I rode EVERY Spanish fast train (and one is the best)

Which is the best fast train in Spain? Get ready for my 48-hour fast train smackdown!
Compare & buy tickets on Trainline: social.spainrevealed.com/trai...
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Editor - Clément Letourneur
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==== WHO ARE WE? ====
Hola, Spain lovers! We're James and Yoly. James is a New Zealander, and Yoly is from Spain. We both live in Madrid. Our channel gives you a local insight into life in Spain and helps you experience this country like a local when you come to live (or visit!).
If that sounds like your kind of thing, bienvenid@!I
Business inquiries: [e-mail]
⏩ CHAPTERS
00:00 The mission!
01:01 I ride AVE (Spain's fast train grandaddy!)
08:40 I ride Avlo (Renfe's new low-cost option)
12:39 I ride Ougio (a new low-cost option)
18:34 I ride Iryo (a new classy option)
*This description contains affiliate links which means we may earn a commission if you use them 🙏🏻

[@spainrevealed]

I really enjoyed making this video! Was nice to film without having to think about what to say, then script everything later. Not sure if I can do more voice-over videos, but let me know if you think of any ideas! Happy train travelling!

[@nohandlehere568]

Is that Glenn Gould's Goldberg Variations in the background around 5:30?

[@CityNerd]

One of the cool things about AVE (maybe Avlo too? I didn't ride it) -- they give you a QR code that gets you through the Cercanias fare gate so you can take regional transit to or from the station on either end of your trip. (I don't think you get this with Ouigo or Iryo.) Would love a similar video talking through the Madrid Metro and Cercanias, how to use them effectively on a visit, and how the two systems do (I mean don't) work well together! As a tourist, you can and should visit Madrid without ever setting foot in a car, IMO. Also, bonus if you can tell us a place in Madrid that sells vermut in pint glasses. Game changer

[@noemimatias3729]

Great video 👍🏼 thanks for all the tips.

[@DavidGNI]

Liked this video a lot, but not sure full voiceover videos would be that appealing if they became the norm. Worked well here though.

[@lauramartin-bk9nr]

Great video. Question: Have you read "The Spanish Helmet" (2011) by Greg Scowen and if so what are your thoughts on the subject of this historical fiction? ¡Gracias!

[@madhavyu]

I did the same thing in the United States - rode every fast train that I could. Ha, just kidding, there are no fast trains in the US.

[@michaelsterps9765]

You will soon, the Avelia Liberty will be your first HST by today's standards.

[@omarco3971]

Sick burn 😂 😭. It’s really shameful how American infrastructure is falling apart and airlines are making travel more and more uncomfortable. Trains were a great hope but we can’t even manage to get a fast train to happen from the Bay Area to Los Angeles let alone have a vast network of routes across the country. Travel among many other things will become a luxury of the wealthy. #SOSAmerica

[@omarco3971]

I wasn’t aware of the Avelia Liberty. We are only 32 years behind Spain! Woohoo. America F*** yeah! At this rate we might have potable water across the country in 100 years.

[@anamv9196]

@@omarco3971 Sorry for the question but the comment caught my attention. You must have said that about the water as a joke, right?

[@madhavyu]

@@omarco3971 I lived in the Bay Area for 30 years and now reside in Spain. California specifically and United States in general has so much more resources than Spain (per capita GDP is three times greater) to build great infrastructure but doesn´t have the will.

[@osasunaitor]

20:50 One thing that very few people know is that Ave trains are the only ones that switch the direction of seats before every trip, so that you always face forward (unless you book the 2 vs 2 seats with central table, of course). This is done thanks to a dedicated mechanism that rotates the whole seat structure upon activating a lever, which train staff do manually before each trip. Avlo, Ouigo and Iryo have regular fixed seats and you always have 50% chances of travelling backwards.

[@backfromcuba]

this is a wind up right?

[@aloysiussnailchaser272]

@@backfromcubaI don’t know about AVE but some trains in Japan definitely have rotating seats. The cleaning staff flip them on the way through.

[@nanjingcalling5341]

@@aloysiussnailchaser272 in China too

[@redsbricks5993]

The Avlo wagon with high windows is because the train (a Talgo S102/112) is an ex-Ave train, and that wagon originally had the cafeteria (which has higher windows since people stand up).

[@milosplazacic]

I came here to check if I need to write this comment or not :D

[@BF-rw7dh]

during a two week vacation in May this year we used the train to take a day trip to Cadiz from Seville, then from Seville to Granada,.and then Granada to Barcelona. It was great. Very comfortable and fun to see the country during the trip. I wish we had more train options in the US.

