Spain Will Offer Free Train Travel This Fall

Soon, select public train rides in Spain will be completely free for both locals and tourists.

The country recently announced that from September 1 until at least the year's end, anyone can board various trains within the state-owned rail network, Renfe, between popular tourist destinations at no cost.

While the initiative aims to alleviate the impact of inflation on residents, it is also available for visitors. However, there are some limitations: free rides are not offered on single-journey commuter trains or long-distance routes (such as from Madrid to Murcia).

The free travel does apply to multi-trip ticket journeys (10 or more) on commuter trains or mid-distance routes (under 300 kilometers, or approximately 186 miles). This includes many major tourist routes like León to Madrid, Granada to Málaga, Córdoba to Seville, Madrid to Toledo, Barcelona to Tarragona, A Coruña to Santiago, and Valencia to Requena Utiel. Typically, these soon-to-be-free train rides cost less than $20 each way.

This new initiative complements the 30 percent discount on all public transport, including buses and trams, which was announced in June.

Spain is not the only European country taking steps to lower transportation expenses this year. In May, Germany’s national railway, Deutsche Bahn, introduced a €9 monthly ticket program valid for local and regional trains until the end of August.