AVE high-speed and long-distance train passengers to enjoy 50% discount off entry to 13 State museums

Under this agreement, AVE high-speed and RENFE long-distance train passengers will be able to enjoy a 50% discount off the price of entry to State museums by showing their train ticket. Passengers will be eligible for the discount between 48 hours prior to departure from the station of origin and 48 hours following arrival of the train at its destination.

Furthermore, the agreement will provide a framework for undertaking other promotional activities aimed at train users as a way to incentivise train use and visits to these institutions and knowledge about what they have to offer in terms of culture. It will also provide a basis for organising various cultural activities and events as part of the regular programmes and exhibitions at these museums.

For the time being, a total of 13 museums form part of the agreement. They are located in cities where the train lines start or end, as well as other nearby cities. Eight are in Madrid:

• National Archaeological Museum
• Museum of the Americas
• Fashion Museum
• Cerralbo Museum
• Museum of Romanticism
• National Museum of Decorative Arts
• National Museum of Anthropology and
• Sorolla Museum

Two are in Valladolid:

• National Museum of Sculpture and
• Casa de Cervantes Museum
• The National Museum of Ceramics in Valencia
• The National Museum of Underwater Archaeology (ARQUA) in Cartagena (Murcia) and
• The National Altamira Museum and Research Centre in Santillana del Mar (Cantabria)

At future stages, other State museums and museums managed by regional governments are expected to join the initiative under new agreements. The goal is to incorporate museums throughout the country and create links through museum heritage.

The "Networked Museums" programme, promoted by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport, seeks to promote cultural tourism, and link both the train as a means of transport and museums as benchmark institutions within the field of culture as expressions that are traditionally associated with the idea of travel.