Buses and trains in Anadalusia

[staleydm01]

I am going to Andalusia in Spain, taking trains journey from Malaga to Cordoba, there are 3 different companies, and various options involving seat booking, catering etc, is it possible just to buy a return between the two stations.

Also from Holiday Village Polynesia I think there’s a bus 320 that leaves around 11:00 to go to Marbella, this bus from the hotel or nearby would best having to change in Fuerteventura, or go all way to Malaga and back again. Can anyone advise me on that bus route? I just think ChatGPT uses Google info, that might not be accurate, and I do think people on here will know an option.

I await to see what excursions you all suggest and if you think the transport in both train and bus are as good as they claim To be.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

The M320 stopping bus running along the coast road will take you directly from Benalmadena to Marbella - half hourly frequency. The 11.00 bus you mention is an Avanza coach service - it is a lot faster - but there are very few return journeys and it only serves the bus station in Marbella which is high above the town on the motorway.

RENFE have the most frequent service between Malaga and Cordoba - reservation is compulsory but you can do this on the day at the ticket office in Malaga or on-line beforehand. A 'basico' return ticket (no catering) is all that you need. Granada or Seville are other excursions to consider - there are direct services from Malaga.

 

[staleydm01]

The M320 stopping bus running along the coast road will take you directly from Benalmadena to Marbella - half hourly frequency. The 11.00 bus you mention is an Avanza coach service - it is a lot faster - but there are very few return journeys and it only serves the bus station in Marbella which is high above the town on the motorway.

RENFE have the most frequent service between Malaga and Cordoba - reservation is compulsory but you can do this on the day at the ticket office in Malaga or on-line beforehand. A 'basico' return ticket (no catering) is all that you need. Granada or Seville are other excursions to consider - there are direct services from Malaga.

I will wait to see how much walking distance our hotel is from Benalmadena to see if walking for a more frequent service is better.

Also, I will look into how easy to walk from Marbella bus station as why would they make it so far from the main action.
I’ll look into a basico return, not sure if the price varies per train operator as I know Cordoba has so many great eateries from the tour guide perspective, we considered going further, but it’s how many main meals you miss at your hotel, we can head to Malaga after breakfast and back to the hotel to make it for tea.

 

[yorkie]

I am going to Andalusia in Spain, taking trains journey from Malaga to Cordoba, there are 3 different companies, and various options involving seat booking, catering etc,

I suggest Iryo. A far better operator than Renfe, in my experience!

Renfe is a poor quality operator, with a poor website, running typically lower quality trains than their counterparts elsewhere in Europe.

is it possible just to buy a return between the two stations.

If you are taking a high speed service, I don't think they do "open returns" like we do in GB; you effectively will need what we would call 2 x Advance Singles.

High speed trains in Spain are run like airlines, with demand based pricing and compulsory seat reservations (i.e. what LNER aspire to be like!)

 

[dutchflyer]

You did not say when, but except for a few very busy peak days, there is not really much need to pre-book weeks before.

As above, old-fashioned style purchasing at a counter will also still work, and in that area they have seen millions and more of non-Español tourists already.

Also note that Avanza is just one of them, that there is also a fairly good coach/express bus network linking all the main cities as an alternative to the things on rails. These may go onward to some coastal resorts too. But look at the time needed for Malaga - Cordoba: can you really not do without overpriced drinks/food on such a short trip?

It seems to me as you say to stay in such a holidaymakers village, you intend to do day trips: in that case the trip from there every time into+out of Malaga is more a concern. And a start as late as 11.00 would not leave much time to enjoy seeing those other towns which are well worth a visit.

 

[staleydm01]

I suggest Iryo. A far better operator than Renfe, in my experience!

Renfe is a poor quality operator, with a poor website, running typically lower quality trains than their counterparts elsewhere in Europe.

If you are taking a high speed service, I don't think they do "open returns" like we do in GB; you effectively will need what we would call 2 x Advance Singles.

High speed trains in Spain are run like airlines, with demand based pricing and compulsory seat reservations (i.e. what LNER aspire to be like!)

I’ll look into Iryo, yeah I don’t know if they have empty seats because of their long carriages, I know we do so I’d never think of a reservation here and surprised HST don’t want more travelers in Spain so allow standing as I’ve done in the uk

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 16 Feb 2026 ==

You did not say when, but except for a few very busy peak days, there is not really much need to pre-book weeks before.

