This page explains how to buy train tickets from San Sebastian - Donostia to other European cities at the cheapest prices, buying online direct from the operators, usually with print-at-home or collect-at-station tickets. Click here to for journeys starting in another city. Suggested hotels in San Sebastian. Information current for 2025.
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Before you buy your tickets
Take a moment to read these tips for buying European train tickets. It answers all the usual questions, "Must I book in advance or can I buy at the station?", "Can I stop off?", "Are there Senior fares?" and that old favourite, "Should I buy an $800 railpass or a €35 point-to-point ticket?". How far ahead can you buy train tickets?
European train travel FAQ
San Sebastian stations
San Sebastian has two stations, see stations guide & location map.
Amara for the narrow-gauge Euskotren trains to Bilbao and Hendaye on the French border
The Renfe station for mainline Iberian-gauge trains to Madrid, Pamplona & Barcelona, usually shown as plain San Sebastian-Donostia.
San Sebastian to Barcelona from €25
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A fast Alvia train leaves San Sebastian every morning at 07:02, arriving Barcelona Sants 13:09.
The train is air-conditioned with standard class (2nd), comfort class (1st), cafe-bar & free WiFi.
Other departures are available with a change of train.
It's a great ride: The train leaves from San Sebastian Renfe station, 10 minutes walk from the city centre. The journey starts slowly with the train wending its way through the Pyrenean foothills, it emerges from the hills and gathers speed across the plains with the Pyrenees to your left, calling briefly at Pamplona.
Approaching Zaragoza it passes slowly through a shed and automatically changes track gauge from Spanish 5'6" broad gauge to standard gauge 4' 8½" and joins the modern high-speed line for a final dash at up to 250km/h (155 mph) to Barcelona. Look out for the distinctive dragon's back of Montserrat on your left as you approach Barcelona. You've crossed Spain, from the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean!
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Fares start at €28 in standard class or €38 in comfort class.
Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.
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Buy tickets at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com (both easy to use. in £ or €, international credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or www.petrabax.com (in $, small mark-up) or Renfe's own site www.renfe.com (more fiddly, may reject some overseas credit cards, see advice on using it). You print your own ticket or can show it on your phone.
Booking for Spanish trains opens anything from 15 days to 9 months ahead, don't bother trying to book months in advance.
Tip: If you only see indirect journeys with a change of train in the search results, then booking for the direct trains isn't open yet. Just wait until the direct train appears, 40-60 days out, sometimes less. Other less convenient routes & trains often open for booking earlier so they appear in search results a few weeks before the direct trains open for booking. So If you are too impatient you'll end up on a more expensive non-direct journey that takes significantly longer. So I repeat, WAIT until you see the direct trains with 0 changes in the search results.
San Sebastian to Bilbao for €6.50
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Narrow-gauge local trains run by Euskotren link San Sebastian-Donostia Amara station with Bilbao's Matiko station in 2h35 every hour throughout the day, for only €6.50.
No reservation is necessary or possible, just go to San Sebastian Amara station (the Euskotren station), buy a ticket and hop on the next train. Easy! It's a slow all-stations ride on a narrow-gauge railway.
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Matiko station is the end of the line and closest to the Guggenheim Museum (18 minutes walk), but Zazpi Kaleak station (two stops before Matiko) may be more convenient as it's closer to both the old quarter and the 19th century new town, but 22 minutes walk from the Guggenheim.
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Check times & fares from Donostia-San Sebastian Amara to Bilbao Matiko at www.euskotren.eus.
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You can continue by narrow gauge train to Santander by Renfe (formerly FEVE), www.renfe.com.
San Sebastian to Madrid from €25
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Several fast daily air-conditioned Alvia & Intercity trains link San Sebastian-Donostia with Madrid Chamartin every day, taking around 4h55.
Departures are typically at 05:00 Intercity Mondays-Fridays, 08:47 Alvia daily, 16:52 Alvia daily.
