All Rail Roads Lead to Madrid

By Jamie Smith
In Spain, all roads lead to Madrid. Well, at least all the major rail lines do. If you plan to be in Madrid for several days, consider taking advantage of its centrality and plan a day trip to one of Spain’s other beautiful cities. Several cities, including Barcelona and Seville, are served by a high-speed train which cuts travel time nearly in half. Moreover, even the trains which aren’t technically high-speed run at an accelerated rate because they travel on the same super efficient rails.

It’s easy to get to Madrid’s train stations, as all are served by the Metro system. You can buy your tickets at the train station and several dealers throughout the city, though it’s most convenient to purchase them online and print them yourself. You can not only see timetables and maps in English, but purchase tickets through an English language interface as well.

One final tip: there are often great last minute deals, but unfortunately that portion of the site is only in Spanish. Seats can be discounted by as much as 50% in the last 24 hours before the trip, so be sure to check there if you’re traveling on a whim.

For more of Jamie's adventures, follow her blog, Shame on Seamus.