Lisbon to Madrid by Train: This Journey is RIDICULOUS!

Lisbon to Madrid by Train: This Journey is RIDICULOUS!

Today we’re heading from 
Lisbon to Madrid by train. Now you’d expect that two such important 
EU capital cities which are just 500km apart in a straight line are linked 
by a 2 hour high-speed train, right? Well you’d be very much mistaken… so let’s go and check out this tortuous 4 
train, 12 hour journey together! Welcome to Lisbon. The Portuguese capital 
city sits on the country’s Atlantic coast, at the Tagus River estuary. Home to 2.9 people in the metropolitan 
area – it’s a stunning and vibrant place, with so much history and stunning 
architecture. I’d highly recommend a visit! If you don’t speak English, please 
enable the ‘CC’ closed caption subtitles as they’re translated 
in to 140 languages for you! You can also now change the audio track 
to 8 other languages; including Spanish, Italian, French, German, Japanese, and Hindi! Today’s journey starts at Lisbon’s Santa Apolónia, 
one of the two main stations in the city. I’m a bit early, so I’m going to head to the 
good value café over the road for some breakfast. I had an omelette sandwich, pastel de nata 
and a latte. A great way to start the day! Ok, heading inside, and you’ll find some automatic 
ticket machines and a staffed ticket office. The first of FOUR trains today, is the 7:30am 
Intercity 511 service from Lisbon to Coimbra, which we’ll take as far as Entroncamento. You can take the 08:00 Alfa Pendular service 
and still make the connection to the next train, by around 10 mins, but I’d 
rather be safe than sorry. Santa Apolónia station, which dates back to 1856, is so beautiful. I love the old school style, 
the red paint and the metal train shed roof. Our train is operated by Comboios 
de Portugal, the Portuguese national operator. It’s one of their second tier, 
long-distance Intercidades services. There are just two Second Class and 
one First Class coaches in the consist, with the only difference being the seats. 
We’ll check them both out once we get onboard. Hauling us initially is a CP 
Class 5600 electric locomotive, made by Siemens. These entered 
service between 1993 and 1995. They have a top speed of 220km/h (137mph) 
and a power output of 5,600kW (7,500hp). We’ve got around 25 minutes before departure, If you need a new case for your travels 
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or in the description below. Boarding is not level, with 3 quite 
large steps up from the platform. Half of the First Class coach features 
a small buffet and dining car area, selling very well priced drinks and snacks. Turistica, or Second Class 
is in a 2+2 configuration with these green cloth, reclining seats. Most are airline style, but there are 4 bay 
seats around a table in each coach. Some, but not all seats have power sockets too. Luggage can be stored on the stacks 
in the centre of the coaches, or on the overhead racks above all seats. There are also two, pre-bookable bike 
storage spaces at one end of the coach. Moving through to Conforto, or First Class 
– which is in a 2+1 layout – again mainly airline style but with one bay around 
a table in the centre of the coach. This is where I’ll be sitting this morning, in 
one of the single seats at the rear of the train. Luggage can only be stored in here, on the large overhead racks – plenty 
big enough for my carry on case though. Before set off on this marathon journey, 
let’s check out today’s 4 train route, from Lisbon to Entroncamento, to 
Badajoz, to Mérida and finally to Madrid. We depart right on-time at 
7.30am. Today’s full journey is 739km (459mi) in distance 
and is scheduled to take a, quite frankly ridiculous, 12 hours and 14 
minutes of travel time, arriving at 7.44pm. For example, Madrid to Barcelona is 
around 100km (62mi) less in distance, but can be travelled as 
fast as 2 hours 30 minutes. There have been musings for many years 
about a high-speed line on this route, and honestly, it can’t come soon enough! The total price, which I actually 
thought was quite reasonable all things considered, was €61.10 (£50.90, $63.13). If you’re not in a hurry, then it’s quite a 
nice way to spend a day too passing through some very varied landscapes with a nice 
stop for lunch once we cross in to Spain. Leg 1 is from Lisbon to Entroncamento. 
This is onboard the 07:30 IC511 service which will cover 106km (66mi) in 1 