The Alvia trains have a cafe-bar & free WiFi. They wend their way through the Pyrenean foothills, then gather speed across the plain. Near Burgos they slow down and pass through a special shed which automatically changes their wheels from Spanish 5'6" broad gauge to standard gauge 4' 8.5". The trains then join the modern high-speed line for a final dash into Madrid at up to 250km/h (155 mph).
Fares start at €28 in standard class or €38 in comfort class. Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.
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In addition to these fast trains, you'll find several slower Media Distancia (MD) trains which although comfortable and air-conditioned take 7h30 as they use the classic route all the way, not the high-speed line. You'll also find several options with a change of train at Zaragoza or Valladolid onto an AVE high-speed train. I'd stick to the direct Alvia & Intercity trains if you can.
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Buy tickets at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com (both easy to use. in £, € or $, international credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or www.petrabax.com (in $, small mark-up) or Renfe's own site www.renfe.com (in €, much more fiddly, may reject some overseas credit cards, see advice on using it). You print your own ticket or can show it on your phone.
Booking for Spanish trains opens anything from 15 days to 9 months ahead, don't bother trying to book months in advance.
San Sebastian to Santiago de Compostela, Vigo, A Coruña
Option 1, the 09:02 departure
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Step 1, travel from San Sebastian to Madrid by Alvia train, leaving San Sebastian at 09:02, arriving Madrid Chamartin 13:56.
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Step 2, travel from Madrid to Vigo by Alvia train, leaving Madrid Chamartin at 16:00, arriving Vigo Urzaiz 20:12.
These Alvia trains are comfortable and air-conditioned with cafe-bar.
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Fares from San Sebastian to Santiago de Compostela start at €25 in standard class or €38 in comfort class.
Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.
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Buy tickets at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com (both easy to use. in £, € or $, international credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or www.petrabax.com (in $, small mark-up) or Renfe's own site www.renfe.com (much more fiddly, may reject some overseas credit cards, see advice on using it). You print your own ticket or can show it on your phone.
Booking for Spanish trains opens anything from 15 days to 9 months ahead, don't bother trying to book months in advance.
Option 2, the 11:58 departure
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Step 1, travel from San Sebastian to Vitoria/Gasteiz by Intercity train, leaving San Sebastian at 11:58, arriving Vitoria/Gasteiz 13:43.
This is a guaranteed connection into the daily Barcelona to Galicia Alvia train.
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Step 2, travel from Vitoria/Gasteiz to Galicia by Alvia train, leaving Vitoria/Gasteiz at 14:03 every day.
On Wednesdays, Fridays & Sundays it goes to Vigo Guixar arriving 23:35.
On Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays it goes to Santiago de Compostela 22:27 & A Coruña 22:59.
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Fares from San Sebastian to Santiago de Compostela start at €25 in standard class or €38 in comfort class (1st class).
Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.
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Buy tickets at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com (both easy to use. in £, € or $, international credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or www.petrabax.com (in $, small mark-up) or Renfe's own site www.renfe.com (much more fiddly, may reject some overseas credit cards, see advice on using it). You print your own ticket or can show it on your phone.
Booking for Spanish trains opens anything from 15 days to 9 months ahead, don't bother trying to book months in advance.
The connection at Vitoria-Gasteiz: On the right, the Intercity train from San Sebastian has arrived at Vitoria/Gasteiz. On the left, the Alvia train from Barcelona to Galicia picks up passengers. These Alvia S130 trains are nick-named Patito (little duck) by staff, no prizes for guessing why. They have adjustable axles so can run on standard-gauge high-speed lines at up to 250 km/h or on Iberian broad gauge classic lines at lower speed. Photo courtesy of Ekain Munduate.
Comfort (1st) class seats on an Alvia train. Above right, a menu Iberico meal deal from the cafe-bar.
The cafe-bar and standard (2nd) class seats on an Alvia train.
Scenery as the train enters Galicia on its way to Vigo. Photo courtesy of Martin Hill.
San Sebastian to other destinations in Spain
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Step 1, take the morning Alvia train to Madrid as shown above.
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Transfer from Madrid Chamartin to Madrid Atocha as shown here.
