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Travel Information
Compare bus, train, and flight for Madrid to Barcelona
Omio recommends booking the train as it is the most popular option from Madrid to Barcelona among Omio's users. If you are prioritising price, take the bus, with an average ticket price of $46 For those with little time, consider booking a train, which has an average total journey time of 3h 35m. If you are seeking to minimise your carbon footprint, the train is your best option, with estimated CO2 emissions of 0.2 - 0.5kg. Average ticket prices depend on the travel mode: a bus costs an average of $46, while a flight costs an average of $239.
Distance: 313 miles (504 km)
Compare train with
Most popular Train | Bus | Flight | Driving |
|---|---|---|---|
$76 Average price | $46 Average price Cheapest | $239 Average price | $122 Average price (fuel + tolls) |
3h 35m Average total duration Fastest 3h 5m Onboard + 30m Additional time* | 9h 10m Average total duration 8h 40m Onboard + 30m Additional time* | 4h 26m Average total duration 2h 26m Onboard + 2h 0m Additional time* | 6h 22m Average total duration (door-to-door) |
0.2 - 0.5kg CO2 emissions Lowest | 0.5 - 1.3kg CO2 emissions | 1.5 - 3.0kg CO2 emissions | - CO2 emissions |
 Most popular train company |  Most popular bus company |  Most popular airline | Your own car or car rental |
Direct Options | Direct Options | Direct Options | Direct Options |
Additional time: Average total travel duration to departure point, security checks and transfers.
Compare ways to travel from Madrid to Barcelona
Compare the available ways to get from Madrid to Barcelona, with the key details around price, speed, convenience, and direct service.
This is compared to other travel options from Madrid to Barcelona:
A bus is $30 (€26) less than a train for this route with tickets for a train from Madrid to Barcelona costing on average $76 (€64).
A bus is $194 (€163) less than a flight for this route with tickets for a flight from Madrid to Barcelona costing on average $239 (€202).
Other travel options to Barcelona take longer:
Flight takes on average 4h 26m.
Bus takes on average 9h 10m.
The journey is about 3h 17m faster (3h 5m by train vs 6h 22m by car) and roughly $47 (€40) cheaper once you factor in fuel and tolls ($76 (€64) vs $122 (€103)). You'll also arrive in the city centre rather than hunting for parking, and you can work, read, or watch the landscape go by instead of concentrating on the road.
Driving is still worth considering if you want to stop along the way or need a car once you arrive.
Travel optionsfrom Madrid to Barcelona
How to get from Madrid to Barcelona by train, bus or flight.
Our recommendation
The best way to travel from Madrid to Barcelona is by taking a bus because it’s the best combination of price and speed.
- Normal
1:15 PM 7h35 Madrid, Terminal de autobuses T4 (Aeropuerto de Madrid) 8:50 PM Barcelona, Estación de Autobuses de Sants $49 1 One-way 0 transfers
Cheapest
- Normal
1:15 PM 7h35 Madrid, Terminal de autobuses T4 (Aeropuerto de Madrid) 8:50 PM Barcelona, Estación de Autobuses de Sants $49 1 One-way 0 transfers
Fastest
IB4279:40 PM 1h15 Madrid Barajas Airport 10:55 PM Barcelona El Prat Airport $394 1 One-way 0 transfers
Other options
- 03141
1:57 PM 3h02 Madrid-Puerta de Atocha-Almudena Grandes 4:59 PM Barcelona Sants $70 1 One-way 0 transfers 
062616:09 AM 3h26 Madrid-Puerta de Atocha-Almudena Grandes 9:35 AM Barcelona Sants $99 1 One-way 0 transfers- 03081
7:57 AM 3h02 Madrid-Puerta de Atocha-Almudena Grandes 10:59 AM Barcelona Sants $105 1 One-way 0 transfers
- Normal
4:45 PM 7h35 Madrid, Terminal de autobuses T4 (Aeropuerto de Madrid) 12:20 AM Barcelona, Estación de Autobuses de Sants $49 1 One-way 0 transfers - Normal
10:45 AM 7h35 Madrid, Terminal de autobuses T4 (Aeropuerto de Madrid) 6:20 PM Barcelona, Estación de Autobuses de Sants $49 1 One-way 0 transfers - Normal
7:45 PM 7h40 Madrid, Terminal de autobuses T4 (Aeropuerto de Madrid) 3:25 AM Barcelona, Estación de Autobuses de Sants $49 1 One-way 0 transfers
LH1117 · LH11266:05 AM 6h05 Madrid Barajas Airport 12:10 PM Barcelona El Prat Airport $182 1 One-way 1 transfer- LH1117 · LH1128
6:05 AM 6h55 Madrid Barajas Airport 1:00 PM Barcelona El Prat Airport $182 1 One-way 1 transfer 
LX2027 · LX195610:05 AM 9h00 Madrid Barajas Airport 7:05 PM Barcelona El Prat Airport $187 1 One-way 1 transfer
Find all the dates and times for this journey by train, bus, flight, and ferry .