hours and 2 minutes of travel time. If all goes to plan, this will allow a 
35 minute connection to the next train. Let’s check out the seats, here 
in Conforto, or First Class. These coaches are based on the French Corail ones, and have large, comfortable, arm chair 
style seats. I’m a big fan of these! Legroom is good, and there’s a storage pocket, tray table and bin. Some, but not 
all seats have power sockets too. They are well padded all around, and 
have a good ergonomic shape to them. On the way out of Lisbon, we all at 
the very stylish Oriente Station. This station in the east of the 
Portuguese capital opened in 1998. It allows north-south services to call at a 
major hub in Lisbon, without venturing in, and then having to reverse out of
Santa Apolónia. We now run along the majestic River Tagus. This 
is longest river on the Iberian Peninsular, at 1,007km (626mi) – and one which we will see 
again a few times, later on in today’s journey. The views in this part of 
Portugal are lush and green, with farming a major part of the local economy. I’m just going to sit back and enjoy sipping my 
iced latte, with the rolling hills passing by. Every one of these coaches has a 
toilet, and from the rearmost one, you get some great views from 
the BEST window on the train! There is a large depot and workshop 
located just before Entroncamento. This literally translates 
in English as ‘Junction’, a very fitting name for a station that is one 
of the most important junction’s in Portugal. Before long, we are pulling 
into the station, right on time. As out train departs northbound to Coimbra, we 
see the National Railway Museum in the background. I visited here a few years prior to filming this video – and it’s a good 
place to spend 2 or 3 hours! You even get half price entry 
if you arrive by train and show your ticket – I’ll show you some photos shortly! The station has a cute little café 
located on the central platforms, so I stocked up on a few drinks 
for the next leg of the trip. Our next train departs from this 
central bay platform at Entroncamento. It will be operated by this single-coach Allen Railcar. These actually date back 
to 1955, making them 70 years old! In 2000 they were heavily 
refurbished and modernised. They have a top speed of 100km/h (62mph) 
and a power output of just 217hp. Again, boarding is not level – 
but I did see a wheelchair lift down the far end of the platform 
when I got off the Intercity train before. However there is no wheelchair 
space and the toilet is not accessible. Seating is laid out in a dense 3+2 configuration, 
but due to both a large track and loading gauge in Portugal – they don’t feel to cramped, 
even if they aren’t particularly comfortable. Luggage can be stored on the overhead 
racks, or at the ends of the coach. Legroom is tight. Let’s just say I was glad there 
was no one sitting opposite me for this journey! We’ll be travelling the full length of the Linha 
do Leste, or Eastern Line, shown here on this map. As we depart right on time at 9:09am, 
again you can see the Railway Museum on the left. As promised, here’s 
a few photos from my visit. Leg 2 is from Entroncamento, Portugal to 
Badajoz, Spain, just across the border. This is onboard the CP Regional 
481 service which is 175km (109mi) in distance and scheduled to take 2 
hours and 45 minutes of travel time, arriving at 12:54pm. There is a plus 1 hour 
time difference between Portugal and Spain. This will give me just over 1 
hour and 20 minutes to have a quick look around Badajoz, and grab some lunch. The scenery on this part of the route 
is very similar to that of the first, with lush green fields and farmlands on the east of Portugal, but the temperature is 
certainly starting to get hotter. We also pass many small stations, with 
abandoned buildings on the platforms, before again crossing the River Tagus. This is just south of Constância where the 
Zêzere River joins the main flow of the Tagus. In my opinion, this is the most scenic 
part of the journey, running alongside the river on this beautiful Iberian day 
making for some perfect #TrainWindowViews. This train does have one toilet, although 
this is quite cramped. It was also dark, hence why I’ve enhanced the image in editing 
here. It was stocked up and all worked though. We cruise along at a leisurely 
pace of between 70 and 90km/h (43-56mph) and honestly, the ride quality is fine. A bit bumpy in places but for a lesser used branch 
