How to travel from Madrid to Barcelona

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Travel Information to Barcelona from Madrid

Distance504 km
Available travel modesTrain, coach or flight
Ticket price range€15 - €26
Cheapest modeCoach • €15 • 7 h 20 min
Fastest modeFlight • €26 • 1 h 15 min
Popular travel companiesAlsa, Iberia or Ouigo

Take a train, coach or flight to travel 504 km from Madrid to Barcelona. The most popular travel providers which serve this trip are Alsa, Iberia or Ouigo among others. Travellers can even take a direct coach, flight or train from Madrid to Barcelona.

Travel options
from Madrid to Barcelona

How to get from Madrid to Barcelona by train, bus or flight.

Our recommendation

bus

The best way to travel from Madrid to Barcelona is by taking a bus because it’s the best combination of price and speed.

AlsaNormal
01:00PM7h50
Madrid, Intercambiador de Avenida de América
08:50PMBarcelona, Estación de Autobuses de Sants
371One-way
0 transfers

Cheapest

AlsaNormal
01:00PM7h50
Madrid, Intercambiador de Avenida de América
08:50PMBarcelona, Estación de Autobuses de Sants
371One-way
0 transfers

Fastest

IberiaIB411
11:25AM1h15
Madrid Barajas Airport
12:40PMBarcelona El Prat Airport
1321One-way
0 transfers

Other options

iryo06011
09:57AM2h52
Madrid-Puerta de Atocha-Almudena Grandes
12:49PMBarcelona Sants
861One-way
0 transfers
iryo06281
08:32AM2h37
Madrid-Puerta de Atocha-Almudena Grandes
11:09AMBarcelona Sants
931One-way
0 transfers
AVE03091
08:57AM2h44
Madrid-Puerta de Atocha-Almudena Grandes
11:41AMBarcelona Sants
931One-way
0 transfers
AlsaNormal
01:00PM8h05
Madrid, Intercambiador de Avenida de América
09:05PMBarcelona, Estació d'Autobusos Nord
371One-way
0 transfers
AlsaNormal
08:15AM7h50
Madrid, Terminal de autobuses T4 (Aeropuerto de Madrid)
04:05PMBarcelona, Estación de Autobuses de Sants
441One-way
0 transfers
AlsaNormal
08:15AM8h00
Madrid, Terminal de autobuses T4 (Aeropuerto de Madrid)
04:15PMBarcelona, Estació d'Autobusos Nord
441One-way
0 transfers
IberiaIB415
02:55PM1h20
Madrid Barajas Airport
04:15PMBarcelona El Prat Airport
991One-way
0 transfers
IberiaIB413
01:00PM1h20
Madrid Barajas Airport
02:20PMBarcelona El Prat Airport
1111One-way
0 transfers
IberiaIB417
03:50PM1h20
Madrid Barajas Airport
05:10PMBarcelona El Prat Airport
1111One-way
0 transfers

Find all the dates and times for this journey by train, bus, flight, and ferry .

Compare prices and tickets Prices for trains, buses and flights

Compare bus, train, and flight prices over the next three weeks. See the best deals at a glance, find the lowest fares, and choose the option that fits your budget.

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General Information about the Journey from Madrid to Barcelona

Travelling the 624 kilometres from Madrid to Barcelona can be done quickly and conveniently by bus, train and plane. The plane offers the speediest choice reaching Barcelona in an hour and fifteen minutes. However, the fast AVE train offers a close second with a trip between city centres that takes under three hours. Passengers can also opt for the slower regional train or for the bus for a more leisurely journey.

Buses from Madrid to Barcelona

Direct buses leave Madrid throughout the day for the five and a half to seven and a half hour journey to Barcelona. Exclusively run by Alsa, the buses can be boarded at Aeropuerto Madrid, Barajas T4 bus station, Mendez Alvaro bus station or Avenida America bus station. Buses run from early morning to late evening and terminate at Barcelona (Nord).