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Step 2, take a train from Madrid Atocha to change there for Seville, Malaga, Cordoba, Algeciras (for Gibraltar or Morocco), Valencia or Alicante.
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The Renfe website isn't good at finding journeys with changes of train, it only does this when selected connections have been manually pre-programmed. So I suggest using www.thetrainline.com or www.raileurope.com instead as these link to Renfe's system but have no problem finding routes with changes of train.
Tip: Using try www.raileurope.com, click More options, enter Madrid (any station) as a via station and a stopover duration, if you want longer in Madrid than it allows by default.
San Sebastian to Gibraltar
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Day 1, take any Alvia train to Madrid as shown above.
Transfer from Madrid Chamartin to Madrid Atocha as shown here.
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Stay overnight in Madrid. The classic Hotel Mediodia is across the road from Atocha with good reviews, or try the NH Hotel Madrid Atocha or Only YOU Hotel Atocha, also across the road from the station. For somewhere cheaper, try the Pensión Mollo or Hostal Residencia Fernandez.
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Day 2, travel from Madrid to Algeciras by Alvia train, leaving Madrid Atocha at 08:05, arriving San Roque-La Linea 13:23 & Algeciras 13:37.
The Alvia S730 train is an air-conditioned articulated train with cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.
It travels at up to 250 km./h (155 mph) on the high-speed line. Near Antequera it passes through a gauge-changing shed and its axles adjust from standard gauge used on the high-speed line (4'8½) to Iberian-gauge (5' 6") to complete the journey over classic lines. There's great scenery between Madrid and Antequera through the mountains and on the classic line twisting through the hills from Antequera to Algeciras, the Spanish town across the bay from Gibraltar. See a video of the journey here.
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Day 2, take a bus or taxi from Algeciras to la Linea & walk into Gibraltar.
A taxi from Algeciras railway station to La Linea costs €24.75 and takes about 22 minutes. Taxis don't use the meter on this run, and aren't normally allowed to cross the border into Gibraltar.
To go by bus, cross the roundabout outside Algeciras railway station and enter the San Bernado bus station, then take bus M-120 to La Linea for around €2.50. Bus M-120 runs every 30 minutes Mon-Fri at xx.00 and xx.30 past each hour or every 45 minutes at weekends, journey time about 45 minutes to La Linea, for bus information see siu.ctmcg.es.
La Linea is the Spanish town outside the border crossing to Gibraltar, and La Linea's bus stop and taxi rank are right outside the entrance to Gibraltar. Walk through the Spanish then UK passport checkpoints into Gibraltar (5-10 minutes). Then either (a) keep walking straight ahead of you into Gibraltar town, it's takes about 15 minutes to the centre or (b) take a frequent local Gibraltar bus from the border into town or (c) look for the taxi stop on the right just after the passport check and wait for a taxi to your hotel for a few pounds - Gibraltar taxis will accept euros. The walk from the border to Gibraltar's Main Street takes you across Gibraltar airport's runway, though they stop cars and pedestrians when an aircraft is landing or taking off! Map of Algeciras - La Linea - Gibraltar area.A
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Or take a bus/taxi from San Roque-La Linea station:
The closest station to Gibraltar is actually San Roque-La Linea, and all trains to Algeciras call here around 20 minutes before arriving at Algeciras. So if you prefer, you can get off here and take a taxi to La Linea, or walk the 1.6 km (1 mile) to the Bar La Redonda bus stop on the main road on the M-120 bus route from Algeciras to La Linea. Buses run to La Linea every 30 minutes weekdays, every 45 minutes weekends. Taxis are usually available outside San Roque station, San Roque to the La Linea/Gibraltar border is about 16 km (10 miles) and it takes just over 30 minutes depending on traffic.
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How much does it cost?
San Sebastian to Madrid starts at €28 in standard class (2nd class) or €38 in comfort class (1st class).
Madrid to Algeciras starts at €28 in standard class (2nd class) or €38 in comfort class (1st class).
Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.
