ALVIA: Tickets, Timetables and Facilities

Find cheap train tickets for Alvia with Omio

Booking trains in Spain is as easy as ever through the Omio platform. There are various Renfe trains available on both the website and app. The Alvia trains are one of the high-speed lines operating throughout the country. Through Omio, travelers can search different routes and compare their options filtering by price, departure times, provider and even number of stopovers. Book in advance for great deals on tickets around Spain with Alvia trains.

• Find a route that suits your travel schedule and budget through the Omio platform. The website presents the train options clearly and compares them for you.
• Get inspiration for your trip with the Omio travel magazine. Here you’ll find ideas of where to go and how to get around comfortably.
• The platform is updated with any possible service disruptions you may encounter.

   

About Alvia

Alvia is one of the long-distance train lines operated by the Spanish national railway company, Renfe. These long-distance routes include travel via a high-speed train in Spain, mainly in the northern regions. There are multiple train routes with Alvia all over Spain, as well as some connecting to the south of France. Some of the cities and stations it connects to are the capital city, Madrid, with Bilbao and A Coruña in the north and Cádiz in the south.

There are also other Alvia routes around Spain such as the ones going from Alicante to Santander and Barcelona to Salamanca. The high-speed Alvia trains are known for their quick connections and extra comfort on board. Passengers also have access to a cafeteria on board most Alvia trains where they can purchase snacks and beverages.

Spanish train station. Source: Shutterstock

Popular train routes with Alvia

The high-speed Alvia train makes trips all over Spain. However, there are a couple of routes that are more popular than others. For instance, the Madrid to Gijon journey runs once or twice a day, depending on the day of the week. The stations it departs from is the Madrid-Chamartin station while it arrives at the Gijón train station. If you’re booking train tickets on this high-speed train ride, you can expect it to take more or less 5h 8min to make the trip to Gijón. The train ride is direct, although it does make about eight stops along the way in cities like Segovia, León and Oviedo.

Another popular route in Spain by train is the one traveling from Barcelona to Bilbao. This trip covers a distance of around 290 miles (467 km) in more or less 6h 32min. These journeys run daily out of Barcelona-Sants station, arriving at Bilbao-Abando station. This high-speed train is also on a direct route between these two cities; however, it does make about 10 stops along the way. Some of these stops are in cities such as Zaragoza and Logroño. The Barcelona to Gijón train with Alvia operates once a day, every day of the week.

Alvia train ticket types

There are three types of tickets for the long-distance routes that Alvia makes. Book a train ticket with Alvia choosing the Básico fare. This type of fare only includes a seat onboard and your train ticket. Nonetheless, it’s possible to purchase extras for your trip. Some of these possible extras are traveling with a pet, choosing your seat on board, and upgrading to Premium status for booking modifications and cancellations. Other services are not available when traveling with a Básico ticket.

The second type of fare is the Elige ticket. With Elige, you can travel in either Standard or Comfort XL seating. These tickets include a series of discounts for services, such as modifying your train ticket, cancellations, and changing your boarding pass in case you miss your train. It’s also possible to travel with a pet or choose your seat number with a small surcharge. The most complete fare to travel with on Alvia is the Prémium ticket. Traveling with Prémium tickets gives you access to Comfort XL seating along with free booking modifications and discounts on cancellations, and other extras like traveling with a pet or changing the name of the passenger. Meals are included with the Prémium seats.

Services onboard Alvia trains

The services included in your trip on an Alvia train depend mainly on the type of fare you purchase. For instance, the Básico fare does not include any modifications or cancellations for your booking. However, with both Elige and Prémium tickets, there are either free or discounted options for getting a refund or modifying the dates and times of your Alvia trip. On board most Alvia and long-distance Renfe trains, all passengers will have access to the cafeteria and bar service where they can purchase snacks and beverages for their travels. For those traveling with Prémium tickets, there is a dining service included in the fare.

In addition, with their Alvia ticket, travelers also have access to the local Cercanías train lines free of charge during the four hours before and after their Alvia journey. This allows passengers to get to and from the stations comfortably while using public transportation.

Tourism Spain. Source: Shutterstock

Alvia and sustainable travel

Nowadays, a lot of transportation companies are making the effort to reduce the environmental impact of their stations and fleet. In this case, Renfe is the company operating the Alvia trains. Almost all of the Renfe fleet runs on 100% reusable energy. The trains are electrical as well, limiting significantly their carbon emissions.

Alvia night trains and night trains routes

Some travelers enjoy opting for night train routes to either add to their experience or to adjust to their travel schedule and budget. Traveling by night train means departing from a city in the evening or during the night, and arriving the next morning at your next destination. Renfe operates the Trenhotel service, which are the overnight trains operating around Spain and Portugal. These night trains make journeys from Barcelona to Vigo, Madrid to Pontevedra or even Madrid to Lisbon, Portugal.

Man on Platform. Source: Shutterstock

Alvia trains FAQs