How to Book Train Tickets in Spain

Renfe, iryo, and Ouigo sell most of Spain’s fast intercity train tickets. Renfe, the national rail operator, runs the AVE high-speed trains, the Avlo lower-cost high-speed service, and the Alvia and Larga Distancia long-distance trains. iryo and Ouigo are private companies that run their own high-speed services on some of the same routes, most notably Madrid to Barcelona, Madrid to Valencia, and Madrid to Málaga or Sevilla. Each operator sells tickets through its own website and app and sets its own fare names, change rules, seat rules, and luggage limits.

You lock in most of your costs when you buy. On Renfe, the fare decides whether you can change your trip, what a cancellation costs, and whether a seat choice is included. On iryo and Ouigo, the fare and its add-ons decide the same things, and Ouigo’s basic fare includes only a small bag and a cabin case. Before you pay, open the fare conditions in the booking tool and read what that exact fare allows, since the terms change and each operator’s page sets the rules you must follow.

Which operator runs which trains

Renfe is the only operator here with a broad network of regional and commuter services, called Cercanías, in addition to its long-distance trains. iryo and Ouigo sell only high-speed services between major cities. Ouigo’s network has grown since its launch, with a Madrid to Valencia service from 7 October 2022 and an Alicante service from April 2023. Check which operator serves your exact city pair, because a route may have only one operator or two.

Renfe also runs two AVE services that cross into France, Barcelona to Lyon and Madrid to Marseille. French rules apply to part of those trips, so check those rules separately before you book.

When to book

Booking windows are the least certain part of Spanish rail pricing. The booking windows below come from travel resellers, not from the operators. Trip.com reports that Renfe sells AVE and Larga Distancia tickets at least three months ahead, and up to one year ahead on some routes according to a 2021 announcement. Avlo is reported at up to one year ahead. Ouigo is reported only as "several months" ahead, with release dates shown on its website. A reseller called Rail Europe gives 360 days for iryo. None of these figures comes from an operator statement, so check the calendar on the operator’s own site before you plan around a specific date.

Renfe’s Promo fares require booking at least three weeks ahead, according to an undated travel aggregator.

Pricing changes with demand on all three operators. Renfe describes its AVE and Larga Distancia fares as dynamic, meaning the price moves with how many seats are sold. Ouigo’s own price summary says prices rise as the travel date approaches or as demand grows. With no fixed fare pattern to rely on, compare the same route on several dates and times before you commit. If your dates are fixed, booking early gives you more fare choices, and the cheapest seats on a popular train are typically the first to go.

Renfe fares and what each one allows

Renfe changed its fare system on 1 July 2021. Before that date, tickets were sold by class, such as Turista and Preferente. Under the new system, the seat type and the fare work together. The seat types are Estándar and Confort, and the fares are Básico, Elige and Premium. The launch coverage from Trenvista explains the switch from classes to seat types. Renfe’s conditions pages do not show an effective date, so confirm that the rules below still match the fare you see when you book.

Básico is the cheapest Renfe fare and the most restrictive. According to Renfe’s Normativa conditions page, you can change the ticket once for 10 € plus any fare difference, and you must make the change at least 24 hours before departure. A cheaper replacement ticket does not refund the difference. The ticket is non-refundable. Seat selection is a paid extra on this fare. A travel guide quotes 8 € for a seat choice, so check the seat step in the booking flow for the current price.

Elige costs more and gives you more room to change plans. The first change is free, and you pay only the fare difference. Each later change costs 10 €. If you cancel, Renfe returns 70% of the ticket price. Elige includes a reclining seat, a reading light and a power outlet, or you can choose an XL Confort seat. Launch-era coverage from 2021 gave different figures for Elige, 20% for a change and 30% for a cancellation. Those figures predate the current conditions, so use the Renfe page instead.

