Your guide to using public transport in Spain

Although Spain has some of the best-quality highways in Europe, you may just not feel like driving sometimes. Or perhaps you can't, for health or financial reasons, or simply because you've never learnt or passed a test. Otherwise, maybe you love getting behind the wheel and can't wait to try out Spain's smooth, well-kept and rarely-congested motorways, but would sometimes like to be able to get across the country in much less time than a car can.

Here's a helpful guide to the public transport available in Spain, where to find it, how to pay for it, and how long it normally takes to get from one location to another.

What is public transport like in Spain?

We'll start with an overview of what you can expect from public transport in Spain – the best features, the drawbacks, and aspects which may differ from what you are used to in your home country.

• In general, Spanish buses and trains are extremely clean, modern, comfortable and cheap – but, outside large cities, very infrequent and even non-existent.
• Despite its excellent quality, Spain's public transport is not easy to find. So, unless you plan to live in a major city, you will almost certainly need access to a car after you move to Spain.
• Public transport in Spain is very decentralised. Bus networks, and the underground railway or 'metro' in big cities, are typically operated by a municipal company or franchise, and availability and quality depends largely upon local or regional government resources. Although the main railway networks and coach companies are national, there are limited or no connections between them in terms of operations. You will not be able to buy a national transport pass or an intermodal bus-metro-rail ticket, and buses and trains are not timed to coincide neatly with each other to facilitate connections.
• Trains, the metro, long-distance coaches, and buses operating in large towns and cities are extremely punctual and reliable. It is exceptionally rare for trains not to turn up, or for significant delays. If you have onward transport planned, you can almost guarantee that the train you intend to catch will get you there on schedule. The downside is, of course, that if you arrive a minute or two later than your train or bus is due to depart, you will almost certainly miss it!
• Round-town and inter-town buses are usually coaches – the same type of vehicle used for long-distance road travel – or, for shorter journeys, modern micro-buses, often electrically-powered. This means they are nearly always clean and comfortable, and you are unlikely to have to stand for your journey. This said, they can be very sparse in towns of fewer than 50,000 inhabitants, in some cases not running on weekends or public holidays, or not operating during the 'lunch period' of approximately 13.00 to 17.30.
• Inter-town trains, connecting cities with smaller towns in their wider provinces, known as Cercanías, can be slow and infrequent – an 80-kilometre journey may take you just over an hour, and they may only operate every 30 or 60 minutes – but, again, these trains are modern, comfortable and air-conditioned. They can sometimes get crowded at peak times, but are a very cheap way of travelling to your nearest provincial capital.

Overall, public transport in Spain is exceptionally cheap, compared with similar options elsewhere in northern and western Europe, the USA and Australia. It is extremely rare you will find it cheaper to travel by car than by bus or train – where these are available.

Long-distance travel is, generally, cheaper in Spain than in most of these countries, although it can be quite expensive if you want to get around very quickly and in greater comfort, with extra facilities such as on-board WiFi.

Taxi services in Spain

Taxis are very easy to find at airports and in large cities, although it is easier to approach one in a taxi rank rather than flagging them down in the street. Fares can be quite expensive compared with other European countries, and normally include a standard charge for entering and leaving airports, irrespective of distance.

All taxis are operated directly through the local town or city council, meaning availability and reliability vary, and adapted taxis for wheelchair-users may need to be booked in advance. But taxis are very clearly marked and easy to spot, so there is no danger of accidentally getting into an unlicensed cab.

Does Uber operate in Spain?

Yes, but it's very limited. At present, Uber can only be found in big cities and on two of the islands. Whilst you can normally book an Uber service in the cities of Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla, Málaga, Bilbao, Granada, and Zaragoza, or on the islands of Tenerife and Mallorca, these nine locations are served by only a quarter of Spain's 4,000 drivers. The bulk of Uber services – over 3,000 drivers – are based in Madrid.

Does Cabify operate in Spain?

Again, yes, but the service is mostly limited to big cities. As well as Madrid and Barcelona, Cabify can be found in the provincial capital cities of Alicante, Málaga, Sevilla, Zaragoza, Valencia, A Coruña (Galicia), Santander (Cantabria), and Murcia. Large towns in key tourism areas with some Cabify presence include Benidorm (Alicante province) and Marbella (Málaga province).

How to pay for public transport in Spain

More modern taxi services, especially in cities, often allow card or phone payments rather than cash-only fares.

Buying tickets for trains or long-distance coaches can be done online or at ticket offices at the station on the day, although the latter option can be more expensive. Local trains can normally only be paid for on the day at the station – usually through ticket machines.

Round-town and inter-town bus fares are paid when you board – in most cases, only cash is accepted, although some larger cities with modern networks may accept card or phone payments.

