How to travel from Madrid to Bilbao

Wed, Oct 16
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Travel Information from Madrid to Bilbao

distanceDistance200 miles (322 km)
modeAvailable travel modesBus, train or flight
priceTicket price range$35 - $56
cheapestCheapest modeTrain • $35 (€31) • 4 h 43 min
fastestFastest modeFlight • $56 (€48) • 1 h
carriersPopular travel companiesAlsa, Air Europa or Renfe (3)

Take a bus, train or flight to travel 200 miles (322 km) from Madrid to Bilbao. The most popular travel companies which serve this journey are Alsa, Air Europa or Renfe (3) among others. Travelers can even take a direct bus, flight or train from Madrid to Bilbao.

Travel options
from Madrid to Bilbao

How to get from Madrid to Bilbao by train, bus or flight.

Our recommendation
train

The best way to travel from Madrid to Bilbao is by taking a train because it’s the best combination of price and speed.

Renfe ALVIA
07:15AM4h44
Madrid Chamartín
11:59AMBilbao-Abando
$361One-way
0 transfers
Cheapest
Renfe ALVIA
07:15AM4h44
Madrid Chamartín
11:59AMBilbao-Abando
$361One-way
0 transfers
Fastest
Air Europa
06:40AM1h00
Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD)
07:40AMBilbao Airport (BIO)
$1471One-way
0 transfers
Other options
Renfe AVLO
11:30AM6h45
Madrid Chamartín
06:15PMBilbao-Abando
$421One-way
2 transfers
Renfe ALVIA
05:37PM4h44
Madrid Chamartín
10:21PMBilbao-Abando
$501One-way
0 transfers
Alsa
10:15AM8h00
Madrid
06:15PMBilbao-Abando
$451One-way
2 transfers
Alsa
10:00AM4h40
Madrid
02:40PMBilbao
$431One-way
0 transfers
Alsa
07:00AM4h50
Madrid
11:50AMBilbao
$431One-way
0 transfers
Alsa
11:15AM4h40
Madrid
03:55PMBilbao
$431One-way
0 transfers
Vueling
09:25AM4h15
Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD)
01:40PMBilbao Airport (BIO)
$1401One-way
1 transfer
Vueling
09:25AM5h15
Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD)
02:40PMBilbao Airport (BIO)
$1451One-way
1 transfer
Iberia
12:50PM1h05
Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD)
01:55PMBilbao Airport (BIO)
$1691One-way
0 transfers

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

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How to get from Madrid to Bilbao

The Best Way According to our Users

If you want to travel from Madrid to Bilbao there are several options available to you. For this route, however, 73,71% of our customers choose the bus as their preferred method of transportation. Nowadays, traveling by bus is a relaxing and entertaining experience. Most bus companies offer different on-board services; ranging from "welcome drinks" to free wi-fi or personal entertainment. For this reason, the bus is often chosen as the best way to get from Madrid to Bilbao. Bus companies normally offer comfortable journeys for reasonable prices, and if you choose to travel on a night bus you can even save the money of one night in a hotel. For that reason, the bus is most likely the cheapest way to get to your destination.

Search on Omio to find cheap tickets from Madrid to Bilbao. It’s easy to find the most attractive prices and choose your preferred route for your journey. Book on web or app, and travel with your mobile ticket —without the stress of printing your ticket.

More than 1,000 travel companies trust us to sell their tickets all in one place.

Trenitalia
Easyjet
Deutsche Bahn
SNCF

All travel companies: Airlines, Train and Bus from Madrid to Bilbao

You can travel by travel between Madrid and Bilbao with Alsa, Vueling Airlines and Air Nostrum. When you search Omio for times and tickets, we’ll show you the best deals available.

Renfe is Spain’s national travel company offering a multitude of domestic routes and international routes to France and Portugal. Renfe is known for its range of ticket types to fit anyone’s budget, such as the Basic, Elige and Premium tickets. Renfe also has discount cards for qualified travelers like the Renfe Gold Card and +Renfe Youth Card 50, which you can use on Omio. When you ride with Renfe, you can expect to find an impressive fleet of travel offering different levels of comfort, amenities and time needed to travel to your destination. These travel types include Renfe AVE for high-speed long-distance routes, Alvia and Altaria for domestic routes in parts of Spain, Euromed for routes along the stunning Mediterranean coast, Avant commuter travel and Trenhotel night travel.

