Types of Trains in Northern Spain

Train travel gets a little complicated in northern Spain, where there is quite a number of different services, especially in Bilbao. The services below are in addition to the standard Spanish national rail network and the Cercanias local service. To make matters worse, Bilbao also has a metro system and a tram. Gulp.

See also:

• Bilbao Bus and Train Stations
• How to Get from City to City in Spain

RENFE National Rail

The main national rail network in Spain is called RENFE. The main services in northern Spain run to and from Madrid and Barcelona. Book RENFE train tickets here: Book Train Tickets in Spain (book direct)

Cercanias Renfe

The Cercanias lines are Spain's suburban railways. Northern Spain Cercanias lines can be found in Asturias, Bilbao, Santander and San Sebastian.

Tickets must be booked in person.

FEVE (Cross-Country Narrow Gauge Railway)

The FEVE network is a narrow gauge system which crosses the northern regions of Spain. They have different train stations to the Renfe stations and Spain rail passes don't work on them.

Read more about FEVE Narrow Gauge Trains in Spain.

Euskotren (Narrow Gauge Railway in Bilbao)

Euskotren runs a part of the narrow gauge railway formerly run by FEVE. It is mainly of interest to tourists as it takes passengers to Guernica and then on to the fishing village of Bermeo. You can go all the way to San Sebastian, but the route is very slow.

• Website: www.euskotren.es

Bilbao Metro

There is also a metro system in Bilbao, useful for shuttling around the city itself.

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