Trains from Madrid to Barcelona

Getting to Barcelona from Madrid is a breeze on Spain's highly efficient railway system. Passengers have two options. The fastest is the AVE high-speed train which offers around two dozen daily departures from Madrid Puerta de Atocha station on weekdays and some 16 on the weekend. For a slower option, a regional express train - the Combinado - leaves the same station once a day in the late morning. It takes over six hours to reach Barcelona-Sants making many stops along the route.

Flights from Madrid to Barcelona

Passengers have a choice of around nine flights daily for the 75-minute hop from Barajas airport (MAD) Madrid to Barcelona Airport (BCN). Carriers Iberia, Air Europa and Vueling offer departures throughout the day with Air Iberia offering its Iberia Air Shuttle to Barcelona eight times daily.

More than 1,000 travel companies trust us to sell their tickets all in one place.

Trenitalia
Easyjet
Deutsche Bahn
SNCF

FAQs: Travel from Madrid to Barcelona

Travel to Barcelona easily. Whether you want fast, cheap or something entirely different, our travel experts have collected everything you need to know so you can find the best option from Madrid to Barcelona.

FAQs

You can get to Barcelona from Madrid 3 different ways: train, coach or flight.

The cheapest way to go to Barcelona from Madrid is by taking a coach, which costs on average €15.

This is compared to other ways of getting from Madrid to Barcelona:

Taking a coach costs €11 less than taking a flight, which costs on average €26 for the same trip.

Taking a coach costs €7 less than taking a train, which costs on average €22 for the same trip.

The fastest way to get to Barcelona from Madrid is by flight with an average travel time of 1 h 15 min.

Other travel options to Barcelona take longer:

Getting to Barcelona by coach takes 7 h 20 min on average.

Train takes 2 h 30 min on average.

The Madrid to Barcelona distance is approximately 504 km.

The average frequency per day from Madrid to Barcelona is:

  • 35 coaches a day.
  • Around 24 flights per day.
  • 34 trains per day.

However, we recommend checking specific travel dates for your trip between Madrid and Barcelona as scheduled services by train, coach or flight can vary by season or day of the week.

These are the most popular departure and arrival points for travellers from Madrid to Barcelona:

  • Coaches from Madrid to Barcelona most often leave from Madrid, Estación Sur de Autobuses and arrive in Barcelona, Estación de Autobuses de Sants.
  • Flights from Madrid to Barcelona most often leave from Madrid Barajas Airport and arrive in Barcelona El Prat Airport.
  • Trains mostly depart from Madrid-Puerta de Atocha-Almudena Grandes and arrive in Barcelona Sants.

Omio works with many trusted partners that can help you travel the best way from Madrid to Barcelona:

  • You can travel from Madrid to Barcelona by coach with Alsa or FlixBus. You can find cheap tickets on Omio for €15 with Alsa from Madrid to Barcelona.
  • You can take a flight from Madrid to Barcelona with Iberia, Vueling Airlines, Air Europa or Royal Air Maroc. Cheap tickets can be found for €26 with Iberia from Madrid to Barcelona.
  • You can travel by train from Madrid to Barcelona with Ouigo, AVE, iryo, Renfe AVLO, Renfe Regional Exprés or Renfe Viajeros, and you can find Ouigo Madrid to Barcelona tickets for €22 on Omio.

Yes, there are direct services available from Madrid to Barcelona with the following travel companies:

  • 34 direct coaches per day with Alsa or FlixBus.
  • Direct flights with Vueling Airlines or Air Europa with 13 direct flights per day.
  • 34 direct trains per day with Ouigo, AVE, iryo, Renfe AVLO or Renfe Viajeros.

Direct services tend to save you time and add more convenience in getting you to Barcelona as you won't need to transfer at another stop in between, so it's worth paying attention to before booking your tickets to Barcelona from Madrid.

Many of our customers travelling from Madrid to Barcelona don't make Barcelona their final stop. Some of the destinations worth visiting after are Paris, Valencia, Seville or Zaragoza, either of which you could add to your Madrid and Barcelona trip itinerary. Check Omio for the best and cheapest ways to travel from Barcelona to any of these top destinations today!

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