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How to buy tickets
The Renfe website isn't good at finding journeys with changes of train (it only does this when selected connections have been manually pre-programmed) so I suggest using www.thetrainline.com or www.raileurope.com for this, as they link to Renfe's system and have no problem finding routes with changes of train. Booking opens anything from 15 days to 9 months ahead.
Tip: Using www.raileurope.com, click More options, enter Madrid (any station) as a via station and a stopover duration, if you want longer in Madrid than it allows by default.
Above left, comfort (1st) class seats on an Alvia S730 train. Above right, these Alvias are nicknamed Pato, duck. No prizes for guessing why!
Above right, standard (2nd) class seats on an Alvia S730. Above right, these Alvias are nicknamed Pato, duck. No prizes for guessing why!
Andalusian scenery seen from the train to Algeciras. The rail line to Algeciras is one of my favourite routes, especially the last part from Antequera southwards, a scenic treat. Watch the video.
San Sebastian to Paris from €29
San Sebastian to St Jean de Luz, Biarritz, Bordeaux, Lourdes
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It's so easy to do this by train, the best way to go. But people have problems finding it, as running a San Sebastian to Bordeaux enquiry on a journey planner won't work. You can see why - it's a metro ride to the border, then a train ride. Easy when you know!
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Step 1, take the little Euskotren metro train from San Sebastian Amara station to Hendaye, just over the border in France.
A train leaves every 30 minutes from early morning until late at night, journey time 37 minutes.
The fare is €2.75. Check times & fares at www.euskotren.eus.
Buy a ticket at the station from the staffed office or ticket machines with cash or card and hop on the next train.
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Step 2, take a train from Hendaye to St Jean de Luz, Biarritz, Dax or Bordeaux St Jean, change at Dax for Lourdes.
Buy tickets at www.raileurope.com, www.thetrainline.com (in €, £ & $, easy to use, small booking fee) or www.sncf-connect.com (in €, no fee). Or wait till the day of travel and buy at the station.
It only takes a few minutes to walk from metro train to mainline train in Hendaye, but I'd play safe and allow half an hour between trains and perhaps grab a coffee. The friendly Kafé Olé across the road does the best coffee and chocolatine you'll ever taste.
Some departures are TER regional trains which don't need reservation and have fixed prices with unlimited availability so tickets can be bought at the station on the day - although buying online saves time.
Other departures are TGVs en route to Paris which require reservation and which have dynamic pricing, so ideally book these beforehand to save a few euros, although for short hops like this the full-flex fare isn't that expensive and there are always places available on the day.
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PassBask: €13.40 buys a 2-day pass giving unlimited travel on Euskotren San Sebastian-Irun-Hendaye and on French trains Hendaye-St Jean de Luz - Biarritz - Bayonne. On the French side, it can only be used on TER regional trains, not on TGVs or Intercités.
Worth buying for a round trip between San Sebastian and St Jean de Luz, Biarritz or Bayonne, or if travelling up and down all day. For a one-way journey, stick with normal tickets.
You can buy at staffed counters at Euskotren & SNCF stations or from the TER ticket machines at SNCF stations. For more information, Google ter.sncf.com PassBask (use Google as the search facility on the SNCF site doesn't work). Children under 4 free, children under 12 €8.90.
San Sebastian Amara station is a terminus with 7 platforms, see station guide. Map of San Sebastian showing stations.
Step 1. These air-conditioned metro trains run from San Sebastian Amara to Hendaye (Hendaia in Spanish) every 30 minutes, a turn-up-and-go metro service. There's plenty of space for luggage and they even have a wheelchair-accessible toilet.
Hendaye Euskotren station. It has just 2 platforms and a small ticket hall.
The SNCF mainline station is just 50m from the little Euskotren station.
Hendaye SNCF station.
Step 2, take a TER or TGV from Hendaye to St Jean de Luz, Biarritz or Bordeaux, change at Dax for Lourdes. This is a TGV Duplex Océane at Hendaye station.
