How to Get from Barcelona to Seville by Bus and Train

Barcelona to Seville is a long way to travel unless you're flying. You might want to consider stopping at a few places on the way, either on a guided tour or on your own.

If you'd prefer someone else organize the logistics for you, you can find several options. There is a guided tour that departs from Barcelona and takes in Andalusia's three main cities—Seville, Granada, and Cordoba—as well as Valencia. It's still a lot of traveling, but it's nice to let someone else deal with that for you. The tour returns to Barcelona at the end.

Alternatively, you could try a slightly shorter tour, which skips Valencia and leaves you in Madrid at the end of the trip.

The train from Barcelona to Seville takes just five-and-a-half hours. It uses the AVE high-speed train, which goes via Madrid, though this route doesn't stop there.

There are two high-speed journeys per day, one departing in the morning and one in the afternoon. There is also a cheaper—but much slower—train that leaves in the morning and arrives in the evening. There is no night train.

Trains from Barcelona to Seville depart from the Barcelona Sants station.

There are regular flights from Barcelona to Seville. You should be able to get flights much cheaper than train or bus if booked far enough in advance, but the train is more convenient.

Buses from Barcelona to Seville take 16 hours. The slow train is quicker and cheaper, so there is no good reason to take the bus (apart from the fact you can travel overnight, which may appeal to some).

You can book most bus tickets in Spain online at no extra charge. Just pay with a credit card, and print out the e-ticket.

The 620-mile drive from Barcelona to Seville takes about 10 hours, traveling mainly on the A-3, A-43, and A-4 roads. Break up the trip with at least an overnight stay in Cordoba, perhaps also in Valencia. Another good route is to go via Madrid.

Flying or taking the high-speed train all the way from Barcelona to Seville means you miss out on a lot of Spain's most beautiful cities.

Generally speaking, buses are a bit cheaper and slower than most trains in Spain. With the AVE, you have a more extreme situation: the train is a lot quicker and a lot more expensive than the bus.

Even if you are on a budget, consider taking an RV for longer journeys, such as between Madrid and Barcelona between Madrid and Seville. In both cases, you will practically gain an extra day with the travel time you save.

If you're not familiar with these Spanish cities, consider stopping by Sagrada Familia in Barcelona and Barrio Santa Cruz in Seville. Don't forget to sample some of ​Spain's best culinary dishes.

Cities visited: Barcelona, Zaragoza, Madrid, Cordoba, and Seville

The most obvious places to visit on the way are the cities on the AVE high-speed train line, particularly Madrid and Cordoba (and to a lesser extent Zaragoza). Granada is the big omission here because it's not on a good train line, so it is best visited as a day trip (or longer) from Seville.

Zaragoza can be seen just over lunchtime while Cordoba only really needs an afternoon. Consider staying a couple of nights in Madrid at least, and perhaps add side trips to Segovia and Toledo.

• Day 1: Barcelona–Zaragoza–Madrid
• Day 2–4: Madrid
• Day 5: Madrid–Cordoba–Seville

Cities visited: Barcelona, Valencia, Cuenca, Madrid, Cordoba, and Seville

This route goes a long way round to Madrid via Spain's third city: Cuenca. It adds a few extra days to the above itinerary, but it brings in more interesting cities than Zaragoza.

The high-speed train doesn't run from Barcelona to Valencia, but the rest of the trip can be taken by AVE.

• Day 1: Barcelona–Valencia
• Day 2–3: Valencia
• Day 4: Valencia–Cuenca–Madrid
• Day 5–7: Madrid
• Day 8: Madrid–Cordoba–Seville

Cities visited: Barcelona, (Zaragoza) Logroño, San Sebastian, Bilbao, (Burgos) Madrid, Cordoba, and Seville

If you have a couple of weeks to spare, consider traveling via the Basque Country and Rioja wine region. This trip takes in the three of the best Spanish cities for tapas. Be sure to pop into Burgos to see the cathedral on the way to Madrid.

• Day 1: Barcelona–Zaragoza–Logroño
• Day 2: Logroño–San Sebastian
• Day 3: San Sebastian–Bilbao–San Sebastian (day trip)
• Day 4: San Sebastian–Burgos–Madrid
• Day 5–7: Madrid
• Day 8: Madrid–Cordoba–Seville

Whichever of the suggested itineraries you consider, you can add in Salamanca and Extremadura after Madrid (but you will need to miss out Cordoba).

Of course, Cordoba can be added as an easy day trip from Seville as it is only 45 minutes away by high-speed train.

• Day 1: Madrid​–Salamanca
• Day 2: Salamanca–Caceres
• Day 3: Caceres–Merida
• Day 4: Merida–Seville

Cities visited: Barcelona, Zaragoza, Logroño, San Sebastian, Bilbao, Leon, Salamanca, Caceres, Merida, and Seville

If you've been to Madrid before, this itinerary is a good way to explore Spain's less visited cities.

• Day 1: Barcelona–Zaragoza–Logroño
• Day 2: Logroño–San Sebastian
• Day 3: San Sebastian–Bilbao–San Sebastian (day trip)
• Day 4: San Sebastian–Burgos–Leon
• Day 5: Leon–Salamanca
• Day 6: Salamanca
• Day 7: Salamanca–Caceres–Merida
• Day 8: Merida 
• Day 9: Merida–Seville

Cities visited: Barcelona, Zaragoza, Logroño, San Sebastian, Bilbao, Oviedo, Santiago, Porto, Coimbra, Lisbon, Merida, and Seville

Go even further off the beaten path, and head down into Portugal. This area is usually overlooked to visitors to the Iberian peninsula. Take in the wonderful cities of Santiago de Compostela and Oviedo on the way.

• Day 1–3: ​​Long-Way Round Itinerary
• Day 4: San Sebastian–Oviedo
• Day 5: Oviedo​–Santiago de Compostela
• Day 6: Santiago de Compostela
• Day 7: Santiago de Compostela–Porto
• Day 8: Porto
• Day 9: Porto–Coimbra
• Day 10: Coimbra–Lisbon
• Day 11: Lisbon
• Day 12: Lisbon–Merida
• Day 13: Merida–Seville