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Madrid to San Sebastian/Donostia by train
Travel from Madrid to San Sebastian by train on these faster Alvia services, which can also be cheaper if you book ahead
There's no hiding that Madrid and San Sebastian/Donastia are connected by a surprisingly sparse service of direct trains.
Though this situation may improve in 2023 when the extension of the high speed line opens between Valladolid and Burgos, as this will shorten the journey time.
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Routes
Option 1: taking the Alvia trains
Journey Summary
5hr 24min
Daily
Travel Information
These trains are usually scheduled to depart from Madrid-Chamartin at:
08:00 not Saturdays
16:05 daily
Final Destination: San Sebatian/Donastia
These trains also call at: Burgos
On departure from Madrid, these Alvia trains heading to San Sebastian/Donostia are joined to other trains heading to Bilbao
You reserved seats will be in the part of the train heading to San Sebastian.
Sunday-Friday: 2 x trains per day
Saturday: 1 x train 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.
This is a journey on which it can pay off to book in advance - you can usually save more than €30 on 'Promo' tickets if you can book more than around month ahead of your travel date.
Also book in advance if you want to travel on a specific train, 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
Seat Reservations:
Seats will automatically be assigned when booking tickets for this journey.
Rail Pass Users:
Rail pass users will need to be pay a reservation fee prior to boarding, but these reservations cannot be booked on the ticket agent's websites.
If you want the peace of mind of reserving before arriving at a Spanish station - highly recommended on this route, you will need to use the Eurail and InterRail booking services to reserve your seats - and pay the booking fee for doing so.
Or if you're happy to put up with a longer journey, last minute reservations are more likely to still be available on the alternative MD train.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Trainline | * | |
| Renfe | * |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
These trains usually continue beyond San Sebastian to terminate at Hendaia/Hendaye with a station call at Irun.
However, extensive work is being carried out on the railway line between San Sebastian and Irun, so connections are currently required for onward travel from San Sebastian.
This journey will become faster (and hopefully more frequent too) when the high speed line is extended from Valladolid to Burgos - it's due to open in late in 2022.
For the moment only the initial 1hr 20 mins of the journey will be on the high speed line.
Option 2: taking the MD trains
Journey Summary
7hr 28min
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Irun or San Sebastian
These trains are slower than the alternative Alvia trains from Madrid to San Sebastian/Donostia, but those Alvia trains can sell out days in advance.
So if you'll be booking last minute tickets, or rail pass reservations, they can be the only means of making this journey by train.
2 x trains per day
Tickets
Book early and save: No, not on these trains,
Tickets aren't discounted for this journey, 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.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Trainline | * | |
| Renfe | * |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Note that these trains depart from Madrid Principe Pio and not from Madrid Chamartin.
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