Madrid to Barcelona by train: AVE, iryo and OUIGO times and fares

By the TrainsNews international expert · Updated 5 November 2026

Madrid to Barcelona is Spain's busiest high-speed route, and three companies now share it: Renfe with its AVE, iryo and the low-cost OUIGO. On a normal Tuesday in January 2027 we counted 40 direct trains from Madrid, the fastest in 3 hours 2 minutes, with fares on sale from €19. Here is every train, fare, station and rule you need for both directions, checked on the operators' own websites on 5 November 2026.

November strikes: Renfe drivers strike on Tuesday 10 November (full day) and Thursday 12 November (partial stoppages), a general strike is called for Wednesday 11 November, and Adif staff plan a 24-hour strike on Tuesday 17 November. OUIGO's strikes on 6 and 9 November and 4 and 8 December were called off on 5 November. Details and sources in the disruptions section below.

Madrid to Barcelona by train at a glance

Which trains run between Madrid and Barcelona?

The three companies share the same tracks and, on our test dates, the same two stations. They differ on price, comfort, luggage and flexibility.

Train counts and fares from renfe.com, iryo.eu and ouigo.com, checked on 5 November 2026 between 20:40 and 21:10 (Madrid time). Fares change all the time.

Renfe AVE: the most trains and the biggest luggage allowance

Renfe, the state operator, runs about half the trains on the route. Every Madrid–Barcelona service we found was an AVE; the 12:50 from Madrid is an "AVE INT" that carries on to Perpignan, Montpellier, Avignon and Marseille, and an AVE INT also leaves Sants at 12:50 for Madrid.

Renfe sells four fare families on each train. Conditions and prices shown for the 06:27 from Madrid on 8 December:

The jump from Básico to Elige was only €3.70 on that train. If there is any chance your plans will move, Elige is the sensible minimum, because a Básico ticket cannot be changed or refunded at all.

iryo: four fares and a choice of luggage

iryo ran 13 to 15 trains a day in each direction on our test dates. According to iryo, Inicial is "comfort at the best price"; Inicial Superior adds flexibility, with free changes of time on the same day; Infinita gives you XL seats; Infinita Bistró adds a meal served at your seat.

Luggage depends on the fare. Every iryo ticket includes a small bag (36 × 27 × 15 cm) and a cabin case (55 × 35 × 25 cm). A large case (80 × 55 × 35 cm) costs extra with Inicial Superior, must be reserved with Infinita, and is included with Infinita Bistró.

iryo posts one warning that matters on this route: because of the temporary speed restrictions set by Adif, the infrastructure manager, its trains may run late for reasons outside its control, and for tickets bought after 28 January 2026 its usual delay compensation policy does not apply.

OUIGO: the cheapest seats, with paid options

OUIGO, the low-cost operator, runs five trains a day in each direction, on double-deck trains. Tickets are sold only online. The basic Esencial fare includes a small bag and a cabin case of the same sizes as iryo; everything else is an option, priced as follows on OUIGO's Madrid–Barcelona page:

Book any extra case online: OUIGO says its crew charges €25 at boarding for luggage that was not added at least 30 minutes before departure. For €2, the "Tiempo para pensar" option holds the price of a booking for a set time while you decide.

What about Avlo?

Renfe's low-cost Avlo brand does not appear in Renfe's search results for Madrid–Barcelona on 8 December, 12 December or 12 January. Older articles quoting Avlo fares on this route are out of date.

Madrid to Barcelona timetable

We searched all three booking engines for Tuesday 8 December 2026, Saturday 12 December 2026 and Tuesday 12 January 2027. Keep in mind that 8 December is a national public holiday in Spain, so that Tuesday has a holiday timetable and holiday prices; 12 January shows an ordinary working day.

Direct trains only, as listed on renfe.com, iryo.eu and ouigo.com on 5 November 2026.

Every departure on Saturday 12 December

The fastest trains: non-stop in 3 hours 2 minutes

The fastest trains take 3 h 02 with all three operators; Renfe and OUIGO show them as running without a stop. On Tuesday 12 January, the non-stop AVEs leave Madrid at 06:57, 07:57, 14:57, 16:57 and 18:57, and Barcelona at 07:00, 08:25 and 17:25. iryo's 3 h 02 trips leave Madrid at 07:52, 15:52 and 16:47 and Barcelona at 07:05, 14:14 and 19:40. OUIGO's quickest that day were the 06:40 from Madrid (3 h 05) and the 13:24 from Barcelona (3 h 02); in December, its non-stop 13:42 and 16:22 from Madrid take 3 h 02.

