Bus & Train Tickets in Spain

Buying bus and train tickets in Spain

On this page you will find details of how to book a bus or train ticket in Spain. If you plan on traveling around Spain and you don't plan on taking an internal flight you'll need some wheels! You could rent a car in Spain but if you'd prefer to leave the driving to someone else, you'll need a bus or a train.

Buying Bus and Tickets in Spain - Quick Start

You can get most train and bus tickets from one of the following two sites:

Spain Bus Tickets with Movelia.es | Spain Train Tickets with Rail Europe

But before you visit these sites, there a couple of things worth noting:

1. Many have reported problems with payment on Movelia.es. The best thing to do is to use Movelia to find which bus company you'll need and then book on the bus company's own site.
2. Rail Europe allows you to book trains from the main train company, Renfe, which runs most trains in Spain, but there are some exceptions, where you'll need to visit a different site:
   • Local services from most big cities are run by Cercanias Renfe.
   • Things get even more complicated in East Spain and North Spain where there are a number of private train companies. (again, mainly - but not exclusively - local services)

The train network is run by RENFE. RENFE's site is a mess and has been described as "like Alice in Wonderland, where nothing seems to be what it really is" by Trip Advisor. Rail Europe sells and delivers tickets to the United States and Canada. Residents of other countries should use this site to check prices but then buy their tickets in person.

See also International Bus and Train Tickets in Spain

Bus and Train Tickets in Spain - Which to Get?

Three things will dictate whether you take the bus or the train in Spain - how easy it is to get tickets, the price of the tickets and the length of the journey.

As you can see from the links above, buying bus tickets is very easy (and train tickets are easy too if you live in North America - otherwise you have to take a trip to the train station).

If time is of the essence, you should consider taking the AVE High Speed Trains in Spain. Especially useful is the Madrid to Seville route, which covers 500km in 2h30.
Buy AVE High-Speed Train Tickets

Spain's bus network reaches more of the country than the trains, but most of Spain's biggest cities are now well connected by both bus and train.

If you're starting from Madrid, Barcelona or Malaga, these links will help you decide whether to travel by bus or train.

• How to Get from City to City in Spain

Further Reading
Bus Travel vs Train Travel in Spain
Map of Train Routes in Spain

Rail Passes in Spain
If you plan on making a lot of journeys by train, a rail pass may be your best option. But do your research - these passes can work out more expensive than buying the tickets individually.

Find out about Eurail rail passes in Spain and the Eurail Youth rail passes.

Booking Your Bus & Train Tickets in Person

You can of course book your bus and train tickets directly from the bus and train stations. Most cities only have one bus station and one train station, but in the case of Madrid and Barcelona (and Seville too when it comes to buses) you'll need to know which station to go to.

• Bus & Train Stations in Madrid
• Bus & Train Stations in Barcelona
• Bus & Train Stations in Seville