Alicante to Barcelona by train

Direct Euromed trains run from Alicante to Barcelona Sants in about five and a half hours, calling at Valencia, Castelló and Camp de Tarragona.

Take the direct Euromed

Renfe's Euromed is the train to book. Three or four leave Alacant Terminal each day, between early morning and late afternoon, and the trip takes 5 hours 25 minutes to 5 hours 35 minutes. One seat, no change.

The route runs north along the coast. Stops are Valencia Estació del Nord, Castelló de la Plana and Camp de Tarragona, with a pause of about ten minutes in Valencia.

Plan your day around the last direct train. It leaves Alicante in the late afternoon. On Sundays until 6 December 2026 a slower direct Intercity leaves a little later and still arrives before midnight; on other days, start any later and you will not reach Barcelona until the next morning.

That pattern is set for the timetable running to 12 December 2026. Early planning data for the new timetable from 13 December looks much the same but is not final, so look at your exact train again if you are booking for after that date.

The Intercity alternative

Renfe also sells an Intercity journey with one change at Valencia Estació del Nord, where you get around 20 minutes between trains. It takes about 6 hours 15 minutes to 6 hours 30 minutes, and reservations are compulsory here too. Treat it as a fallback for when the Euromed times do not fit or the trains are full.

Stations at each end

You leave from Alicante/Alacant Terminal and arrive at Barcelona Sants, both in the city centre. Sants has Rodalies local trains, the metro, buses and a taxi rank.

Book through to Barcelona Sants. The Euromed terminates there, so a search result ending at another Barcelona station means an extra change.

Tickets, fares and Interrail passes

Renfe prices are dynamic, and the cheapest go to early bookers. Every ticket is for a specific train, in one of three fare types:

These conditions apply to travel up to 24 January 2027; for journeys from 25 January 2027 Renfe's new conditions let Básico holders make changes at €10 each and give Elige unlimited free changes.

Prémium also includes a larger XL Confort seat, seat choice and food served at your seat. All fares allow up to three pieces of luggage.

An Interrail pass covers the trip, but not on its own. The Euromed reservation is compulsory and costs €10 in Elige Estándar (second class), €13 in Elige Confort and €23.50 in Prémium with a meal. You can book it through the Interrail reservation service, or at a ticket desk in a Spanish long-distance station from up to three months ahead.