by VictorSesma
Tickets & Trains Guide for 2024 – Train Station in Alicante
The train station is situated in the heart of Alicante. It connects the city with short, mid and long-distance trains, including AVE high speed to Madrid. Let’s go and find out more details.
Where is Alicante Train Station?
The train station address is 1 Avenida Salamanca. 03005 Alicante. Click here for opening it on Google maps. It is situated in the centre of the city:
- 30 min walk from the beach El Postiguet
- 20 min walk from the nightlife area El Barrio
- 5 min away from the commercial street Avenida de Maisonnave.
- 5 min away from the Tram Train Station Alicante-Luceros
Many buses have a stop very close to the station. The Tram underground station is a 5 min walk away, in Plaza de Los Luceros.
Train Station VS TRAM station in Alicante
Alicante has also a rail service called TRAM. It is a mix of a slow TRAM train for moving around the city and a slightly faster train for longer journies to places such as Villajoyosa, Benidorm, Altea or Denia.
So, for example, if you need to go to Madrid, Barcelona or Valencia you need to use a long-distance Renfe or -from June 2023- Iryo train. If you need to go to Benidorm, Altea, Villajoyosa or Denia you have to use one of the TRAM stations such as the one in Luceros. As a curiosity, Alicante-Benidorm by TRAM train takes about 1 hour and 10 minutes and costs 2,80€ single with no travel card.
Where to Buy Train Tickets From Alicante?
All the short, medium and long-distance trains from/to Alicante are operated by Renfe at the moment. Iryo is selling online low-cost tickets for high-speed and long-distance to Albacete and Madrid trains scheduled for June 2023 and onwards. Ouigo is selling tickets from the 1st of March 2023 and the service starts on May 2023.
There are a few ways to buy train tickets from or to Alicante:
- You can buy tickets for Renfe’s trains in Alicante at Renfe’s Official Website. This is for trains going to all destinations available from Alicante.
- At Renfe’s office inside the railway station in Alicante, a teller can assist you with the purchase in a more traditional manner. Only for long-distance trains to destinations such as Madrid or Barcelona.
- The third way to buy train tickets to or from Alicante’s train station is by using the few automatic machines around the train station. This is for trains going to all destinations available from Alicante.
- On the Iryo’s website for High-Speed Trains to Albacete and Madrid only.
- On Ouigo’s website for high-speed trains to Albacete and Madrid only.
- On Avlo’s website for high-speed trains to Albacete and Madrid only.
- There are also third-party comparison websites, such as The Trainline, that offer Renfe train tickets in a similar way they compare prices for airlines.
How to Buy a Ticket from the Office Inside the Station
A funny contra intuitive situation is that buying a ticket in person is not so easy.
The Renfe’s office at the station has two different queues: one for trains that are leaving soon and another for the rest of the requests, including complaints and trains that are not immediately leaving.
To add more confusion, the queues for buying the tickets for trains that are leaving in a few hours/days need to get queue number from the small machine at one of the entrances. The same is true for complaints or other requests.
However, the queues for the trains that are leaving in the following minutes don’t have this electronic machine and you can just stand in line as you would wait for the teller at the bank or at the cashier in the supermarket.
What Services Are at Alicante Train Station?
Inside and outside the train station there are a few services that can help you in your journey:
- Machines to buy short and long-distance train tickets
- A Renfe office where you can buy the train tickets or sort out any issue you might have with an agent
- Free public toilets
- Vending machines
- Food restaurants
- Currency exchange office
- Tourist information office
- Car rental office
- Cash machine
- Souvenir shops
- Car rental companies
- Taxi services
On the left exit at Alicante Terminal railway station (left when the trains are at your back), there is a taxi stop. There are usually taxis waiting for customers at any time trains operate.
Where can I go from Alicante Railway Station?
The terminal offers services for medium and long-distance trips, including AVE high-speed trains.
Murcia is a common commute for many Alicantinians and Murcians. There are two trains serving the route:
- Alicante to Murcia Short Distance train called Cercanias
- Alicante to Murcia Medium Distance Train called Media Distancia
Both trains stop at Elche but at different stations. Cercanias takes longer and has a few more extra stops than Media Distancia to Murcia. Prices go from 9.85€.