As above, old-fashioned style purchasing at a counter will also still work, and in that area they have seen millions and more of non-Español tourists already.

Also note that Avanza is just one of them, that there is also a fairly good coach/express bus network linking all the main cities as an alternative to the things on rails. These may go onward to some coastal resorts too. But look at the time needed for Malaga - Cordoba: can you really not do without overpriced drinks/food on such a short trip?

It seems to me as you say to stay in such a holidaymakers village, you intend to do day trips: in that case the trip from there every time into+out of Malaga is more a concern. And a start as late as 11.00 would not leave much time to enjoy seeing those other towns which are well worth a visit.

Last 10 days in March, I’ll hapily go to the counter and see which of AVANZA or iryo are running at the time, 50 minutes I think the journey is, I don’t know if Malaga has kiosks but grab a drink in Cordoba has LP travel guide rates so much, I was thinking 5 hours as I don’t like to do too much when first visiting a place.

i don’t know if trains are quicker like they are here, compared to buses and I can’t sit still so know of Plaza Major, Fuengirola, Malaga in under half a hour, 3/4 hours should be enough in Marbella, I just know we’d just grab lunch as opposed to being there for too many meals.

 

[30907]

High speed trains in Spain are run like airlines, with demand based pricing and compulsory seat reservations.

Avant trains provide a local high-speed service on this route at a fixed fare and with a return discount, but yes, they are fully reservable. AVE can be cheaper.

Last 10 days in March, I’ll hapily go to the counter and see which of AVANZA or iryo are running at the time, 50 minutes I think the journey is,

To clarify, Avanza (and ALSA) are long-distance bus companies, Iryo a train company.

 

[staleydm01]

Avant trains provide a local high-speed service on this route at a fixed fare and with a return discount, but yes, they are fully reservable. AVE can be cheaper.


To clarify, Avanza (and ALSA) are long-distance bus companies, Iryo a train company.

If I go to a ticket office how do i get a return then, any idea why they insist on knowing when you’ll return as how does anyone know, how frequent are each train operator?

I don’t think taking 3 times longer by bus will get me as much time in Córdoba, I’d be away from my hotel an extra 2 hours each way.

 

[Mozd]

In case it's of interest, the bus journey is absolutely spectacular from Ronda down to Marbella etc (and then on to Malaga, I think)

 

[staleydm01]

In case it's of interest, the bus journey is absolutely spectacular from Ronda down to Marbella etc (and then on to Malaga, I think)

I’ll look at Ronda in my tour guide as really think Malaga and Marbella are for separate days, I think we can do both from my hotel, Malaga is half hour by train and Marbella an hour by bus

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

If I go to a ticket office how do i get a return then, any idea why they insist on knowing when you’ll return as how does anyone know, how frequent are each train operator?
I don’t think taking 3 times longer by bus will get me as much time in cordoba, I’d be away from my hotel an extra 2 hours each way.

Reservation is compulsory on all but local / suburban services in Spain so you have to commit to specific trains. You could, of course, buy a single in Málaga and another single in Córdoba when you are ready to return. Note that the line between Málaga and Córdoba is currently blocked by a landslip - it is expected to open in 'early March' but no precise date has been given yet.

 

[Dumpton Park]

As everything that's not a local (regionales or media distancia) or commuter train (cercanias/rodalies) in Spain is compulsory reservation, regardless of operator, the ticket structure bears no similarity to the UK. There are different tiers of flexibilty available on all the high speed operators (which change every few years and are utterly confusing as a result!), but they get expensive quite quickly.

There aren't any national public holidays in March this year, so although Friday and Sunday will always be especially busy (people heading into and out of bigger cities to their home towns - one of the many tragic aspects of the recent crash was it happened at an especially busy time of the week) there's usually reasonable availability and price if you can be flexible with times.

Essentially
Renfe goes everywhere on the HS network with the most frequencies but various different brand names depending on how far trains go.
Iryo competes for similar market to most of Renfe's trains, on routes east and various points southeast and south.
Ouigo is pretty much lo-cost and competes east and southeast, at relatively lower frequencies.

At the moment there's almost nothing except the odd Iryo to Vallodollid to compete with Renfe running north or west of Madrid, or to some of the smaller regional capitals on branches off the high speed lines (at least partly because only Renfe operate on variable gauges and unelectrified sections of track).