Most other trains stop once or twice and take 3 h 15 to 3 h 30. The slowest are the "all stations" AVEs, such as the 07:27 from Madrid (Guadalajara-Yebes, Zaragoza, Lleida, Camp de Tarragona, 3 h 44) or the 05:50 from Barcelona (Camp de Tarragona, Lleida, Zaragoza, Calatayud, Guadalajara-Yebes, 3 h 50). If speed matters, check the journey time next to each departure before you pay: two trains half an hour apart can differ by 45 minutes.

A different timetable in January

The January searches show a timetable that differs from early December. OUIGO moves all five of its trains: from Madrid they leave at 06:40, 08:49, 10:32, 15:20 and 19:23, and from Barcelona at 06:25, 10:36, 13:24, 15:47 and 19:30. Renfe adds non-stop departures from Madrid at 06:57 and 07:57, and some journey times shrink slightly: the 06:27 from Madrid is timed at 3 h 23 in January against 3 h 29 in December, and iryo's 06:09 at 3 h 16 against 3 h 26. If you booked early for a January date, check your train time again before you travel.

Train fares from Madrid to Barcelona

All three companies use dynamic pricing. Lowest and highest one-way adult fares across each day's trains, as shown on 5 November 2026:

Renfe and iryo fares are the "from" price shown for each train; OUIGO's are its basic fare. Checked on renfe.com, iryo.eu and ouigo.com on 5 November 2026, 20:40 to 21:10 Madrid time.

The holiday Tuesday was by far the dearest day, especially in the afternoon: Renfe's 17:27 from Madrid cost €99.60 and OUIGO's 16:22 €99, against €49.80 and €29 for the same trains on Saturday 12 December. Booking two months ahead pays: on 12 January most trains sat between €19 and €37.

The fare calendars tell the same story. Renfe's lowest December fare from Madrid was €32 on most days up to 12 December, €38 on many days after that and €50 on Saturday 19 December. OUIGO's calendar showed €19 from Madrid on 12, 13, 18, 19, 22 and 27 January and €22 on most other January days. OUIGO advertises Madrid–Barcelona "from €9", but we did not see that price on any date we looked at.

Children, young people and over-60s

On Renfe AVE trains, children under 14 get 40% off any available fare with their own ticket and seat, and children aged 0 to 3 travel free if they do not take a seat, with a free child ticket. Under-14s must travel with an adult or use Renfe's unaccompanied minors service.

With iryo, babies and children aged 0 to 3 travel free on an adult's lap, with a free ticket; children aged 4 to 13 pay a reduced child fare, and 14 to 18-year-olds pay the standard fare. Under-14s must travel with an adult over 18, and iryo has no unaccompanied minors service. OUIGO advertises a flat children's fare of €7 on its Madrid–Barcelona page.

Renfe also sells two cards that work on the AVE. Más Renfe Joven, for 14 to 25-year-olds, costs €50 for a year and gives 30% off any available AVE and long-distance fare. The Tarjeta Dorada for over-60s costs €6 for one year (€12 for two, €15 for three), is sold at station ticket offices and travel agencies, and gives 25% off AVE fares. Holders of a European Youth Card, ISIC or IYTC get 5% off on AVE and long-distance trains. Renfe has separate offers for large families and for groups of four or more.

How to book Madrid to Barcelona train tickets

Book on each operator's own website or app: renfe.com, iryo.eu and ouigo.com/es. OUIGO tickets are sold only online. On 5 November, all three were already selling trains for January 2027, more than two months ahead, so there is no need to wait for a sales opening.

To pay less, compare all three operators for the hour you want, as the cheapest company changes from train to train; avoid public holiday afternoons; on OUIGO, add any extra case when you book, not at the gate; and if you are 14 to 25 or over 60 and travel often in Spain, check whether a Renfe card pays for itself.

Stations in Madrid and Barcelona

Madrid-Puerta de Atocha-Almudena Grandes

Every Madrid–Barcelona train we found, whatever the operator, uses Atocha, at Glorieta Emperador Carlos V in central Madrid. OUIGO gives the station's opening hours as 05:00 to 01:00 every day. Atocha is on Metro line 1 and on Cercanías commuter lines C1, C3, C4, C5, C7 and C10, with city buses outside (lines 10, 19, 24, 47, 55, 57, 85 and 102, according to OUIGO).

Madrid Chamartín-Clara Campoamor

Madrid's northern station does not appear in any Barcelona timetable we checked, so do not go there for these trains. If you are staying near Chamartín, Cercanías lines C1, C3, C4, C7 and C10 serve both Chamartín and Atocha. Chamartín itself opens from 04:30 to 00:30 and is on Metro lines 1 and 10.

Barcelona-Sants

Sants, at Plaça dels Països Catalans, is Barcelona's main station. Adif opens it from 04:30 to 00:30 on weekdays and from 05:00 to 00:30 at weekends and on public holidays. It is on Metro lines L3 (Zona Universitària–Trinitat Nova) and L5 (Cornellà Centre–Vall d'Hebron) and on several Rodalies commuter lines, including the R2 Nord to the airport. OUIGO lists left-luggage lockers open daily from 05:30 to 23:00.

