Rail services in Madrid

THE 5 BEST Madrid Railways

Railways in Madrid

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What travelers are saying

  • mbotos
    Mount Laurel, NJ1,000 contributions
    We were big fans of the Madrid Metro. Never waited more than 4-5 minutes for the next train. Be aware that the Metro is popular, so even what in the U.S. is an “off time”, most likely does not apply to Madrid. The trains were well populated, for example, even at 7:-00 PM on a Saturday evening. Mostly we got seat and only occasionally had to stand.

    We used Google Maps to plan our trips and select routes, since it gave us precise walking distances before and after your ride and usually showed you multiple options. My best advice: Know your ‘END POINTS’! This is how you avoid confusion and go in the direction you want to go. All train list the END POINT of the direction in which they are traveling. It is quite easy to get turn around within the station and end up on the platform of the red line, but not in the direction you want to go.

    You can get handy little metro maps in the station. We used them frequently.

    For 10-Journey ticket [NOT the Tourist ticket] “In accordance with Royal Decree-Law 20/2022 of 27 December, from 1 February to 30 June 2023, inclusive, a reduction (*) of 50% is applied to 10-trip tickets” This was great! Normal price is €12.20 and we only paid €6.10.

    Our hotel was near Place del Sol, so Sol was the metro station we used most. It was a little disconcerting at first, arriving on the light blue line from Atocha station. With luggage in hand, we did not realize that the elevator from the platform did NOT go all the way to the surface. We had to change elevators at the second level to get to the surface. Plaza del Sol was under construction in March 2023, so that made things a bit more hectic, but after our first journey thru the station, we became pros!
    Written April 19, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Keith W
    Stockport, UK63 contributions
    My wife and I took the Lusitania from Madrid to Lisbon on 12th Sept. We booked Gran Clase to get a cabin with two bunks, wc, and shower at 122 euros each. The cabin was showing its age, with stained carpet; bumped, scratched, and stained plastics for the toilet/shower mouldings, and woodwork - but, it was a triumph of ingenuity for the way they had fitted all of this into a tiny space, not much bigger than our garden shed. There's even an ingenious folding ladder flush with the wall that folds out at 45deg, with proper steps, to allow access to the top bunk. Other reviewers have complained about having to put luggage into the shower, due to lack of space alongside the bunks, but our cabin had a space between the shower/wc compartment ceiling and the train roof big enough for three decent sized suitcases!
    The ride was bumpy and noisy throughout the nearly 10-hour journey, so we didn't get much sleep, despite drinks in the bar car before retiring, and you get turfed off the train as soon as it arrives in Lisbon at 0720 next morning. However, despite being intially a bit let down by the condition of the cabin, when we considered what we had paid for the approx. 700km journey - it doesn't take the shortest, most direct route, but goes north west initially, via Avila and Salamanca, with no less than 15 stops meandering en route - we felt we had received the most amazing bargain. In fact, if you were prepared to spend the night in an ordinary train seat, the fare was an absolute giveaway at just 24.60 euros!!! We booked it just for the experience of travelling on a sleeper train, and our British sleeper trains don't have cabins with private shower/wc, plus they are phenomenally more expensive than the Spanish sleepers. However, we wouldn't rush to do it again. We would prefer to travel in the daytime, so we can view the scenery, but there isn't a direct daytime service between these two cities.
    Written September 19, 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • michael B
    Brooklyn, NY58 contributions
    This is a day trip from Madrid . A visit to Escorial is usually included with a trip to "Valley of the Fallen". We found this stop to be very interesting . The monestary is a deep dive into to the History of the Kings of Spain. Their final resting places adorn the walls of the crypt rooms. The frescos and ornate crypts are amazing . On the darker side is the Royal Rotting Room .
    Written April 20, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • NorwichHarley
    Ketton, UK202 contributions
    Travelled Granada to Cordoba. Pleasant station café. Make sure you leave at least 30 minutes to clear unexpected security where everyone has to put there bags through scanner and then queue again for single person to check tickets. No prior warning that this happens.
    Surprising that there were no refreshments on board given that train continued onto Seville. Train ok but the whole experience not great. Probably use the bus next time.
    Written March 18, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Dove C
    North East England20 contributions
    Good value. Delays around Chamartín when we visited in May 2023. Before going there, I read a lot online about having to get plastic contactless +Renfe & Tú cards on which to load Cercanías tickets in Madrid. There is a paper card QR coded ticket alternative which I did not read about and still cannot find information about online so I have posted it in my review here:
    https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g562659-d313458-r889669806-Real_Sitio_de_San_Lorenzo_de_El_Escorial-San_Lorenzo_de_El_Escorial.html
    Written May 9, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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