From Soria to Zaragoza, Logroño, Pamplona, Burgos, Guadalajara and Atocha: long trips from a province without high-speed rail

Which long trips leave Soria, besides Madrid, and why do almost all go by road?

Soria is a large province, with the capital in the middle and the big cities far away in every direction. The province page sums it up: Madrid is more than two hundred kilometres away with no high-speed rail, so almost every long trip begins by road, towards Medinaceli and the A-2 in the south, towards Aranda and the A-1 in the west, and towards Zaragoza, Logroño and Navarre from the Moncayo and the north. The train is limited to the line leaving Soria station southwards and reaching Madrid via Guadalajara, with few trains a day, and to the conventional Madrid–Zaragoza line, which crosses the south-east of the province through Medinaceli and Arcos de Jalón. Neither Logroño, nor Pamplona, nor Burgos has a train to Soria, and for Zaragoza from the capital the connection means first going down to the Jalón line.

That is why the long trips in this guide are mostly family and work trips by road. Many Sorian families have children and parents spread between Zaragoza, the Basque Country, Navarre, La Rioja and Madrid, and in summer the villages fill up with those who return, as the province page notes, with arrivals and departures concentrated at the start and end of the month. The Moncayo district, with Ólvega and Ágreda, lives closer to Tarazona and Zaragoza than to Madrid. The west, with El Burgo de Osma and San Esteban de Gormaz, looks to Aranda and Burgos. And Sorian students are spread between the universities of Zaragoza, Valladolid, Navarre and La Rioja, besides the University of Valladolid's campus in Soria itself. Each village of origin has its own route page with the distance, time and price of each destination.

How do you get from Soria to Zaragoza and Pamplona, via the Moncayo?

Zaragoza is the reference city for the east of the province. The N-122 leaves Soria towards Ágreda, crosses into Aragon, passes Tarazona and descends to the Ebro valley and Zaragoza. The reasons for the trip are many: work in the Ebro valley, shopping, study at the University of Zaragoza, appointments at hospitals such as the Miguel Servet or the Clínico Lozano Blesa, Zaragoza-Delicias station, with high-speed trains to Madrid and Barcelona, and Zaragoza airport. There is no direct train from the capital, and the scheduled coach between the two cities is the simplest public option for someone going to the centre. A car with a driver makes sense for connecting with an early AVE at Delicias or with a flight, for several people with luggage and for anyone leaving from a village in the Moncayo or the pine forests, where the coach does not run.

Pamplona lies to the north-east, beyond the Ebro valley: you go through Ágreda to Tudela and from there on the motorway towards northern Navarre, 172 km in all from the capital. There is no direct train between Soria and Pamplona, so the car is the practical way to make the trip in one go. It is a trip for study, given the University of Navarre and the Public University of Navarre, for appointments at the Navarre University Hospital or the Clínica Universidad de Navarra, and for family visits. In July, during the San Fermín festival, the city fills up and the centre has closures, so the pickup and drop-off are best agreed outside the old town. For anyone flying on, Pamplona airport lies south of the city, on the way in, and can be given as the exact destination when booking.

And to Logroño, beyond the Piqueras pass?

Logroño lies to the north, beyond the mountains: the N-111 leaves Soria, climbs to the Piqueras pass, on the border with La Rioja, and descends through the Iregua valley to Logroño, 101 km in all. It is the short trip in this guide, but also the one most dependent on the weather. Soria is one of the coldest provinces in Spain, and in winter the Piqueras pass may require chains, as the province page notes; trips in those weeks need a margin and it is worth confirming the state of the pass with the Directorate-General for Traffic the day before. There is no train between the two cities. The reasons for the trip are work, study at the University of La Rioja, appointments at the San Pedro university hospital and the connection with the Ebro motorway towards the Basque Country, where many Sorian families live.

A car with a driver fits Logroño in several specific cases. An elderly person going to an appointment and returning the same day can book outward and return with waiting, without depending on the coach. A family visiting children studying in Logroño can go and come back in a day without driving over the pass at night. And anyone travelling on from Logroño, by train to the north or along the Ebro motorway, can book the transfer to Logroño station with the train time. La Rioja is also a wine-tourism destination, and a group visiting wineries can share a car with a driver so that nobody has to drive back. From the pine forests of Covaleda and Duruelo, at the foot of Urbión, the way to Logroño skips the capital, and each village's route page gives its own distance and price.

How do you reach Burgos and Guadalajara, to the west and south?