Another common route is the train from Alicante to Madrid. The cities are connected by the high-speed train called AVE which stands for Alta Velocidad Española or Spanish High Speed. Times average 2:30 hours for 260 mi (420km).
Valencia, Barcelona and other further cities are connected with our without transfer with slightly slower long-distance trains.
Here is a list of a few of the direct trains from/to Alicante Train Station:
| Destination | Type Of Train | Time |
| Madrid | High Speed | from 2h |
| Valencia | Long Distance | 2h |
| Barcelona | Long Distance | 5:20h |
| Elche | Regional/Mid Distance | 33min/20min |
| Murcia | Regional/Mid Distance | 1:30h/50min |
| Santander | Long Distance | from 7h |
| Ourense | High Speed | around 4:56 |
| Zamora | High Speed | around 3:45 |
| Leon | High Speed | around 4:52 |
Trains from Alicante to Elche
Alicante and Elche are two neighbourhood cities separated by just below 30km (18 mi).
There are two trains going to Elche from Alicante:
Cercanias Line C1
This is the most frequent, cheap and convenient train.
It takes between 30 and 31 minutes to go from Alicante to Elche and it stops in both Elche-Carrus and Elche-Parque.
The inconvenience of this line is the trains that are old. An early 80s diesel train (~40 years old!) that will make you enjoy if you are a train hobbyist but that smells a bit of diesel inside. Nevertheless, the trains have A/C and are well-maintained.
Note that you cannot buy online these train tickets! Cercanias does not appear on the main searcher on Renfe’s website. To buy the tickets you need to either go to Renfe’s office and ask the teller or find the Cercanias machine close to the train gates.
The schedule for departures from Alicante on a weekday is as follows. Check Renfe’s Cercanias page for the return and weekend schedule:
| Line | Departure | Arrival | Time of travel |
| C1 | 05.45 | 06.15 | 0.30 |
| C1 | 06.30 | 07.01 | 0.31 |
| C1 | 07.30 | 08.04 | 0.34 |
| C1 | 08.00 | 08.40 | 0.40 |
| C1 | 09.10 | 09.40 | 0.30 |
| C1 | 09.20 | 10.03 | 0.43 |
| C1 | 10.50 | 11.21 | 0.31 |
| C1 | 11.20 | 11.50 | 0.30 |
| C1 | 12.30 | 13.00 | 0.30 |
| C1 | 13.20 | 13.50 | 0.30 |
| C1 | 14.10 | 14.40 | 0.30 |
| C1 | 15.00 | 15.31 | 0.31 |
| C1 | 15.50 | 16.20 | 0.30 |
| C1 | 16.40 | 17.11 | 0.31 |
| C1 | 17.30 | 18.00 | 0.30 |
| C1 | 19.10 | 19.40 | 0.30 |
| C1 | 20.00 | 20.30 | 0.30 |
| C1 | 20.50 | 21.20 | 0.30 |
| C1 | 22.30 | 23.00 | 0.30 |
Long Distance Trains Alicante-Elche AV (Alta Velocidad)
In just 20 minutes, trains using the high-speed network from Alicante to Murcia have a stop at Elche Av (Alta Velocidad or High Speed) station.
The trains are electric, faster and newer but there are fewer trains per day plus the Elche AV train station is 7km (~4 mi) away from the city centre.
You can buy online these tickets on Renfe’s website choosing as your destination “Elche AV”.
Other Services Alicante-Elche
It is possible to buy a ticket from Alicante to Elche Parque or Elcche Carrus through Renfe’s website.
Some services have a similar price as the C1 line and others will be more expensive.
Note the schedule you see from Renfe’s trains searcher is not the schedule for line C1. You will only see a very few services per day.
Also, note some services will take more time or be way more expensive than the C1 line. The only advantage is trains might be newer -so no diesel smell inside the carriages- but the C1 line might be more reliable, frequent and cheaper.
