Moving to Spain Forums

Spain Information · Joined: 21 Oct 2006 Posts: 19 Home Country: spain

GETTING AROUND IN SPAIN

AIR

Spain's Iberia Airlines, which is state-operated, covers all air transport within Spain and from Spain to points abroad: its subsidiary, Aviaco (Maudes 51, Madrid) covers solely Spanish domestic routes Tel: (91) 554-3600 and 305 8685/4063

Iberia provides 200 reservation outlets. There are also 4,000 sales outlets in authorised travel agencies.

Iberia has offices in the principal countries around the world. Its main office is at Calle Velazquez, 130, 28006 Madrid. Information, Tel: (91) 411 2545. Reservations, tel: (91) 411 1011/5639966.

The Spanish airports open to international traffic are: Alicante, Almeria, Aviles, Barcelona, Bilbao, Fuerteventura, Girona, Granada, Ibiza, Jerez de la Frontera, Corunna, Lanzarote, Las Palmas, Madrid-Barajas, Malaga, Melilla, Menorca, Murcia, Palma de Mallorca, Reus (Tarragona), San Sebastian, Santander, Santiago de Compostela (Corunna) Seville, Tenerife-Norte, Tenerife-Sur, Valencia, Vigo, Vitoria and Zaragoza.

Flight times from Madrid to other Spanish cities are:

To Barcelona 55 minutes

To Bilbao 50 minutes

To Seville 50 minutes

To Valencia 30 minutes

To the Canary Islands 2 hours and 30 minutes

To Palma Mallorca 1 hour.

RAIL

The Spanish state-operated railway network consists of a total of 13,000 kilometres of tracks, covering the entire country.

The state-run company RENFE covers an ample number of domestic lines that connect all the regions on the Iberian Peninsula.

Spanish trains, the most inexpensive in Europe, have two classes. RENFE has established a series of special prices and discounts that make travelling by rail in Spain that much more convenient. The most interesting offers are the following: The so-called "Dias Azules" (Blue Days) are dates that do not generally coincide with holidays, the eves of holidays or the most common holiday periods. There are many such dates throughout the year on which it is possible to travel by rail with a 50% discount.

The "Tarjeta Joven" (Youth Card) allows the bearer, whose age must be between 12 and 25, to travel with a 50% discount on all tickets providing that travelling dates coincide with the "Blue Days". The "Tarjeta Turistica" (Tourist Card), reserved for non-residents of Spain, independent of their nationality, allows unrestricted circulation, without kilometre limitation, on any RENFE line, without having to pay supplements. This card may be for either first or second class travel and its price varies depending on the duration of travel time requested, which may be 3, 5 or 10 days.

The "Euro- Railpass" (Eurail Pass) is also a discount ticket reserved for visiting guests. It can be purchased in the country of origin and provides unlimited travel rights on any date, on any line, without supplements. Its price also varies according to duration, which can be 15, 25, 30, 60, or 90 days.

Besides the regular trains and sleeper cars, RENFE has recently inaugurated the AVE, a high speed train linking Madrid and Seville in a time of three hours, as well as series of special trains, of particular interest to the tourist. The most outstanding is the so-called "Expreso Al.Andalus" (Al Andalus Express) which departs from Seville each week and for 5 days tours the beautiful cities of Seville, Cordoba, Granada, Malaga, and Jerez de la Frontera. The price of the ticket includes the visits to these cities, meals at the finest restaurants in each one, "fiestas" and typical shows plus dinner and lodging on a truly special train that includes a discotheque, video room, bars and the luxury and comfort of the finest hotel. Another tourist train with similar characteristics is the "Transcantabrico" which tours the north of Spain. For information call RENFE, tel: (91) 530 0202, (93) 4900202 and for reservations call (91) 527 3333 in Madrid.

CAR

People in Spain drive on the right hand side of the road.

Spain has a road network measuring 317,000 kilometres of which 2,000 are relatively recent motorways.

The most important motor ways are: the Mediterranean coastal road from the French border to Alicante, and the one linking the Cantabrian region with Cataluña.

The use of the Spanish motorways usually requires paying a toll, which can be calculated on the basis of the type of vehicle in question and the distance to be travelled. There are numerous petrol stations along the way and bars, restaurants and commercial establishments.

Car Rentals

Avis, Budget, and Hertz, maintain offices throughout Spain. Note that tax on car rentals is a whopping 15%, so don't forget to factor that into your travel budget. Usually, prepaid rates do not include taxes, which will be collected at the rental kiosk itself. Be sure to ask explicitly what's included when you're quoted a rate.

Avis (www.avis.com) maintains about 100 branches throughout Spain, including about a dozen in Madrid, eight in Barcelona, a half dozen in Seville, and four in Murcia. If you reserve and pay for your rental by telephone at least 2 weeks before your departure from your native country, you'll qualify for the company's best rate, with unlimited kilometers included. You can usually get competitive rates from Hertz (www.hertz.com) and Budget (www.budget.com); it always pays to comparison shop. Budget doesn't have a drop-off charge if you pick up a car in one Spanish city and return it to another. All three companies require that drivers be at least 21 years of age and, in some cases, not older than 72. To be able to rent a car, you must have a passport and a valid driver's license; you must also have a valid credit card or a prepaid voucher. An international driver's license is not essential (depending on which country you are from), but you might want to present it if you have one.

Two other agencies of note include Kemwel Holiday Auto (www.kemwel.com) and Auto Europe (www.autoeurope.com).

BUS

Bus service in Spain is extensive, low priced, and comfortable enough for short distances. You'll rarely encounter a bus terminal in Spain. The station might be a cafe, a bar, the street in front of a hotel, or simply a spot at an intersection.

A bus may be the cheapest mode of transportation, but it's not really the best option for distances of more than 161km (100 miles). On long hauls, buses are often uncomfortable. Another major drawback might be a lack of toilet facilities, although rest stops are frequent. It's best for 1-day excursions outside a major tourist centre such as Madrid. In the rural areas of the country, bus networks are more extensive than the railway system; they go virtually everywhere, connecting every village. In general, a bus ride between two major cities in Spain, such as from Córdoba to Seville or Madrid to Barcelona, is about two-thirds the price of a train ride and a few hours faster.

SEA

The shipping company Transmediterranea, also state-operated, links the peninsula with the Balearic Isles, the Canary Islands and northern Africa. There are also private companies based at specific points along the coast that specialise in short routes.

Transmediterranea operates year-round, with daily service to the Balearic Isles and northern Africa. Service to the Canary Islands is weekly. The most important ports are those of Barcelona, Valencia, Palma de Mallorca, Malaga, Cadiz, Las Palmas in Gran Canaria, Tenerife. The main office of Transmediterranea is at Pedro Muñoz Seca, 2, 28001 Madrid, Tel: (91) 4310700.