line, but at these speeds, it’s more than ok. We do start to see the landscapes change, 
with cacti lining the tracks and browner fields denoting the much more arid climate 
in this part of the Iberian Peninsular. There is no stop as we cross the international 
border from Portugal to Spain, with both countries being in the Schengen free-travel area. We just 
gain an hour on our clocks, and carry right on. We are now in the Extremadura Autonomous Community of Western Spain, and notice the much 
more developed infrastructure from new tracks to a large Amazon warehouse in the 
background, compared to Eastern Portugal. Shortly after, we pull in to Badajoz Station, and that’s the second leg of this Lisbon 
to Madrid by Train journey complete. I head out the front and take a quick peak at the 
impressive new station building’s exterior, but soon retreat back inside to the air conditioning, 
as its currently 38°C (100°F) out here. I’ll be back to visit properly 
when it’s much cooler, as I hear the city’s Moorish 
architecture is stunning. Anyway, there’s a little café in here, 
so I put my phone on charge and grabbed some lunch and an ice cream and 
just chilled for an hour or so. Our next train is the 14:20 Regional 
Express service to Puertollano, which we’ll take as far as Mérida 
before changing to a Madrid-bound train. You can spend 4 hours in Badajoz and then 
take the direct Madrid Alvia service at 17:43, but doing it this way means you 
arrive in Madrid 3 hours earlier. This train starts here, so it’s 
already and waiting on Platform 1. Despite the Media Distancia branding, this Renfe Serie 599 is our next ride 
on this Regional Express 18777 Service. These CAF-built, 3-car diesel multiple units have a top speed of 160km/h (100mph) 
and a power output of 1,400kW (1,877hp). Boarding at either end coach has 
four steps up from the platform, so head to the centre door 
if you need level access. Seating on this train is all Second 
Class, and all in a 2+2 layout, with the majority airline style, 
with a few bays around tables. These are well padded, pretty comfy and 
have a good ergonomic shape to them. They all have adjustable armrests and 
power sockets – along with good legroom, a foot rest, storage area and tray table. These are excellent seats for the regional or 
medium distance trains on which they are used. The central coach has pre-bookable bike spaces. Along with level boarding from the door 
here, the central one on the train. This is next to the vending 
machines and wheelchair spaces. The accessible toilet is also 
next to here. This was large, fully stocked up and all working perfectly. Both luggage stacks and overhead racks 
are provided throughout the whole train, to store your suitcases and smaller items. Again, we depart Badajoz 
perfectly on-time, at 2.20pm. Leg 3 is a short 5 stop, 46 minute hop to 
Mérida, travelling a distance of 59km (37mi). Extremadura has a very low population density, compared to the national average and 
is also one of Spain’s poorest regions, with a GDP around half of that found in Madrid, 
Barcelona and the affluent Northern provinces. This can be seen with many buildings either 
abandoned or in disrepair – and the relatively low frequency of intercity trains to and 
from other Spanish regions, and the capital. Hopefully once the high-speed line to 
Lisbon is completed this will change, with an increase in development and 
investment within Extremadura. It’s a beautiful part of the country, and 
one I’ve not visited nearly enough! We are now running alongside the Guadiana 
River, another important waterway in the Iberian Peninsular – and another that forms 
part of the border between Spain and Portugal. It has a total length of 829km (515mi) and empties 
in to the Gulf of Cádiz in Southwestern Spain. We pull in to Mérida, Extremadura’s capital city, right on time, and that’s the third 
of today’s four legs now complete. We have just a 15 minute connection here, 
before our final train onwards to Madrid. It’s another beautiful station – which although 
heavily modernised still retains the classic external look and feel of the region with 
the sandstone bricks and arched windows. OK, no time to hang about here – it’s straight back to the platform for the 
last train of this journey. It’s another Renfe Serie 599 DMU for this 
