The luxury tourist trains marketed by Renfe start up again with the beginning of spring. The Al Andalus Train, the Transcantábrico Gran Lujo, the Costa Verde Express and the Expreso de la Robla that make up the catalogue of these services are luxury hotels that travel through extraordinary landscapes, allowing their passengers to enjoy a few days of rest, leisure, culture and exquisite gastronomy all combined, both on board and in the most prestigious restaurants en route.
The travel options in all luxury tourism train excursions and itineraries include on-board accommodation, with the trains stopping at night at a station on the route to ensure that passengers sleep well. Travel to locations at further distances from the train lines is by bus, with guides on hand, and with cuisine worthy of the most discerning passengers, whether served on board the trains, which are equipped with their own kitchens, or at the selected restaurants in a number of the cities visited along the way. The overall experience and the quality of the services provided has seen Renfe's tourist trains become a global benchmark in the luxury trains sector.
The trains will have the new livery created by Renfe in 2023 for the Luxury Tourist Trains segment in order for passengers to perceive the brand as an exclusive product.
International customers
Of the total number of customers travelling on the Luxury Tourist trains marketed by Renfe, 32.4% are Spanish and 67.6% are international. 38.4% come from countries in Europe, particularly European Union countries. 15.8% of the passengers are North American, 8.4% come from South America, 4.2% from Oceania, 0.6% from Asia and 0.1% from Africa.
The Al Andalus Train
The Al Andalus Train's season starts on 31 March, with the new livery debuted in 2023 following Renfe's redesign of the brand to promote its use in digital environments, incorporating a modernised typography to adapt the style to the standards used by Renfe.
The updating of the train's livery involves the use of new, more vivid colours, but within the same chromatic range that has characterised this luxury tourist train. The tones used, such as reddish garnet, are also intended to reference emblematic monuments of the cities the train passes through, such as the Alhambra of Granada and the Mosque of Cordoba.
So, on 31 March, the Al Andalus Train resumes its the 7-day (6 nights) trips along its Andalusian itinerary. They go in both directions between Seville and Malaga, the train passing through the Andalusian provinces of Cádiz, Granada, Jaén and Córdoba on the way.
The Al Andalus train has fifteen carriages, five of which were built in France at the end of the 1920s as part of the same series used by members of the British royal family to travel from Calais to the French Riviera for their holidays. These are the carriages currently serving as common spaces.
Another seven carriages are for passengers' private use. They house 32 rooms, 12 of which are sold as Grand Class and 20 as Deluxe Suites.
The Al Andalus also has a carriage with a kitchen where the dishes that make up the breakfasts are prepared, as well as any lunches or dinners that are served on the train.
The Transcantábrico Gran Lujo
The Transcantábrico Gran Lujo, which this season resumes services on 26 March, was first launched in July 1983 between León and Matallana de Torío. In 2000 and 2011 the train was refurbished to provide it with comfort and safety improvements.
In its more than forty years of service, interrupted only by the pandemic, the Transcantábrico Gran Lujo has become one of the most internationally recognised trains in luxury rail tourism.
The Transcantábrico Gran Lujo runs on the metric gauge network and offers 8-day (7-night) routes between San Sebastian and Santiago de Compostela and short 4-day (3-night) routes starting in Oviedo and ending in San Sebastian or between Santiago de Compostela and Gijón.
All journeys include accommodation on board the train in the 14 Grand Luxury Suites that are sold, as well as breakfast, lunch and dinner cuisine, served on board or in selected restaurants. Guided tours, tickets to monuments and shows, activities on board, a multilingual guide throughout the route and shuttle buses are part of the journey.
Costa Verde Express season to start in May
On 1 May, the season begins for the Costa Verde (Green Coast) Express. This service, sold by Renfe since 2022 as part of its offer of luxury tourist trains, runs on the metric gauge network through the green region of Spain that gives it its name.
The Costa Verde Express services consists of a 6-days and 5-night tip, in both directions, between Bilbao and Santiago de Compostela. It also takes the form of short 3-day (2-night) routes running in both directions on the Bilbao-Oviedo and León-Bilbao itineraries, taking in the most characteristic sites of Palencia Romanesque architecture on its route.
All journeys include accommodation in the train's 24 suites, equipped with full bathrooms, as well as breakfast, lunch and dinner cuisine, served on board or in selected restaurants. Guided tours, tickets to monuments and shows, activities on board, a multilingual guide throughout the route and shuttle buses are also included.
The Expreso de La Robla train
The Expreso de la Robla train is another of Renfe's tourist train products. Its origins go back to those of the metric gauge line itself, at the end of the nineteenth century, when it was built to transport coal from the mining basins of León and Palencia to Vizcaya for use in the steel industry.
Currently, the Expreso de la Robla journeys go on the old coal train route between León and Bilbao and take 3 days (2 nights). They include accommodation in one of the train's seven cabins with bathroom, breakfast on board and guided tours.
This train will run during this year offering its passengers routes through the most spectacular landscapes of Castile-Leon and Vizcaya in the conditions of greatest comfort provided by a classic train and with the safety provided by the modern technology incorporated in the vehicle.
All travel on luxury tourist trains can be purchased via the operator's website, renfe.com, over phone on the Tourist Train Reservation Centre number, and at travel agencies.
Information, purchases and reservations
Telephone: 912 555 912
trenesturisticosdelujo@renfe.es