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Barcelona to Alacant / Alicante by train
How to take the rail journey from Barcelona to Alicante
There are two options for taking a train from Barcelona to Alicante:
- The faster Euromed services which now high-speed for part of the journey.
- IC trains which are slower, because they take the 'classic' coastal route; and are therefore usually a cheaper option.
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Routes
Option 1: taking the Euromed trains
Journey Summary
4hr 25min - 4hr33min
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Alicant Terminal
These trains also call at: Castello de la Plana and Valencia
Departing from Barcelona Sants:
Aim to be at Barcelona Sants a minimum of 20 mins before departure, in order to allow time to pass through the security checks.
At Barcelona Sants station these trains depart from the AVE area of the station vias (platforms/tracks) 1 - 6.
These trains no longer also depart from Barcelona Franca station
Mon - Friday = 5 x trains per day
Saturday= 4 x trains
Sunday= 3 x trains
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 2 months ahead
This is a journey on which you can save by booking at least a couple of weeks ahead, though the cheapest tickets inevitably sell out fastest on the most popular departures.
These Euromed services are not only faster than the alternative IC trains, they can be cheaper too; so become the logical choice for this journey.
It can pay off to be as flexible as possible regarding departure and arrival times, because for these trains on this route it’s not unusual for a few departures to be available at much cheaper price, regardless of how far ahead you will be booking.
The limited numbers of tickets released for sale at very cheapest prices also inevitably sell out, so if possible book more than a couple of months ahead and you’ll be more likely to find them available.
Though from the moment the tickets are placed on sale, some departures will be cheaper than others.
Prémium tickets are only available for journeys by the Euromed trains.
When looking up this journey on Trainline, it doesn't initially distinguish between these Euromed trains and the alternative IC departures.
The Euromed trains are those which usually depart from Barcelona Sants at 07:15 (Mon-Sat); 08:15 (Mon-Friday); 10:15; 16:10 and 1815.
Rail Pass Users:
You'll save €4 if you have a 2nd class pass and more than €12 if you have a 1st class pass, if you avoid these Euromed trains and take those alternative IC trains instead.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Trainline | from €18 approx | |
| Renfe | from €18 approx |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
These trains will reverse direction on departure from Valencia.
These trains now take a relatively new and faster, but less scenic route, as they now use the same high line to Camp de Tarragona station, as that taken by the AVE trains heading to Madrid; and they then use a new line between there and Cabrils, which takes around 25 - 30mins off the previous journey time.
Option 2: taking the IC trains
Journey Summary
5hr 25min - 5hr 45min (approx)
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Sevilla or Alacant or Cartagena or Murcia
These trains also call at: Castello de la Plana and Valencia
Departing from Barcelona:
Aim to be at Barcelona Sants a minimum of 20 mins before departure, in order to allow time to pass through the security checks.
At Barcelona Sants station these trains depart from vias (platforms/tracks) 11 - 12.
These trains no longer also depart from Barcelona Franca station.
Monday - Thursday = 4 x trains per day
Friday = 5 x trains
Saturday & Sunday = 4 x trains per day
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 2 months ahead
This is a journey on which you can save by booking at least a couple of weeks ahead, though the cheapest tickets inevitably sell out fastest on the most popular departures.
If you're not booking at least a couple of weeks ahead, and can be flexible with your timings, it can pay off search through the day's departures to find the cheaper prices.
The alternative Euromed services are not only faster than these Talgo trains, they can be cheaper too - so become the logical choice for this journey, if you're not travelling with a rail pass.
When looking up this journey on Trainline, it doesn't distinguish between these iC trains and the alternative Euromed departures.
These IC trains are those which usually depart from Barcelona Sants at ; 11:00; 12:00; 15:00; (15:30 Fri only) and 17:00.
Rail Pass Users:
You'll save €4 if you have a 2nd class pass and more than €12 if you have a 1st class pass, if you avoid the Euromed trains and take these Talgo trains instead.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Trainline | from €18 approx | |
| Renfe | from €18 approx |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
The first IC train of the day is usually scheduled to depart from Barcelona at 11:00 and arrive into Alicante at 16:40, so if you'll want or need to arrive there sooner, you will need to take a Euromed service.
The train will reverse direction on departure from Valencia.
As these trains begin to leave Barcelona behind they spend around 30 mins travelling along the coast, so there are sea views from the left hand side of the train.
Though we departed in the early morning, so hazy sunshine meant the images we captured aren't our finest pieces of work, but they give an idea of what to expect.
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