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AVE Train vs Flights - Price Comparison
What is cheaper - the AVE train or taking an internal flight?

AVE Ticket Price: 71.70&#128; <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/XL&sdn=gospain&amp;zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jdoqocy.com%2Fclick-2239503-10412282">Buy Direct
Plane Ticket Price: 245&#128;

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AVE in Spain

Image: Mikelo (Creative Commons). Some Rights Reserved

On this page you will find a price comparison for the AVE high speed train service and internal flights in Spain. The AVE is often the quickest way to get around Spain (especially if you consider check-in times, baggage collection and the trouble of getting from the airport to the city associated with flying).

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.