How to get from Barcelona to Madrid on your own and cheap 2021 – plane, bus, train, car
Spain is famous for its attractions and excellent resorts all over the world. From the general mass, cities such as Barcelona and Madrid stand out, which should be included in the tourist program for the best parts of Spain. We have to talk about how to get from Barcelona to Madrid on your own and, most importantly, cheaply and what advantages different modes of transport have.
To Madrid by plane
Air travel has become an integral part of all those who are used to traveling a lot and in comfort. The aircraft allows you to save time, and sometimes money, allows you to travel hundreds and thousands of kilometers over the seas and oceans, mountains and plains in a matter of hours. Therefore, we will begin our review of the best routes from Barcelona to Madrid with the offers of air carriers. The most popular in this direction will be the aircraft companies Vueling and AirEuropa, which make direct flights between the two Spanish cities. The cost of a one-way ticket will be 4800-5100 rubles (about 70 euros), and you will spend no more than 80 minutes in the sky. Planes take off every 60-90 minutes, so you can avoid long waits in the airport lounges.
As you can see, flying over Spanish territory is very easy and not that expensive. That is why the plane is very popular here, allowing you to be anywhere in an interesting country in a short period of time. Please also note that booking your air ticket a few weeks or months before your scheduled departure date from Barcelona will allow you to save a lot. Therefore, follow the promotions and interesting offers of airlines on their official websites.
Experienced tourists say that the cheapest air tickets can be bought in November, and for tickets in September and October you will have to overpay a little.
Barcelona to Madrid by bus
Traveling from Barcelona to Madrid by bus will take longer. The average duration of such a trip will be 7-8 hours, but it will save a lot of money. The average ticket price is 32-40 euros, and if you pay for the round trip at once, you will get a discount of up to 7-8 euros. Therefore, the bus is chosen by those who have a small budget.
Buses leave every hour. The first flight departs from the Catalunya bus station at 7 am, and the last one leaves at 1 am. Therefore, you can choose the right time for the trip. Look for transport on the Nord platform, which is very convenient to get to by metro (the final station will be Arc de Triomf on the red line). And one more important point: the fare depends on the bus class. If you prefer the more comfortable “express”, you will have to pay a few extra euros.
A train
AVE high speed trains
This type of transport, which is able to deliver passengers from Catalonia to the Spanish capital, also has many admirers. Fans of high-speed crossings will have to spend money. In particular, modern AVE trains depart daily from the Catalan station, which have been running in the direction since 2008. Among the main advantages of the train: trains depart every half an hour (from 5.50 to 20.25 hours), travel time is only 2.5 hours, there is a choice of one of three classes of cars.
Of the main disadvantages, it is worth noting the cost of travel. If in a standard carriage the fare will cost only 55 euros, then for the “luxury” service you will have to pay about 126 euros! Therefore, this way to see Madrid cannot be called a budget one, since financially the trip will cost even more than air travel.
But there are some tricks that can help you save a lot. For example, buying a round-trip ticket allows you to get a discount of up to 20%. And if you buy a ticket online, you can expect the ticket to be about 40% cheaper.
Estrella trains
There are also cheaper trains. For example, the Estrella train departs from the Barcelona-Sants station platform daily at 22.00. It arrives at the Madrid train station platform at 7 am and costs only 35 euros one way. In addition to the long journey, you will have to put up with another disadvantage of this type of train. In particular, you can buy a ticket only in a compartment with 8 seats and 6 shelves, so you should not hope that you will be alone with your thoughts.
Tip: If you decide to travel by night train, make sure you have a ticket for one of the six shelves in your hands before boarding. Otherwise, you will have to sit all the way, which will not brighten up your impressions of your stay in Spain.
Automobile
If you have the opportunity to rent a car, or you always travel by private transport, your trip will be even more comfortable and interesting. The roads in Spain are beautiful, and the amazing scenery that you can see from the windows of your car will add dozens of great photos to your personal travel photo album. The time to overcome the distance along the A2 autobahn (Madrid-Gerona) will be from 6 to 8 hours.
Now you know how to get from Barcelona to Madrid, which routes are considered the fastest, and which transport can save a lot of money.