Spanish trains and how they work

Spain's main rail board is RENFE, which operates the outer-suburban (Cercanías) lines, and the Larga Distancia (long distance) and Media Distancia (medium distance) connections. The latter two are relatively cheap, but fairly slow, often stopping at more stations.

RENFE also operates the high-speed AVE line, which is fast, comfortable, but more expensive. A low-cost version known as the AVLO, where passengers pay a basic ticket and then extra for add-on services, is still fairly new, but growing.

Historically, RENFE was the only rail board in Spain, but in recent years, the service has been opened to competition. So far, another two, relatively new rail companies have entered Spain's long-distance transport industry: Ouigo and Iryo. Both of these run similar services to the AVLO.

Getting around Spain by public transport

Travelling over long distances via public transport is much easier in Spain than doing so locally or regionally. Towns served by rail links are nearly always only those within approximately an hour's drive from a big city, or which happen to be based along the route of a cross-country train. This means very few towns have a railway station.

But if you wanted to head to the opposite end of the country, or visit somewhere a few hundred kilometres away, you will probably have few difficulties in planning your route. These plans will vary, of course, according to your budget and how much time you have to spare – here are some options available.

Cheapest ways to travel around Spain

For those who want to spend as little as possible travelling around Spain, the two best options are by rail or coach.

The exception is, of course, the Balearic Islands – if these are included in your itinerary and you are hoping to save money, you can catch a passenger ferry from one of several locations on the east coast of mainland Spain. Operating at varying speeds, Balearic ferries tend to be a cheap choice – and an ideal way of taking your car with you but without having to drive it there. Locations of ferry ports serving the islands include Valencia, Barcelona, and Dénia (Alicante province), which is a main base for passenger shipping company Baleària.

National coach company Alsa allows every passenger to bring up to 30 kilos of luggage free of charge, including bicycles, skis and surfboards. Travellers aged 60 or over, or between 12 and 25 inclusive, can get up to 30% off their tickets.

Prices vary according to how far you are travelling, the time of day, and how far in advance you book. As an example, a one-way ticket from Málaga to Sevilla (205 kilometres) bought on the same day as travel comes in at around €22, but a ticket from Alicante to Madrid (423 kilometres) booked in advance averages at about €19, with some options as low as €7.

The downside is, of course, the length of time it takes. The Málaga-Sevilla trip is just short of three hours, or the Alicante-Madrid journey around five hours. By comparison, the AVE takes two hours and 17 minutes at a cost of roughly €34 for the first of these, or two hours and 23 minutes for a similar average ticket price for the second itinerary.

That said, Alsa's network is much wider, with almost every provincial capital city and some large towns covered by frequent daily connections.

As for cheap rail travel, the Larga Distancia or Media Distancia trains have a cost and travel time somewhere between those of the coach service and the AVE. You may need to change trains en route, especially on the Larga Distancia, with a lengthy wait until your connecting train arrives – but this can be a great opportunity to see a new town.

Quickest ways to travel around Spain

If you just want to get to your destination as fast as possible, the best ways are by high-speed rail, or by air.

Fast links between major cities on the express AVE line are gradually expanding across Spain, although they remain relatively sparse at present. All connections run via Madrid or Barcelona, so they may not be a suitable option if you are not planning on travelling to the centre or north of the mainland. But if you do, the AVE is an excellent choice.

Regular connections, at least two to four times a day, can be found between the largest cities – such as between Madrid and Valencia, which takes just 90 minutes, or the popular commuter line between Madrid and Barcelona.

Air travel is even more widely available than rail travel in Spain. Almost every province has an airport, particularly in the more densely-populated or tourist-heavy parts. Mainstream and low-cost airlines run throughout the day to practically every other airport in Europe.

Domestic or inter-city flights run throughout the day, year round, either through national airline Iberia, Valencia-based regional carrier Air Nostrum, or numerous low-cost European flight companies. As a guide to how quickly you can get around Spain by air, the flight from Valencia to Madrid, Barcelona to Valencia, or Madrid to Barcelona, takes approximately 45 to 50 minutes; coast to coast across the peninsula, from Valencia to Lisbon in neighbouring Portugal, takes about an hour and 10 minutes.

Travel discounts for island residents

If you live in the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, or the north-African coastal cities of Ceuta and Melilla, travel to and from mainland Spain is usually discounted. The reason for this is clear: Canary Island residents have no other way of getting to the mainland than by plane and, for the other locations, ferries are too infrequent to serve as a viable alternative to air travel.

Public transport is ideal for travelling long distances across Spain and for getting around big cities. For everyday journeys, if you live outside a big city, you will probably need a vehicle of your own. To find out more about acquiring your set of wheels, take a look at How to buy a car in Spain.