package

Don't rely on WiFi, download an eSIM with a European mobile data package and stay connected. Most newer mobile phones can download a virtual SIM including iPhone 11 & later, see device compatibility list. There's no need to buy a physical SIM card! Maya.net is a reliable eSIM data retailer with a 4.5 out of 5 Trustpilot rating and a range of packages including unlimited data.

Most banks give you a poor exchange rate then add a foreign transaction fee on top. A Curve MasterCard means no foreign transaction fees and gives you the mid-market exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, £500 per month as I write this. The money you spend on your Curve card goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards. And you can get a Curve card for free.

How it works: 1. Download the Curve app for iPhone or Android. 2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to the UK and most European addresses. 3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app, you can link up to two cards with the free version of Curve, I link my normal debit card and my normal credit card. 4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, exactly like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance in your own currency onto whichever debit or credit card is currently selected in the Curve app. You can even change your mind about which card it goes onto, within 14 days of the transaction.

I have a Curve Blue card myself, it means I can buy a coffee on a foreign station on a card without being stung by fees and lousy exchange rates, just by tapping the Curve card on their card reader. The money goes through Curve to my normal debit card and is taken directly from my account (in fact I have the Curve card set up as payment card on Apple Pay on my iPhone, so can double-click my phone, let it do Face ID then tap the reader with the phone - even easier than getting a card out). I get a little commission if you sign up to Curve, but I recommend it here because I think it's great. See details, download the app and get a Curve card, they'll give you £5 cashback through that link.

When travelling you may use free public WiFi which is often insecure. A VPN encrypts your connection so it's always secure, even on unsecured WiFi. It also means you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geoblocking which a surprising number of websites apply. See VPNs & why you need one explained. ExpressVPN is a best buy with a 4.7 out of 5 Trustpilot ranking which I use myself - I've signed up as an ExpressVPN affiliate, and if you go with expressvpn.com using this link you should see a special deal, 3 months free with an annual subscription. I also get some commission to help support this site.

Carry an Anker powerbank

Tickets, reservations, hotel bookings and Interrail or Eurail passes are often now held on your mobile phone. You daren't let it run out of power, and you can't always rely on the phone's internal battery or on being near a power outlet. I always carry an Anker powerbank which can recharge my phone several times over. Buy from Amazon.co.uk or Buy from Amazon.com.

Touring cities? Use hill walking shoes!

One of the best things I've done is swap my normal shoes for hill-walking shoes, in my case from Scarpa. They're intended for hiking across the Pennines not wandering around Florence, but the support and cushioning for hiking works equally well when you're on your feet all day exploring foreign cities. My feet used to give out first and limit my day, now the rest of me gives up before they do!

Back to 'Rail travel to Europe' general page

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A guide to travelling around Spain by train, including how to buy cheap Spanish train tickets at www.renfe.com.

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can also be ferrocarril

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Can also be pasajeros

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as in the fleet of trains

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When I was a child, in the 1980s, it was almost inconceivable to take the train to travel between most cities in Spain. The default was a car or a bus. And well into the 1990s a rail journey involved an old, decrepit and congested train. Now it's almost inconceivable not to take the train if you want to get from Madrid to Barcelona, Seville or Valencia.

The country has managed to build itself the longest high-speed rail network in Europe and the second longest in the world, now spanning approximately 2,500 miles (4,000km) (and still expanding). By way of comparison, France has built 1,740 miles (2,800km), and Britain - still coming to terms with its latest high-speed fiasco - 68 (110km).

It is worth reflecting on Spain's experience and whether there are lessons for other countries. By any standard, the extent of the network in Spain is an achievement that can be traced directly to a combination of unusual political consensus and EU funding. But it is a transformation that has also changed people's lives - trains are increasingly the fastest and cheapest way to travel around the country. More than 300 high-speed trains operate daily. They are almost always on time. (If a Renfe high-speed train is delayed by more than 15 minutes, you get a 50% refund of the cost of your ticket. If the delay exceeds 30 minutes, you get a full refund.)