Compare prices and tickets Prices for trains, buses and flights
Compare bus, train, and flight prices over the next three weeks. See the best deals at a glance, find the lowest fares, and choose the option that fits your budget.
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How to Travel from Madrid to Barcelona?
To travel from Madrid to Barcelona, there are various transportation methods available, from buses and trains, to flights. This is a popular route connecting the two largest cities in Spain. Since the trips are generally not that long, people tend to travel for Madrid to Barcelona for work, thanks to the high-speed trains, or even just a weekend visit. The daily train and flight travel time from Madrid to Barcelona takes around one and a half to three hours to cover the distance between the two cities of more or less 312 miles (504 km). However, the journeys by bus can be overnight and take as long as 8h 25min. Most of the transportation methods between Madrid and Barcelona are direct trips, not requiring stopovers.
What is the Cheapest Way To Get from Madrid to Barcelona?
It’s possible to find very affordable routes on all Madrid-Barcelona methods of transportation. In general, the cheapest way to get from Madrid to Barcelona is taking a train. The trains from Madrid to Barcelona are operated by Renfe and run throughout the whole day, departing every one to two hours. Travelers can expect there to be at least 15 departures per day. These train journeys are all direct trips, leaving out of the Madrid Puerta de Atocha station and at arriving at Barcelona Sants train station. To find cheap tickets from Madrid to Barcelona, try to book them in advance, before prices rise as the departure date gets closer. Be as flexible as possible with your travel times and dates as well, to pick and choose the most affordable routes and transportation.
What is the Fastest Way to Travel from Madrid to Barcelona?
The fastest way to get from Madrid to Barcelona is most likely by train. The flights are direct and also fast, however both airports are farther from the city center than the train stations, plus passengers must consider the extra check in and boarding time it requires as well. The high-speed train routes are the fastest option. These trains are the AVE lines, part of the Spanish national railway, The shortest Madrid to Barcelona travel time by train is more or less 2h 50min. These trains depart from the Madrid Puerta de Atocha train station and arrive at the Barcelona Sants train station.
Skyline of Madrid at sunrise. Source: Shutterstock
Find the best tickets from Madrid to Barcelona and book withOmio
Omio is an online travel platform that allows you to compare and book a variety of methods of transport. It offers various transportation providers and the times of departure. The platform allows you to filter your search prioritizing travel time or price, scanning all options with a glance.Omio has the option of using mobile tickets as well as putting the website in your language for a personalized customer service. For those looking for inspiration, check out the useful tips published in the Omio magazine.
Trains from Madrid to Barcelona
Taking a train from Madrid Puerta de Atocha to Barcelona Sants station is a very common and frequent way of getting between these two cities. Renfe is the Spanish national railway operator making at least 15 trips per day. This is generally the cheapest option as well as the fastest option for getting from Madrid to Barcelona. The high-speed AVE train makes getting to Barcelona in under 3h an option for business travelers or for those looking to go to Barcelona for a short period of time. The Renfe trains available from Madrid to Barcelona are all direct, they don’t require passengers to switch trains at any point along the way.
Train travel from Madrid to Barcelona with Renfe
Renfe is the sole train provider for tickets from Madrid to Barcelona. Renfe offers over 80 journeys per week. All of these trips from Madrid to Barcelona by train are direct and don’t require passengers to switch lines or trains along the way. There are both high-speed AVE trains as well as standard Regional Express trains operating these lines. The fastest trip by train to Barcelona on an AVE line takes as little as around 2h 50min.
Night trains train travel from Madrid to Barcelona with Renfe
There currently aren’t any available night trains operating from Madrid to Barcelona.
Buses from Madrid to Barcelona
There are daily buses going from Madrid to Barcelona, leaving Madrid every few hours. These bus trips are operated by the Spanish bus company, Alsa. The buses depart from various stations in Madrid, including the Aeropuerto Barajas T4, Intercambiador Avenida de América, Estación Sur Méndez Álvaro and the Intercambiador de Plaza Castilla stations. These journeys arrive in Barcelona about 8h later into either Estación de Autobuses Nord, Barcelona Gran Vía or Estación de Autobuses Sants stations. All of these trips are direct and don’t require stopovers.