[@cherieb5451]

We’re going to Andalusia in September. This is helpful to know.

[@WelcomeWithinMyDream]

​@@cherieb5451For such large distances I recommend going by plane. It's worth taking the fast trains if you do point to point for example: Granada - Madrid ( stay and visit), Madrid - Barcelona (stay and visit). Even the fast trains take time. If you don't care about that and you only want to enjoy the experience then go for it!

[@mainghostt]

​@@cherieb5451que bonito

[@marcoroberts9462]

@@WelcomeWithinMyDream domestic flights are shit compared with the train

[@KFCJones]

As a complete train anorak, I've seen hundreds of similar videos and I have to say that your first attempt is better than ANYTHING similar on KZbin! Nice work!

[@spainrevealed]

wow thank you!

[@scottgilbert5573]

I completely agree, this is a fantastic video!

[@janisschwenke9233]

That was the most fun I have ever had “riding” on trains! Laughed out loud at your commentary while learning a lot about train travel options. We did the Barcelona to Madrid trip on IRYO in April and it was great. One small note, along with the meal choices served at your seat in first class, there are special diet meals that can be ordered i.e vegetarían, low sodium, etc. Nice!

[@spainrevealed]

glad you liked it Janis!

[@jeremywarshaw9502]

As a filmmaker I know how much work goes into videos like these, and I salute you for the craft and the hard work. My wife and I are relocating from the USA (thank God) to Barcelona, and these videos are not only informative but fun to watch. They are not a minute longer than they need to be, and their personality (well, James') shines through. Kudos to you, and I look forward to seeing what awaits us on our escape from Hades.

[@rebeccagutierrez1960]

Dude! I wish you guys the best.

[@vibrazebra]

I'm so jealous to you... because I was relocated from Poland to Canada... and its feels like a backwards time machine... So enjoy the Europe as best as you can

[@osasunaitor]

Where in the USA are you from? Barcelona is not exactly for beginners, once the initial glamour is gone, it can turn into a stressful and soul consuming city, I know because I've lived here for the last 5 years and I wouldn't recommend it to everyone for such a lengthy period. I hope you know the type of challenge you are facing by moving here and wish you the best of luck

[@acenix1549]

pls stay in america

[@rishi-m]

@@vibrazebra haha indeed, more like they(we) dismantled the rail infrastructure and neglected developing the roads meant to replace it., and getting anything done takes a loooooong time.

[@JoseInciarte]

What I like about this trains is that in case of airports, if you add all the time it takes to just enter to the plane (time to get to the airport + time to check in + TSA + doing the line to onboard) it takes more time than to go by train, you just can be there 5 minutes before it leaves and thats is, on the way to madrid!, when they open the mediterranean line users would be able to go to Seville and valencia without passing through madrid.

[@Angel-wo8gv]

Exactly. That is a time calculation most people fail to do. For relatively short distances the trains are a very serious contender. Imagine if in the near future we see even higher speeds around 500km/h

[@michaelcarey8491]

I live in Spain over 10 years now and the high speed trains here are amazing. Love the service, bars and cleannliness

[@chiliman2073]

James, I've been following you for several years now and I have to say the quality of your content and editing is excellent. This video is not only super useful but a pleasure to watch.

[@smallspaceprepping]

We are heading to Spain in October. Starting in Barcelona, Madrid and The Alhambra. Super excited to be traveling back. I always consider Spain home.

[@manuelfg2902]

Spain is your home. You welcome

[@didemkarakocogullari4449]

This video was super informative, entertaining and very fun to watch. Thank you James, this was brilliant.

[@craiczaibatsu8930]

A informative and funny tour de force James! It brought me back to the good aul days of enjoying Spain's qiality infrastructure, which I wistfully think of everytime I am punished for the crime of being Irish and having to deal with our dreadful travel and transport options.

[@nancygire6326]

Oh yea!! So, so helpful to see this summary of the train systems. We love train travel in Spain. Thank you James!

[@Ichsukatanuka]

So shocking comparing trains here to the uk, we're lagging behind so much. Spanish trains are efficient, cheaper and faster.

[@marysalinas6146]

100%

[@etherealtb6021]

And yet those of us in the U.S. look wistfully to your train system! ☹️

[@kristofgregoor6138]

@@marleneprice2835 Try Belgium. :D

[@mercy1459]

It is that in Spain they were the ones who designed the high-speed train as such at the same time that they did it in Japan. How to tell you Spanish companies made the AVE from Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Also that of Germany and other countries. Spain already has specific companies for the construction of AVES (high speed trains 🚅🚄)

[@mercy1459]

​@@etherealtb6021 Tendrían que pedir a su presidente de los Estados Unidos que contraté Empresas Españolas de construcción de AVE 🚄🚅,ya que aquí en Europa son los Españoles los que hacen los Trenes de alta velocidad. También empresa Española hizo el AVE que está en Arabia Saudí y otro en Qatar ✅

[@jessicacarron1588]

You are hilarious in these 😂 great video. I’ve been binge watching your channel to prepare for my trip to Madrid, Granada and Lisbon.

