Spain opens registration for Verano Joven 2026, offering up to 90% off youth travel this summer
The Spanish government has opened registration for the fourth edition of its Verano Joven program, which will give young residents steep discounts on buses, trains and Interrail passes between July and September.
What Verano Joven 2026 offers
Young people aged 18 to 30 (born between 1 January 1996 and 31 December 2008) who hold Spanish nationality or legal residence in Spain are eligible for the discounts. The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility has earmarked €130 million for the scheme. The government approved the new edition at Tuesday’s Council of Ministers meeting, and ticket sales began on Wednesday 17 June through Renfe and other operators.
Discount structure
Bus journeys on state-regulated routes and conventional medium-distance trains will be discounted by 90%. High-speed services (AVE, Avlo) and long-distance trains will carry a 50% reduction, capped at €30 per ticket. Avant single and return tickets also receive 50% off. A 50% discount applies to the 10-day Interrail Global Flexible Pass when purchased via Renfe. For illustration, the ministry calculates that a group of six friends heading to the beach by bus can save around €300, while a couple using the Interrail deal can save €335 on a 10-day European trip.
Registration and key dates
The travel window runs from 1 July to 30 September 2026, though one source (El Confidencial) mentions an end date of 20 September. Registration is free and must be completed on the official Verano Joven website at least 24 hours before the first ticket purchase, so the system can verify eligibility. Applicants authenticate via qualified digital certificates (such as the Cl@ve system) or by entering personal details and DNI/NIE numbers. A personal, non-transferable code is then sent by SMS or email and must be used at the checkout on the websites of participating carriers. The code remains valid for the entire travel period. Misuse can lead to withdrawal of the discount.
Loyalty bonus and operator participation
Renfe will offer a 100% discount code to members of its Más Renfe loyalty programme for one free ticket after every two paid journeys made under the Verano Joven promotion between 1 July and 30 September 2026, with a maximum of two codes per customer. Private high-speed operators Ouigo and Iryo are included in the scheme but must confirm separately whether they will join.
Previous uptake
The transport minister also described the online registration process as “easy, quick and simple.” Across its first three editions (2023–2025), the programme facilitated more than 16 million journeys and benefited over 4 million people. In 2025 alone it generated about 6.8 million trips, a 30% increase on the previous year.It is probably one of the public policies directed at young people that has been best received in recent years.
- Registration opens on the Verano Joven website; Renfe begins ticket sales.
- Discounted travel period begins.
- Travel period ends (one source states 20 September).
- State buses & medium-distance trains
- 90 %
- High-speed/long-distance trains (cap €30)
- 50 %
- Avant single/return
- 50 %
- Interrail 10-day Global Flexible (via Renfe)
- 50 %