I am writing this piece, for example, on board a high-speed train from Madrid to Barcelona. The journey takes two and a half hours and covers almost 400 miles (620km), approaching the distance between London and Edinburgh. I paid €19, significantly less than the cost of a taxi ride from Madrid city centre to the airport, or the train fare for the four-and-a-half-hour rail journey between London and Edinburgh.

Not every route is this cheap and well-served, although intense competition, a feature since the market was liberalised, usually means passengers can find bargain fares and a range of travel options on the Madrid to Barcelona route as well as for travel to cities such as Valencia and Seville. The network also reflects persistent inequalities around the country, but you can reach most major cities in Spain in three hours or less from Madrid by high-speed rail.

The trains are consistently packed - breaking passenger-number records over the past two years - and major projects are under way to enhance stations and build capacity for more trains. This is what is now expected from rail transport in Spain. So hearing about HS2 being partially cancelled in the UK was very surprising for Spaniards - and the British government's arguments against the extension were even harder to understand.

High-speed trains have transformed the fortunes of cities across Spain since the opening in 1992 of the first line, between Madrid and Seville, which that year hosted Expo 92. People living in medium-sized urban centres, in particular, have witnessed increased tourism and an influx of commuters and remote workers. Some towns are now even described as "AVE cities", a reference to the name of the publicly owned high-speed service ( ave meaning "bird" in Spanish).

Take León, a northern city of 120,000 people, with an ageing population, a declining post-industrial economy and a renowned Gothic cathedral. Since the arrival of the high-speed train in 2015, it takes less than two hours to get between Madrid and León and tourism is booming. While fares are not as low as on other routes, it's easy to take even a daytrip from the Spanish capital. Twenty years ago, the same journey took nearly five hours.

Spain suffered as much from the economic effects of the pandemic as the UK did and remote working has become common. But changing routines have brought more passengers on to the trains, not fewer, as the British government suggested as a reason for blocking further high-speed train construction.

So how did Spain get it right? European Union funding was certainly a gamechanger. It was available to other countries too, but Spain was particularly effective in using it for infrastructure. The country has spent around €57.2bn in building its network, with one in four euros coming from EU funding. It still required a strong public commitment of both funds for construction and to subsidise low prices. Private companies didn't enter the picture until the service was reliable and extensive. The railway network is still in public hands.

An AVE high-speed train at Barcelona-Sants railway station, February 2023. Photograph: Josep Lago/AFP/Getty Images

Construction costs were lower than in Britain, partly because of lower population density. You don't have to displace communities in the almost empty plains that many trains run through. Nevertheless the mountainous terrain means some routes have proved to be costly and have also experienced significant delays.

The route to Asturias in northern Spain, is an example. The final leg, from León, will start operating this November - 20 years after planning began. This leg has ended up costing €4bn for just 30 miles (50km) of track, five times the average cost for high-speed rail in Spain. The project also created flooding and water shortages, and the excessive costs came in for both public criticism and legal scrutiny. But no government gave up on it. Now Asturias is expecting to double the number of people using its train services and increase transport of goods by rail too.

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Other challenges have included terrorism and sabotage in the Basque Country and Catalonia. But the broad political consensus in favour of developing more train lines prevailed. Conservatives and socialists have been equally enthusiastic, and prime ministers from across the political spectrum have been eager to inaugurate the new routes, often using them as campaign promises. As in other countries, the political right opposes low-emissions traffic and pedestrian zones and would prefer to prioritise cars in Madrid and other cities - but no politician would dare to question high-speed trains, such is their popularity. The debates that do arise tend to focus on why a particular city lacks a train connection that is as good or as cheap as its neighbour's.

Spain's powerful regional governments have also been key to the growth of the network. As Pedro Sánchez seeks parliamentary support to form a new government, a recurring demand from the Basque regional party is to accelerate works for the link between Bilbao and San Sebastián, two of the few major cities still not connected by high-speed rail.

High-speed rail isn't going to solve every transport challenge. Local train networks in Spain remain slow and frequently plagued with problems, particularly in Catalonia. Some regions, often the poorest and most isolated, are underserved even by regular trains. The western region of Extremadura, bordering Portugal, has long suffered from outdated, inadequate services. And the expanding dormitory cities on the outskirts of Madrid or Barcelona are often poorly connected by any public transport.