Premium sits at the top of the range and uses the Confort seat. The Normativa page lists changes and cancellations on the Elige Confort seat as follows: the first change is free, later changes cost 10 € plus the fare difference, and cancellation carries a 30% charge (70% refund). "Sin gastos" appears only for paid add-ons such as Cambios gratuitos ilimitados and Pack Superflex. Holder change, which lets you move the ticket to another traveler, can be done once, at a cost that depends on the fare option. It does not allow changes to the fare, train or time. Viajes4dias describes Premium as including an XL Confort seat, seat selection, changes, cancellations and at-seat catering, so confirm these in the booking tool before you rely on them.

Round-trip tickets follow different rules. Renfe’s Normativa page says you can change a round-trip ticket up to three times at no cost within its validity period, as long as the fare code, origin and destination stay the same. Each change after that costs 10% of the ticket.

If you are not sure which fare fits your plans, decide based on how likely you are to change. A traveler with a firm date and a firm train can save with Básico. A traveler whose meetings or flights might move will pay less overall with Elige, because the first change costs only the difference.

iryo fares and changes

iryo’s official 2025 fare FAQ names five fare options: Inicial, Inicial Superior, Espacio Silencio (the Quiet Coach), Infinita and Infinita Bistró. Read the full conditions for each fare in the booking tool before you buy. The FAQ says Inicial is the most affordable fare and includes hand and cabin luggage. Inicial Superior allows free same-day schedule changes, gives access to iryo’s loyalty programme, and includes hand and cabin luggage, with a large suitcase added for 10 €. Espacio Silencio carries the same conditions as Inicial Superior, but it is limited to passengers aged 13 and over, and it asks everyone in the coach to keep quiet. Infinita is the higher comfort tier.

Third-party sites still list older fare names. BlaBlaCar lists Inicial, Singular, Singular Only YOU and Infinita. Omio uses Promo, Promo+ and Flexible, which appears outdated. The iryo app listing describes all of its fares as "totally flexible," which is promotional wording. The Inicial fare carries restrictions, so read the actual conditions in the booking tool.

Verify the change and refund fees first. Viajes4dias says Inicial allows same-day time changes if you pay the fare difference, and that a date change costs 15% of the ticket plus the difference. BlaBlaCar gives a flat 10 € for a time change and 10 € for a date change, plus the difference. Check the fee for your fare in the booking tool before you pay. The refund rules vary too. Trenes.com says Inicial has no refunds, while Rail Europe describes Inicial Superior as refundable. Confirm the refund rule for your fare on iryo’s site.

Infinita Bistró is the top tier. Viajes4dias calls it an all-inclusive fare that covers every change, cancellation and seat option, but its description carries no date, so confirm it on iryo’s site.

Every iryo ticket also includes free access to Cercanías trains from four hours before to four hours after your travel time, according to Viajes4dias. Confirm this with iryo before you plan a connection on it.

Ouigo fares and add-ons

Ouigo’s fares are built differently. The basic fare, called Esencial, starts at 9 € according to Trainvelling, and prices rise with demand. Ouigo sells its basic fare with few inclusions, so most travelers add options. The published add-ons include:

• Plus: costs 6 € or 9 € per passenger, depending on the source. Plus gives a priority XL seat allocation, subject to availability, and lets you choose a seat.
• Flex: 7 € per passenger, allowing unlimited date or time changes up to 30 minutes before departure. Consumoteca says the price is per ticket.
• Refund option: 8 € per passenger. If you cancel up to 30 minutes before departure, the ticket amount comes back. According to Trainvelling, the Flex and refund add-ons themselves are not refunded.

The Full tier is listed at +17 € with more luggage and full flexibility. Confirm its inclusions on Ouigo’s booking page before you buy.

El Español reported on 12 January 2025 that a Málaga to Madrid ticket cost 13 € for an evening departure, 33 € for a morning departure, and 9 € on another day. Consumoteca quoted Madrid to Barcelona at 60 € for next-day travel and 24 € for travel three weeks ahead, in an undated July snapshot. Treat both as examples of the spread, not as current prices.

