An initiative that was rolled out by the Spanish government in September which allowed anyone (including international tourists) to take advantage of free train travel on Spain’s commuter trains and medium-distance train journeys operated by the train line Renfe, has been extended until at least the end of 2023.
Travellers can experience the beauty, culture, food, and history of Spain while saving money hopping around the country by train.
This announcement comes after other European countries, including Germany and Austria, have announced discounted train travel programs, however, Spain is the first country to fully subsidize train travel for all and into next year, albiet there are some terms and conditions.
First, the free tickets are only available on Renfe-operated commuter trains (Cercanías and Rodalies) and medium-distance train journeys under 300 kilometres, or 186 miles. It does not apply to Renfe’s high-speed AVE trains that connect destinations like Madrid and Barcelona.
However, the free train service still allows tourists to travel between multiple cities within regions like Andalusia (for example, a train journey from Seville to Córdoba or Cadiz would be free under this scheme) or to take day trips from major cities.
The second caveat is that the free train tickets scheme only applies to multi-journey tickets and not single tickets.
You must pay a deposit of €10 for commuter trains or €20 for medium-distance trains. Under the original scheme announced from September 2022 until December 2022, you would receive a refund of your deposit after completing 16 one-way journeys.
In order to take advantage of this offer, travellers will need to download the official app for the train line Renfe.
