From September 1 to December 31, a significant part of Spain’s frequently used rail system will be free for residents and travellers. Ideal for those hoping to connect between the country’s biggest cities, Spain making its public train system, Renfe, completely free should help travelers with rail travel as they take advantage of the more accessible shoulder seasons of Spain. Europe and try to maximize their experience of the country beyond Barcelona, ​​Madrid and Seville. However, the initiative for free train travel in Spain will not apply to all routes.

Although the temporary policy is aimed at Spanish nationals, in an effort to help offset the rising cost of living, tourists can also take advantage of the Spanish government’s generous announcement. Free train travel will apply to multi-trip tickets on cercanías – suburban services – and rodalies – suburban routes in Catalonia – as well as medium-distance routes of less than 300 km.

This excludes one-way tickets and long-distance travel, so you’ll still have to pay for popular routes like Madrid-Seville (~390km), Barcelona-Madrid (506km), and Barcelona-San Sebastian (634km).

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“This measure encourages the maximum use of this type of collective public transport to guarantee the necessary daily trips with a safe, reliable, comfortable, economical and sustainable means of transport, in the extraordinary circumstances of the constant increase in the price of transport. energy and fuel,” said the Spanish Ministry of Transport (according to CNN)

While many European countries are trying to encourage more train travel – which isn’t difficult, given the number of scenic routes and the comfort of many European trains – Spain’s goal of free travel by train for the rest of the year should be widely adopted. both tourists and locals. It comes on top of previously announced 30-50% cuts on all public transport, including metros, buses and trams, which are funded by Spain’s central government.

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Training in Barcelona for $0 of course means more money for tapas, but it will also help relieve the pressure of queues and encourage tourists to explore more of the city than the more central areas.

The announcement of free train travel around Spain is slightly similar to an initiative in Germany, where authorities launched an unlimited monthly public transport ticket for tourists, priced at €9 (~AU$13 ) which is valid until the end of August.