Still, overall, Spain's railways ranked eighth in the world in a 2019 World Economic Forum Index. In Europe, only Switzerland, the Netherlands and Finland earned better scores. It's part of our self-deprecating culture to complain a lot and think that "Europe" always performs better than us, so many Spaniards don't realise that our high-speed network is the most extensive in Europe or that the UK comes nowhere close to emulating Spain's success. But they also would simply find it difficult to imagine living without high-speed trains.

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Spain's high-speed trains aren't just efficient, they have transformed people's lives | María Ramírez

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A fiasco like HS2 could never happen here - our fast train network is so popular that no Spanish government would dare give up on it, says journalist María Ramírez

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spanish railway industry, blog/review?

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The Spanish high-speed network has provided the country with one of the most modern and advanced forms of transport to currently exist, placing it at the forefront and as a world benchmark on the matter for many different countries wishing to implement and develop similar railway systems or infrastructures. How and why is Spain regarded so highly? Pedro Fortea, Director of Mafex - the Spanish Railway Association, explores.

Spain has one of the largest and most modern railway infrastructure networks in the world. Development of this network has involved the direct participation of a world leading industry that is noted for its high degree of internationalisation and innovative technology.

At the end of 2014, Spain had a railway network running over 15,200km, of which 11,483km belong to the conventional network, 2,322km to the high-speed rail line network on UIC gauge (HSR), 119km of mixed network and 1,207km of narrow or metre gauge.

n line with EU regulations in terms of both freight and passenger transport, the liberalisation of the sector is taking place in Spain, which will involve the participation of private companies in the operating of railway transport services in direct competition with the state-owned company RENFE. A series of private companies have already been working in the freight sector since 2007 and the process is now underway in the passenger sector

One of the most notable characteristics of the railway system in Spain is the coexistence of different track gauges over its network: the Iberian or conventional gauge measuring 1,668mm and currently in use over most of the Spanish railway network, the standard, UIC or international gauge measuring 1,435mm that is present on the highspeed lines, and the narrow track gauge, which includes all gauges below 1,435mm and that, particularly in Spain, is practically the metre gauge (1,000mm).

In light of this unique characteristic of our railway network, the Spanish industry, led by the main manufacturers of rolling stock nationwide, has developed variable track gauge systems that enable passenger trains to use the two main gauges: international and conventional. This is, without doubt, a successful solution at present and, therefore, can be exported to other countries where similar solutions may be required either internally or on their borders with neighbouring countries.

High-speed network: one of the most modern and advanced in the world

Another aspect defining the current Spanish railway network is its high-speed network. Following over 20 years of operations, with the first line connecting Madrid and Seville starting in 1992, this network has provided Spain with one of the most modern and advanced forms of transport today, placing our country at the forefront and as a point of reference for many different countries wishing to implement and develop similar systems or infrastructures.

At the end of 2014, the Spanish high-speed network had 2,322km of UIC gauge high-speed lines for commercial use and over 2,000km undergoing study, planning or construction, making it the most extensive in terms of operational kilometres in Europe and third in the world after China and Japan. Over 120 million people have travelled in the 300-plus high-speed trains serving almost 100,000 users every day, connecting around 80 Spanish towns and cities and acting as a key element in improving the structure of the country and the quality of life of its citizens.

All of this development in terms of high-speed has also made our industry a world benchmark on the matter in terms of the design, construction, management and maintenance of infrastructures and rolling stock thanks to the wide range of companies that, through the different products and services they offer, are now able to deal with any type of demand from the railway sector anywhere in the world, with the most guarantees of quality, reliability and price-quality ratio.

With regards to the signalling of railway infrastructures, Spain is the European country with the highest degree of implementation of ERTMS (the European Traffic Management System). ERTMS is a train command and control system designed to advance in terms of interoperability, streamlining the compatibility of signalling and communications between track infrastructure and on-board equipment. Over 2,000km of our network is equipped with this system, which is the most modern and advanced to date.

