Trains vers Burgos

The one-time capital of Old Castile is a stylish city on the River Arlanzón. Burgos is easy to reach by train, being on one of the main rail routes across northern Spain. It was (and still is) a natural way station for pilgrims following the trail to Santiago de Compostela. As befits a city so long associated with penitance and pilgrimage, Burgos city centre is dominated by the very fine UNESCO-listed Cathedral of Santa María de Burgos. It rates as one of Europe's great Gothic cathedrals. While there's plenty of diversions within the heart of the city, many visitors also make time for the Cartuja de Miraflores, an old Carthusian monastery in the city's eastern suburbs.

The assertively modern railway station, poetically named Burgos Rosa de Lima, is 5 km out of town, but a shuttle bus connects the station with the city centre. For passengers arriving from France there are useful direct trains to Burgos from the border town of Irun.

There are many choices for onward connections from Burgos. There are direct trains to Madrid, taking about 2 hrs 30 mins to reach the Spanish capital. There’s a slow but scenic route through the hills of northern Spain to Barcelona, taking about 6 hrs. There are direct services to the Basque towns of Bilbao and San Sebastián and also to the major cities of Galicia, including Santiago de Compostela. Each evening, there’s a direct overnight train from Burgos to Lisbon. From late 2019, the opening of a new stretch of high-speed line will mean that Renfe's sleek AVE high-speed trains will serve Burgos for the first time, cutting the journey time to the capital to under two hours.