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Madrid to Alacant / Alicante by train
How to take the rail journey from Madrid to Alicante
Due to construction work at Atocha station, most of the trains between Madrid and Alacant/Alicante are currently departing from and arriving at Chamartín-Clara Campoamor station.
The AVE trains at 06:30 on Monday to Saturday and 14:25 daily are still departing from Atocha.
There have been other recent major changes to journeys by train from Madrid to Valencia.
Travellers can now choose between four high speed train services:
- the standard AVE services
- iryo services which aim to offer a similar service level to the AVE services at a competitive price - from June 2023
- two more basic services; the avlo and Ouigo trains.
The core concept for the avlo and Ouigo services is that they offer fewer on board facilities (no bar car, no 1st class seating, no on board entertainment) and have less generous luggage allowances (see below), but have generally cheaper ticket prices than the AVE trains.
Compare the prices per departure carefully on your travel dates, all four services, AVE, avlo, iryo and Ouigo are available on Trainline.
Aside from price, a key difference between the services is the luggage allowances:
AVE and iryo travellers can board with:
Up to 3 pieces of hand luggage onto the train, provided that the sum of the three does not exceed 25 kg or 290 cm.
The maximum dimensions allowed are 85x55x35 cm
avlo travellers can board at no extra charge with:
1 piece of hand luggage (bag, rucksack, etc.) subject to the following size limitations: 36x27x25 cm.
AND
1 suitcase, subject to the following size limitations: 55x35x25 cm.
Ouigo travellers can board at no extra charge with the choice of:
2 pieces of hand luggage not exceeding 36 x 27 x 15 cm (height x width x depth)
OR
1 Hand baggage not exceeding 36 x 27 x 15 cm (height x width x depth) + 1 Cabin baggage not exceeding 55 x 35 x 25 cm (height x width x depth).
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Routes
Option 1: taking the AVE (and avlo) trains operated by Renfe
Journey Summary
2hr 20min - 2hr 55min
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Alacant or Orihuela
Most trains also call at: Albacete
Note that most of these* these trains have been switched to departing from Madrid-Chamartin instead of at [Madrid-Atocha]/train-travel-info/countries/spain/cities/madrid/rail-stations/madrid-atocha-puerta-de-atocha/).
So if you will be commencing a journey in Madrid city center, you will initially need to head north in order to join these trains, which will then travel south to Alacant/Alicante.
*= the trains which typically depart on Monday to Saturday at 06:30 and daily at 14:25 are still departing from Atocha station.
AVE departures:
Mon - Friday = 13 x trains per day
Saturday = 9 x trains
Sunday = 10 x trains
avlo departures:
3 x trains per day
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings usually open: up to 6 months ahead of the travel date - depending on the time of year.
The online booking window can be shorter between late July and early October.
When looking up journeys (not travelling) between late July and early October, it's likely you won't be able to book for journeys beyond the second Sunday in December.
Both the Renfe (Spanish national railways) online booking service and Trainline sell tickets for journeys by the avlo and AVE trains.
Trainline also sells tickets for the alternative Ouigo services, but if you want to see prices more than two weeks ahead for all three services; AVE, alvo and Ouigo, you MAY need to look up the journey on both renfe and the Trainline.
On this route, the AVE prices are set per departure according to demand; hence the lack of price info below.
If you want to take an AVE train, it can pay off to be as flexible as possible regarding departure and arrival times, because for these trains on this route it’s not unusual for a few departures to be available at much cheaper price, regardless of how far ahead you will be booking.
The limited numbers of tickets released for sale at very cheapest prices also inevitably sell out, so if possible book more than a couple of months ahead and you’ll be more likely to find them available.
Though from the moment the tickets are placed on sale, some departures will be cheaper than others.
Though the non-stop (2hr 30mins) AVE trains tend to be more expensive than other departures, regardless of the time of day.
Prémium tickets are only available for journeys by the AVE trains.
Difference in core ticketing terms between AVE and avlo services.
Child tickets:
avlo = children aged 13 and under travel for a flat rate of €5, maximum of 2 children per fare paying Adult.
AVE = children aged 5 -13 and under are entitled to a 40% discount.
If you want to place a child aged four and under in its own seat, they will also have a 40% discount on the ticket price, but if you'll be happy to travel with the child on their lap, then there is no charge.
Amending booked tickets:
avlo = pay an additional €8 when making the initial booking and you can then make one change to an alternative choice of departure.
AVE = only possible when booking the more expensive 'Elige' or Prémium tickets
Seat Reservations:
Seats will automatically be assigned when booking tickets for this journey by AVE and avlo services.