DP

 

[staleydm01]

As everything that's not a local (regionales or media distancia) or commuter train (cercanias/rodalies) in Spain is compulsory reservation, regardless of operator, the ticket structure bears no similarity to the UK. There are different tiers of flexibilty available on all the high speed operators (which change every few years and are utterly confusing as a result!), but they get expensive quite quickly.

There aren't any national public holidays in March this year, so although Friday and Sunday will always be especially busy (people heading into and out of bigger cities to their home towns - one of the many tragic aspects of the recent crash was it happened at an especially busy time of the week) there's usually reasonable availability and price if you can be flexible with times.

Essentially
Renfe goes everywhere on the HS network with the most frequencies but various different brand names depending on how far trains go.
Iryo competes for similar market to most of Renfe's trains, on routes east and various points southeast and south.
Ouigo is pretty much lo-cost and competes east and southeast, at relatively lower frequencies.

At the moment there's almost nothing except the odd Iryo to Vallodollid to compete with Renfe running north or west of Madrid, or to some of the smaller regional capitals on branches off the high speed lines (at least partly because only Renfe operate on variable gauges and unelectrified sections of track).

DP

I was following the train crash that happened on the route I wanted to take, they said it was such a important route I do still see Renfe offering tickets for it in March, if we get to Malaga and it isn’t running we don’t buy a ticket, I always travel mid week and am surprised the trains don’t like standing options, the uk market has far too short a train to get seats for every passenger.
For 24-26th March trains are listed and I can show you a spreadsheet that shows a varying in price from €12 to over €40 for the same journey and I want to look at a train leaving Malaga at 10:00 leaving Cordoba around 16:30-17:00.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Feb 2026 ==

Reservation is compulsory on all but local / suburban services in Spain so you have to commit to specific trains. You could, of course, buy a single in Málaga and another single in Córdoba when you are ready to return. Note that the line between Málaga and Córdoba is currently blocked by a landslip - it is expected to open in 'early March' but no precise date has been given yet.

They are offering tickets for the end of the month, various news articles suggest it’s too important a line to do without for too long.

 

[30907]

If I go to a ticket office how do i get a return then, any idea why they insist on knowing when you’ll return as how does anyone know, how frequent are each train operator?

You book outward and return at the same time, just as people do with Advance tickets here. Iryo have very few trains on the route, so you might as well stick with RENFE ; if you choose an Avant (fixed-price) train one way you will be offered an "Ida y Vuelta" (out and back) fare at a discount of about 20%, including if you have an AVE long-distsnce train the other way.
Incidentally, my advice would be to take Cordoba slowly and allow time for coffee breaks etc - it's lovely!

 

[staleydm01]

You book outward and return at the same time, just as people do with Advance tickets here. Iryo have very few trains on the route, so you might as well stick with RENFE ; if you choose an Avant (fixed-price) train one way you will be offered an "Ida y Vuelta" (out and back) fare at a discount of about 20%, including if you have an AVE long-distsnce train the other way.
Incidentally, my advice would be to take Cordoba slowly and allow time for coffed breaks etc - it's lovely!

I’ve never had advance tickets here, I just get open returns, I’m open to changing, prices vary so much for each journey, like a train a hour earlier or later, avant sound a good option, not sure if they are the ones most hours, I am on all inclusive so was only thinking of 2/3 drinks and 1 meal out, if we went for 12 hours we’d miss out on what we paid in advance for, we’ve been on long bus tour from the hotel, you get up before breakfast, return after tea, id love a long time in cordoba but not always practical

 

[30907]

The equivalent of an Open Return on AVE is Elige, which allows a change of time/day and costs about 20% more than the headline fare.

 

[staleydm01]

The equivalent of an Open Return on AVE is Elige, which allows a change of time/day and costs about 20% more than the headline fare.

I’m sure if I buy on the day I won’t change the time I meant I’d go for a Ida y vuelta which is what we call a return.

 

[AdamWW]

The equivalent of an Open Return on AVE is Elige, which allows a change of time/day and costs about 20% more than the headline fare.

I think it's a bit more complicated than that. If I recall correctly the Elige fares let you change time and day by paying the difference to whatever the current fare is for whatever you change to - which may be significant if changing on the day of travel.
But one of the many add-ons you can purchase with an Elige fare lets you change on the day to other trains on that day without paying the fare difference...but only of course if there is still space which is by no means guaranteed.