[@nancywolfe1444]

Exactly what I needed, starting to sort out four different train trips for my holiday and this video took care of it. Saving this so I can go through your link to Trainline.

[@minnesotamiki]

Love the video!!! The combination of voiceovers interjected with outtakes from various locations is great. Look forward to more of your awesome content as always!🤩👏🏽

[@hughmurphy1245]

Great info, thanks. We are doing the Madrid-Barcelona train in September. Cannot wait!

[@susandunaway2866]

This was an excellent video! We took a trip to Spain in April 2023 and all our travels within the country were by train. LOVE the Spanish train system. Learned a lot for future trips to Spain. One thing I wish you had mentioned on the 1st trip was how long Madrid to Barcelona trip takes on high speed train ( I’m obviously too lazy to look it up myself 😊). Keep up the good work. Say hello to Lolie (spelling?). By the way, we are Americans and this was our 1st trip to Madrid and southern Spanish cities. 3week trip.. great time!

[@hsavietto]

My wife and I recently went to Barcelona with Iryo and we were amazed with the experience. We don't plan to go anywhere in a plane if there's a high speed train option available.

[@glennlewis8141]

I watch quite a lot of train review videos (no, really!), and this was one of the best I’ve ever seen. Top work mate. Loved it. And I totally agree with your choices, I love the trains in Spain!

[@lornahiggins2926]

Interesting video! We travelled from Madrid to Segovia and Madrid to Toledo on high-speed trains last week and loved it! We also wanted to go to Zaragoza, but there were only first-class seats left, and at a total of 595E for the two of us it was beyond our budget. We waited until we got to Madrid to book the trains because last year we bought tickets through Trainline and the timetables they were using were incorrect, we arrived at the station in Valencia at what we thought was 20 minutes early only to be told the train had left 10 minutes earlier. We could not use the Trainline ticket in exchange for a new one and had to pay again and then claim the money back from Trainline. We also lost 2 hours of our day trip to Benacassim and missed meeting a friend for lunch. My advice would be to check the timetable at the train station before you travel to make sure your ticket is valid, and the time is correct. Also, if you are buying a high-speed train ticket in person, you'll need your passport or ID card. They don't check these again when you travel!

[@READYRESPONDERFITNESS]

Great breakdown of what to expect. This will be very helpful when looking to plan my trip to Spain. Thanks for sharing!

[@andrewmacdiarmid5363]

Really Sngr Blick, you've ridden that train a million times! Well, we love your enthusiasm.

[@kmarch12]

Outstanding Video. You're on top of you're game with this one.

[@padders1068]

James, great video! The only time I've been on a Spanish train was when holidaying in the south, in proper rural Spain, up in the hills 30-40 miles north west of Malaga. We got the train from El Chorro to and back from Ronda, which weaves it way through the El Chorro gorge. An absolutely stunning journey, especially the El Chorro part, and Ronda is stunning to. I'd highly recommend that to you and to anyone. 🙂

[@baturrez7485]

Ronda. La h sobra.

[@padders1068]

@@baturrez7485 Apologies for my bad spelling.

[@sheilasilva888]

I used your link to book my trip to Barcelona from Madrid and it's round-trip. As you said it is easier to navigate and gives you all the options. Thank you so much! We will be there coming to Madrid on the 3rd of June.

[@fayolympia5855]

Well done! You’ve given us such a useful resource as we think of a trip to Spain (on the bucket list, actually). I only hope we get there in time to catch Iryo’s reasonable rates. Thank you, James!

[@gisellerivera2952]

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this video!!! Amazing and very informative 👏 👌 👍 🙌 😀 😊

[@robertmeredith906]

We used trains last time we were in Spain. Never an issue. The staff at Valencia Renfe office even helped us print out some tickets. Whether it's local trains or the VFTs we always managed to get where we needed to get to.

[@spainrevealed]

Glad to hear you've always had a great experience!

[@WeShallOvercome_]

Excellent, detailed review, like all your reviews. You're one of the best reviewers on KZbin - always a joy to watch on a Sunday morning.

