How to travel from Madrid to Barcelona

Renfe is Spain’s national travel provider operating freight and passenger travel on Spain’s extensive railway network as well as international routes to neighboring France and Portugal. Renfe has a wide range of ticket types to fit your budget like the Basic, Elige and Premium tickets. Renfe also offers discount cards like the Renfe Gold Card and +Renfe Youth Card 50 for qualified travellers. You can use these savings offers and discount cards on Omio when booking your Madrid to Barcelona trip. Renfe has a vast fleet of travel with different levels of comfort, amenities and speed. The Renfe AVE travel run at high speed and serve long-distance routes, Alvia travel combine high-speed and normal speed travel serving domestic routes, Altaria serves domestic routes into southern Spain, Euromed offers domestic routes along the Mediterranean coast, Avant travel serve regional commuter routes and Trenhotel offers night travel routes.

Travel 312 miles (504 km) to Barcelona from Madrid comfortably with AVE, the high-speed travel from Spain’s national railway operator, Renfe. As an official travel partner of Renfe AVE, we show you all the AVE travel timetables and the best deals for the Madrid to Barcelona journey so you can spend more time enjoying your holiday. Simply check the AVE travel times and tickets for the journey, including the Promo, Promo + and Flexible tickets, and book cheap AVE tickets between Madrid and Barcelona. Renfe also offers discount cards that you can add when buying your tickets with Omio, such as the + Renfe Youth 50 Card and the Gold Card.

AVE travel connect the most important cities in the country in just a few hours and offer a multitude of timetables throughout the day for greater comfort and flexibility. The AVE is undoubtedly Renfe's most popular travel; with its high speed of up to 192 mph (310 kmh) on select routes, AVE is one of the fastest travel in the entire world. All AVE travel have a restaurant, WC, WiFi and entertainment on board.

Renfe Avlo is a Spanish low-cost high-speed rail service that operates the routes between the cities of Madrid, Zaragoza, Barcelona, and Valencia by the national rail company Renfe. Avlo trains travel at speeds of up to 186 mph (300 km/h). All Avlo tickets are in Economy or "Básica" Class with assigned seats and include onboard services like free wifi, onboard-entertainment (via the PlayRenfe app or network), power sockets and vending machines. Child tickets available from 0 to 13 years old then 14 or over counts as an adult ticket. You can upgrade your ticket to bring extra luggage onboard on top of your included backpack and 55x35x25 cm hand luggage with no weight limit. Cheap Avlo tickets start from 7 Euros and are a great option for travelling from Madrid to Barcelona by train.

Iryo is a new brand from railway operator ILSA operating in Spain since 2022. Iryo uses Frecciarossa 1000 trains which are modern, can travel at up to 360km/h and have a minimal environmental impact. Iryo’s Frecciarossa trains have different classes, all of which come with free unlimited WiFi, power sockets, toilets and an onboard entertainment portal where you can watch films and TV series. The main classes are: Infinita Class, Singular Café Class, Singular Class, Inicial Class. These new trains take 2 hours and 30 minutes to travel between Madrid and Barcelona. They depart from Madrid Atocha and Barcelona Sants stations, and stop in Zaragoza along the way. Iryo services also cover Madrid, Cuenca, Valencia, Alicante, Córdoba, Seville and Málaga.

Renfe Regional Express is a regional train service operated by Renfe, the Spanish national railway company. It operates throughout Spain, with services running from early morning to late evening. Renfe Regional Expres offers a variety of train types, including the Media Distancia, and Larga Distancia. The Media Distancia and Larga Distancia are medium- and long-distance trains, respectively. Ticket types include in this type of train is just Turista. Onboard facilities include air conditioning, Wi-Fi, and power outlets. The most popular routes for Renfe Regional Expres are Madrid-Barcelona, Madrid-Valencia, and Madrid-Seville.

OUIGO is a low-cost train company based in France. It offers high-speed trains that run between major cities in France, as well as international destinations. The trains are divided into two types: TGV and Intercités. The TGV trains are the fastest, with speeds of up to 320 km/h, while the Intercités trains are slightly slower but still offer a comfortable journey. OUIGO offers a range of ticket types, including Standard, Flexi and Premium. Standard tickets are the most affordable, while Flexi and Premium tickets offer more flexibility and additional benefits such as priority boarding and access to the OUIGO Lounge. Onboard, passengers can enjoy free Wi-Fi, power sockets, and a selection of snacks and drinks. The most popular routes for OUIGO are Paris to Lyon, Paris to Marseille, and Paris to Lille.