Where to Ride: The 15 Best High-Speed Trains in Spain

1.Toledo Private Tour with Cathedral & High Speed Train from Madrid

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 218 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $314Our pick

Review of a private Toledo tour from Madrid with high-speed train travel, cathedral access, expert guiding, free time, and practical tips.

“This tour was excellent. We only had a group of 6. Javier was beyond knowledgeable- dates, people, places. He knew it all. We spent a lot of time in the cathedral and he made sure that we had a full history of Toledo before crossing the bridge. He also showed us where the Church of San Tome was so we could see El Greco. It’s fast paced, you’re not walking slowly, but you’re able to get in everything before the bus tours start. We were very impressed. Gracias, Javier!”

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2.Segovia with Alcazar Guided Tour by High-Speed Train from Madrid

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 98 reviews · 6 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $362

See Segovia from Madrid by high-speed train, with the Roman aqueduct, Alcázar, cathedral, Old Town, and free time for local food.

“The tour was canceled, we did it on our own using the provided tickets. No idea how the tour would actually be.”

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3.Barcelona Day Tour by High-Speed Train from Madrid.

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 71 reviews · 13 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $414

Review of Madrid to Barcelona by high-speed train, with Gaudí, the Gothic Quarter, MUHBA, walking demands, costs, and practical tips.

“It has been a wonderful getaway to Barcelona during our stay in Madrid. Very well organized by the We team. Our guide has been loving it and we have discovered Barcelona and its charms with a local expert. If you have little time, without a doubt this experience is perfect for you!”

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4.Girona Private Guided Tour by High Speed Train from Barcelona

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 62 reviews · 5 hours 15 minutes (approx.) · from $289

Review of Girona’s private day tour from Barcelona by AVE train, with Gothic sights, Arab Baths, medieval walls, guides, cost, and practical tips.

“Great tour guides. Jimena & Lucas of “ World Experiences” - A great half-day trip by train and highly recommended for all Barcelona visitors.”

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5.Girona Private Guided Tour by High-Speed Train

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 56 reviews · 5h 18m · from $283

Review of a private Barcelona to Girona tour by high-speed train, with medieval walls, Jewish quarter, Eiffel Bridge, and Arab Baths.

“We enjoyed our tour to Girona. Our guide was friendly, and knowledgeable and provided good insights into the historical sites of Girona. Taking the high-speed train was easy and allowed us plenty of time to see everything, and even have a relaxing lunch in a street-side café before returning to Barcelona. This was a fun way to spend the day, and still be back to Barcelona in time to enjoy the late afternoon and evening out on the town.”

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6.Cordoba and Mosque Day Trip by High-Speed Train

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 33 reviews · 11 hours · from $199

Review of the Madrid to Córdoba day trip by high-speed train, covering the Mosque-Cathedral, guided walks, costs, timing, and key drawbacks.

“I had an amazing tour. The tour guides were excellent really love the city. I definitely recommend.”

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7.Madrid by High-Speed Train with Prado Museum Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 33 reviews · 13 hours (approx.) · from $606

Review of the Madrid day trip from Barcelona by high-speed train, including the Prado, guided city walk, costs, timing, and key drawbacks.

“My parents, who are seniors and not tech savy had gone on this trip. Christina the tour guide was extremely lovely was very helpful and communicated well with my parents. 5 stars to her. My parent's most cherished part of the trip was the mother and daughter who were also on the tour who had helped and befriended them. The reason why I had deducted stars is because there is incorrect information for the tour. It states that the start and end point is in Barcelona; however, this tour has you travel from Barcelona train station to Madrid station on your own and then back from Madrid to Barcelona on…”

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8.Seville in One Day by High speed Train from Madrid Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 30 reviews · 13 hours (approx.) · from $534

Review of a Madrid to Seville day trip by high-speed train, with guided sights, free time, Alcazar options, costs, and practical tips.

“The trip Never happened because not enough people booked. Very disappointed and the alternative date was not convenient only had one alternative.”

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9.Segovia Private Guided Visit & Alcazar with High Speed Train

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 11 reviews · 6.5 hours · from $353

Review of Segovia’s private day trip from Madrid by high-speed train, with the aqueduct, Alcazar, guided walk, free time, and practical tips.

“Christina was a great guide and the hike was beautiful”

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10.Córdoba Private Day Tour by High-Speed Train

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 10 reviews · 12 hours · from $506

Review of a Córdoba day tour from Madrid by high-speed train, including the Mezquita-Catedral, Jewish Quarter, free time, and practical tips.

“A very good day with Jorge and Marta was great fun. A suggestion that 3 to 4hrs free time before getting the train back to Madrid was a little long. 2 to 3hrs is plenty getting an earlier train would be a good option.”

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11.Córdoba Private Day Trip from Madrid by High-Speed Train

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 9 reviews · 13 hours (approx.) · from $508

Review of the Madrid to Córdoba private day trip by high-speed train, with Mezquita-Catedral access, Jewish Quarter tour, costs, and tips.

“I was informed 3 days before the trip that I won’t be able to do it bcz I was the only one who confirmed for that date so they gave me the option to join Seville day trip instead which was really good. The only thing I didn’t like it seems that the company wasn’t 100% prepared and they didn’t arrange our transportation in Seville which resulted in wasting around 1 hr from tour time.”

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12.Private Tour: Segovia Day Trip from Madrid by High-Speed Train

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 8 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $381

Review of a private Segovia day trip from Madrid by high-speed train, with practical tips on timing, sights, guides, price, and value.

“Even though our train arrival in Segovia was delayed, our guide was waiting for us and ready to go. A local lady and very well informed about the history and culture of the areas we toured. Very good tour!”

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13.Seville Day Trip from Cordoba by High-Speed Train

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 3 reviews · from $140Best value

Review of Seville day trip from Cordoba by high-speed train, with Alcazar, Cathedral, Plaza de España, guide advice, price, and tips.

“All went according to the advertised information The guide was very good The tour was worth its money Can recommend it”

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14.Private Tour: Cordoba Day Trip from Madrid by High-Speed Train

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $538

Review of a private Cordoba day trip from Madrid by high-speed train, including the Mezquita, Jewish quarter, timing, guide service, and value.

“If you enjoy history and architecture, then this is a must. Cordoba gets very hot in the summer so we took the 7:30am train from Madrid and were greeted by our tour guide Lola at 9:15am. She made the experience extremely interesting by explaining the history as we walked the historical sites. The only downside of this was the guide at the mosque who was explaining things using paper and iPads while she could have done that while walking the mosque. After the 3 hour tour, we went on our own to explore the place on our own, followed by lunch and took the 4:30 train back to Madrid.”

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15.2-Day guided tour Caceres & Sevilla from Madrid by Bus and High Speed Train

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 2 reviews · from $371

Review this 2-day Madrid tour to Cáceres and Seville, with medieval streets, guided sights, hotel stay, meals, and AVE train return.

“The tour started one hour late. A whole hour with no actual explanation, other than the driver is delayed, so from 7:45am to 8:45am. That was a rocky start and threw the tour off schedule. The guide was nice, but the schedule was odd. Eating lunch in crowded restaurants arRead more”

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