Children aged 4 to 13 pay 7 € or 5 € per trip, depending on the source, so confirm the child price on the booking page. Infant rules conflict too. Guía Low Cost says babies travel free up to age three, while Trainvelling says children under four travel free if they do not take a seat.

Ouigo sells tickets online. Consumoteca says the tickets are sold only online, while Guía Low Cost says you can buy them on the web or in the app. SNCF Connect says online payment is required, and tickets are either e-tickets shown in the SNCF Connect app or self-printed. Consumoteca advises arriving 30 minutes before departure, but that advice is dated.

Seat reservations by operator

Renfe’s seat rules depend on the fare. Básico charges extra for seat selection. Elige includes the seat features listed above, and seat selection costs less than on Básico. Premium includes seat selection, according to Viajes4dias. Renfe’s conditions also allow a passenger to ask on board for an upgrade of seat type, fare or class, subject to availability and payment of the difference. Check the full General Conditions PDF on renfe.com for the exact terms.

iryo’s base seat is the Comfort seat, and the Infinita fare includes an XL seat, according to Rail Europe. The Inicial seat has individual armrests, a power socket and USB, and Viajes4dias says the seat moves. Check the seat step in the iryo booking flow to see whether you can choose a specific seat on Inicial. Omio says seat reservation is included in the ticket price, confirm it for your fare before you rely on it.

Ouigo’s basic fare assigns a seat at random, and choosing one costs extra, according to El Español. Consumoteca says seat choice is not offered on the basic fare. Seat choice prices vary by source. Trainvelling lists seat selection from 3 € per seat and XL from 7 € per seat, but elsewhere in the same source it gives XL at +3 € per person. Iris Global says seat choice costs between 2 € and 5 €. Pick Plus if you want to choose your seat, or check the seat price on the booking page before you pay.

Stations by operator

Renfe’s main long-distance stations include Madrid Atocha, Madrid Chamartín, Barcelona Sants, Sevilla Santa Justa, Zaragoza Delicias, Valencia Joaquín Sorolla and Málaga María Zambrano. Wikipedia’s AVE entry counts 52 stations and marks its fleet and route figures as of 2024. Granada is served by AVE trains to Madrid and Barcelona and by Media Distancia trains to Sevilla Santa Justa.

Check iryo’s website for its current station list. Wikipedia says iryo calls at 12 stations. Travel guides name these iryo stations, including Madrid Atocha, Barcelona Sants, Valencia Joaquín Sorolla, Sevilla Santa Justa and Zaragoza Delicias. BlaBlaCar also lists Córdoba, Cuenca, Ciudad Real and Puertollano among its iryo destinations. Confirm the exact station in the booking tool, because some cities have more than one stop.

Ouigo’s stations include Madrid Atocha, which is served by the Málaga to Madrid service, and Barcelona Sants. Forbes says the Madrid to Barcelona service stops at Zaragoza and Tarragona, and that Ouigo and Avlo both serve Valencia Joaquín Sorolla. Check the full station list against the current timetable on Ouigo’s website.

Check the station’s own page for check-in and luggage storage at Madrid Atocha, Madrid Chamartín, Barcelona Sants and Sevilla Santa Justa. A 2022 source says an oversize bag fee can be paid at access control up to 30 minutes before departure, but confirm that it applies at your station. Supermaletas advises arriving early because bag checks can take extra minutes, especially for Ouigo and iryo. Plan to arrive earlier than you would for a standard domestic train, and give yourself extra time when you have large bags.

Luggage limits by operator

The luggage rules for each operator differ enough that a bag that works on one train may not work on another. Measure your bags before you travel.