Burgos lies to the north-west along the N-234, which leaves Soria towards the pine forests, passes San Leonardo de Yagüe and crosses into Burgos province: from the capital it is 144 km. From El Burgo de Osma, in the west, the natural route goes via Aranda de Duero, and the distance is similar, 145 km. There is no train between Soria and Burgos. It is a trip for errands, appointments at the Burgos university hospital, the University of Burgos and connections with Burgos-Rosa de Lima station, on the high-speed line towards Madrid and the north, and with the motorways towards the Basque Country and Cantabria. In winter the N-234 through the pine forests can be icy, like the other roads of the Urbión range, and an early trip to a station needs a margin.

Guadalajara is reached to the south, on the A-15 and N-111 to Medinaceli and from there on the A-2: it is 169 km. It is the only destination in this guide with a train from Soria city, because the regional line to Madrid passes through Guadalajara, with few trains a day whose timetables Renfe publishes. For a lone traveller heading to central Guadalajara at a time that fits, the train is reasonable. The car wins for reaching Guadalajara-Yebes high-speed station, on the outskirts and off that regional line, with trains to Madrid, Zaragoza and Barcelona; for appointments at the Guadalajara university hospital; and for work in the Henares Corridor. From Arcos de Jalón and the south-east, Guadalajara is closer still on the A-2, without going through Soria, as that district's guide explains.

When is it better to go to Atocha by car, and when by train?

For many Sorians, Atocha is the gateway to the south and the east coast: high-speed trains to Andalusia and Valencia leave from there, and the station has Cercanías services across the region. By train from Soria, the regional services reach Madrid after passing through Guadalajara, and Renfe shows the arrival station in Madrid on each ticket; if it is not Atocha, the connection is made by Cercanías. From the south of the province, Medinaceli station, on the Madrid–Zaragoza line, has more trains, but it lies in the lower part of the municipality and is almost impossible to reach without a car. By road, the car goes down the A-15 and N-111 to Medinaceli, continues on the A-2 and enters Madrid from the east, on the Barajas side, to the station: it is 228 km. The province's guides on Madrid and Medinaceli cover those options in more detail.

The car makes sense in three situations. First, when you need to connect at Atocha with an early AVE south and no train from Soria or Medinaceli arrives in time. Second, when the trip starts in a village far from both stations: from Ágreda, Ólvega, Covaleda, Duruelo de la Sierra or San Leonardo de Yagüe, getting to the station first is already a large part of the journey, and each of those villages has its own route page to Atocha. Third, when several people travel with suitcases, because the price is per vehicle and the family avoids hauling luggage along platforms and corridors. In winter, with snow or fog forecast, the province page advises saying so when booking so the departure time can be adjusted, because the A-15 and N-111 cross one of the coldest areas of the plateau.

How do you book the outward and return trips to another city, and what do you pay?

On the website or in the app, with the pickup address, the exact destination and the date and time. The calculator returns a fixed price before you confirm, per car and not per person, which does not change with traffic or weather; how tolls are handled when the route has them, such as the motorway towards Pamplona, is explained on the help page. On trips of this length the usual thing is to book outward and return as two transfers, each with its own date and time, and to book outward and return with waiting only when the stay is short, such as an appointment in Logroño or Zaragoza. If someone has to be picked up on the way, for instance in Ágreda or Almazán, you say so when booking so that the price already includes it. The invoice is issued in the name of the traveller or their company, with a business account for work travel.

For the return from another city, what matters is the meeting point. In Zaragoza it can be Delicias station or the airport, with the train or flight number so the driver can follow any delay; in Pamplona and Logroño, the hospital entrance, the station or a point outside the old town; at Atocha, the exit agreed when booking, as the station pickup page explains. Anyone booking for someone else, a son or daughter coming back from university or a parent leaving an appointment, can do so with that person's contact details. Change and cancellation terms are on the help page. And during Soria's San Juan fiestas, in late June and early July, with many Sorians from elsewhere returning to the city, it is wise to book the arrival and departure well ahead.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Renfe · regionales Soria–Madrid por Guadalajara y línea Madrid–Zaragoza por Medinaceli (consulted on 29 October 2026)
• Adif · estaciones de Soria, Medinaceli, Guadalajara-Yebes y Madrid-Puerta de Atocha (consulted on 29 October 2026)
• Diputación Provincial de Soria · moción sobre la línea Soria–Torralba (consulted on 29 October 2026)
• Dirección General de Tráfico · estado de las carreteras y puertos de montaña (consulted on 29 October 2026)