The stations in between

Depending on the train, you may stop at Guadalajara-Yebes, Calatayud, Zaragoza Delicias, Lleida Pirineus and Camp de Tarragona. Zaragoza is the most common stop: every Renfe train we looked at that was not non-stop called there. Some AVEs continue north of Barcelona to Girona and Figueres-Vilafant, and some arrive in Barcelona from there.

Before you board

There is an access check before the high-speed platforms. OUIGO asks passengers to arrive 30 minutes before departure, a good rule with any operator.

On board: seats, food, pets and accessibility

Renfe's Elige Confort and Prémium fares give you a wider Confort seat, and Prémium adds lounge access and food served at your seat. iryo's Infinita fares come with XL seats, and Infinita Bistró with a meal at your seat. On OUIGO's double-deck trains you can pay for an XL seat, use the OUIBAR and stream films and series on OUIFUN.

Pets are allowed on all three, with different rules. Renfe takes small pets up to 10 kg in a carrier no larger than 60 × 35 × 35 cm, one per passenger, for €10 (free with a Prémium ticket). It also accepts dogs up to 40 kg without a carrier for €40 on AVE trains, with an Elige Estándar ticket only: the dog travels on the window seat next to you in a designated pet-friendly coach, with a maximum of two large dogs per train. iryo accepts one dog, cat or ferret per passenger in a carrier up to 60 × 35 × 35 cm and 10 kg, microchipped and with up-to-date health records, for a fee booked in advance. OUIGO charges €10 for a pet up to 10 kg.

For passengers with reduced mobility, Renfe flagged a wheelchair space ("Plaza H") as available on every Madrid–Barcelona train in our search for 8 December, and iryo's search form has a dedicated "Plaza H" option.

Train, plane, car or coach?

Spain's Ministry of Transport said in November 2025 that rail holds an 85% share on the Madrid–Barcelona connection, and the numbers above explain why: some 40 trains a day, from city centre to city centre, with no airport transfer on either side.

We have not found an official source comparing journey times door to door, carbon emissions or coach and car costs for this exact trip, so we do not give figures here. Our view: unless you need a car at the other end, the train is the simplest option, and with fares from €19 to about €40 when booked early, it is also competitive on price.

Our expert's view: why the trip now takes three hours

The Madrid–Zaragoza–Barcelona line was designed for 350 km/h, but trains run at up to 300 km/h, according to the Ministry of Transport. OUIGO's route page still describes the trip as taking about 2 h 30, the time of the fastest trains before 2026. Since early 2026, Adif, the infrastructure manager, has imposed temporary speed restrictions at various points of the line; iryo's notice to passengers is dated 28 January 2026. The practical result is in our timetables: the best time is now 3 h 02, and the all-stations AVEs take almost four hours.

The line is equipped with ERTMS, the European train control system, which displays the permitted speed in the driver's cab and brakes the train automatically if it is exceeded. A temporary speed restriction is entered into that system as a lower speed limit over a section of track, so the train obeys it exactly. The limits are not a signalling problem: they protect sections of track that need work, which is why the ministry's answer is a full renewal of the line.

That renewal is coming. In November 2025, the Ministry of Transport announced plans to bring the line up to its original 350 km/h design speed, with a target of under two hours between Madrid and Barcelona. The plan includes Aerotraviesa, an aerodynamic sleeper design meant to stop ballast from flying up at high speed (see our report on Adif's €117m sleeper tender), a new eastern and southern access to Madrid Chamartín as an alternative to the Atocha tunnel, new high-speed stations at Parla and at El Prat airport, and a direct Lleida–Barcelona link that would bypass Camp de Tarragona and reach the future La Sagrera station. The ministry gave no completion date, and said the work would start after the Madrid–Seville renewal.

Until then, expect a line that runs normally but slowly, with timetables that keep changing. The Urda collision of 28 October 2026 happened on the Madrid–Seville line, not on this route, but it has already prompted the Adif strike called for 17 November.

Strikes, works and where to check

Renfe, Tuesday 10 and Thursday 12 November 2026. The Semaf train drivers' union has called a full stoppage across the Renfe group on 10 November and partial stoppages during the day on 12 November (Semaf statement 2026-51, 29 October 2026). Renfe runs the AVE trains on this route. The Ministry of Transport sets minimum services before each strike; check your train on renfe.com the day before.

General strike, Wednesday 11 November 2026. UGT, CCOO, CGT, CNT and other organisations registered a general strike for 11 November with the Ministry of Labour (UGT, 19 October 2026). Its effect on trains had not been announced when we checked.