Rail Pass Users:
Rail pass users will need to pay reservation fees prior to boarding the AVE, though on this route, with its fairly frequent departures, you may as well book these reservations at the station when you arrive in Spain.
They are also 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.
Rail passes can't be used on the avlo or Ouigo services.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Renfe | * | |
| Trainline | * |
On this journey
Journey Features
Good to Know
Taking the alternative avlo services
SMTJ has yet to travel by the alternative avlo services, this is the info page for these services on the renfe website.
They are scheduled to depart from Madrid Atocha daily at 06:15; 12:40 and 18:40.
The 06:20 and 18:00 departures are non-stop to Barcelona and have a journey time of 2hr 30mins and the 19:30 departure is the slowest avlo service with a journey time of 3hr 17min; it also continues beyond Barcelona to call at Girona and Figueres.
The core differences between avlo and AVE services, aside from avlo not conveying 1st/Preferente/Comfort class are:
- Catering: AVE trains = bar/bistro conter; avlo trains = vending machines
- On board entertainment = both AVE and avlo trains have free Wi-fi, but AVE trains also have screens on which films/movies are shown.
Luggage allowance on AVE trains = Up to 3 pieces of hand luggage onto the train, provided that the sum of the three does not exceed 25 kg or 290 cm.
The maximum dimensions allowed are 85x55x35 cm
Though additional allowances cannot be purchased.
Luggage allowance on avlo trains = 1 piece of hand luggage (bag, rucksack, etc.) subject to the following size limitations: 36x27x25 cm and 1 suitcase, subject to the following size limitations: 55x35x25 cm.
1 piece of additional, larger-sized luggage, measuring a maximum of 85x60x35 cm (or no more than 180 cm in total) can be be paid for as an added allowance, but the price for doing ranges from €10 if added when booking to €30 at the station just prior to boarding.
The dimensions of the luggage will be measured at the station, so if your bag exceeds the free allowance size, you will then have to pay €30 to take it on board.
Another core difference is boarding time, SMTJ suggests being at the station a least 20 mins before boarding and AVE train, because having once been towards the back of a long queue for the security check procedures, this scenario is best avoided.
However, for the avlo services, the specific recommendation from renfe is to be at the station a minimum of 30 minutes before departure.
Apart from the station calls the entire journey is on the high-speed line, with the train travelling at around 300 km/h for most of the journey
Option 2: taking the Ouigo trains
Journey Summary
2hr 20min
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Alacant
The French national rail operator, SNCF has for some years been operating double-decked high speed trains branded 'Ouigo' as a lower-cost, more basic alternative to regular high speed TGV services in France..
It is now also operating these Ouigo services on the Madrid to Alacant/Alicante
These Ouigo services are an alternative to the two services operated on this route by Renfe, the Spanish national rail operator; the regular AVE services and the more basic (and therefore similar to Ouigo) avlo services.
The core idea is that the Ouigo (and avlo) services are more basic, but cheaper than the regular AVE services.
Though the Ouigo services are typically the cheapest option, if you book ahead you can find prices on some departures from €15.
Departing from Madrid:
Note that due to the rebuilding work at Atocha station, these trains depart from Chamartin station which is adding around 10mins to the journey time.
2 x trains per day
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings usually open: up to 6 months ahead of the travel date; depending on the time of year.
Ouigo Plus tickets cost extra but live up to their name with XL seats available, the ability to choose a seat; and to board with a large item of luggage at no additional charge.
Summary of ticket term differences
Child tickets:
Ouigo = children aged 4 -13 pay a flat rate of €4.
avlo = children aged 13 and under travel for a flat rate of €5, maximum of 2 children per fare paying Adult.
AVE = children aged 5 -13 and under are entitled to a 40% discount.
If you want to place a child aged four and under in its own seat, they will also have a 40% discount on the ticket price, but if you'll be happy to travel with the child on their lap, then there is no charge.
Amending booked tickets:
Ouigo =with standard tickets bookings can be amended for a flat rate of €30, but if you book Flex tickets there will be no flat rate charge, but you will have to pay the price difference (if any) on the new departure you choose.
avlo = pay an additional €8 when making the initial booking and you can then make one change to an alternative choice of departure.
AVE = only possible when booking the more expensive 'Elige' or Prémium tickets
Rail Pass Users:
Eurail and InterRail passes cannot be used on Ouigo services, but if you want to add Madrid to an itinerary and will be travelling with the flexible type of pass, taking the Ouigo can be worth considering, particularly if you can find tickets for under €20.
You can then use a day's travel on the flexible pass on a route when no low-cost train services are available.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Trainline | * | |
| Ouigo | * |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
These trains take the same route as the AVE trains
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