City to city

Madrid to Bilbao by train

Madrid-Puerta de Atocha → Abando

Fastest

≈ 9h 02m

Typical

≈ 10h 45m

Direct trains

No

Fewest changes

2

Operators

Renfe Cercanias, RENFE OPERADORA, Euskotren Trena

Trains link Madrid (Madrid-Puerta de Atocha) and Bilbao (Abando) in about 9h 02m at best, with at least 2 changes along the way.

How long does the train from Madrid to Bilbao take?

The fastest trains cover Madrid to Bilbao in about 9h 02m; a typical journey takes around 10h 45m.

Is there a direct train from Madrid to Bilbao?

Usually not; expect at least 2 changes on this journey.

Is the train or a flight faster from Madrid to Bilbao?

A typical flight works out roughly 7h 10m quicker door to door (about 3h 55m against 11h 05m by train, once airport time is counted) — but the train emits about 3× less CO₂e, even on conservative official emission factors.

Train, door to door

≈ 11h 05m

Flight, door to door

≈ 3h 55m (est.)

CO₂e per passenger

~14 kg train · ~44 kg plane

Flight time and emissions are transparent estimates, not airline schedules — method, factors and all 109 compared pairs on Train vs plane in Europe.

Legendary routes through Madrid or Bilbao

• AVE Madrid → Barcelona
• AVE Madrid → Seville
• AVE Madrid → Valencia
• AVE Madrid → Málaga

More trains from Madrid

• Madrid → Zaragoza ≈ 1h 35m · direct
• Madrid → Córdoba ≈ 1h 44m · direct
• Madrid → Valencia ≈ 2h 01m · direct
• Madrid → Seville ≈ 2h 39m · direct
• Madrid → Málaga ≈ 2h 46m · direct
• Madrid → Barcelona ≈ 3h 02m · direct

All trains from Madrid →

More train routes in Spain.

Journey figures are typical values sampled from public European schedule data; exact times vary by day. Always check the operator when booking.