Barcelona to León by train

How to take the rail journey from Barcelona to Leon

Look up a rail journey from Barcelona to Leon and nearly all the journey options will involve traveling via Madrid and making a transfer between Atoch and Chamartin stations in the Spanish capital; particularly now that the high speed line is now fully open between Madrid and Leon.

However, there is a daily direct train available, which avoids the needs to make a connection across Madrid; and it tends to be cheaper too.

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Routes

From Barcelona Sants to Leon

Journey Summary

Travel Time
7hr 59min
Frequency
Daily
Travel Information

This train to Leon, which is usually scheduled to depart from Barcelona Sants station at 09:30, travels on a high speed line as far as Zaragoza.

Final Destination: A Coruna OR Gijon

Departing from Barcelona:

Aim to be at Barcelona Sants a minimum of 20 mins before departure, in order to allow time to pass through the security checks.

At Barcelona Sants station these trains depart from the part of the station used by the high speed trains - vias (platforms/tracks) 1 - 6.
So when you're in the station follow the signs that are pointing the way to the ' Alta-Velocidad' trains.

1 x train per day

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: up to 2 months ahead

This train is usually scheduled to depart from Barcelona Sants station at 09:30, so target that departure time when looking up this journey.

This is a route where it pays off to book ahead, if you can book more than a month in advance it's possible to save more than €20.

This route is also a comparative bargain considering the length of the journey, if you book ahead you can usually find tickets for under €35.
Though as Renfe doesn't apply a 'tickets from' pricing policy, we're unable to provide prices below.

Rail Pass Users

The mandatory reservations for for rail passes are not available on the Eurail/Interrail reservation service for journeys within Spain.
The only option, other than booking them at a station in Spain, is to pre-reserve seats by calling Renfe phone sales: +34 91 232 03 20.

Pre-reserving a seat is possible up to 24 hours before a train's departure. You will receive a PNR code which you must use to pick up and pay for your reservation at a local station ticket office, making sure to show your Interrail Pass. You must collect your reservation within 72 hours. After this time the pre-reservation will expire.
Please note that a pre-reservation is not the same as a reservation. It only holds a seat for you for 72 hours.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
Trainline *

Trainline Guide

Renfe *

Renfe Guide

Renfe is the national rail operator in Spain and it has recently simplified the range of tickets it sells for express and regional train journeys in Spain.
Which is convenient as there are big savings to be made if you book ahead online.

Take the stress out of your journey Everything planned to your specification, so sit back and relax… Try Concierge
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