Spain has an excellent railway network linking all major towns and cities, and rail travel in Spain is comfortable, reliable and often cheaper than many other EU countries. Trains are modern and many are high-speed (look out for the AVE, Euromed and Altaria trains if you are looking for a high-speed rail trip).

Spain's national railway company, RENFE, controls most local, regional and national routes and has quite a good online booking system with instructions in English (see www.renfe.es).

The worst trains are the local or regional ones (except on major commuting routes in and out of Madrid and Barcelona), often quite scruffy and much slower than the more modern trains.

All long distance trains have a bar selling snacks and drinks. If you travel first-class (often cheaper than many second class trains in the UK) you will be served lunch or dinner or a snack, depending on the time of day.