Medium and long-distance trains from Malaga
Since its introduction in 1992, the high-speed AVE rail service has revolutionised rail travel in Spain.
Over the years, the high-speed network has significantly expanded, now covering more than 3,600 kilometres and connecting dozens of towns and cities throughout the country. Spain’s high-speed rail network is currently the largest in Europe and ranks second globally, only behind China.
Connecting Malaga and Madrid
The introduction of the AVE to Malaga’s María Zambrano station in December 2007 brought the Costa del Sol closer to the country’s capital and other previously difficult-to-reach destinations. Travelling from Madrid to Malaga now takes between 2 hours and 20 minutes to 2 hours and 50 minutes, depending on the number of stops.
There are numerous daily services available, totalling around a dozen in each direction, and passengers can take advantage of low-cost fares by booking in advance.
Rail links to 20+ cities
Additionally, the AVE has opened up connections to approximately 20 cities, including Barcelona, Zaragoza, Valencia, Valladolid, Huesca, Toledo, Tarragona, Cuenca, Lérida and Segovia, either through direct or indirect routes.
Easy train travel around Andalucía
For travellers within Andalucía, the Avant (high-speed, medium-distance) service has made distances shorter than ever before. Cordoba and Granada are now easily accessible, with travel times of just one hour and an hour and a half, respectively.
Seville is also well connected, with Avant trains taking only two hours for the journey (or almost three hours on low-speed trains).
Likewise, there are also regular connections to the Caminito del Rey.
Malaga’s main metropolitan interchange
The area surrounding María Zambrano station is Malaga’s main transport hub, as it’s where all of the city’s main methods of transport intersect.
Firstly, this is one of two stops where the two Malaga Metro lines meet (the other is Guadalmedina). However, you can also catch a Cercanías train (which connects the city centre to Malaga-Costa del Sol Airport and various major local towns such as Torremolinos, Benalmádena and Fuengirola) here.
Likewise, Malaga’s main bus station is just a few metres away.
Daryl is the co-founder of Malaga Guru. He is a copywriter, editor and translator who moved to Malaga a decade ago having first fallen in love with the city on his Erasmus year. After working for many years at local expat newspaper SUR in English, Daryl gained expert knowledge in life from the perspective of foreign residents and decided to co-found this site in 2016.