Adif, Tuesday 17 November 2026. CCOO announced a 24-hour strike at Adif on 17 November, with a rally the day before, agreed with all the unions on Adif's works council (CCOO, 3 November 2026). Adif manages the tracks, stations and signalling for every operator, so Renfe, iryo and OUIGO trains could all be affected.

OUIGO: strikes called off. Semaf had called OUIGO drivers out on 6 and 9 November and 4 and 8 December. On 5 November 2026 it announced an agreement with OUIGO's management and cancelled all four strike days (Semaf statement 2026-2, 5 November 2026).

Madrid–Andalusia line. After the Urda accident, OUIGO cancelled all its trains between Madrid and Andalusia up to and including 15 November, and iryo cancelled its services from Atocha to the south. Madrid–Barcelona trains were on sale as normal when we checked.

To check in real time, use the operators' websites and apps, the departure boards on adif.es, and our November 2026 train strike calendar, updated every morning.

Our take

For most travellers, the best Madrid–Barcelona ticket is a non-stop train booked a few weeks ahead: 3 h 02 for around €30 to €40 with any of the three companies. Choose OUIGO if you travel light and want the lowest price, iryo or Renfe Elige if you want flexibility, and Renfe if you carry a lot of luggage, since its basic fare includes three pieces. Avoid public holiday afternoons, check the journey time of each train, and keep an eye on the November strike days.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the train from Madrid to Barcelona?
3 h 02 on the non-stop trains, and usually 3 h 15 to 3 h 30 with stops (timetables checked on 5 November 2026).

How many trains a day run from Madrid to Barcelona?
40 direct trains on Tuesday 12 January 2027: 21 Renfe AVE, 14 iryo and 5 OUIGO. There were 32 on Saturday 12 December 2026.

What is the cheapest train from Madrid to Barcelona?
OUIGO had the lowest fares we found, €19 one way on several January 2027 dates. Renfe and iryo started at about €31.

Is the Barcelona to Madrid train the same price?
Broadly yes: the same three operators, similar fare ranges and 34 to 40 direct trains a day on our test dates, from 05:45 to just after 20:00.

Which station do Madrid–Barcelona trains leave from?
Madrid-Puerta de Atocha-Almudena Grandes for every train we found, arriving at Barcelona-Sants. None used Chamartín.

What time is the first train from Madrid to Barcelona?
On weekdays, iryo's 06:09, followed by OUIGO's 06:22 in December (06:40 in January) and Renfe's 06:27.

What time is the last train?
Renfe's 20:30 from Madrid on weekdays, arriving at 23:47. From Barcelona, iryo's 20:28 on 8 December, and Renfe's 20:00 on our other dates.

How much luggage can I take?
Renfe includes up to three pieces (25 kg in total). iryo and OUIGO include a small bag and a 55 × 35 × 25 cm cabin case; larger cases cost extra or depend on the fare.

Are there train strikes in November 2026?
Renfe drivers strike on 10 and 12 November, a general strike is called for 11 November and Adif staff plan to strike on 17 November. OUIGO's strikes were called off.

Read also

Madrid to Seville by train · Paris to Barcelona by train · Direct trains from Madrid · Direct trains from Barcelona · Madrid–Barcelone en train (FR) · All our train travel guides

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Sources: Renfe, ticket search Madrid ↔ Barcelona for 8 and 12 December 2026 and 12 January 2027, fares, fare families and stops; Renfe, children's discounts; Renfe, Más Renfe Joven and youth cards; Renfe, Tarjeta Dorada; Renfe, travelling with pets; iryo, Madrid–Barcelona page, fares and booking engine; iryo, notice on temporary speed restrictions; iryo, luggage policy; iryo, pets; iryo, children on board; OUIGO, Madrid–Barcelona page, options and prices; OUIGO, our product and FAQ; OUIGO, booking engine and service notice; OUIGO, Madrid-Puerta de Atocha station; OUIGO, Madrid Chamartín station; OUIGO, Barcelona-Sants station; Adif, Barcelona Sants station; La Moncloa, Ministry of Transport, plan for the Madrid–Barcelona line (17 November 2025); Semaf, strikes on 10 and 12 November at Renfe (29 October 2026); Semaf, OUIGO agreement and strikes called off (5 November 2026); UGT, general strike on 11 November (19 October 2026); CCOO, Adif strike on 17 November (3 November 2026). All pages read on 5 November 2026; times and fares checked in the booking engines between 20:40 and 21:10 (Madrid time) that day.

Photo: Renfe AVE Class 103 near the El Prat tunnel, Barcelona, 2 July 2009. Bonaventura Leris, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Written with AI assistance from the sources cited, reviewed by the TrainsNews editorial team. Real photo, credited below the image. Spotted an error? contact@trainsnews.com · Our AI policy