Rail Travel in Spain

Rail Travel in Spain is a dream with AVE high speed trains. The AVE operates on the Madrid-Cordoba-Seville route and can whisk you to/from Madrid and Seville in just 2.5 hours. This is one of Europe's finest rail services with a guarantee that if your train is more than 5 minutes late you're entitled to a full refund. How about that for service!

Launched in 1992 during the World Expo in Seville, AVE has been providing excellent service ever since. The punctuality of the AVE train has been one of the elements that has contributed most to its growth, together with the services offered on board and at train stations, customer care, sales and after-sales service, and a ticket fare policy that is easy to understand.

The main lines at the moment are from Madrid to Coroba and Seville though major construction is currently underway to link other major cities. Already the route from Madrid to Lerida in Catalunya is open and this will soon operate all the way to Barcelona.  You can now Book AVE Tickets Online thanks to a new initiative between RENFE (Spanish Rail) and Rail Europe who operate the sale of European rail passes.

Travel Times:
Madrid - Cordoba: 1 hour 45 minutes
Madrid - Seville: 2 hours 30 minutes

Classes of Service:
First Class
Club - Meal (choice of entree) at your seat, drinks, newspapers, audio/video, parking discounts, access to AVE lounges, access to conference room on train.

Preferente - Meal at your seat, newspapers, audio/video, parking discounts, access to AVE lounges.

Second Class
Tourist - Family area, children's board games, wheelchair facilities, audio/video.

For more information about the AVE service and for online reservations please go to the Rail Europe Website.

Rail Map of Spain

Similar to the 168 mile per hour AVE train between Madrid and Seville, the new 140 mile per hour Talgo 200 trains connect Madrid-Cordova-Malaga and Madrid-Cordoba-Seville-Cadiz, with five and two trains, respectively, running daily.

Madrid - Malaga: 4h25 travel time
Madrid - Cadiz: 5h00 travel time

Class of Service:
First Class
Preferente - includes a meal, a complimentary newspaper, access to the Club AVE lounges and parking discounts.

Second Class
Tourist - comfortable chairs with lots of legroom. Each set of seats (either 2 side by side or group of 4) has a table where you can eat, work or play.

Phones, cafeteria and personal audio/video systems are available for all passengers traveling on Talgo 200. Changing area for babies and dedicated space for disabled travelers are also available.

For more information about the Talgo service and for online reservations please go to the Rail Europe Website.

Talgo Day Trains from France to Spain

Talgo Day offers train services from Montpellier in France to Mediterranean destinations in Spain such as Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante and Cartagena.

Sample Routes and Travel Times:
Montpellier - Barcelona: 4 hours 15 minutes
Montpellier - Valencia: 8 hours
Montpellier - Alicante: 10 hours
Montpellier - Cartagena: 12 hours 40 minutes

Trainhotel Sevices

These Talgo Night services are the latest generation of Talgo technology which represent the best-equipped international night trains in Europe.  Journeys throughout Spain are a breeze on Train Hotel Elipsos with service to Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, Milan, and Zurich. On the Francisco de Goya route from Madrid to Paris, the train makes a stop at Blois, France in the famous Loire Valley. Well know for being at the center of the French Renaissance, Blois is the perfect stop for visiting the Loire Valley Castles.

The Trenhotels consist of small, private coaches which are designed especially for night travel. There is a range of accommodation types to suit every traveler's needs, from "Gran Class" Sleepers offering cabins with a wash basin and shower to a "Sleeperette" reclining seat. Quality and privacy are guaranteed.

Talgo Night Train Hotel Elipsos services include the following:

"Francisco de Goya" Madrid-Paris (13h 21mins)
"Joan Miró" Barcelona-Paris (12h 09mins)
"Pau Casals" Barcelona-Zurich (12h 39mins)
"Salvador Dalí" Barcelona-Milan (12h 22mins)

The services are available in the other direction and travel times may vary.

Classes of Service:

The first class service includes Gran Class consisting of cabins with WC, basin and shower, single or double bed, Normal 1st Class which are cabins with basin, single or double bed, without shower/bathroom and Sleeperettes which are reclining seats. In second class there are four berth shared sleeping compartments.

For more information about rail travel in Spain, rail passes in Europe and for online reservations please go to the Rail Europe Website.