For this price comparison, I took the Madrid-Seville route, the oldest and most popular AVE route. Travel times by air and AVE between Madrid and Seville are roughly the same - the flight is one hour while the train takes two hours and thirty minutes, but when you add on check-in time, collecting your luggage and the other general time-wasting associated with flying, the times are quite comparable. See AVE v Train Travel Time Comparison The bus takes six hours to get from Madrid to Seville (but is much cheaper).
Booking flights well in advance will usually get you the cheapest price, but last minute tickets are much cheaper by AVE. The following price inquiries were all done on January 9, 2008. The airline used was Iberia.
As you will see, for travel in the next week, the AVE is cheaper. After that, flights are cheaper. Note that this is off-season. In the summer these prices will likely be much higher and even sold out. I will repeat this price comparison during the summer to see how the results differ.
Ticket Prices for Traveling Today
- AVE Ticket Price: 71.70€ Buy Direct
- Plane Ticket Price: 245€
Ticket Prices for Traveling Tomorrow
- AVE Ticket Price: 71.70€ Buy Direct
- Plane Ticket Price: 245€
Ticket Prices for Traveling Next Week
- AVE Ticket Price: 71.70€ Buy Direct
- Plane Ticket Price: 37€
Ticket Prices for Traveling in Two Weeks
- AVE Ticket Price: 71.70€ Buy Direct
- Plane Ticket Price: 37€
Ticket Prices for Next Month
- AVE Ticket Price: 71.70€ Buy Direct
- Plane Ticket Price: 37€
Ticket Prices for in Three Months
- AVE Ticket Price: Prices not available. AVE tickets cannot be booked more than 62 days in advance.
- Plane Ticket Price: 37€
