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Madrid to San Sebastian/Donostia by train
Travel from Madrid to San Sebastian by train on these faster Alvia services, which can also be cheaper if you book ahead
There's no hiding that Madrid and San Sebastian/Donastia are connected by a surprisingly sparse service of direct trains.
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Routes
Option 1: taking the Alvia trains
Journey Summary
4hr 55min (approx)
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Irun
These trains also call at: Burgos
On departure from Madrid, some of these Alvia trains heading to San Sebastian/Donostia are joined to other trains heading to Bilbao
You reserved seats will be in the part of the train heading to Donostia - San Sebastian.
Monday-Friday: 3 x trains per day
Saturday: 2 x trains
Sunday: 3 x trains
Tickets
Book 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 on 'Promo' tickets 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:
- 08:43 daily
- 14:50 not Saturdays
- 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.
Or if you're happy to put up with a longer journey or want to save, cheaper last minute reservations are more likely to still be available on the much slower alternative MD train.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Trainline | * | |
| Renfe | * |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
This is the year round daily option for a journey by train from Madrid to Paris.
- Taking the train, which typically departs from Madrid Chamartin at 08:43, beyond San Sebastian to its final station call at Irun, where it is usually due to arrive at 14:33.
- Making a transfer from the mainline station in Irun, to the station in the town used by the local Euskotren trains, which are similar to metro trains. The station is named Irun Colon and the walk will take around 7 to 12 mins; go straight ahead and on to the main road which will curve round and up to the right in order to bridge the railway, the station entrance will then be ahead on the left, it's sandwiched between some shops.
- Take the Euskotren train over the border to its terminus station at Hendaia, this station is steps away from the main Hendaye station. The Euskotren trains depart every 30 mins and the journey to Hendaia will only take 4 mins.
- A TGV train to Paris Montparnasse usually departs Hendaye daily at 16:12 and typically arrives in the French capital at 20:55.
This journey has become faster, and slightly more frequent too, now that the high speed line has extended from Venta de Banos, a town to the north of Valladolid, to Burgos.
As a result the trains now travel at more than 250 km/h until that city is reached.
Option 2: taking the MD trains
Journey Summary
7hr 28min
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Irun or San Sebastian
These trains are slower than the alternative Alvia trains from Madrid to San Sebastian/Donostia, but those Alvia trains can sell out days in advance.
So if you'll be booking last minute tickets, or rail pass reservations, they can be the only means of making this journey by train.
2 x trains per day
Tickets
Book early and save: No, not on these trains,
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.
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, much faster Alvia trains.
So if you're booking online just a couple of days ahead, you can usually save by taking the Alvia trains.
Rail Pass Users:
If you will travelling this route with a valid Eurail or InterRail pass, you can save around €6 by taking these trains and not the Alvia trains.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Trainline | * | |
| Renfe | * |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Note that these trains depart from Madrid Principe Pio and not from Madrid Chamartin.
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