 

[staleydm01]

I think it's a bit more complicated than that. If I recall correctly the Elige fares let you change time and day by paying the difference to whatever the current fare is for whatever you change to - which may be significant if changing on the day of travel.
But one of the many add-ons you can purchase with an Elige fare lets you change on the day to other trains on that day without paying the fare difference...but only of course if there is still space which is by no means guaranteed.

The way they run a railway sounds complicated, only having enough passengers per seats, have you seen a rush hour train here, they’ll fill in aisles just to get home, just gotta see how near the station is from Cordova to anything of interest so we do t get caught out and can time both legs of our journey, I’m not 1 for changing my mind

 

[30907]

The way they run a railway sounds complicated, only having enough passengers per seats, have you seen a rush hour train here, they’ll fill in aisles just to get home, just gotta see how near the station is from Cordova to anything of interest so we do t get caught out and can time both legs of our journey, I’m not 1 for changing my mind

No standing doesn't apply to commuter trains in Spain either.

The centre of Cordoba is about 20min walk from memory - check Googlemaps.

 

[Grumpy]

From where you’re staying the easiest way to get to Marbella might be to walk down to the coast road and catch the 120 to Fuengirola bus Station, and there transfer to the 060 coach to Marbella.
The 120 is usually a bendy bus with plastic seats but it’s only a short journey to Fuengirola. The service is irregular but 30-40 minute intervals. Pay the driver on boarding.
The 060 coach runs Monday to Fridays only at approx 30 minute intervals. Buy tickets at the small bus station booking office and present to the driver. Be careful to ask for the Marbella “Directo” coach and don’t confuse this with the 220 Marbella bus. The latter is another bendy bus with plastic seats that calls at every bus stop and takes twice as long.
The 060 coach runs through the commercial centre of Marbella and you will choose where to alight. To return to Fuengirola simply cross the road from where you got off and there should be a bus stop nearby but make sure it shows the 060 timetable. Pay the driver on boarding.

Given where you’re staying you’ll probably be using the 120 bus a lot. You should get one of the local Green travel cards available from most tobacconists. It costs an initial 1 Euro 50 for the card and then you put money on it. It can be used on the local Advanza buses (but not all the way to Marbella) and Cercanias trains. It gives bargain fares eg 93 cents single on the train all the way from Fuengirola to Malaga.

 

[Dumpton Park]

No standing doesn't apply to commuter trains in Spain either.

The centre of Cordoba is about 20min walk from memory - check Googlemaps.

Yes, it's a walk either down commercial streets or through a rather nice park.

Not sure about the standing. Cercanias in Madrid is a complete free for all at busy times. Or when things fall apart, as they do all too often.

DP

 

[staleydm01]

Yes, it's a walk either down commercial streets or through a rather nice park.

Not sure about the standing. Cercanias in Madrid is a complete free for all at busy times. Or when things fall apart, as they do all too often.

DP

Well that’s doable as I’ve never visited Cordoba before

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Feb 2026 ==

From where you’re staying the easiest way to get to Marbella might be to walk down to the coast road and catch the 120 to Fuengirola bus Station, and there transfer to the 060 coach to Malaga.
The 120 is usually a bendy bus with plastic seats but it’s only a short journey to Fuengirola. The service is irregular but 30-40 minute intervals. Pay the driver on boarding.
The 060 coach runs Monday to Fridays only at approx 30 minute intervals. Buy tickets at the small bus station booking office and present to the driver. Be careful to ask for the Marbella “Directo” coach and don’t confuse this with the 220 Marbella bus. The latter is another bendy bus with plastic seats that calls at every bus stop and takes twice as long.
The 060 coach runs through the commercial centre of Marbella and you will choose where to alight. To return to Fuengirola simply cross the road from where you got off and there should be a bus stop nearby but make sure it shows the 060 timetable. Pay the driver on boarding.

Given where you’re staying you’ll probably be using the 120 bus a lot. You should get one of the local Green travel cards available from most tobacconists. It costs an initial 1 Euro 50 for the card and then you put money on it. It can be used on the local Advanza buses (but not all the way to Marbella) and Cercanias trains. It gives bargain fares eg 93 cents single on the train all the way from Fuengirola to Malaga.

I buy all my tickets in a bus with cash, I heard there was a bus to Marbella from the hotel, going via 2 buses and changes seems like a hassle but I did hear of the 120 as being the most suitable bus though AVANZA 320 according to google and to get 1 bus since I’m sure to go to Marbella they should go through Benalmadena as what other way would they go?