Spain also has the longest interoperable stretch in Europe. This is the route between Barcelona and Malaga, where rolling stock equipped with ERTMS runs along an infrastructure supplied by four different manufacturers.

Lastly, since December 2013, RENFE in cooperation with SNCF, has been operating the Madrid-Barcelona-Marseilles and Barcelona-Paris, Lyon and Toulouse lines, connecting 17 French and Spanish cities.

International presence: railway projects in more than 80 countries

The Spanish railway industry has been involved in the development and modernisation of the Spanish railways since the very beginning, in some cases with companies over 100 years old, developing and evolving its capacities and solutions to meet the requirements and needs of the different players seeking railway solutions.

This has provided companies with a degree of technological development and has enabled them to increase their capacities and experience in all segments: medium and long-distance, conventional, high-speed and freight transport.

It is therefore essential to ensure the appropriate planning of investments in infrastructures, particularly in railways, to ensure the sustainable development of this form of transport in any country and, in turn, provide a competitive and state-of-the-art railway industry that stands at the forefront of not only the domestic market but also foreign markets.

The presence of Spanish railway companies in general and of Mafex member companies in particular in foreign markets has increased notably over the past decade. The experience acquired in the domestic market and the increase in the railways in comparison with other forms of transport to solve the needs of different countries, regions and major cities around the world have, without a doubt, favoured this increasing presence abroad.

Nowadays, Mafex member companies have taken part in, or are involved in, railway projects in more than 80 countries over the five continents. The signing of contracts associated to these projects often means that being physically implemented in different locations on a stable basis is a need or a must.

Insofar as the projects completed, countries such as Brazil, the USA, India, Turkey, Algeria and Chile are most noteworthy, where a greater percentage of companies to have developed or taken part in different contracts and projects are concentrated. Likewise, European countries such as Portugal, the United Kingdom, France and Poland are relevant destinations for Spanish railway companies.

The participation of Spanish railway companies in international projects covers all possible areas; from the most demanding from a technological point-of-view, such as high-speed projects, to urban, medium and long-distance, as well as freight transport.

These companies form an entire industrial sector of service providers that fully cover the value chain required by any railway project: from its initial, preliminary phases to the construction of the infrastructures themselves, their traffic management, signalling and telecommunications systems and the supply of the necessary rolling stock, complete network commissioning and its subsequent maintenance, renewal and/or expansion, depending on each case.

There are many different examples and success stories in which the Spanish railway industry has played a significant role, including:

Design, construction, operating and maintenance of the Mecca-Medina high-speed line and trains in Saudi Arabia for 12 years, for a sum of almost of €7,000 million

Over 5,000km of ETCS systems operated by or contracted to Mafex companies around the world (more than 2,900km outside Spain)

Leaders in the development of the first passenger diesel locomotives at 200km/h in the world

On the top of the design and construction of large railway tunnels measuring over 25km in distance and of viaducts measuring over 500m for high-speed lines

Design and construction of the longest unmanned underground line in Europe, 47.8km-long, with 52 stations and 33,000 trips/day (Barcelona)

The Marmaray project in Turkey, the only one in the world equipped with ERTMS and CBTC systems.

These companies have been able to evolve towards a global business model, while adapting locally to the needs of each client. This local experience and the capacity to adapt to different international situations have made the Spanish railway industry a benchmark worldwide to be considered by any country wishing to have modern, sustainable, efficient and competitive railway infrastructures.

The ultimate aim of the Spanish companies is, therefore, to help create and implement a more sustainable, efficient transport system that best adapts to each market. The success of this objective is based on exporting the know-how acquired during the modernisation of the Spanish railway system, their extensive international experience and their continued support for the research and development of new technologies to improve world railway transport.

Biography
After spending some years as the Assistant Manager of Fundigex - the Castings Exporter's Association of Spain - Pedro Fortea became the Director of Mafex in 2004 and has helped to develop its professional activity. Pedro studied at ESADE Business School, Escuela Universitaria (Cámara de Comercio de Bilbao) and Deusto University.