Traveling by bus from Madrid to Barcelona with Alsa
Alsa is the main provider of bus routes going from Madrid to Barcelona. A lot of these routes stop in multiple stations in Madrid before starting the trip, and also makes various stops in Barcelona upon their arrival. There are both daytime buses as well as nighttime routes with Alsa, and there are more or less 10 full routes per day.
Flights from Madrid to Barcelona
There are various flights per day making the trip from Madrid to Barcelona. These flights depart out of Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD) and arrive at Barcelona El Prat Airport (BCN). The main airlines operating these nonstop journeys are Iberia, Vueling and Air Europa. There are over 10 routes per day from Madrid to Barcelona. The flight from Madrid to Barcelona takes more or less 1h 15min from take-off to landing. However, from the Barcelona El Prat Airport to the city center, it’s about 40min on the A1 or A2 Airport bus routes.
Flying from Madrid to Barcelona with Iberia
The main airline operating the flights from Madrid Barajas Airport to Barcelona El Prat Airport is the Spanish airline, Iberia. Iberia has at least eight departures per day to Barcelona. They run more or less every hour or two. The earliest flight from Madrid to Barcelona with Iberia is around 8:00 a.m., at the latest at about 8:15 p.m. These Iberia flights are all nonstop from Madrid to Barcelona.
To Barcelona by train/ bus/ flight—travel tips
Barcelona is one of the most popular cities to visit in Spain and the second largest in the country. This coastal city is famous for its Gaudí architecture and Mediterranean culture. When you think of Barcelona, the iconic Sagrada Familia Basilica probably pops into your head. Gaudí also designed the unconventional modernist Casas Milà and Batllo located in the city center. Another famous part of the city of Barcelona is exploring the Gothic Quarter. Here you’ll find winding roads made of cobblestone, narrow streets and roman buildings. This experience will set you right back in the middle ages. Of course, one of the greatest things to experience when visiting a new city is their culture and cuisine. Some traditional dishes visitors must try when in Barcelona are fideuà, the noodle version of paella, roasted vegetables of an escalivada, or possibly “crema catalana”, a version of a creme brulée, for dessert.
Beach of Barcelona at sunrise. Source: Shutterstock
Inspirational content
Barcelona is full of plenty of sites to see and new experiences.
- Stop at a café or go shopping along La Rambla, the heart of Barcelona’s social life
- Explore the colorful and surrealist Parc Güell overlooking the city
- Watch a soccer game at the Camp Nou stadium
- See the lights at night at the Magic Fountain of Montjuïc
- Enjoy a sunny day sunbathing and eating at the Barceloneta beach
How to get from Madrid to Barcelona
The Best Way According to our Users
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FAQs: Travel from Madrid to Barcelona
Travel to Barcelona easily. Whether you want fast, cheap or something entirely different, our travel experts have collected everything you need to know so you can find the best option from Madrid to Barcelona.
This is compared to other travel options from Madrid to Barcelona:
A bus is $30 (€26) less than a train for this route with tickets for a train from Madrid to Barcelona costing on average $76 (€64).
A bus is $194 (€163) less than a flight for this route with tickets for a flight from Madrid to Barcelona costing on average $239 (€202).
Other travel options to Barcelona take longer:
Flight takes on average 4h 26m.
Bus takes on average 9h 10m.
- Around 45 buses per day.
- Around 44 flights per day.
- Around 40 trains per day.
However, we recommend checking specific travel dates for your route between Madrid and Barcelona as scheduled services by bus, train, and flight can vary by season or day of the week.
- Flights mostly depart from Madrid Barajas Airport and arrive in Barcelona El Prat Airport.
- Trains mostly depart from Madrid-Puerta de Atocha-Almudena Grandes and arrive in Barcelona Sants.
- Buses mostly depart from Madrid, Terminal de autobuses T4 (Aeropuerto de Madrid) and arrive in Barcelona, Estación de Autobuses de Sants.
- Travel with Alsa, FlixBus to go to Barcelona by bus.
- Travel with AVE, iryo, SNCF OUIGO, Renfe AVLO to go to Barcelona by train.
- Travel with Air Europa, Iberia, Royal Air Maroc, CitizenPlane, Lufthansa, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa City Airlines, ITA, Vueling, British Airways, Helvetic Airways, Swiss, Iberia Express, Air Baltic, BA Cityflyer, Edelweiss Air, Alba Star, Air Algerie to go to Barcelona by flight.
- 42 direct buses per day with Alsa.
- 40 direct trains per day with AVE, iryo, SNCF OUIGO, Renfe AVLO.
- 13 direct flights per day with Air Europa, Iberia, CitizenPlane, Vueling, Iberia Express.
Travelling from Madrid to Barcelona: related information
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