Madrid to Alicante 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 $23.30
  2. 30 day advance $36.71
  3. 7 day advance $56.48
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  • First train
    07:45
  • Last train
    21:15
  • Avg changes
    0
  • Fastest journey
    2hr 9m
  • Distance
    360 kilometres
  • Trains per day
    18
  • Avg. journey time
    2hr 31m
  • Train operators

Travelling from Madrid to Alicante by train

Fast trains from Madrid to Alicante take around 2 hours and 9 minutes, covering a distance of approximately 360 kilometres. There are frequent services on the rail route between Madrid and Alicante.

1. Are there direct trains from Madrid to Alicante?

Direct trains from Madrid to Alicante have been found.

We usually find around 19 direct trains on the route from Madrid to Alicante every weekday.

There are typically fewer departures at weekends, when we found around 16 departures.

2. How long is the train journey from Madrid to Alicante?

The Madrid to Alicante train travel time is normally about 2 hours and 9 minutes, whatever time you make the journey.

3. What are the Madrid to Alicante train times and schedule?

On weekdays the earliest direct train to Alicante is usually scheduled to depart Madrid around 07:45 and the last train is around 21:15. This is the same at the weekend.

What's the Madrid to Alicante train price?

The earlier you book the better, and the cheapest tickets we've found for trains from Madrid to Alicante are $23.30.

Trains departing 30 days in advance will cost around $36 while booking 7 days in advance the price is around $56. 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 Madrid to Alicante 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 Madrid to Alicante by train.

Help with booking alerts

Which train companies operate between Madrid and Alicante?

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

  • AVE
  • Alvia

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

Alicante to Madrid by train

Other journeys to Alacant-Terminal View all journeys to Alacant-Terminal

AVE or Alvia

Taking the train from Madrid to Alicante is by far the best option for travelling between these two cities.

The journey takes in beautiful Spanish landscapes, crossing a region tourists don't often visit. The final part of the journey, from Albacete to Alicante, is along the high-speed line opened in summer 2013.

Madrid to Alacant-Terminal

All trains from Madrid to Alicante serve Atocha station in Madrid. On most days, there is also an afternoon train from Madrid Chamartin to Alicante (which then stops at Atocha 25 mins after leaving Chamartin). Between Madrid Atocha and Alicante all trains stop at least once. You’ll arrive in Alicante at a station called Alacant Terminal in the local Valencian dialect, but still shown on many maps as the Estación de Madrid.

While the fastest trains on this route take little more than 2 hrs, some slower services take closer to three hours. The AVE trains are faster than the Alvia trains running from Madrid to Alicante.

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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.