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Madrid to Malaga by train
How to take the rail journey from Madrid to Malaga
This is a journey which showcases European rail travel at is best, with trains racing across an ever-changing landscape at more than 300 km/h per hour.
Connect in Malaga for local trains to Torremelinos and Fuengirola.
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Routes
From Madrid Atocha/Puerta De Atocha to Malaga-Maria Zambrano
Journey Summary
2hr 24min - 3hr 5min*
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination*: Malaga
Most trains also call at: Cordoba
The discrepancies in journey time are caused by the number of station calls the trains make.
The fastest trains are the non-stop trains, which USUALY depart from Madrid at:
10:35 on Mon-Sat
18:30 not Saturdays
The slowest trains make five station calls.
Monday - Friday 9 x trains per day
Saturday = 6 x trains
Sunday = 7 x trains
The typical number of departures has been temporarily reduced as a consequence of the pandemic.
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.
On this route, prices are set per departure according to demand, hence the lack of price info below.
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.
Seat Reservations:
Seats will automatically be assigned when booking tickets for this journey.
Rail Pass Users:
Rail pass users will need to pay reservation fees prior to boarding these trains, thoighh on this route, with its fairly frequent departures, you may as well book these reservations at the station when you arrive in Spain.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Trainline | * | |
| Renfe | * |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
The AVE 103 trains MAY be used for occasional departures, though we have never seem them used on this route
You will be travelling at more than 280 km/h for virtually the entire journey from the Madrid suburbs to the outskirts of Malaga.
Either side of Cordoba the trains rush between tunnels and viaducts, so look out for the intermittent sweeping views across the landscape.
Though we weren't lucky with the weather between Cordoba and Malaga when we were capturing the images and video; and this is the most scenic part of this journey.
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See if there’s a unique journey guide for your trip, featuring info on the trains, tickets & stations.
This is one of more than 1000 journey guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.