final leg, the same as the last train, so I won’t repeat the details 
again. Although this one is actually running a Media Distancia 
service, as advertised on the side. One of these was in fact the 
first train I rode on in Spain, and filmed for the channel, back 
in 2019 when I’d just started. I really like them, and 
their electric counterparts, the S449. They are very comfy and 
well designed – much better than nearly everything else that Renfe run, 
short of the S103 and S100 AVE sets. This service is a bit busier than 
all others we’ve been on today, but that can be expected as it’s heading to 
the Spanish Capital after starting in Seville over 3 hours ago. Although it does take the 
long way round, serving smaller communities. If you took a high-speed AVE 
service from Seville to Madrid, it would take just over 2 and a half hours, 
compared to 7 and a half on this service. AVE and Larga Distancia services have 
dynamic pricing and are much cheaper when booked in advance. But Media 
Distancia and Regional services do not – these always cost the same 
irrespective of when you book. After evicting a guy out of my reserved seat, 
we’re off – departing on-time at 3.21pm! The forth and final leg today is from Mérida 
to Madrid on this MD17907 service. This will see us cover 399km (248mi) in 4 hours and 23 
minutes, with arrival scheduled for 7.44pm. This is well over half the mileage 
of the route covered in the final third of the travel time – showing much 
higher average speeds on these Spanish lines than anything we’ve travelled on before now. A lot of the time we are zipping along at 
160km/h (100mph), this trains maximum speed. We once again see the Tagus River which has 
various reservoirs along its length. I believe this one is the Embalse de Alcantara which is 
within the nature reserve of the same name. Anyway, there’s not actually a great deal to show 
you on the remainder of this trip – all the nice views and interesting points are now behind us, 
so let’s fast forward as we approach Madrid. On the way in we see many of the 300km/h 
(186mph) capable trains that currently run all over Spain. The high-speed network 
here has been transformative for the country and slashed domestic flights 
by over 75% in the last 15 years. So, in conclusion of this journey, what a 
ball ache this multi-legged trip from Lisbon to Madrid was. I enjoyed it, don’t get me wrong 
but would a normal person, with a family make it? Almost certainly not. They’d just take 
the one hour flight, as I have done before. I think it’s best to say that it IS possible to 
travel between the two Iberian capitals by train. But you probably shouldn’t, at the moment 
anyway. I don’t often make train videos and then recommend you to fly in the summary, but 
this instance – that would be my conclusion. Once a high-speed line is 
complete and multiple daily, 3 hour or less trips are possible, then 
yes, you absolutely should take the train! Anyway, we arrive on-time at Madrid Atocha, the main station in the Spanish 
capital, after this 12 hour trip. Have you been on any train journeys that 
really need a much better connection than they currently have? If so, which ones and on 
which routes? Let me know in the comments below! I’m always open to new video ideas and 
suggestions, so drop me a DM on Instagram, BlueSky or Twitter for anything you 
really want to see on the channel. Don’t forget to subscribe, and thanks for watching 
to the end, and I’ll see you in the next video!

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Today we’re embarking on a train trip between two European capital cities that should take 3 hours, but actually takes 12 – right now anyway!

We’ll be heading from Lisbon, Portugal to Madrid, Spain – a tortuous journey involving four trains. Most people will just fly on this route – but it is possible in one day by train – so if you’re up for an adventure, then join me and we’ll go and check it all out together!

#Lisbon #Portual #Madrid #Spain #ByTrain #TrainWindowViews

Date of Filming: 8/7/24
Camera: GoPro Hero 12 Black
Operator: CP & Renfe
Departure: Lisbon, Portugal
Arrival: Madrid, Spain
Cost: €61.10 (£50.90, $63.13) – for all 4 trains

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00:00 – Intro
03:40 – Level8: My Favourite Luggage
04:30 – Lisbon to Entroncamento
09:48 – Entroncamento to Badajoz
14:54 – Badajoz to Mérida
19:04 – Mérida to Madrid
22:20 – Trip Summary & Outro