Day trips from Madrid → By train → Seville
Madrid to Seville by Train
The AVE from Madrid Puerta de Atocha to Seville Santa Justa takes about 2 hours 30 minutes, and the first train leaves at 07:00. It’s the original Spanish high-speed line, opened in 1992, and it’s excellent. What it isn’t is a day trip — and this page explains why, before you book something you’ll regret.
By Saad Madhoun · Living in Madrid since 2023 · Updated 10 August 2026
| Journey time | ~2 h 30 by AVE · ~3 h 20 realistically, door to door |
|---|---|
| Route | Madrid Puerta de Atocha – Almudena Grandes → Seville Santa Justa |
| First train | 07:00 |
| Distance | 530 km (330 miles) south |
| Day trip? | No. Go for a night — see below |
| Security screening at Atocha. Renfe asks you at the gate 30 minutes before departure, and they mean it. | |
| Last checked: 10 August 2026. Route, station names and first departure from Renfe. Journey time is Renfe’s published figure — their timetable search was down when I checked, so treat it as approximate. | |
What the journey really costs you
Door to door, including the security check and getting into the centre at both ends. Set your group size — the bus becomes much more attractive for four.
Why Seville isn’t a day trip
Do the arithmetic honestly. Leave your accommodation at 06:15 to be at Atocha for the 07:00. Arrive Santa Justa 09:30. Twenty minutes into the centre — you’re standing in front of the cathedral at ten. To catch a 20:00 train home you leave the centre at 19:20.
That’s a genuinely long day for nine hours in Seville, and it’s the good version, assuming you take the first train and the last. Take a 09:00 out and a 18:00 back and you’re down to five and a half hours for six and a half hours of travelling.
Reddit is unanimous on this and so is everyone I know who’s tried it. The most-upvoted comment on the subject puts it simply: the big southern cities “should be at least spent overnight”.
What Seville actually needs
Two full days, minimum. The Alcázar alone takes two to three hours and needs a timed ticket booked in advance. The cathedral and the Giralda take another two. Then there’s the Plaza de España, Triana across the river, and the thing Seville is really for — sitting outside at ten at night when the heat finally breaks. None of that survives a day trip.
If you’re going anyway
Some people will do it regardless, and it is physically possible. If that’s you:
- Book the 07:00 out and the last train back. Anything else and the maths stops working entirely.
- Book the Alcázar ticket in advance, for a slot around 10:30. Turning up without one on a day trip means queueing away a fifth of your time.
- Pick two things and accept it. Alcázar and cathedral, or Alcázar and wandering. Trying for all three plus Triana produces a day of walking fast past things.
- Not in July or August. Seville regularly passes 40°C (104°F) and a compressed day of sightseeing in that is genuinely unpleasant.
The honest recommendation
Take the 07:00 on a Saturday, stay the night, come back Sunday evening. You’ll see Seville properly for the cost of one hotel night, and you get the evening — which is the best part of the city and the part a day trip cannot give you.
Madrid to Seville questions
How long is the train from Madrid to Seville?
About 2 hours 30 minutes on the AVE, from Madrid Puerta de Atocha to Seville Santa Justa. Realistically it’s 3 hours 20 door to door once you include the 30-minute security check and getting into the city centre.
Is Seville a good day trip from Madrid?
No. Even taking the first train out and the last back you get about nine hours in a city that needs two days, and you spend six and a half hours travelling. Go overnight instead.
How far is Seville from Madrid?
530 km, or 330 miles, due south. It’s the longest journey covered on this site and the original Spanish high-speed line, opened in 1992.
What time is the first train from Madrid to Seville?
07:00 from Madrid Puerta de Atocha – Almudena Grandes. If you’re determined to do Seville in a day, this is the only departure that makes the arithmetic work.
Should I fly or take the train to Seville?
The train. The flight is about 70 minutes in the air, but with airport transfers, check-in and security at both ends it works out slower than the AVE — and the AVE drops you a short walk from the centre.