Transport

Travel around Spain is easy, learn how!


Travel around Spain by train 



Spain’s trains are operated by state-owned company RENFE. Up to 20 main Spanish cities are connected by rapid trains (“AVE”) with speeds reaching 300 km/h: Madrid, Toledo, Ciudad Real, Córdoba, Seville, Malaga, Cuenca, Albacete, Valencia, Segovia, Valladolid, Guadalajara, Zaragoza, Huesca, Lerida, Tarragona, Barcelona, La Coruña, Santiago de Compostela and Orense. 






Other Spanish cities are connected by conventional lines and there are also some metropolitan services (“Cercanias”) offering frequent services around Asturias, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cádiz, Madrid, Málaga, Murcia/Alicante, San Sebastián, Santander, Seville, Valencia and Zaragoza. 






Buy tickets online at RENFE website: https://venta.renfe.com. There are up to 70% discount for advance purchase (15 days prior to the date the trip), only for tickets bought online.


Travel around Spain by plane 



Spain airports are at high quality standards. Though this seems to be changing shortly, by now they are all operated by state-owned company AENA. You can find information about airports at its website.






Most international airlines operate to/from them. Besides Spanish usual airlines (Iberia, AirEuropa) there are nowadays only one local low cost airline (Vueling) and also some international low cost airlines (AirBerlin, EasyJet, Ryanair) offer domestic routes. In Canary Islands there are 2 local companies connecting the seven islands: BinterCanarias and Islas Airways

If you’d like to compare and find the best price or the most adequate flights to your schedule, the best tool to use is Skyscanner, where you can choose the lowest price within a month/year, search by map, and some other features. Another very powerful and easier tool is Trabber. Also keep in mind that sometimes the best deal is found directly in the carrier website. 

Travel around Spain by bus 

In contrast to trains, there are a lot of different bus companies in Spain. They usually work under government license, what means that there is only one company working on the same route, and therefore no point in comparing prices. Biggest company one is Alsa, offering services in the whole country. There is a website called Movelia offering online bookings for a lot of companies. An interactive map of different routes can be check here


Other bus companies not included into Movelia site are: Los Amarillos, Avanza, La Sepulvedana, Samar and Cevesa. Eurolines is the main provider for international routes, covering most Europe counties. 

Travel around Spain by car 

Spain has a lot of roads and motorways, most of them are toll-free. You must be 18 to drive and have a valid license (EU or International one). As well as a International Insurance Certificate if you are bringing your own car from outside EU. Speed limits are: 120 km/h on motorways, 80-100 km/h on conventional roads, and 50 km/h inside town. You can find info about latest traffic incidences at DGT website. However, best website to check traffic cameras using Google Maps is the Speed Camera DataBase.

To rent a car in Spain you must be 21 or over. Though in Spain work all major brands for car hire (Avis, Europcar, National…), renting directly from them is out from any budget, and I would neither rent from a local company, except for some cases. But if renting through a price comparison website you can save up to 40% of recommended selling price. Most useful are: 
If renting in Canary Islands, Cicar is your company. No need to look further, they have the best prices and no need to pay anything in advance.



Travel around Spain by boat 

You can take boats to travel to Canary Islands, Balearic Islands, Ceuta and Melilla from Spain mainland. Trasmediterranea travels from Cadiz to Canary Islands. Balearic Islands are linked with Barcelona, Valencia and Denia (Alicante) with 3 companies: Trasmediterranea, Balearia and Iscomar. To go to Melilla you must take a Trasmediterranea boat from Malaga or Almeria, and Algeciras and Ceuta are linked by Balearia and Trasmediterranea. Inter-islands connections: Canary Islands operated by Naviera Armas, Fred Olsen and Trasmediterranea. Balearic Islands serviced by Balearia, Iscomar and Trasmediterranea. 







Have a safe trip!









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