The Most Beautiful Train Journeys Through Spain

The Transcantábrico is considered the quintessential hotel train in northern Spain. It comes in two versions: what was once called the Transcantábrico Clásico comfort train is now known as the Costa Verde Express. During a six-day adventure trip, enthusiasts can discover what's known as 'Green Spain'; the train runs between Bilbao and Santiago de Compostela.

The Transcantábrico Gran Lujo offers a highly luxurious and nostalgic experience: The carriages are styled in the manner of the Roaring Twenties, featuring grand luxury suites with wood-paneled living and sleeping areas, and shared lounges are original Pullman cars from 1923. This five-star hotel on rails travels between San Sebastián and Santiago de Compostela, with an eight-day journey.

Both trips include day trips with luxury bus transfers, meals with local dishes from Castilla y León, the Basque Country, Cantabria, Asturias, and Galicia, dance and music events on board, and a gala or farewell dinner. This comes at a price; depending on the train, one person pays between 3200 to 5500 euros per trip.

What the Transcantábrico is for northern Spain, Tren Ál Andalus is for the south. Passengers reside in Belle Époque style: according to the railway company RENFE, the carriages with suites and rooms are from the same series that, at the beginning of the last century, British royalty used to travel to neighboring France. The train also includes a dance carriage from the same era.

Passengers travel in Ál Andalus over seven days from Seville to Córdoba and back. You can book Deluxe Suites with a double bed and sofa, wardrobe, safe, air conditioning, and minibar, or Grand-Class rooms with single beds that can be converted into chairs by day. Four lounge cars belong to the luxury train, all four built between 1928 and 1930.

The travel package includes day trips, such as to the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art in Jerez and the Alhambra, as well as daily music or dance evenings on board. If you prefer an evening excursion at the destination, you need not worry about missing the train: to ensure a restful night's sleep, the train stops overnight. The trip costs from 3700 euros per person.

For those who want to explore northern Spain more affordably by train, there's the Robla-Express - a comfort travel train operating on selected dates in July and September 2021 between Bilbao and the pilgrimage city of León.

On a five-day weekend trip, passengers experience the nature and culture of the autonomous community of Castilla y León, through which one of the most famous stages of the Camino de Santiago, the Camino Francés, runs. The program includes various guided tours, including to the natural monument of Cuevas de Ojo Guareña, a karst cave complex in the province of Burgos; other destinations are the towns of Carrión de los Condes and Frómista, famous for their Romanesque buildings located right on the Camino.

Passengers stay in sleeping compartments with two-person bunk beds, private bathrooms, and air conditioning on El Expreso de la Robla. Built in 2009 in a vintage style, the train features public cars that house a library, lounge, and bar. Meals, tours, and admission fees for planned sights are included in the price. From 900 euros per person in a standard compartment.