I have rented and driven in France and Italy. I did have an International drivers license. I gather it never hurts to purchase one and it is relatively cheap so I may do that again. Any other suggestions. My plan is to fly into madrid. Drive to Zaragosa, back to Madrid, then to Valencia, next Barcelona and then back to Madrid. Any suggestions or warnings? Thanks in advance.
Any reason you're driving back to MAD every time? A train will be quicker for all of those, but not knowing the reasons behind your complicated itinerary I won't suggest anything else as far as mode choice goes.
Spanish motorways may have radar and cameras on them, so keep within 10 km/h of the speed limit. Other than that, not much is different about driving in Spain than in France or Italy. A GPS definitely helps navigating cities.
I have rented a car several times in Spain.
Roads are very good and I would say very similar to France.
There are rest areas and plenty of places to stop for food/gas.
Signs are very clear. I guess GPS would be nice but a good map and printing google directions beforehand can go a long way.
Make sure you have insurance or your credit card insures you; lots of dents and scratches in Spain.
Have you considered flying to Madrid and out of Barcelona? that way you save 6 or so hours of driving.
I have always rented using a US driving license and never had any problems.
I can't agree with aspects of the post above. I have found signs to be very unclear at times, even on freeways. Sometimes signs just disappear! (This is true, for example, if one is trying to get out of Valencia on certain roads.) Although better, the design of roads, lane markings, etc. still do not meet the standards set by the best northern European countries.
Speed limits are rarely enforced (I do not intend this as an invitation to break the law) and actual speed cameras, radar etc. (as opposed to warning signs) are few and far between. Given the speeds that many Spanish drivers regard as acceptable, enforcing the law would boost the revenue of a government that has a large deficit!
I'm not sure what kind of driving experience you have, but Madrid now has a complex system of freeways which some would find intimidating.
By the way, I have rented cars in Spain since 1987 and up to eight times a year so regard my experience of its roads as considerable.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JRBTennessee
I have rented and driven in France and Italy. I did have an International drivers license. I gather it never hurts to purchase one and it is relatively cheap so I may do that again. Any other suggestions. My plan is to fly into madrid. Drive to Zaragosa, back to Madrid, then to Valencia, next Barcelona and then back to Madrid. Any suggestions or warnings? Thanks in advance.
JRB
BCN is absolutely no fun to drive around. If you're northbound from the airport to downtown, once past Montjuic it becomes a real chore. Spanish driving/one-ways/unclear signage/bold pedestrians and so on. If there's a way to avoid driving into the center, I would suggest you take it. Even park the car at a more suburban station and ride the train/subway into town.
By the way, I have rented cars in Spain since 1987 and up to eight times a year so regard my experience of its roads as considerable.
OP, I don't mean to hijack.
I plan to drive from BCN to Seville (with 1 night stop-over somewhere in between) on the coastal route. Few questions:
1. Are gas and toilets generally available along the way?
2. Are credit cards accepted for tolls?
3. Plan to make 2-3 hour stop in Valencia and Granada. Any scenic country side worthy of stopping for? (e.g. wine roads and small villages)
4. Any advice re renting large van with automatic and aircon for 5 adults?
I plan to drive from BCN to Seville (with 1 night stop-over somewhere in between) on the coastal route. Few questions:
1. Are gas and toilets generally available along the way?
2. Are credit cards accepted for tolls?
3. Plan to make 2-3 hour stop in Valencia and Granada. Any scenic country side worthy of stopping for? (e.g. wine roads and small villages)
4. Any advice re renting large van with automatic and aircon for 5 adults?
Thanks.
1. Yes (i.e., gas stations with toilets). Either service areas or gas stations not far from freeway junctions. Signs for both in advance, generally. Mostly self-service these days.
2. Sorry, don't know. Toll roads can be expensive and often there are good toll-free alternatives. For example, to avoid the AP7 toll freeway (excuse the contradiction!) between Valencia and Alicante, take the freeway out of Valencia towards Albacete, and leave it for another freeway at the exit to Alcoi. Sorry, I do not have an up-to-date map at hand and therefore can't cite all road numbers, but this route should be marked as A7 all the way from Valencia to Alicante (A is free, AP means toll). However, Spanish roads are sometimes renumbered and not all the old signs are removed. To confuse things, some freeways are part of the national network whilst others are built by regional governments and numbered differently. Up-to-date maps are essential, especially given the amount of road building in recent years.
