Madrid to Barcelona Trains

Running at a speed of up to 192 miles per hour, the travel duration of the high-speed train Madrid to Barcelona ranges from 2 hours and 30 minutes to 3 hours and 10 minutes. In order not to miss the train and avoid unpleasant situations, arrive at the station 30 minutes before the train leaves as you'll need to pass a quick security check.

Although there are many transportation options available between these cities, choosing in favor of the Madrid to Barcelona train as opposed to buses or planes will save you a lot of time and offer you a high-comfort connection on a well-equipped mode of transport. As such, the average bus trip durations are 7 hours and 50 minutes. Flights are often delayed, moreover, both of the airports are located in the city outskirts, meaning you need extra time and money for traveling to/from them (whereas the Puerta de Atocha rail station in Madrid and the Sants train station in Barcelona are set in the heart of town). To top it all, the fares for the tickets for all three aforementioned options will be in the same price range, making the optimal "travel time per money" choice quite obvious.

The Spanish national railways, Ferrocarilles Espanoles, operate the country's well-developed rail network. The AVE bullet train from Madrid to Barcelona is among the most popular trains on the route and is run by Renfe.

The so-called "nocturno" overnight sleeper trains are Renfe’s Trenhotel trains, unfortunately, they do not run on the Madrid - Barcelona route but connect Madrid to Lisbon. The latest high-speed AVE train departs from Madrid every day at 9:25 p.m. and arrives around midnight in Barcelona.

The Madrid - Barcelona high-speed rail line makes its way through the picturesque Spanish countryside, passing a large part of western Catalonia, the city of Zaragoza in Aragon, the north of the Castile la Mancha region before arriving in Madrid.

Being the two most popular cities in Spain, it's no surprise that the demand for transport between them is high. For this reason, the earlier in advance you book your train tickets, the better are your chances to get ahold of better prices, seats, and availability in general. Luckily, there's a broad selection of departure times in the schedule, based on the weekday, there are up to 10-13 departures every day.

The fast train from Madrid to Barcelona offers two coach classes, the Turista 2nd class and the Preferente 1st class. Both are well-fitted and have modern amenities. Read more about the high-speed AVE train classes.

When purchasing tickets, you should keep in mind that the prices will vary based on several parameters such as the chosen coach class, departure time / day of the week / month of your trip, availability, etc. As a rule, average prices start from about 95 USD.

If you choose to book train tickets from Madrid to Barcelona with the Rail Ninja service, we guarantee that the best available seat will be assigned to you. During the booking process, you may indicate your preferences.