San Sebastian to Brussels & Amsterdam from €57
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Step 1, travel from San Sebastian to Hendaye by Euskotren then Hendaye to Paris Montparnasse by TGV Duplex as shown above.
San Sebastian to Hendaye by Euskotren costs €2.75.
Hendaye to Paris starts at €25 in 2nd class or €45 in 1st class. Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.
Allow at least 60 minutes, preferably a bit more, to change trains & stations in Paris by metro or taxi to Paris Gare du Nord.
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Step 2, travel from Paris Gare du Nord to Brussels Midi in 1h20 or to Amsterdam Centraal in 3h20 by Eurostar (formerly Thalys).
Eurostar trains have 3 classes, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. More about Eurostar (formerly Thalys).
Fares start at €29 from Paris to Brussels or €35 from Paris to Amsterdam. Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.
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Book from Hendaye to Brussels or Amsterdam at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com (both easy to use, in €, £ or $, small booking fee) or the French Railways website www.sncf-connect.com (in €, no fee).
You'll need to specify a morning departure from Hendaye. If you choose to break up the journey with an overnight stop in Paris, simply book Hendaye to Paris and add to basket, then Paris to Brussels or Amsterdam, add to basket and check out.
Booking opens up to 4 months ahead. You print your own ticket or can show it on your phone. Suggested hotels in Amsterdam.
San Sebastian to London
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Step 1, travel from San Sebastian to Hendaye by Euskotren and Hendaye to Paris Montparnasse by TGV as shown above.
San Sebastian to Hendaye by Euskotren costs around €2.75 and Hendaye to Paris starts at €25. Allow at least 60 minutes, preferably a bit more, to change trains and stations in Paris to Paris Gare du Nord.
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Step 2, travel from Paris to London by Eurostar in 2h20 from £52.
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For details & how to buy tickets, see the London to Spain page.
San Sebastian to Lisbon & Porto from €38
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Day 1, travel from San Sebastian to Vigo.
Morning departure, every day:
Travel from San Sebastian to Madrid by Alvia train, leaving San Sebastian at 09:02, arriving Madrid Chamartin 13:56.
Travel from Madrid to Vigo by Alvia train, leaving Madrid Chamartin at 16:00, arriving Vigo Urzaiz 20:12.
Vigo Urzaiz is an easy 10 minute 500m walk from Vigo Guixar, see how to walk between stations using the halo lift.
Afternoon departure with 1 easy change on Wednesdays, Fridays & Sundays:
An Intercity train leaves San Sebastian at 11:58, arriving Vitoria/Gasteiz at 13:43.
This is a guaranteed connection into the Barcelona-Galicia Alvia train leaving Vitoria/Gasteiz at 14:03 on Wednesdays, Fridays & Sundays arriving Vigo Guixar 23:35.
These Alvia trains are comfortable and air-conditioned with a cafe-bar.
Fares start at €23 each way. The price varies, book ahead for the cheaper prices.
Book this at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com.
Booking for Spanish trains opens anything from 15 days to 9 months ahead. You print your own ticket or can show it on your phone.
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Stay overnight in Vigo. The lovely NH Collection Vigo hotel & cheaper Hotel Atlantico Vigo are both near the station with great reviews.
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Day 2, travel from Vigo to Porto by Celta regional express, leaving Vigo Guixar at 08:58, arriving Porto Campanhã 10:20.
The fare is €15.90, fixed price. 2nd class only.
Book this at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com. Booking opens 60 days ahead, but this can vary.
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Day 2, travel from Porto to Lisbon by Alfa Pendular, leaving Porto Campanhã at 11:40, arriving Lisbon Santa Apolonia 14:30.
Or book a later train and spend some time exploring wonderful Porto.
Fares start at €15. Book this at the Portuguese Railways website www.cp.pt (in €) or at Omio.com (in €, £ or $).
San Sebastian to Faro & the Algarve
Option 1, San Sebastian to Seville by train, overnight stop in Seville, Seville to Faro by bus next day
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Step 1, travel from San Sebastian to Madrid by Alvia train, leaving San Sebastian Renfe station at 08:47, arriving Madrid Chamartin 13:51.