Renfe luggage

Renfe allows up to three hand-luggage pieces per ticket holder, with a combined limit of 25 kg and a sum of dimensions no greater than 290 cm, according to Cimiedi’s guide to Renfe baggage rules. The largest single piece is 85 × 55 × 35 cm. Cimiedi and Infoviajera list the measurements as height × width × depth, while Truecalia lists width × length × depth. Check the measurement order on Renfe’s luggage page before you pack.

Renfe’s allowance includes suitcases, bags and backpacks. It also covers laptop cases, folded strollers and car seats. Musical instruments in cases up to 30 × 120 × 38 cm are allowed. Golf or ski bags are limited to one piece up to 55 × 35 × 25 cm, properly packed. Renfe treats special equipment, such as golf clubs or bicycles, as separate from hand luggage. Renfe’s current official page ties an extra oversize piece up to 85 × 60 × 35 cm, or 180 cm total, to Avlo trains: 10 € at purchase, or 15 € bought afterwards up to 30 minutes before departure through any sales channel. Check the current fee on renfe.com before you pack a fourth piece. Cimiedi also describes door-to-door shipping through Correos for long-distance trains, so confirm current rates with Correos before you ship.

iryo luggage

iryo’s official FAQ states that Inicial includes hand and cabin luggage, and that a large suitcase costs 10 € extra on Inicial Superior. The FAQ does not state dimensions or weight limits. Guides give consistent figures for the smaller items. The hand item is 36 × 27 × 15 cm, and the cabin case is 55 × 35 × 25 cm. The large suitcase is listed as 80 × 55 × 35 cm by Rail Europe and Supermaletas, and as 85 × 55 × 35 cm by Viajes4dias. Viajes4dias and Supermaletas both give 25 kg as the total weight. Viajes4dias says the allowance is up to three pieces: two up to 85 × 55 × 35 cm and one handbag up to 36 × 27 × 15 cm.

According to Rail Europe, bicycles travel only if you dismantle them and bag them. Scooters, e-bikes, boxes and electrical appliances are not permitted. Omio says small pets can travel in a transport cage, and bicycles may be taken for a fee depending on space.

Ouigo luggage

Spanish sources agree that the basic fare includes one cabin case up to 55 × 35 × 25 cm and one small bag or backpack up to 36 × 27 × 15 cm. SNCF Connect lists the small bag as 40 × 30 × 15 cm and says included luggage has no weight limit. Measure against the smaller 36 × 27 × 15 cm figure until you confirm the official Ouigo rule on Ouigo’s website.

Extra bags cost 5 € each, according to Trainvelling, Guía Low Cost and Consumoteca. Consumoteca says you can buy extra bags with the ticket or add them up to 30 minutes before departure, and that two extra bags cost 10 €. Guía Low Cost gives XL bag limits of 200 cm total dimensions and 30 kg, and says the Plus fare includes one extra bag. SNCF Connect says an extra bag costs 20 € at the station, which differs from the Spanish figure, so confirm the price before you travel.

Pets travel under the seat in a carrier no larger than 60 × 35 × 35 cm, with a maximum of two pets of 10 kg each. Adding a pet costs 10 € up to 30 minutes before departure, or 20 € if you declare the pet on board, according to Guía Low Cost and Iris Global.

Key Takeaways

• Check the fare conditions before you pay: Renfe, iryo and Ouigo price their fares differently, and the fare decides your change, refund, seat and luggage rights.
• Book early and compare dates: Booking windows vary by operator and are reported mainly by resellers, so confirm the calendar on each operator’s site and compare prices across days.
• Buy Renfe Elige if your plans might change: The first change is free and pays only the fare difference, and a cancellation returns 70% of the ticket price.
• Measure your bags against the smallest published limit: Ouigo’s small bag is 36 × 27 × 15 cm in most sources, and Renfe’s pieces cannot exceed 85 × 55 × 35 cm.
• Confirm iryo and Ouigo change fees in the booking tool: Guides give different figures for iryo date changes and Ouigo add-ons, so the price on your checkout page is the number to trust.