How to take a rail journey from Madrid to Barcelona

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

Final Destination: Barcelona Sants or Figueres Villifant or Marseille

A mix of trains are used on this route, the faster trains including the non-stop services, are normally provided by the AVE (103) trains, but AVE (102/112) trains are are also used, particularly on the slower services.

The journey times

Look out for the journey times when looking up the AVE trains on this route.

• The departures with a journey time of around 2hr 30mins are non-stop from Madrid to Barcelona*
• Those with a journey time of 2hr 45min make one or two intermediate station calls including Zaragoza,
• Those with a time of around 3hr 15mins make up to three additional station calls.
  *= there are no non-stop AVE trains on Saturdays

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 both Trainline and Trenese sell tickets for journeys by the avlo and AVE trains.
Trainline and Trenes also sell tickets for the alternative Ouigo services.

Seats will automatically be assigned when booking tickets for this journey by AVE and avlo services.

Difference in core ticketing terms between AVE and avlo services.

Refunds

• AVE trains: Basico tickets = no refund if you cancel your trip
• AVE trains: Elige tickets = if you cancel your trip you will receive 70% of the price paid
• AVE trains: Premier tickets = if you cancel your trip you will receive 95% of the price paid
• avlo trains = no refund if you cancel your trip

Exchanges

• AVE trains: Basico tickets = no transfer available to a different departure, unless you pay from €12 to €30 for additional flexibility
• AVE trains: Elige tickets = pay 20% of the cost of the replacement ticket for the alternative train; but, adding the flexibility to amend your ticket to an entirely different departure at no extra charge costs €20
• AVE trains: Premier tickets = no charge for transfer to a different departure
• avlo trains = no transfer available to a different departure, unless you pay an additional €8 when making the initial booking
• Ouigo trains: Essenical + Plus tickets = can be amended for a flat rate of €7
• Ouigo trains: Full tickets = no charge for transfer to a different departure

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 char

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.

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.

Spanish national rail operator RENFE does not sell rail pass reservations online, but reservations for journeys on the AVE are now available by using the Eurail reservation service or the InterRail reservation service.

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.

Though if you're determined to avoid any additional fees when using your rail pass, you can take the Regional-Express train from Madrid to Barcelona, see the info below.
Rail passes can't be used on the avlo, iryo, or Ouigo services.

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

Final Destination: Barcelona Sants

Look out for the journey times when looking up this route.
The departures with a journey time of around 2hr 30mins are non-stop from Madrid to Barcelona, those with a journey time of 2hr 45min make one intermediate station call in Zaragoza.

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings usually open: up to 6 months ahead of the travel date

Seat reservations are included with all ticket bookings.

Both the iryo online booking service and the ticket booking services Trainline and Trenes sell tickets for journeys by the iryo trains - but Trainline and Trenes also sells tickets for the alternative AVE, avlo and Ouigo services, though the periods of time ahead of the travel date, on which all four services can be compared, can vary.

In common with the ticket pricing policy for most European high speed rail journeys, limited numbers of tickets will be available at each price, as each quota of tickets available at the cheaper price sell out, they are replaced with tickets at more expensive prices.

Similarly to how the tickets which Renfe makes available for its AVE services are sold, the terms of using the tickets to travel on iryo services, differ according to the class which you will be travelling by.

Incial Flexible

• want to cancel your booking more than 7 days before the journey = receive a refund of 80% of the price you paid
• want to cancel your booking less than 7 days before the journey = receive a refund of 70% of the price you paid
• subsequently want to travel by an alternative departure on your chosen travel date and arrange this a minimum of 24hrs in advance = pay the difference in price if the new departure you want to travel by is more expensive
• subsequently want to travel by another departure on a different travel date and arrange this a minimum of 24hrs in advance = pay the difference in price if the new departure you want to travel by is more expensive + 15% of the price you originally paid
• miss the train you are booked on to and want to travel on a different iryo departure = you will have to re-book an entirely new ticket.