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The Spanish railway industry: a benchmark worldwide

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Why is the Spanish railway industry regarded so highly? Pedro Fortea, Director of Mafex - the Spanish Railway Association, explores

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ferrocarril en espana webdoc

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The first railway in Spain opened on 28th October, 1848 between Barcelona and Mataro. Although the standard gauge of 1435mm had by then been adopted in several European countries, the new line used a broader gauge of 1674mm (6 Castilian feet). This was generally adopted for new main lines in Spain and of course resulted in a break of gauge at the French border when trains eventually reached it. Neighbouring Portugal had a slightly different gauge of 1664mm which did permit interoperation; however with increasing speeds in the late 19th / early 20th centuries ride and wear became a problem so the systems of both countries were gradually reconfigured to a compromise gauge of 1668mm, which became known as Iberian gauge.

Unlike the break of gauge situation between Great Britain and Ireland, which involved a sea crossing anyway, or between Russia and the rest of Europe which historically was never a heavily used land crossing for political reasons, overland international traffic between Spain and neighbouring France has always been significant. Elaborate gauge-changing facilities at Irun and Hendaye on the Atlantic coast, and Port Bou and Cerbère on the Mediterranean, allow both freight and passenger trains to conduct a relatively uninterrupted journey across the French border. At one time, there was even a Madrid to Moscow sleeping car service, which involved two changes of gauge.

As well as the Iberian gauge network, there were also a great number of narrow gauge lines, mainly metre gauge. Many of these remain in operation.

The first dedicated high speed line (AVE) between Madrid and Seville opened in 1992 with a gauge of 1435mm. This enabled the project to use essentially off-the shelf French technology, but is not without its own problems, not least that the new lines required their own infrastructure into the city centres that they serve. Automatic gauge changing facilities are provided for trains that run beyond the high speed network onto existing lines.

In late 2022, Catalan rail authority FGC launched studies into four projected tram-train networks. Three of these would serve the areas around Amposta, Girona and Manresa; the fourth would connect with the existing RENFE line near Urtx-Alp and run via Andorra-La Seu d'Urgell Airport to destinations in Andorra.

Main line and regional railways

RENFE passenger and freight operator on the national broad gauge network and passenger operator on the former FEVE network of narrow gauge lines in the north of the country

Avlo low cost, book in advance high speed train services operated by RENFE

Iryo independent operator of high speed train services

Ouigo independent operator of high speed train services

Captrain España independent freight operator

Tracción Rail independent freight operator

Transfesa independent freight operator

Constru-Rail freight operator on the former FEVE network of narrow gauge lines in the north of the country(Site in Spanish)

ADIF infrastructure authority for the national broad gauge network and the former FEVE network of narrow gauge lines in the north of the country

EuskoTren Basque regional operator. Also operates steam tourist trains and the Reinata funicular in Bilbao

FGC Catalan regional operator. Also operates tourist steam trains, and several funiculars

Infraestructures.cat infrastructure authority for the Catalan region(Site in Catalan and Spanish)

Port and Industrial Railways

The port of Ferrol has an extensive rail network serving the Inner Port, connecting with the national network. Anextension to the Outer Port is projected, which, amongst other things, will require a 5.6km tunnel and a 600m viaduct(Website contains links to PDF documents in Spanish)

Fesava operator of internal rail services in various locations, including Algeciras port and Cepsa's La Rábida refinery.

Tourist & Museum Railways

AREMAF offers rides in a historic diesel railcar on a short stretch of Iberian gauge line at the Delicias Railway Museum in central Madrid. Operates typically one Saturday each month throughout the year(Site in Spanish)

The Basque Railway Museum in Azpeitia offers steam hauled passenger train rides on a 5km, metre gauge line between Azpeitia and Lasao. Operates weekends, Easter to early November

Bulnes underground funicular in the Asturias, 2.2km in length with a rise of 400m. Operates daily throughout the year. Before the funicular was opened in 2001 the only way to reach to Bulnes was by a steep mule track, there being no road access(Site in Spanish. An English version is available, but is poorly translated. Better results can be obtained using Google Translate - or similar - to interpret the Spanish site)

Gelida historic funicular connecting the RENFE station with the village. Metre gauge, with a rise of 100m in a length of 884m. Operates daily throughout the year