Get to Alicante Train Station
If you live in the centre it is very easy to reach the station. Getting there on foot is probably the best way to get to the station if you live less than 20 minutes away. If you are not in the centre, you live, for example in San Vicente del Raspeig or Playa de San Juan, you can use public and private services to go to the train station. Your options are Tram, bus, taxi or Cabify.
How to Go to Alicante’s Train Station by Bus?
There are many bus lines stopping less than 5 minutes walk away from the station: 06, C-6, 22, 21, 04, 03, 04, 07 and a few other lines will drop you up close enough. Google Maps makes it easy to navigate by public transport in Alicante or you can check this article about the buses in Alicante for more info. They have an app as well.
How to Go to the Terminal by Taxi?
The station has a taxi stop. It is on the right side hand when you look at the front facade. Here are the ways to order a taxi:
Get a Taxi by Phone
If you want to be picked up anywhere in Alicante you can call the number +34 965 101 611 or +34 965 252 511. They will ask you for your current address where pick you up and give you an estimated time of arrival. You will then tell the driver where you want to go to estación de tren.
Get a Taxi using the App PideTaxi
PideTaxi stands for asking for a taxi. This app is available on iPhone and Android phones. It offers a similar experience to Uber where you can estimate the time of your trip, see where the taxi is while you are waiting and pay by card using your smartphone. You can download the app from the App Store or Google Play.
To get more information about taxi apps in Alicante you can check the article about taxis in Alicante.
How to Go to Alicante Train Station by Tram
Tram de Alicante is a lightweight train that offers services to San Vicente del Raspeig, Universidad de Alicante, Playa de San Juan, Campello and further places like Benidorm and Altea.
The railway station of Alicante is 5 min away by foot from the “Luceros Tram Station“. All the Tram lines stop in Luceros as it is the first/last stop. You need to walk from Plaza de Los Luceros to the train station to reach the train station. It is only one street called Avenida de la Estacion. It is a walk of fewer than 5 minutes.
How to Get by Uber?
Sadly, Uber is not available in Alicante yet. Their website is confusing as the city is listed on one of their pages but the app won’t allow you to request the service and will show an error message: “Unfortunately, Uber is currently unavailable in your area.”
If you want a similar service you can use the taxi app PideTaxi. Read up in this Get a Taxy using the App PideTaxi.
Another option is to use the Spanish service called Cafiby. They are very similar to Uber.
How to go to Alicante Train Station by Cabify?
Cabify is the most popular Uber-like application in Spain. It is available in more cities than Uber and works very similarly.
Cabify has been available in Alicante for a while. It allows you to see where the car is on the map, and to have a preview of the route and an estimation of the price before you book.
They will usually give you a bottle of water and give you the option of choosing the radio station you want to listen to. Prices might vary in comparison with taxis. You can compare it with the app PideTaxi.
From Alicante Airport to Alicante Train Station
Alicante train station is 9 mi or 14,8 km from Alicante Airport and it takes around 16 minutes by car and about 30 min by the airport bus C-6.
There are several ways to get from the train station to the airport in Alicante. The cheapest is the bus. The most expensive is the private service Cabify. Finally, the taxis are a bit cheaper than Cabify.
There are a few companies offering private transfers as well.
By Bus
If you are travelling from or from the airport to the train station in Alicante the cheapest way is to take the bus Line C-6. You can check the schedule and more information on this page. The fare is 3.85€ to pay by contactless card (no cash) and there is a travel card available.
By Taxi
Alicante Airport has a taxi stop where you will find a cab most of the time. The taxi companies are dependent on Elche city hall as the airport is situated in the neighbouring city of Elche. They can drive you to Alicante railway station.
The fares are fixed and can be checked on the website of radio ElcheTaxi. When booking online the fare is 27€ and it is fixed. If not booked online fares might be higher.
Forgoing from the train station to the airport the company operating is Radio Taxi Alicante. I asked them the prices and here are the not-fixed rates:
- During the day hours, prices average between 17€ and 18€.
- During the night and bank holidays, prices are between 19€ and 20€.
By Cabify
Prices using the Uber-like service Cabify are around 25€. You can install their iPhone and Android apps from here.
I hope this article helps with the train station in Alicante. If you have any questions or experiences you want to share, please, use the comments!