City guide

Madrid by train

The hub of the whole Iberian network — and the one city where picking the right station matters.

The station: Madrid Puerta de Atocha

Madrid has two long-distance stations. Atocha serves the south, east and Barcelona; Chamartín serves the north and northwest. They are 25 minutes apart on Cercanías line C-1 — check your ticket twice.

Atocha or Chamartín?

This trips up more visitors than anything else in Spanish rail travel. Atocha handles the south, east and the Barcelona corridor: Seville, Málaga, Granada, Valencia, Barcelona, Toledo. Chamartín handles the north and north-west: Bilbao, San Sebastián, Santiago de Compostela, plus most Avril services. They sit 25 minutes apart on Cercanías line C-1, which is free with a long-distance ticket on the day of travel — but only if you notice in time.

Routes from Madrid

Madrid → Barcelona2 h 30 min – 3 h 10 min Madrid → Valencia1 h 50 min – 2 h 10 min Madrid → Lisbonno direct train Madrid → Zaragoza1 h 15 min – 1 h 30 min

Routes to Madrid

Lisbon → Madridno direct train Granada → Madrid3 h 05 min – 3 h 40 min Porto → Madridno direct train San Sebastian → Madrid5 h 10 min – 5 h 45 min Santiago de Compostela → Madrid3 h 10 min – 4 h Bilbao → Madrid4 h 50 min – 5 h 20 min

Plan the rest

Day trips from Madrid → eSIM for Spain →