Santander to Bilbao by train

Prices explained

Prices explained

At Rail Europe we believe in price transparency. We use real data from Rail Europe searches to estimate the cheapest fares you should be able to find for your journey.

The cheapest price is the lowest fare we've ever found for this journey. These prices can usually be found by searching when booking opens but they vary due to availability, which depends on factors like the day of the week or time of year.

More popular journeys include 30 day advance and 7 day advance prices. These are updated every two weeks using prices we've found by searching exactly 7 or 30 days from the most recent Thursday (we picked Thursday because this is when average prices are usually found).

30 day and 7 day prices fluctuate based on demand and availability at the time of search. For example, the 7-day price in summer is likely to be more expensive than the same journey in winter.

Prices are sourced in GBP and converted to other currencies using the daily market exchange rate.

We're always seeking to improve how price-checking works, and we welcome feedback on how we can make it better.

More advice about how to find the cheapest tickets can be found in our infographic.

  1. Cheapest Price $61.84
  2. 30 day advance $40.54
  3. 7 day advance $52.90
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  • First train
    09:10
  • Last train
    19:00
  • Avg changes
    1
  • Fastest journey
    6hr 32m
  • Distance
    75 kilometres
  • Trains per day
    3
  • Avg. journey time
    23hr 40m
  • Train operators

Travelling from Santander to Bilbao by train

Fast trains from Santander to Bilbao take around 6 hours and 32 minutes, covering a distance of approximately 75 kilometres. There are frequent services on the rail route between Santander and Bilbao.

1. Are there direct trains from Santander to Bilbao?

Journeys between Santander and Bilbao usually involve one change of train.

We usually find around 3 departures on the route from Santander to Bilbao every weekday that leave enough time to change trains without waiting around for longer than necessary.

Trains are typically more frequent on weekends, when we found around 5 departures.

2. How long is the train journey from Santander to Bilbao?

The Santander to Bilbao train travel time is normally about 6 hours and 32 minutes, whatever time you make the journey.

3. What are the Santander to Bilbao train times and schedule?

On weekdays the earliest train to Bilbao is usually scheduled to depart Santander around 09:19 and the last train is around 19:00. At weekends the first train of the day leaves Santander around 07:00, and the last at 20:20.

What's the Santander to Bilbao train price?

The earlier you book the better, and the cheapest tickets we've found for trains from Santander to Bilbao are $61.84.

Trains departing 30 days in advance will cost around $40 while booking 7 days in advance the price is around $52. Booking on the day of travel is likely to be more expensive, so it is worth booking in advance if you can to save money.

When to book Santander to Bilbao train tickets?

Trains in Spain usually open for booking around 4 months in advance. If booking is not yet open for your dates then you can set a booking alert to receive an email on the day that the cheapest tickets are released for your journey from Santander to Bilbao by train.

Help with booking alerts

Which train companies operate between Santander and Bilbao?

More than one train company operates on the route from Santander to Bilbao, so you’ll be travelling with one or more of the following rail operators:

  • Alvia
  • Intercity
  • Media Distancia
  • REG.EXP.
  • Regional Express

You can check which train you’ll be travelling on by looking for the train name in search results.

Bilbao to Santander by train

Other journeys to Bilbao-Abando View all journeys to Bilbao-Abando

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Child and youth passengers

The definition of "Child" and "Youth" varies by country and operator. This is why we ask for the age of young passengers.

Sometimes children below a certain age can travel without a seat for free. If you want to guarantee a seat for child passengers, enter '6' as the age of the child.

Read more about child and youth passenger ages. See also youth discounts and railcards.