How to get from Madrid to Cordoba by train, car or bus

Best way to travel from Madrid to Cordoba

Train is the fastest (under 2 hours) and most convenient (2 trains per hour during the day).
To travel between Cordoba and Madrid by either car or bus will take you at least 4 hours.
If you are on a budget, you can save some money traveling by bus.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Train

Train is a great option to travel between Madrid and Cordoba since the high speed train (AVE) connects both cities in less than 2 h. This option is not only the fastest, but also very convenient because the trains are very frequent.

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There are approximately 2 high-speed trains per hour throughout the day. You can expect to pay between 29 and 79€ depending on whether you buy the ticket in advance and are flexible with the departure time.

MADRID'S TRAIN STATION

Although there are several train stations in Madrid, the main one (and the one where the trains from/to Cordoba start/end is Puerta de Atocha). Puerta de Atocha is located south east of the city center. The metro line 1, the suburban train as well as several city bus lines stop at this station. Also, the public bus line 203, known as “Express Airport,” connects the Atocha train station with the airport.

For up-to-date information on Madrid’s public transport: www.crtm.es

Address: Glorieta Emperador Carlos V, 28045 Madrid
Telephone: (+34) 912 43 23 43

CORDOBA'S TRAIN STATION

Cordoba’s train station is located about 2 km (1.25 miles) north of the city center. To give you an idea, it is 1.8 km away (1.1 miles) from the Great Mosque. The city bus lines 3 and 5 connect the train station with the city center.

For up-to-date information on Cordoba’s city buses: www.aucorsa.es

Address: Glorieta Tres Culturas, 14011 Cordoba
Telephone: (+34) 912 432 343

Car

The car ride from Cordoba to Madrid takes between 4 h and 4 h 30 min. There is mainly one straight route following the A-4 highway. This route takes you through the region of Castilla la Mancha before entering Andalusia via the province of Jaen.

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About one hour after leaving Madrid, you can stop to visit the beautiful city of Toledo, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. Already in Andalucía, another interesting stop can be at the Renaissance towns of Ubeda and Baeza, also a UNESCO world heritage site.

PARKING IN CORDOBA

To find the best deals on rental cars, we recommend Discover Cars, which searches through the web for the best prices.

Bus

The company Socibus runs 4 buses per day from Madrid to Cordoba. The trip lasts between 4 h 45 min and 5 h 20 min.

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In Madrid, all of the buses leave from Estación Sur, but one of them has an extra stop at the airport. In that case, the total length of the journey is 5 h 40 min. One ticket costs around 27 €.

MADRID'S BUS STATION

In Madrid, the buses to Cordoba leave from the Estación de Méndez Álvaro, commonly known as Estación Sur, which is located south east of the city center, close to the Atocha train station. The metro line 6, the suburban train as well as several city bus lines stop at this station.

If you are traveling from Madrid’s airport to this bus station, the easiest is to take the metro line 8 and change to line 6 at the Nuevos Ministerios stop. It will take about 50 minutes.

For up-to-date information on Madrid’s public transport: www.crtm.es