    Alsa is the main travel company in Spain, a subsidiary of the UK travel company National Express. Alsa offers a wide variety of national and international routes and transports more than 300 million passengers every year. Apart from the Standard fare, Alsa provides ticket types like Minimum, Reduced and Flexible fares on select routes for those looking to save money on travel journeys. While most travelers don’t mind traveling on normal travel with basic services like bathrooms, free WiFi, footrests and onboard entertainment, some others may want to check out Alsa’s deluxe travel like the Alsa Supra, Alsa Eurobus and Alsa Premium, which provide more luxurious amenities on specific routes.

      Vueling is one of Spain’s leading low-cost airlines where you can choose between Basic, Optima or Time Flex tickets for your next travel between Madrid and Bilbao.

        FAQs: Travel from Madrid to Bilbao

        FAQs: Travel to Bilbao 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 Bilbao.
        FAQs

        There are 3 ways to get from Madrid to Bilbao: bus, train or flight.

        The cheapest way to travel to Bilbao from Madrid is a train with an average price of $35 (€31).

        This is compared to other travel options from Madrid to Bilbao:

        A train is $6 (€5) less than a bus for this route with tickets for a bus from Madrid to Bilbao costing on average $41 (€36).

        Taking a train costs $20 (€17) less than taking a flight, which costs on average $56 (€48) for the same trip.

        The fastest way from Madrid to Bilbao is by flight with an average journey time of 1 h.

        There are alternative travel options to Bilbao that take longer:

        Bus takes 3 h 55 min on average.

        Getting to Bilbao by train takes 4 h 43 min on average.

        The distance is approximately 200 miles (322 km) from Madrid to Bilbao.

        The average frequency per day from Madrid to Bilbao is:

        • 11 buses a day.

        However, we recommend checking specific travel dates for your route to Bilbao from Madrid as scheduled services by bus, train or flight can vary by season or day of the week.

        These are the most popular departure and arrival points from Madrid to Bilbao:

        • Buses from Madrid to Bilbao most often leave from Madrid, Estación Sur de Autobuses and arrive in Bilbao, Estación de Autobuses.
        • Flights most often depart from Madrid at Madrid Barajas Airport and arrive in Bilbao at Bilbao Airport.
        • Trains from Madrid to Bilbao most often leave from Madrid Chamartín and arrive in Bilbao-Abando.

        The following travel companies offer services from Madrid to Bilbao:

        • Travel with Alsa, Alsa Supra, BlaBlaCar or Infobus for buses to Bilbao. If you’re looking for a good deal on tickets, check for Alsa Madrid to Bilbao tickets on Omio for $41 (€36).
        • Travel with Air Europa, Iberia, Air Nostrum, Vueling Airlines or Iberia Express to go to Bilbao by plane. For a good deal on tickets, you can find Air Europa Madrid to Bilbao tickets on Omio for $56 (€48).
        • Travel with Renfe (3), Renfe ALVIA, Renfe, Renfe (13), Renfe Regional Exprés or Renfe Intercity to go to Bilbao by train. For a good deal on tickets, you can find Renfe ALVIA Madrid to Bilbao tickets on Omio for $35 (€31).

        Yes, there are direct routes from Madrid to Bilbao with the following travel companies:

        • You can check for a direct bus to Bilbao with Alsa or Alsa Supra with 11 direct buses per day.

        Direct services to Bilbao tend to save you time and add more convenience as you won't need to transfer at another stop in between, so it's worth paying attention to before booking tickets for your trip.

        Many of our customers who book a trip from Madrid to Bilbao often extend their vacation and travel to other popular destinations like Donostia-San Sebastian, Barcelona, Pamplona or Vitoria - Gasteiz. If you’re thinking of adding another destination to your Madrid and Bilbao itinerary, let Omio find you the best connections between Bilbao and any of these top destinations today!
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