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Travel Information
Compare bus, train, and flight for Madrid to Barcelona
Omio recommends booking the train as it is the most popular option from Madrid to Barcelona among Omio's users. If you are prioritising price, take the bus, with an average ticket price of €38 For those with little time, consider booking a train, which has an average total journey time of 3h 33m. If you are seeking to minimise your carbon footprint, the train is your best option, with estimated CO2 emissions of 0.2 - 0.5kg. Average ticket prices depend on the travel mode: a bus costs an average of €38, while a flight costs an average of €192.
Distance: 504 km
Compare train with
Most popular Train | Bus | Flight | Driving |
|---|---|---|---|
€64 Average price | €38 Average price Cheapest | €192 Average price | €102 Average price (fuel + tolls) |
3h 33m Average total duration Fastest 3h 3m Onboard + 30m Additional time* | 9h 8m Average total duration 8h 38m Onboard + 30m Additional time* | 4h 20m Average total duration 2h 20m Onboard + 2h 0m Additional time* | 6h 22m Average total duration (door-to-door) |
0.2 - 0.5kg CO2 emissions Lowest | 0.5 - 1.3kg CO2 emissions | 1.5 - 3.0kg CO2 emissions | - CO2 emissions |
 Most popular train company |  Most popular bus company |  Most popular airline | Your own car or car rental |
Direct Options | Direct Options | Direct Options | Direct Options |
Additional time: Average total travel duration to departure point, security checks and transfers.
This is compared to other travel options from Madrid to Barcelona:
A bus is €26 less than a train for this route with tickets for a train from Madrid to Barcelona costing on average €64.
A bus is €154 less than a flight for this route with tickets for a flight from Madrid to Barcelona costing on average €192.
Other travel options to Barcelona take longer:
Flight takes on average 4h 20m.
Bus takes on average 9h 8m.
Travel optionsfrom Madrid to Barcelona
How to get from Madrid to Barcelona by train, bus or flight.
Our recommendation
The best way to travel from Madrid to Barcelona is by taking a train because it’s the best combination of price and speed.
062616:09 AM3h26Madrid-Puerta de Atocha-Almudena Grandes9:35 AMBarcelona Sants€911One-way0 transfers
Cheapest
- 062616:09 AM3h26Madrid-Puerta de Atocha-Almudena Grandes9:35 AMBarcelona Sants€911One-way0 transfers
Fastest
IB4279:35 PM1h15Madrid Barajas Airport10:50 PMBarcelona El Prat Airport€2061One-way0 transfers
Other options
064716:22 AM3h23Madrid-Puerta de Atocha-Almudena Grandes9:45 AMBarcelona Sants€991One-way0 transfers- 060717:22 AM3h02Madrid-Puerta de Atocha-Almudena Grandes10:24 AMBarcelona Sants€1001One-way0 transfers
- 065411:42 PM3h02Madrid-Puerta de Atocha-Almudena Grandes4:44 PMBarcelona Sants€1091One-way0 transfers
FlixBus · FlixBus · FlixBus11:35 PM23h35Madrid, Estación Sur de Autobuses11:10 PMBarcelona, Estación de Autobuses de Sants€1351One-way2 transfers- FlixBus · FlixBus11:59 PM28h36Madrid, Terminal de autobuses T4 (Aeropuerto de Madrid)4:35 AMBarcelona, Estación de Autobuses de Sants€1581One-way1 transfer
VY10138:35 PM1h20Madrid Barajas Airport9:55 PMBarcelona El Prat Airport€1301One-way0 transfers- IB59418:35 PM1h20Madrid Barajas Airport9:55 PMBarcelona El Prat Airport€1801One-way0 transfers
- UX77033:10 PM1h25Madrid Barajas Airport4:35 PMBarcelona El Prat Airport€1831One-way0 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.
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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.
This is compared to other travel options from Madrid to Barcelona:
A bus is €26 less than a train for this route with tickets for a train from Madrid to Barcelona costing on average €64.
A bus is €154 less than a flight for this route with tickets for a flight from Madrid to Barcelona costing on average €192.
Other travel options to Barcelona take longer:
Flight takes on average 4h 20m.
Bus takes on average 9h 8m.
- Around 43 buses per day.
- Around 41 flights per day.
- Around 40 trains per day.
However, we recommend checking specific travel dates for your route between Madrid and Barcelona as scheduled services by bus, train, and flight can vary by season or day of the week.
- Flights mostly depart 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.
- Buses mostly depart from Madrid, Terminal de autobuses T4 (Aeropuerto de Madrid) and arrive in Barcelona, Estación de Autobuses de Sants.
- Travel with Alsa, FlixBus, Alsa Supra to go to Barcelona by bus.
- Travel with Iberia, Vueling, Air Europa, Iberia Express, Royal Air Maroc, CitizenPlane, ITA, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa, Alba Star, Air Algerie, Swiss, BA Cityflyer, Lufthansa City Airlines, Air Baltic, Helvetic Airways, British Airways, Edelweiss Air to go to Barcelona by flight.
- Travel with iryo, AVE, SNCF OUIGO, Renfe AVLO to go to Barcelona by train.
- 41 direct buses per day with Alsa.
- 13 direct flights per day with Iberia, Vueling, Air Europa, Iberia Express, CitizenPlane.
- 40 direct trains per day with iryo, AVE, SNCF OUIGO, Renfe AVLO.
Travelling from Madrid to Barcelona: related information
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