progress. The miracle year of 1992 was the catalyst, when Barcelona
   hosted the Olympics, Madrid was European Capital of Culture, and
   Seville was the host for Expo ’92. The pioneering high-speed rail
   engineers created a magnificent line from Madrid through some wild
   landscapes to Andalucia – as you discover in the comfortable 105-minute
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   to Córdoba.

   Today Spain has easily the most extensive and modern high-speed network
   in Europe. AVE trains race at 300km/h from the capital to Alicante and
   Valencia, to Barcelona and onwards to France, and now to León and the
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   Travel Essentials

   High-speed travel AVE stands for Alta Velocidad Española and
   conveniently also translates as “bird”. Trains fly at 300km/h (186mph),
   connecting Madrid with Barcelona in 2h 30m. The rolling stock on this
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   across the mountains for over a century.

   Don’t expect any high speeds on the 17-mile journey – just one blissful
   view after another, with engineering miracles such as the “cinc-ponts”
   viaduct, before you descend to the pretty town of Sóller and a