Barcelona to Bilbao train

Renfe is Spain’s national train operator 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 travellers 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 trains offering different levels of comfort, amenities and time needed to travel to your destination. These train 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 trains and Trenhotel night trains.

Renfe Alvia are high-speed trains with top speeds of up to 250km/h operated by Renfe, Spain’s national railway company. Alvia trains cover most cities in Spain, including Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia, Alicante, Zaragoza and Cadiz. They are somewhat slower than Renfe AVE and AVLO (high-speed and low cost) but cover more destinations and are a comfortable and effective way of travelling around Spain. Onboard facilities include free WIFI, bike storage and luggage allowance. Alvia trains have two seat classes – Estándar and Confort. Top routes for Renfe Alvia include Barcelona to Pamplona, Madrid to Cádiz and Alicante to Gijón.

Alsa is the main train operator in Spain, a subsidiary of the UK train operator 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 train journeys. While most travellers don’t mind travelling on normal trains with basic services like toilets, free WiFi, footrests and onboard entertainment, some others may want to check out Alsa’s deluxe trains like the Alsa Supra, Alsa Eurobus and Alsa Premium, which provide more luxurious amenities on specific routes.

Iryo is a new brand from railway operator ILSA operating in Spain since 2022. Iryo uses Frecciarossa 1000 trains which are modern, can travel at up to 360km/h and have a minimal environmental impact. Iryo’s Frecciarossa trains have different classes, all of which come with free unlimited WiFi, power sockets, toilets and an onboard entertainment portal where you can watch films and TV series. The main classes are: Infinita Class, Singular Café Class, Singular Class, Inicial Class. These new trains take 2 hours and 30 minutes to travel between Madrid and Barcelona. They depart from Madrid Atocha and Barcelona Sants stations, and stop in Zaragoza along the way. Iryo services also cover Madrid, Cuenca, Valencia, Alicante, Córdoba, Seville and Málaga.

AVE trains between Barcelona and Bilbao are available on Omio at just £91! AVE are the high-speed trains from Renfe, the main Spanish railway company that offers routes throughout the country and to France and Portugal. When you travel with a Renfe AVE train to Bilbao from Barcelona, the distance is 289 miles (466 km). There are a multitude of AVE train times for the Barcelona to Bilbao trip, which you can compare and book easily on Omio.

Renfe offers different types of AVE tickets that adapt to all budgets, such as Promo, Promo +, Flexible tickets for one-way or return. You can also use the Renfe discount cards such as the Gold Card and the + Renfe Youth 50 Card when booking your Renfe AVE ticket on Omio.

All AVE trains have a restaurant, WiFi, toilets and onboard entertainment and offer a multitude of times throughout the day for greater comfort and flexibility. In addition, Renfe AVE trains are characterised as being the most popular, comfortable, punctual and one of the fastest trains in the world, reaching speeds around 192 mph (310 kmh) on select routes. AVE connects the main Spanish cities in just a few hours.