Barcelona to Sevilla / Seville by train

How to take the rail journey from Barcelona to Seville/Sevilla on direct trains

When taking a train journey from Barcelona to Seville/Sevilla, there is a choice of direct trains.

  1. the high speed AVE trains which rush across the country at more than 300 km/h
  2. the much slower, but typically cheaper Torre Oro train.

Though when looking up this journey on the ticket booking services, most of the journey options will involve taking two AVE trains and making a connection in Madrid.

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Routes

Option 1: taking an AVE train

Travel Information

Final Destination: Sevilla-Santa Justa

These trains also call at: Cordoba

Boarding in 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 the part of the station used by the high speed trains - vias (platforms/tracks) 1 - 6.
So when you're in the station follow the signs that are pointing the way to the ' Alta-Velocidad' trains.

Note that these trains heading to Sevilla are joined to trains heading for Malaga on departure from Barcelona.
So don't be confused if you see both departures listed separately on the departure screens at Barcelona Sants.

Your reserved seats(s) will be in the part of the train which will be heading to Sevilla

2 x trains per day

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: up to 6  months ahead of the travel date - depending on the time of year.
The online booking window can be shorter between late July and early October.

When looking up journeys (not travelling) between late July and early October, it's likely you won't be able to book for journeys beyond the second Sunday in December.

Book ahead for this journey, these tend to be very popular trains, so can sell out days in advance, particularly in the summer.
These trains usually depart daily at 08:30 and 15:50, so target that departure time when looking up this journey.

You will also likely see a much longer journey by IC train, offered at a cheaper price.

Rail Pass Users:

If you want to take these AVE trains on this route, the best option is to use the Eurail and InterRail booking services to reserve your seats, a minimum of a couple of weeks before you head to Spain.

Seats on these trains call sell out in 1st/Preferente and 2nd/Turista class, days in advance, so if you wait until you arrive at a Spanish station to make the reservation, there's a chance that no seats will be available.

If you will be using a 1st class rail pass, you can save more than €10 by taking the alternative, but much slower, Torre train service.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
Trainline *

Trainline Guide

Renfe *

Renfe Guide

Renfe is the national rail operator in Spain and it has recently simplified the range of tickets it sells for express and regional train journeys in Spain.
Which is convenient as there are big savings to be made if you book ahead online.

On this journey

Journey Features

High Speed
Near Zaragoza the landscape which can be seen from both sides of the train has an other worldly quality Near Zaragoza the landscape which can be seen from both sides of the train has an other worldly quality
There are frequent distant view of mountains from both sides of the train There are frequent distant view of mountains from both sides of the train
You will be travellng twice as fast as the traffic on the freeways - hence the cars and trucks become blurs You will be travellng twice as fast as the traffic on the freeways - hence the cars and trucks become blurs
This image captures the sense of speed in the landscape This image captures the sense of speed in the landscape
A typical view of the arid rolling landscape that can be seen as the train heads south A typical view of the arid rolling landscape that can be seen as the train heads south
The train rushes between tunnels and viaducts north of Cordoba The train rushes between tunnels and viaducts north of Cordoba

This is a journey with a wow factor.

Between Barcelona and Zaragoza:

  Between Zaragoza and the outskirts of Madrid:    As can be you won't see typical stunning views of mountains and coasts, but the combination of incredible speed and sweeping distant views over central Spain can be exhilarating.

The part of the journey between Madrid and Sevilla is equally thrilling.

Option 2: taking the Torre Oro train

Travel Information

This train, which is also known as the 'Torre Del Oro' usually departs from Barcelona Sants, vias (platforms/tracks) 11 - 12, at 09:13.
It now continues beyond Seville and has a final destination of Cadiz.

Aim to be at Barcelona Sants a minimum of 20 mins before departure, in order to allow time to pass through the security checks.

1 x train per day

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: 2 months ahead

Note that if you look up this journey more than two months ahead, you will only see the faster AVE trains isted for sale.

If you'll be booking a Barcelona to Seville train journey less than a couple of weeks ahead of your travel date, then this Torre Oro train can be around half of the price of taking an AVE train.
However, note that the journey is also around twice as long as that taken by the AVE trains.

Rail Pass Users:

You'll save €4 if you have a 2nd class pass and take this Talgo train and not the AVE train, but think twice, is it worth spending an additional 5 hours(ish) to make this journey for a €4 saving?

If you have a 1st class you'll save €19 compared to the cost of taking the AVE trains.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
Trainline *

Trainline Guide

Renfe *

Renfe Guide

Renfe is the national rail operator in Spain and it has recently simplified the range of tickets it sells for express and regional train journeys in Spain.
Which is convenient as there are big savings to be made if you book ahead online.

On this journey

Journey Features

High Speed (partial)
Take the stress out of your journey Everything planned to your specification, so sit back and relax… Try Concierge

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