[@Sven.Bornemark]

What a great video! Really good journalism here. Focused and amusing, full of good facts and covering every important aspect of train traveling. I certainly know which train service I'll use when i Spain (the last one!). Keep up the good work! 👍❤

[@dmchristy]

Great film James! Very useful Information, love your sense of humour. We're getting the Ave from Madrid to Valladolid in December, this has definitely helped! 😊

[@MikeNouraei]

Brilliant piece of informative art work. Hats off to you James; and looking forward to seeing more works like this…

[@trudiaflallo5245]

Great video and informative as my hubby and I are planning our trip to Spain in September and just trying to sort out trains now before we get there.

[@bryanAcrossland]

Thanks for sharing! Super useful.

[@jaretos]

Excelente video, James! Muy buena la comparación. He viajado en todas excepto Iryo, tengo muchas ganas de probarla. Un saludo!

[@coolarrow89]

Fantastic video!!! Gracias!

[@josemartin4428]

Amazing video. Grande!!!

[@marlenestanley9957]

Wonderful video! This will definitely help with my Seville trip in December.

[@rhondamckenna7635]

Excellent Video! By far the most comprehensive and entertaining video on train travel I've seen. You're so funny! Trains in Europe can be so confusing for us folks from the USA. I traveled through Germany, Austria and Switzerland last year on trains and LOVED it. We were hoping to do the same in Madrid, Barcelona and Northern Spain this year. Train travel is better on the marriage lol. Thanks for making it!!

[@laurawenrickvinovin]

Thanks! Very informative and very useful!! Thank you! I have actually been looking for a video like this for a long time.

[@enth2709]

Really informative, and entertaining in your usual way. Definitely helpful for my upcoming trip. Cheers

[@PortageurCa]

What a great idea, and very informative. I love travelling by train, so to see the options is super helpful. Thanks! Can't wait to get out there on one again!

[@alechiginbotham6249]

Really good video, James!

[@fernandom5070]

Excelent reviews ... Well done mate .

[@wheredogaysretire]

I loved this video! I will be traveling from Madrid-Atocha to Malaga -Maria Zambrano in September. Thank you for reviewing each train line. I am going to try the IRYO.

[@bkm2797]

Excellent analysis James, this will help a lot of travelers. Thank you

[@dennism6664]

Nice job James, very thorough

[@victorreyes6411]

omg guys I’m a huge fan of your channel!! I watch all your videos and this one I loved !! bravo!! I loved you guys!!

[@thephoenix3155]

The trains in the UK, are abysmal because of all the bloody strikes! Love to Spanish trains from the UK!

[@nicolasb.henry294]

The Gatwick airport express for example is a joke. Not even faster than the casual line Gatwick London Victoria Station

[@davidfleming5258]

I don´t think you can compare the Spanish railways with the UK. They have a comprehensive High Speed Network across the country; they have invested in the infrastructure; the Government has imposed operating rules on the train companies (ticket pricing and compensation to travellers on being more than 5 minutes late etc.etc.), the objective when the final parts of the high speed network is complete is that nobody will be more than 30 minutes from a station with the main high speed services. I live in Spain and a few years ago was at a lecture given by an engineer of one of the companies who built the infrastructure and he was asked did they bid for HS2, replied his company did not as there are bigger track sidings in Valencia than HS2 and that a small project of this nature impractical. One other aspect the rolling stock and the tracks are run by the same companies, therefore a more effective operation.

[@thomasgray4188]

the strikes are the least of our problems under the tory vampires

[@UnderSurveillance335]

Great voice-over commentary, great writing! More vids like this please!

[@GuillermoCarrasco]

Very cool and useful video, thanks !!

[@jaysloane]

Superb video!

[@TerrillPetersen20]

Thanks for this video, James! It's been great for planning all of our train travel around Spain in May. I'll try to always come back to your referral link, because Trainline has been awesome! Thank you.

[@Mick-nu9xe]

Loved the commentary in this one 🤌🏻

[@enrique491]

I just booked a flight to Madrid for my wife and I. It’ll be our first time in España and we can’t wait ! This video will be so helpful !! Subscribed for more tips

[@Penyagolosa2]

A great review. As a professional of the railways (not in Spain, but in the UK) I 100% support your judgements. Good job mate.

[@mikebrandly6417]

Taken a number of your tours and always find your videos through and enjoyable. This video was excellent and really did a great job explaining the different rail choices. We spent a month in Spain and I am already longing to see more. Thank you again and keep up the great work.

[@philopapos]

Great exploration and presentation!

[@matthew.trickett]

I used Trainline which I'm used to from the UK to buy my tickets with Iryo from Málaga to Madrid.