3. Unless you want to see even more countryside than you'll see driving, I'd suggest visiting the city of Valencia for your 2-3 hour stop. Your easiest option would be to leave the Valencia by-pass at the A3 (Madrid-Valencia) junction and follow signs to the airport. (The airport is minutes from the by-pass.) Leave your car in short-term parking and take the metro to the city. Alight at Xativa metro stop. The walk from there to the cathedral and back is most worthwhile, with plenty of eating options, including two Burger Kings and one McDonalds! Bear in mind that the airport exit off the A3 is poorly signposted, with two exits almost side by side, and that the slip road (off ramp) is very short. My choice of freeway between Alicante and Granada does not follow the coast. Apart from some congestion around Murcia city, the drive via Lorca is delightful. (Parts of it remind me of driving in the American west and give me some some idea how "at home" the Spanish settlers must have felt in places such as California and Nevada.)
4. This might be very expensive, more so for a one-way rental. You might look at cars which seat 5, or renting two vehicles. A very good company is Centauro. I use them and find their prices much better than the international companies'. You can book and pay on arrival. They offer an optional excess (deductible) waiver which is worth it given how careless Spanish drivers can be, e.g., when parking. (It's not uncommon to see new-ish cars, even prestige ones, with bodywork/bumper damage!) I would never rent a car in Spain without zero excess CDW.
BCN to Sevilla is a long way and unless there is some pressing reason why it has to be done with just one stop, may I suggest stopping for the night in or around Valencia with a second night in Granada?
There's something else which I should add. Spanish drivers are poor at obeying traffic lights. If you are at the head of the queue (line) at a red light, look carefully when the lights change in your favour to green before you move away.
BCN is absolutely no fun to drive around. If you're northbound from the airport to downtown, once past Montjuic it becomes a real chore. Spanish driving/one-ways/unclear signage/bold pedestrians and so on. If there's a way to avoid driving into the center, I would suggest you take it. Even park the car at a more suburban station and ride the train/subway into town.
BCN is just like any other big city, but quite a bit easier than most to navigate and drive around.
Seat64A,
Thanks for providing such detailed info in answering my questions.
Your point about toll roads vs non-toll road is well taken.
Re driving BCN to Seville, I am receptive to your suggestion of making 2 overnight stops, instead of one. I would have picked Valencia and Granada as you had mentioned.
While in Valencia, we are hoping to be able to visit Ciutat de les Arts I les Ciencies and the Cathedral of Valencia. (plan is to leave vehicle in carpark at the former, and take bus to the latter & return). Assuming parking near the Cathedral can be difficult.
Re optional excess (deductible) waiver: I would consider getting the additional protection.
Re Centauro rent-a-car: See that they have a web site (not have time to poke around yet). Can I assume they have large van available at the Barcelona Sants Railway Station (or must I get it from the airport)? Same about drop off in Madrid Atocha possible?
OP, hope some of this could be of use for you too in general. Thanks for the indulgence.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by redtailshark
BCN is absolutely no fun to drive around. If you're northbound from the airport to downtown, once past Montjuic it becomes a real chore. Spanish driving/one-ways/unclear signage/bold pedestrians and so on. If there's a way to avoid driving into the center, I would suggest you take it. Even park the car at a more suburban station and ride the train/subway into town.
We are renting a car at BCN and then driving W/SW to the Tarragona area. It looks to me as though, given the location of the airfield, we will avoid having to drive through the city area. In fact, it looks like a pretty easy drive. Any thoughts?
Also, would anyone have any views of the best car rental agencies in T1 at BCN? Our plan is to leave luggage in the left luggage storage areas at BCN before picking up the car so we won't be hauling a lot of bags, but if any are more convenient (in other words, located in or adjacent to T1) it would be good to know. We arrive on BA and they seem to have a tie in with Avis, and the rates booking through the BA web site are very competitive, but I wouldn't mind any recommendations. Thanks in advance.
