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Madrid to Bilbao by train
How to take the rail journey from Madrid to Bilbao
There's no hiding that Madrid and Bilbao are connected by a surprisingly sparse service of direct trains, with no viable connections by indirect trains available either.
And this situation hasn't improved now that the high speed line has opened between Valladolid and Burgos, and the consequent reduction in the journey time
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Routes
From Madrid Chamartin to Bilbao-Abando
Journey Summary
4hr 32min - 4hr 43min
Daily
Travel Information
These trains are usually scheduled to depart from Madrid-Chamartin at:
07:15 Monday to Saturday
17:38 not Saturdays
Final Destination: Bilbao
These trains also call at: Burgos
This journey has become faster (and hopefully more frequent too) when the high speed line is extended from Valladolid to Burgos, it's due to open in late in 2022.
Monday to Friday: 2 x trains per day
Saturday / Sunday: 1 x train per day
Tickets
7Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings 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.
This is a journey on which it can pay off to book in advance - you can usually save more than €30 if you can book more than around month ahead of your travel date.
Also book in advance if you want to travel on a specific train, on this route tickets for the most popular departures, can sell out completely a couple of days ahead.
These trains are usually scheduled to depart from Madrid-Chamartin at:
- 07:15 Mon to Sat
- 17:38 daily
Seat Reservations:
Seats will automatically be assigned when booking tickets for this journey.
Rail Pass Users:
Rail pass users will need to be pay a reservation fee prior to boarding, but these reservations cannot be booked on the ticket agent's websites.
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.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Trainline | * | |
| Renfe | * |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
On departure from Madrid, the trains heading to Bilbao are joined to other trains heading to Hendaia or San Sebastian.
You reserved seats will be in the part of the train heading to Bilbao.
The train will travel at more than 250 km/h for the first stage of the journey as far as Burgos; now that the high speed line has extended from Venta de Banos, a town to the north of Valladolid, to Burgos.
This is a journey, which in scenic terms, saves the best to last as the scenic highlights come either side of Miranda de Ebo; shortly before the train arrives there it will pass through a series of canyons and after departure from the right of the train, there are fabulous views as the train threads through the hills between Miranda de Ebro and Bilbao.
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