Singular Cafe Flexible and Singular Flexible tickets

• want to cancel your booking more than 7 days before the journey = receive a refund of 85% of the price you paid
• want to cancel your booking less than 7 days before the journey = receive a refund of 75% of the price you paid
• subsequently want to travel by an alternative departure on your chosen travel date and arrange this a minimum of 24hrs in advance = no charge
• subsequently want to travel by another departure on a different travel date and arrange this a minimum of 24hrs in advance = pay the difference in price if the new departure you want to travel by is more expensive (avoid this when travelling Singular Cafe by booking Abierta tickets)
• miss the train you are booked on to and want to travel on a different iryo departure within 2 hours* = €30 for a replacement ticket
  *= the gaps between iryo departures can be longer than 2 hours

Infinita Flexible

• complimentary meal from the Bistro Menu = included
• want to cancel your booking more than 7 days before the journey = receive a refund of 95% of the price you paid
• want to cancel your booking less than 7 days before the journey = receive a refund of 90% of the price you paid
• subsequently want to travel by an alternative departure on your chosen travel date and arrange this a minimum of 24hrs in advance = no charge
• subsequently want to travel by another departure on a different travel date and arrange this a minimum of 24hrs in advance = pay the difference in price if the new departure you want to travel by is more expensive (avoid this by booking Abierta tickets)
• miss the train you are booked on to and want to travel on a different iryo departure within 2 hours* = €10 for a replacement ticket
  *= the gaps between iryo departures can be longer than 2 hours

Infinita Abierta

• complimentary meal from the Bistro Menu = option to pay extra for this
• want to cancel your booking more than 7 days before the journey = receive a refund of 100% of the price you paid
• want to cancel your booking less than 7 days before the journey = receive a refund of 95% of the price you paid
• subsequently want to travel by an alternative departure on your chosen travel date = no charge
• subsequently want to travel by another departure on a different travel date = no charge
• miss the train you are booked on to and want to travel on a different iryo departure within 2 hours* = no charge
  *= the gaps between iryo departures can be longer than 2 hours

Singular Cafe Abierta

• want to cancel your booking more than 7 days before the journey = receive a refund of 90% of the price you paid
• want to cancel your booking less than 7 days before the journey = receive a refund of 95% of the price you paid
• subsequently want to travel by an alternative departure on your chosen travel date = no charge
• subsequently want to travel by a another departure on a different travel date = no charge
• miss the train you are booked on to and want to travel on a different iryo departure within 2 hours* = no charge
  *= the gaps between iryo departures can be longer than 2 hours

Note that a core difference between Flexible and Abierta tickets is that the Abierta tickets can be exchanged to travel on a different date, without the difference in cost between the original booking and the price to travel by the alternative train, having to be paid.
So with Abierta tickets you have the peace of mind of knowing that you can travel on a different date to that which you originally selected, without having to pay more money, despite the likelihood that the price, of what is in effect your replacement ticket, having risen since the time of your original booking.

Making a booking

When looking up a journey on the iryo website only the prices per departure of Incial Flexible, Singular Flexible and Infinita Flexible tickets will be shown.
When more than one person will be travelling together, the price shown will be the price per ticket and not the total price for the entire party.
If you want to travel in Infinita Class with the additional benefits of an Abierta ticket, you can add it to the booking of Infinita Flexible tickets as an upgrade.
Though two options for the Infinita Abierta tickets will be available, because you can opt to pay less and then not have access to the complimentary Bistro menu,

If you want to travel in the Singular Cafe class, what isn't particularly obvious is that you can only do so by opting to upgrade Incial Flexible or Singular Flexible tickets.
To book a Singular Cafe Abierta ticket you can upgrade a Singular Flexible ticket.
To book a Singular Cafe Flexible ticket you can upgrade an Incial Flexible ticket.

