--- title: "Trains from Madrid to Bilbao | EveryRail" description: "Direct Renfe Alvia from Madrid Chamartín to Bilbao Abando in just over 5 hours, usually twice a day; some days have only one direct train." image: "https://everyrail.com/api/route-image/madrid-to-bilbao/" --- [Home]()[Europe by train]()[Spain]()Madrid to Bilbao by train [Home]()[Europe by train]()[Spain]()Madrid to Bilbao by train **Share** - - [Share on WhatsApp]() - [Share on X]() - [Share on Facebook]() - [Share by email]() **On this page** - [About Madrid to Bilbao by train]() - [Where to book]() - [Find places to stay in Bilbao]() - [Frequently asked questions]() - [More routes]() [Book now]() Last updated November 2026 # Madrid to Bilbao by train Direct Renfe Alvia from Madrid Chamartín to Bilbao Abando in just over 5 hours, usually twice a day; some days have only one direct train. ![The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao beside the Nervión river]() Origin [Madrid]() Destination [Bilbao]() Main stations Madrid-Chamartín-Clara Campoamor to Bilbao Abando Country [Spain]() Direct [Renfe]() Alvia trains take just over 5 hours from Madrid Chamartín-Clara Campoamor to Bilbao Abando, usually twice a day. ## Two direct trains on most days On most days two direct Alvia trains leave [Madrid]() for [Bilbao](), one early in the morning and one in the late afternoon. The afternoon train gets in late in the evening. Until 12 December 2026 both run Monday to Friday, with only the morning train on Saturdays and only the afternoon train on Sundays. From the 13 December 2026 timetable change, as scheduled into January 2027, both trains run at weekends, but Thursdays have only the morning train and Fridays only the afternoon train. Some public holidays also lose a train, so fix your date before you plan around a particular train. The trip takes just over 5 hours, with stops at Segovia Guiomar, Valladolid Campo Grande, Burgos Rosa de Lima, Miranda de Ebro and Llodio. The Alvia runs on high-speed track for part of the way and on conventional lines for the rest. It is not an AVE. Journey planners also offer connections with one or two changes. They are slower, typically around 7 hours or more. Plan your day around the direct train. ## Leave from Chamartín, not Atocha Head to Madrid Chamartín-Clara Campoamor. The direct trains do not use Madrid Puerta de Atocha-Almudena Grandes, and turning up at the wrong terminal can cost you your train, and the next direct one may not leave until the evening or the next day. Your Renfe long-distance ticket includes Combinado Cercanías, a free ride on Cercanías local trains from up to 4 hours before departure. In Madrid you can scan the barcode on your Alvia ticket at the Cercanías gates. In Bilbao it also covers Cercanías for up to 4 hours after arrival, but there you collect it at a ticket machine or desk first. Bilbao Abando has its own metro, bus and Cercanías connections. ## Tickets and fare types Renfe sells the tickets, and fares move with demand. Booking ahead gets the lowest prices. For travel before 25 January 2027, the fare types work like this: | Fare | Seat | Changes | Cancellation | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Básico | Standard | One change for €10 | Not included | | Elige Estándar | Standard | First change free | 70% refund | | Elige Confort | XL Confort | First change free | 70% refund | | Prémium | XL Confort | Unlimited free changes | Refund up to 100% | Flexibility counts on a route with one or two direct trains a day. Miss the train on a Básico ticket and you get nothing back. An Elige ticket lets you move to a new train for 30% of the new fare. Picking your seat costs €5 extra, except on Prémium. Tickets carry your name, so bring photo ID. Renfe changes its ticket conditions for journeys from 25 January 2027. ## Interrail pass holders The Interrail pass covers the Alvia, but you must reserve a seat. Booked through Interrail, the reservation costs €10 in second class (Elige Estándar) and €13 in first (Elige Confort). Ticket desks at Spanish long-distance stations sell them too. Reserve once your dates are fixed: with at most two direct trains a day, there is little to fall back on. ## Where to book ![]() ### Book with Omio Find times and prices for Madrid → Bilbao. [Check times & prices]() ### Other places to book Ticket websites - [Rail Europe]() - [Trainline]() These links open the provider’s website. Search for