Madrid to Burgos by train

Final Destination: Bilbao/San Sebastian/Irun*

*These Alvia trains heading to these destinations are joined together for the journey between Madrid and Burgos.

So if you see any of these destinations on the departure screens at Madrid-Chamartin station, the info will also apply to the train heading to Burgos.

A choice of train services:

These Alvia trains are faster than the alternative MD trains from Madrid to Burgos; and if you are booking in advance online, they're usually cheaper too.
So despite being less frequent, they're the logical choice for Madrid to Burgos train journeys.

Book early and save: Yes - if you take these Alvia trains.

If you're booking no more than a couple of days ahead, the discounted 'Promo' tickets for these Alvia trains can still be cheaper than tickets for the alternative slower MD trains.

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.

Also book in advance if you want to travel on any departure, on this route tickets for the most popular departures can sell out completely, a couple of days ahead.
These trains are usually scheduled to depart from Madrid-Chamartin at:
08:00 daily
16:05 not Saturdays
17:40 on Friday and Sunday (the Friday departure is categorised as an 'InterCity' service, so is 2nd class only).

If these departure times don't suit, another option for Madrid to Burgos train journeys is to take an AVE train to Valadolid and then connect there for an MD train on to Burgos.
Those journey options are only around 30mins longer, but tend to be more expensive than taking these direct trains.

Seat Reservations:

Seats will automatically be assigned when booking tickets for this journey.

Rail Pass Users:

Rail pass users can avoid the higher rail pass reservations fees payable on these Alvia trains, by targeting those slower MD trains for a journey from Madrid to Burgos; though those MD trains still require a reservation.

Book early and save: No

Tickets aren't discounted for this journey by MD trains, so you will pay the same price as the that charged online, if you book last minute at the station.

Online bookings open: 2  months ahead of the travel date

However, in contrast to making the journey by these MD trains, tickets are discounted for those alternative, much faster Alvia trains.
So if you're booking online just a couple of days ahead, you can usually save by taking the Alvia trains.

Rail Pass Users:

If you will travelling this route with a valid Eurail or InterRail pass, you can save around €6 by taking these trains and not the Alvia trains.