Child tickets

An unconventional aspect of iryo's ticketing is that it doesn't offer dedicated rates for child tickets, when travelling with children.
Those aged 0-3 don't require a ticket if they travel on an adult's lap, but they will need a ticket if they are placed in a seat.
Children aged 4-13 travel at the 'standard' rate = the same price as Adult tickets.

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 Barcelona route:
The five daily departures are scheduled to depart Madrid Atocha at 07:05*; 10:05, 14:10; 17:25* and 21:00, the departures marked with an* are non-stop to Madrid and the other departures make one intermediate station call in Zaragoza.

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:

You need to be at Madrid-Atocha a minimum of 30 mins before departure, in order to allow time to pass through both the Ouigo traveller checks and the security checks.

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings usually open: up to 6 months ahead of the travel date; depending on the time of year.

Seats will automatically be assigned when booking tickets.

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

Refunds:

• avlo trains = no refund if you cancel your trip
• Ouigo trains: Essenical + Plus tickets = no refund if you cancel your trip
• Ouigo trains: Full tickets = opt to either receive 80% of the price paid, or the equivalent of 100% if you opt for travel vouchers.

Exchanges:

• avlo trains = no transfer available to a different departure, unless you pay an additional €8 when making the initial booking
• Ouigo trains: Essenical + Plus tickets = can be amended for a flat rate of €7
• Ouigo trains: Full tickets = no charge for transfer to a different departure

Child tickets:
Ouigo = children aged 4 -13 pay a flat rate of €7.
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.

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.

The national rail operator, Renfe, has launched these avlo services to provide a lower cost, but more basic alternative to its AVE trains.
This is the info page for these avlo services on the renfe website.

These Avlo services are scheduled to depart from Madrid Atocha daily at 06:20; 10:30; 18:00 and 19:30.
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.

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 the ticketing services Trainline and Trenes sell tickets for journeys by the avlo and AVE trains.
Trainline and Trenes 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.

Seats will automatically be assigned when booking tickets for this journey by AVE and avlo services.

Difference in core ticketing terms between AVE and avlo services.

Refunds

• AVE trains: Basico tickets = no refund if you cancel your trip
• AVE trains: Elige tickets = if you cancel your trip you will receive 70% of the price paid
• AVE trains: Premier tickets = if you cancel your trip you will receive 95% of the price paid
• avlo trains = no refund if you cancel your trip

Exchanges

• AVE trains: Basico tickets = no transfer available to a different departure, unless you pay from €12 to €30 for additional flexibility
• AVE trains: Elige tickets = pay 20% of the cost of the replacement ticket for the alternative train; but, adding the flexibility to amend your ticket to an entirely different departure at no extra charge costs €20
• AVE trains: Premier tickets = no charge for transfer to a different departure
• avlo trains = no transfer available to a different departure, unless you pay an additional €8 when making the initial booking
• Ouigo trains: Essenical + Plus tickets = can be amended for a flat rate of €7
• Ouigo trains: Full tickets = no charge for transfer to a different departure

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.

This train is scheduled to depart from Madrid-Charmartin at 07:15 on Mon-Fri only.

This train is second class/Turista class only.

Note that this train departs from Chamartin station in Madrid and NOT from Atocha station - which is where the AVE trains to Barcelona to depart from.

Final Destination: Barcelona Franca

This train also calls at: Barcelona Passeig Di Gracia

If you'll be heading to central Barcelona, don't leave this train at Barcelona Sants station, remain on the train until it arrives at the next station Passeig Di Gracia.

Book early and save: No

Rail Pass Users:

Reservations aren't available on this Regional Express train, so if you're travelling on a budget and won't mind spending all day on a train, then it's possible to to travel from Madrid to Barcelona  without paying any additional fees -  if you'll be travelling with a valid Eurail or InterRail pass.

If you have a 2nd class pass you'll save €10 and if you have a 1st class pass you'll save €23.50; though as this train is 2nd class only, there's quite a contrast between travelling on this train and in Preferente/1st class on the AVE trains.