Finally, some good news. The Spanish government has announced that from the beginning of September until the end of this year, a number of trains will run fare-free—a benefit that applies to foreign visitors as well as locals.

Commuter trains (Cercanías in most of Spain, Rodalies in Catalonia) and some mid-distance trains and buses operated by Renfe, the state-owned transportation company, will be free from the first of September until at least the end of December. 

But that doesn’t mean you can just hop on any Renfe line without paying the fare. Only commuter and mid-distance (under 300 kilometers) routes will be free, so it’s worth taking a peek at a map of the train system when planning your trip if you want to take full advantage of the rides that are free. Here are the tickets that, according to Spanish Business Insider, will be available at no charge for the last four months of 2022:

  1. Cercanía bonos de 10 viajes—good for 10 trips per month on the commuter Cercania lines.
  2. Tarjeta 10 Sencilla—can be used for up to 10 medium-distance trips over the course of 45 days, but only between the same two stations.
  3. Bono 10 Regional—also for going between two stations up to 10 times in a 45-day period, but within a region instead of a locality as in the above sencilla (simple) ticket.  
  4. Tarjeta 10 Libre—can be used for up to 10 medium-distance trips anywhere but Catalonia.
  5. Tarjeta Mensual 40 Sencilla—unlimited trips between the same two stations within the same locality over the course of a month, and is issued in your name. 
  6. Abono Mensual Regional—as many trips as you like to any of the stations within a certain region over the course of a month. 
  7. Tarjeta Mensual 40 Libre—unlimited monthly travel between two stations, with some limits on where it’s eligible. 

Long-distance trips aren’t covered under the new measure, and the benefits are clearly designed with commuter needs in mind. If you want to fly into Madrid and catch a train to Murcia, you’ll have to pay as usual. But a ride to Toledo would be on the house, as would links between numerous locales across Spain popular with tourists. Córdoba to Seville, Granada to Málaga—you get the idea.