Dreaming of Spain? Explore It by Train!
There’s something about Spain that makes you want to keep exploring. Madrid may lead you to Toledo and Segovia; Barcelona opens the door to Girona, Tarragona and the Mediterranean coast; Seville puts Córdoba, Cádiz and Jerez within reach. And increasingly, you don’t need a car to experience any of it.
Spain has one of Europe’s most impressive rail networks, with high-speed trains connecting its great cities and regional lines carrying you into historic towns, coastal resorts and landscapes that many visitors simply fly over.
For independent travellers, that makes the train one of the easiest — and most enjoyable — ways to discover the country.
Why explore Spain by train?
Spain is particularly well suited to a hub-based rail holiday. Rather than packing up every morning and constantly moving hotels, you can spend several nights in one city and use the railway to explore the region around it.
Base yourself in Madrid, for example, and Toledo, Segovia, Ávila and Cuenca can all become day trips. From Barcelona, you can head north to Girona and Figueres, south to Tarragona or escape to the coast. Seville gives you easy access to Córdoba, Cádiz and Jerez, while Málaga opens up a completely different side of Andalucía.
Then there are the journeys themselves. High-speed AVE trains make covering Spain's considerable distances surprisingly easy, while slower regional and narrow-gauge routes reveal a very different country — mountains, vineyards, fishing towns and landscapes far removed from the familiar tourist trail.
The railway isn't simply a way of getting from one attraction to another. Used well, it can shape the whole trip.
A guide designed around the way independent travellers actually travel
Touring Spain by Train was created to make planning that kind of holiday much easier.
Rather than giving you a long list of places and leaving you to work out how they fit together, the guide is organised around practical rail hubs across Spain, including Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Granada, Málaga, Bilbao and Santiago de Compostela.
From each hub, you'll discover ideas for day trips and onward journeys, alongside experiences, scenic routes and lesser-known places that can easily be incorporated into a rail itinerary.
There is also practical guidance on navigating Spain's rail system, choosing and booking trains, understanding the different services and planning an itinerary that makes geographical sense.
The aim is simple: to give you enough information and inspiration to create your own trip, rather than follow somebody else's tour.
The perfect time to start planning Spain
Late summer is a particularly good moment to start thinking about Spain beyond the traditional summer beach holiday.
September and October can be wonderful months for city breaks and rail trips, while autumn is ideal for Andalucía, Madrid and many of Spain's great cultural destinations. And if Spain is on your list for next spring, starting early gives you time to build a much more interesting itinerary than simply connecting Madrid and Barcelona.
Whether you're planning a couple of cities, a week exploring Andalucía or a longer journey across the country, Touring Spain by Train can help you work out what is realistically possible without hiring a car.
FREE on Kindle — 25 & 26 August only
For two days only, 25–26 August, Touring Spain by Train is completely FREE to download on Kindle.
So if Spain is somewhere you've been thinking about visiting, download a copy now and keep it in your Kindle library ready for when you start planning.
The free Kindle promotion ends 26 August.
Touring Spain by Train is part of the Real Travel Guides Touring by Train series, alongside guides to Italy, France and Switzerland — created for independent travellers who want to explore more of Europe without needing a car.
And if you enjoy the guide, we'd be hugely grateful if you could leave an Amazon review. Reviews make an enormous difference to independent travel guides and help other travellers discover the series.
Dreaming of Spain? Your next rail adventure starts here.
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