Spain
Train Travel

The beauty of Spain train travel is that it forces you to slow down, appreciate the landscape around you and be at one with it. However, there is nothing slow about Spain’s train routes, particularly if you’re going from Barcelona to Madrid. Popular among tourists and locals, it is the country’s busiest train line – and for good reason. Linking two extraordinary capitals, you can be chomping on Catalonian esmorzar de forquilla (fork breakfast – because hearty breakfasts like these deserve to be eaten with a fork) in the morning and wandering around Madrid’s mightily impressive Prado Museum in the afternoon. And with private art historians for guides, you’ll get a unique insight into the city’s cultural outposts such as the Reina Sofia and Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. Spain train travel doesn’t have to start and end at a city’s train station either. If off-roading through the Basque Country sounds up your street, drive into neighbouring Rioja region with a private driver for a liquid lunch and history lesson on the cellars’ colourful pasts.

It’s a well-known fact that Spain is also famed for its cuisine. San Sebastian is famous for its pintxo, Seville is the country’s tapas capital, Valencia is the birthplace of paella and Barcelona runs on cava. Discovering these Spanish staples by train seems like the obvious way – especially if you want to bring some sweet souvenirs home and not worry about the extra luggage. Follow locals round their favourite pica-pica (Catalonian style tapas) spots in the lively and authentic Poble Sec barrio, which is still wonderfully under the radar, discover the age-old aging process of sherry in Andalusian country and find your new family favourite dish at private cookery classes in Valencia.