Montserrat (Catalunya) a rack railway connects the FGC rail station Monistrol de Montserrat with the monastery and museum. From the upper station of the rack railway near the monastery entrance, two funiculars operate: one ascending to the church of St John at the summit of the mountain; the other descending to the Holy Cave on the historic pilgrim route to the monastery. All operate daily throughout the year

Pola Giverola Resort near Tossa de Mar has a private funicular linking the hotel complex with its sports facilities(Site contains little information relating to funicular)

Tren del Ciment (Cement Train) 3.5km section of a 600mm gauge former industrial railway, now used to convey tourists from La Pobla de Lillet (Alt Llobregat) to the Cement Museum at Castellar de n'Hug. Operates daily, April to early November

Tren de la Fresa (Strawberry Train) tourist train using historic passenger coaches on the ADIF line between Madrid and Aranjuez, 44km

Tren dels Llacs historic diesel hauled train or modern railcar on the Iberian gauge FGC line between Lleida and La Pobla de Segur, a distance of about 89km. Operates Saturdays, mid April to mid August

Cremallera de Núria rack railway from Ribes-Enllaç to Núria in the Pyrenees, 12.5km, metre gauge. Operates weekends in May and November, daily June to October.

Miniature Railways

AAAF 5in (127mm) gauge miniature railway about 660m in length, at a railway museum in Torrellano. Steam or battery electric hauled. Operates every Saturday and some Sundays throughout the year(Site in Spanish)

AAF Reus 5in (127mm) gauge miniature railway, about 500m in length, in the Parc del Trenet, Reus. Steam or battery electric hauled. Operates most Sundays throughout the year(Site in Catalan)

AFEVI 5in (127mm) gauge miniature railway, almost 700m in length, in the Parc de Ribes Roges, Vilanova i la Geltrú. Steam, diesel or battery electric hauled. Operates Sundays throughout the year

AFRA 5in (127mm) gauge miniature railway, about 600m in length, in the Parque Temático del Ferrocarril, Gimileo(No website located at present)

ASAFEGI 5 / 7¼ inch (127 / 184mm) gauge miniature railway, about 700m in length, in the Parc de l'Estació, Fornells de la Selva. Steam or diesel hauled. Operates Sundays for most of the year, except in August(Site in Catalan and Spanish)

Carrilet de Vilamanya 7¼ / 15 inch (184 / 381mm) gauge miniature railway, about 500m in length, located on the TP3211 road between Riudecanyes and Castell d´Escornalbou. Steam or diesel hauled(Facebook page in Spanish, no details of opening times)

CEMFES 7¼ / 10 inch (184 / 256mm) gauge miniature railway, over 3km in length, in the Parc de Catalunya, Sabadell. Steam or diesel hauled. Operates Sundays throughout the year(Site in Catalan)

CFVRt 5 inch (127mm) gauge miniature railway, 680m in length, in the Parque Municipal Maldonado, Riba-roja de Turia. Steam or diesel hauled. Operates Sundays throughout the year(Site in Spanish, links for English and French versions not functional when last checked)

Circuit Ferroviari de Cal Gavatx 5 / 7¼ inch (127 / 184mm) gauge miniature railway, almost 500m in length, at the Centre d'Estudis Ferroviaris Via Oberta, Les Franqueses del Vallès. Steam or diesel hauled. Operates Sundays, September to June(Facebook page in Spanish)

Ferrocarril del Alamillo 5in (127mm) gauge miniature railway, over 600m in length, in the Parque del Alamillo, Sevilla. Steam, diesel or battery electric hauled. Operates Sundays throughout the year(Site in Spanish)

Ferrocarril de Can Mercader 5in (127mm) gauge miniature railway, over 1.5km in length, in the Parc de Can Mercader, Cornellà de Llobregat. Steam or diesel hauled. Operates most Sundays and Public Holidays throughout the year(Site in Catalan)

Ferrocarril Central de Galicia 5in (127mm) gauge miniature railway, about 470m in length, in the Parque Ferroviario de Os Carrileiros, Ourense. Diesel or battery electric hauled. Operates Sundays throughout the year(Site in Spanish)

