Madrid to Bilbao by train

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:

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.