[@Thomas-op7fm]

I live in Barcelona and do business in Madrid. I take the train each time instead of flying. In 2.5 hours I know I will be in the city center, not dealing with the hassle of airport security, no need for a taxi from or to the airport, and having to arrive earlier at the airport than the train station, with no delays on the trains, often the case with air travel, etc. In comparison, the US is so far behind in affordable and efficient train travel.

[@patrickdemarcevol]

Great video again!

[@debbiegarza1287]

Great blog! Humor, info, techno compare and even things I wouldn’t have thought to think about!! Thank you. Hope Yoli liked her chocolate 🥰

[@barbarajefferson4672]

Great video! Very fun and helpful too! Have used AVE but might branch out. Just glad to have the options. Thanks!

[@spainrevealed]

I'm so happy you enjoyed it!

[@catherineden5005]

Great review !!!

[@ZaZa-lj8bw]

I love the narrating of this video. Displaying your writing skills

[@ChuckConnNYC]

Solid video! I was looking at Iryo for an upcoming Madrid to Seville run, that frecciarossa branding screams "ride this train"!

[@ChrisAurora]

No way! I had my breakfast coffee at Bar Nàutic when I rode the talgo AVE from Barcelona to Málaga some 12 years ago!

[@henriettab8380]

Wonderful Video- excellent information! Thank you for doing this- did our train homework for us ! Gracias!

In France, Italian trains also came to give the shivers to the big SNCF. They are pretty similar, modern brand new trains with a lot of services and ticket prices which are impossible to defeat.

[@OctaviusRomulus]

Informative, honest, and often hilarious. Bravo.

[@SusanaLenguaLarga]

Hilarious and totally informative in the best way. ¡Bravó¡

[@LKTreePalm]

Thanks for the video James. We have followed your content for years as you are one of the best content creators on Spain. We love the AVE in Spain and had no idea there was competition. Thank you! I'm surprised you didn't mention that you can bring food and drink on Spanish trains. This is an amazing feature of the experience of riding the train in Spain. We always bring a bottle of wine, cheese, jamón and olives on our AVE trips. Thanks again for the information!

[@eugenianovillo4136]

Thank you so much for this video! It really helps a lot!❤

[@rooble2rooble]

My family and i opted to travel to Valencia using Iryo because of this video 🎉 top class suggestion! Great service, yum food and oh so comfyyyyy!!

[@nejcpilih]

i moved to italy and the speed trains here are great as well. i should and will be using them more. especially for exploring italy.

[@georgesfeydeaufeydeau6235]

Very nicely told. Entertaining narration and what seems to be a fair assessment. Dry sense of humor too, as expected. Bonita forma de contar (y compartir) tu experiencia, y juicios equilibrados y sensatos. Tu sentido del humor da un sabor añadido. Gracias.

[@where-we-roam]

Loved the editing in this vid. Also, after living in China for 16 years before moving back to the States. I really miss high speed trains and travel between major cities. US is so far behind in this respect.

[@miguelgorostizaotero5787]

Excelent report!

[@hwii5954]

So helpful. Thank you

[@thomas-xj1hs]

Excellent: very informative

[@michelerutherford719]

🤣Absolutely hysterical = brilliant humour integrated into a very informative video! Thanks, James! "Plebs" LOL!

[@seamusp5991]

Great stuff, sir!! 🎉

[@acchaladka]

That was great, thank you for doing that. I am married to an airline employee and will check out Iriyo first ....cheers from Canada.

[@WendyWilliamsLiving]

Thank you for such a FUN and informative video! I learned a lot and am eager to try Inyo now 🙂

[@faby3392]

Very helpful thanks

[@anostalgic3402]

Great video! Can’t wait for the Spanish Airline review, Iberia vs Air Europa 😃

[@jeffzucker7363]

Thanks, James, for a very informative video.

[@cici2O]

Great comparison video! Will try Edio next time we go.

[@adixon021]

That could have been really dull but it wasn’t good video James keep em coming 👍 I agree IRYO is the best quick trip to the F1 exhibition from Valencia confirmed that.

[@alisong2328]

I remember the old days in Spain, where the overnight "expreso" train from Sevilla to Madrid took 12 hours, and the "rápido" took 15!

[@francodiar6969]

Now I get it! As a tourist I did find the multiple brand names a bit confusing. Would love more content like this :)

[@TheOnlyTaps]

Fantastic watch as always 🙏🏿

[@paulinebutler5186]

Brilliant, thank you.

[@cobracommander8133]

Dude this video was hilarious 😂 you managed to make riding on a train seriously entertaining.

[@tralala827727]

Informative and fun!

[@eliserose72]

And we trained it ALL over Spain for five weeks. Affordable and easy. Only one week of car rental from A Coruña to Zaragoza....(not a lot of train options in and around Asturias)