Related Content
Content
Madrid to Salamanca by train
Despite its comparative proximity to Madrid, there is a choice of train services available when heading to beautiful Salamanca
Travel from Madrid to Salamanca by train on the slower but more frequent MD services and you will save when booking tickets last minute at the station; or book ahead to save money on the trains which use the high speed line for part of the journey,
Share
Routes
Option 1; taking the high speed trains
Journey Summary
1hr 41min
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Salamanca
These Avant/Alvia trains are faster than the alternative MD trains; and if you are booking in advance online, they're usually cheaper too.
So if the departure and arrival times suit and you won't be buying tickets last minute at the station; they become the logical choice for Madrid to Salamanca train journeys.
Unlike the MD trains, they spend the first two thirds of the journey travelling on a high speed line.
3 x trains per day
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes - if you take these Alvia trains.
If you're booking no more than a couple of days ahead, the discounted 'Promo' tickets for these Alvia trains can still be cheaper than tickets for the alternative slower MD trains.
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.
Seat Reservations:
Seats will automatically be assigned when booking tickets for this journey.
Rail Pass Users:
Rail pass users can avoid the higher rail pass reservations fees payable on these Alvia trains, by targeting those slower for a journey from Madrid to Salamanca; though those MD trains still require a reservation.
The reservations 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 | * | |
| Renfe | * |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Option 2: taking the MD trains
Journey Summary
2hr 35min - 2hr 55min (approx)
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Salamanca
These trains also call at: Avila
These MD trains are more frequent than the alternative Alvia trains between Madrid and Salamanca.
However,
(1) they're slower because unlike those Alvia trains, they don't use the high speed line.
(2) and can be more expensive when buying tickets in advance,
so if their departure/arrival times suit, those Alvia trains can become the logical choice for this journey if you can book ahead.
Though if you will be buying tickets last minute at the station, or travelling with a rail pass, you can save money by taking these MD trains.
Mon Fri = 8 x trains per day
Saturday = 6 x trains
Sunday = 6 x trains
Tickets
Book early and save: No
Tickets aren't discounted for this journey, so you will pay the same price as the that charged online, if you book last minute at the station.
If you will be booking tickets last minute at the station, you'll save money by taking these trains.
Online bookings open: 2 months ahead of the travel date
However, in contrast to making the journey by these MD trains, tickets are discounted for those alternative, faster Alvia trains.
So if you're booking online just a couple of days ahead, you can usually save by taking the Alvia trains.
If you're new to booking tickets for train journeys in Spain, we recommend taking a look at our guide to Spanish train tickets - it should help you save time and money and confusion.
Seat Reservations:
Seats will automatically be assigned when booking tickets for a journey by these trains
Rail Pass Users:
Rail pass users can pay cheaper rail pass reservations fees by targeting these slower MD trains for a train journey from Madrid to Salamanca.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Trainline | * | |
| Renfe | * |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Note that most of these MD trains from Madrid to Salamanca depart from Principe-Pio station and not from Chamartin station.
This second version of ShowMeTheJourney is exciting and new, so we are genuinely thrilled that you are here and reading this, but we also need your help.
We’re striving not to let anything get in the way of providing the most useful service possible, hence a facility has been set up with DonorBox which can be used to support the running costs and make improvements.
Instead of advertising or paywalls, your financial support will make a positive difference to delivering an enhanced service, as there’s a lot of ideas which we want to make happen.
So if you have found the info provided here to be useful, please consider saying thank you.
See if there’s a unique journey guide for your trip, featuring info on the trains, tickets & stations.
This is one of more than 100 train travel guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.