your journey there. ### Train service - [Renfe]() Renfe serves Spain with AVE, Avlo, Alvia and regional trains. AVE tickets are named and reserved, while Interrail and Eurail passes need reservations. [Official website]() [Check times & prices]() ## Find places to stay in Bilbao [![Bright bedroom with white bedding and a breakfast tray on the bed]()**Browse stays in Bilbao**Hotels and apartments via Booking.com]() ## Frequently asked questions ### Is there a direct train from Madrid to Bilbao? Yes. Renfe Alvia trains run direct from Madrid Chamartín-Clara Campoamor to Bilbao Abando, usually twice a day. Until 12 December 2026 Saturdays and Sundays have one train each; from 13 December 2026 the single-train days are Thursdays and Fridays. ### How long does the train from Madrid to Bilbao take? Just over 5 hours on the direct Alvia. Connections with one or two changes typically take around 7 hours or more. ### Is there a high-speed train from Madrid to Bilbao? Not all the way. The Alvia uses high-speed track for part of the journey and conventional lines for the rest, and no AVE runs through to Bilbao. ### Which Madrid station do trains to Bilbao leave from? Madrid Chamartín-Clara Campoamor. The direct trains do not use Madrid Puerta de Atocha-Almudena Grandes. ### Do I need a reservation with an Interrail pass? Yes, it is compulsory on the Alvia. Through Interrail a reservation costs €10 in second class and €13 in first class. ## More routes [![Madrid's Gran Via street at dusk with the Metropolis Building]()![SNCF Voyageurs]()![Renfe]()![Ouigo]()Alicante to Madrid by trainDirect high-speed trains link Alicante and Madrid in around 2 hours 25 minutes, with fares from €9. Trains arrive at either Atocha or Chamartín.]()[![View of Bilbao, Spain]()![Renfe]()Barcelona to Bilbao by trainOne direct Renfe Alvia a day links Barcelona and Bilbao in around 7 hours, with weekend engineering works and no full high-speed line.]()[![Madrid's Gran Via street at dusk with the Metropolis Building]()![SNCF Voyageurs]()![Renfe]()![Ouigo]()Barcelona to Madrid by trainDirect high-speed trains from Barcelona to Madrid take about 2.5 to 3.5 hours, departing Barcelona Sants for Atocha or Chamartín.]()[![Temple of the Sacred Heart on Tibidabo hill in Barcelona at sunset]()![Renfe]()Bilbao to Barcelona by trainRenfe Alvia trains take 6 to 7 hours from Bilbao Abando to Barcelona Sants; one-way tickets range from €35 to €85.]()[![Madrid's Gran Via street at dusk with the Metropolis Building]()![Renfe]()Bilbao to Madrid by trainDirect Renfe Alvia from Bilbao Abando to Madrid Chamartín in about 4.5 to 5 hours, usually twice a day; some days have only one direct train.]()[![La Concha Bay and beach in San Sebastian, Spain]()![Euskotren]()Bilbao to San Sebastian by trainDirect Euskotren E1 trains run from Matiko in Bilbao to Amara in San Sebastian about hourly, taking about 2 hours 45 minutes. The bus is faster.]()[![Madrid's Gran Via street at dusk with the Metropolis Building]()![Renfe]()![Ouigo]()![iryo]()Cordoba to Madrid by trainDirect high-speed trains from Cordoba to Madrid take as little as 1 hour 54 minutes, with around 40 daily services and fares from €7.]()[![Madrid cityscape, the destination for this Granada to Madrid train journey]()![Renfe]()Granada to Madrid by trainTravel Granada to Madrid on Renfe's AVE, direct four times a day in around 3 hours 30 minutes, with no low-cost operator currently on this corridor.]() ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://everyrail.com/#organization", "name": "EveryRail", "url": "https://everyrail.com/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://everyrail.com/_astro/everyrail-logomark-2026.VJ4vNX1T.webp", "@id": "https://everyrail.com/#organization-logo-1" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.instagram.com/everyrailtravel/", "https://www.facebook.com/everyrail", "https://www.threads.com/@everyrailtravel" ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://everyrail.com/#website", "name": "EveryRail", "url": "https://everyrail.com/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://everyrail.com/#organization" }, "inLanguage": "en" }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://everyrail.com/trains/madrid-to-bilbao/#webpage", "name": "Trains from Madrid to Bilbao | EveryRail", "description": "Train travel information for Madrid to Bilbao. 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