Ferrocarril de las Delicias 5in (127mm) gauge miniature railway, 265m in length, at a railway museum in central Madrid. Steam or diesel hauled. Operates most Sundays throughout the year(Site in Spanish)

Ferrocarril de Farja 5 / 7¼ inch (127 / 184mm) gauge miniature railway, over 1km in length, in the Parc del Trenet, Benicàssim. Diesel or battery electric hauled. Operates Sundays and Public Holidays throughout the year, a few other days for special events, and on Fridays for prebooked school parties(Site in Spanish)

Ferrocarril de la Granja 7¼ inch (184mm) gauge miniature railway, over 1km in length, in the Parc Municipal de La Granja, Burjassot. Steam or diesel hauled. Services currently suspended for essential maintenance, no date given for reopening(Site in Spanish)

Ferrocarril del Masnou 5in (127mm) gauge miniature railway, over 200m in length, in the Parc de Caramar, El Masnou. Steam or diesel hauled. Currently open only occasionally for special events(Facebook page mainly in Catalan)

Ferrocarril Vallesequillo 5in (127mm) gauge miniature railway, about 200m in length, in the Parque de Vallesequillo, Jerez de la Frontera. Steam or diesel hauled. Operates Sundays and a few other days throughout the year(Facebook page in Spanish)

Ferrocarril de Vallparadís 5 / 7¼ inch (127 / 184mm) gauge miniature railway, 340 in length, in the Parc de Vallparadís, Terrassa. Steam or diesel hauled. Operates Sundays for most of the year, except in August(Site in Catalan)

Iraetako Trena 5 inch (127mm) gauge miniature railway, 270 in length, in the Iraeta Railway Park, near Zestoa. Steam, diesel or battery electric hauled. Operates alternate Saturdays from March to October(Site in Basque and Spanish)

Muferga the Galician Railway Museum in Monforte de Lemos has a 5 inch (127mm) gauge miniature railway about 650m in length. Operates Tuesdays to Sundays throughout the year(Site in Spanish)

Tren Alcoy-Gandia 5in (127mm) gauge miniature railway, over 500m in length, at the railway museum in Almoines. Steam or diesel hauled. Operates Sundays throughout the year(No website located at present)

Tren de l'Orenata 5 / 7¼ / 10 inch (127 / 184 / 256mm) gauge miniature railway over 600m in length in the Parc de l'Orenata, Barcelona. Steam or diesel hauled. Operates Sundays ans Public Holidays throughout the year(Site in Catalan with autotranslate to English and other languages)

Tren de Palau 10 inch (256mm) gauge miniature railway almost 3km in length in the Parc de l'Hostal del Fum, Palau-solità i Plegamans. Usually diesel, occasionally steam hauled. Operates most Sundays and Public Holidays, September to June

Trenet de la Vall d'Aro 5 inch (1276mm) gauge miniature railway, about 700m in length, in the Parc de l'Estació, Castell d'Aro. Steam or diesel hauled. Operates Sundays throughout the year(Facebook Page mainly in Catalan)

Metros, trams and urban funiculars

Madrid

Alicante local railway and tram-trains(Site in Spanish)

Barcelona

Bilbao

Cádiz tram - trains(Site in Spanish)

Donostia - San Sebastián Monte Igueldo funicular

Granada trams(Site in Spanish)

Málaga light rail metro

Murcia trams(Site in Spanish)

Parla trams(Site in Spanish)

Sevilla

Tarragona proposed trams (No website located at present)

Valencia local railways and trams(Site in Spanish)

Vélez-Málaga trams, not operational since 2012, reopening proposed(No website located at present)

Vitoria - Gasteiz trams

Zaragoza
Monorail serving the Plaza Imperial commercial centre(No website located at present)

See also:

Railway station names in Basque

There are no railways in the Spanish coastal enclaves and offshore islands of North Africa.

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The first railway in Spain opened on 28th October, 1848 between Barcelona and Mataro. Although the standard gauge of 1435mm had by then been adopted in several European countries, the new line used a broader gauge of 1674mm (6 Castilian feet).