The Alvia train has a cafe-bar & free WiFi. It wends its way through the Pyrenean foothills, then gathers speed across the plain. Near Valladolid it slows down and passes through a special shed which automatically changes the wheels from Spanish 5'6" broad gauge to standard gauge 4' 8½". The train then joins the modern high-speed line for a final dash into Madrid at up to 250km/h (155 mph).
Fares start at €28 in standard class or €38 in comfort class. Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.
Buy tickets at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com (both easy to use. in £, € or $, international credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or www.petrabax.com (in $, small mark-up) or Renfe's own site www.renfe.com (much more fiddly, may reject some overseas credit cards, see advice on using it).
Booking opens anything from 15 days to 9 months ahead. You print your own ticket or can show it on your phone.
Transfer from Madrid Chamartin to Madrid Atocha by suburban train as shown here.
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Step 2, travel from Madrid to Seville by AVE, leaving Madrid Atocha at 17:00, arriving Seville Santa Justa 19:34.
The high-speed AVE train has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.
Fares start at around €28 in standard class (2nd class) or €38 in comfort class (1st class). Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.
Buy tickets at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com (both easy to use. in £, € or $, international credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or www.petrabax.com (in $, small mark-up) or www.renfe.com (the operator's own site, much more fiddly, may reject some overseas credit cards, see this advice on using it).
Booking opens anything from 15 days to 9 months ahead. You print your own ticket or can show it on your phone.
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Stay overnight in Seville, see suggested hotels near the station.
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Step 3, travel from Seville to Faro by bus, journey time 2h30 to 3h15, with a departure roughly every 2-3 hours.
Several bus companies run on this route including Also, Damas, EuroLines and Iberobus, you can check times for all these companies and buy tickets at Omio.com. You print your own ticket.
Buses typically leave at 08:30, 09:30, 11:30 & 16:00, and from Faro back to Seville at 08:20, 10:30 & 16:00, 18:30, but it varies by day. Look for buses that start from Seville Santa Justa station, where the trains arrive, so it's an easy same-station train-bus interchange.
The fare is around €17-€21 each way.
An Alsa bus from Seville to Faro & Lagos, at its departure point outside Seville Santa Justa station.
The bus crosses the Guadiana river, which forms the border between Spain and Portugal at this point.
An Alsa-Rede Express bus at Faro's Eva bus station, next to the Eva Senses Hotel & 2 minutes walk from Faro station.
Option 2, San Sebastian to Madrid by train, overnight stop in Madrid, Madrid to Seville by train & bus to Faro next day - as option 1, but with overnight in Madrid.
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Alternatively, you could take the late afternoon Alvia train from San Sebastian to Madrid Chamartin, booked as in option 1 above.
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Stay overnight in Madrid. The classic Hotel Mediodia is across the road from Atocha with good reviews, or try the NH Hotel Madrid Atocha or Only YOU Hotel Atocha, also across the road from the station.
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Next day, take a morning AVE from Madrid Atocha to Seville Santa Justa and an afternoon bus from Seville to Faro, each booked just as in option 1. I'd allow at least one hour between train and bus in Seville.
San Sebastian to all other destinations & countries
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Take a train to Paris then onwards from there to Cologne, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Warsaw. See the Trains from Paris page.
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Take a train to Barcelona then onwards from there to Marseille, Nice, Switzerland, Austria, Italy. See the Trains from Barcelona page.
Hotels in San Sebastian
At the top end, the grand old Hotel de Londres y Inglaterra is right on the seafront a short stroll from the old town, and just 10-15 minutes walk from both the Renfe station and the Amara Euskotren station. I've stayed there myself, a classic hotel of the Belle Époque in the perfect location.
For something cheaper. the Pension San Ignacio Centro is just 10 minutes walk from San Sebastian Renfe station and gets great reviews, or if you want somewhere in the old town try the Pension Garibai or Pension Alameda.
Backpacker
hostels
www.hostelworld.com: If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels. Hostelworld offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in most cities at rock-bottom prices.