Your travel may be affected by the current COVID19 crisis, so please check before departure. Train operators’ exchange and refunds policies are available here. Deine Reise könnte von Einschränkungen auf Grund der Coronavirus Pandemie betroffen sein – bitte prüfe dies vor der Abfahrt. Die Stornobedingungen der einzelnen Transportunternehmen findest du hier (auf Englisch). Tu viaje puede verse afectado por la crisis actual de COVID19, por favorverifica tu itinerario antes de la salida. Las políticas de cambios y reembolsos de los operadores de trenes están disponibles aquí (en inglés). Il tuo viaggio potrebbe subire cambiamenti a causa dell’attuale crisi da COVID19. Per favore,controlla il tuo itinerario prima della partenza. Le politiche di modifica e rimborso dei vari operatori ferroviari sono disponibili qui (in inglese). Votre voyage pourrait être impacté par la crise de COVID19. Veuillez vérifier avant votre départ. Les politiques d'échange et remboursement de chaque transporteur sont disponibles ici.

Bilbao to Madrid 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 $59.87
  2. 30 day advance $41.16
Trustpilot logo 89% based on 52,371 reviews
  • First train
    09:20
  • Last train
    17:00
  • Avg changes
    0
  • Fastest journey
    5hr 6m
  • Distance
    323 kilometres
  • Trains per day
    1
  • Avg. journey time
    5hr 10m
  • Train operators

Travelling from Bilbao to Madrid by train

Fast trains from Bilbao to Madrid take around 5 hours and 6 minutes, covering a distance of approximately 323 kilometres. There are frequent services on the rail route between Bilbao and Madrid.

1. Are there direct trains from Bilbao to Madrid?

Direct trains from Bilbao to Madrid have been found.

We usually find around 2 direct trains on the route from Bilbao to Madrid every weekday.

There are typically fewer departures at weekends, when we found at least one departure.

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

The Bilbao to Madrid train travel time is normally about 5 hours and 6 minutes, whatever time you make the journey.

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

On weekdays the earliest direct train to Madrid is usually scheduled to depart Bilbao around 09:20 and the last train is around 17:00. This is the same at the weekend.

What's the Bilbao to Madrid train price?

The earlier you book the better, and the cheapest tickets we've found for trains from Bilbao to Madrid are $59.87.

Trains departing 30 days in advance will cost around $41 while booking 7 days in advance the price is around $31. 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 Bilbao to Madrid 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 Bilbao to Madrid by train.

Help with booking alerts

Which train companies operate between Bilbao and Madrid?

Alvia is the train company that operates on the route from Bilbao to Madrid.

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

Madrid to Bilbao by train

Other journeys to Madrid View all journeys to Madrid

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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.