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Transport in Spain

19.07.2016
Homesoverseas.ru editorial office
4172
Spain - one of the largest countries in Europe; north shore from the south separates the 900 km, and about 1,000 km lies between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in order to overcome such a formidable distance within one state, travelers take a long time, and Spain - developed transport infrastructure.

Briefly about the main thing

The transport system in Spain is characterized by an extensive network of roads and railways, high-speed transport, airways and seaports. It is convenient to move around the country, and the choice of the type of transport depends on the preferences and route of the traveler.

The geographical location of the country makes it an important link between Europe, Africa and the New World. The main transit point is the capital, Madrid, located in the center of the country and connected by various means of communication with the centers of autonomous communities.

Get there by plane

Direct flights connect Russia with a number of Spanish cities. The maximum freedom of choice of flights opens when departing from Moscow. In particular, there are year-round flights from the Russian capital to Barcelona. Flights are operated by many airlines, including Ural Airlines, Red Wings, Azur Air, Iberia, Nordavia Regional Airlines, Vueling, Aeroflot and others. S7, Iberia, Air Europa, «Aeroflot » fly to Madrid), yes Alicante – S7, Vueling, Iberia, Air Europa, «Aeroflot », to Malaga «Aeroflot » and Air Europa), to Canary La Palma Islands – S7 Airlines, to Valencia – S7, «Aeroflot», Air Europa, to Tenerife –«Aeroflot».

The most expensive flight to the Canary island of Tenerife costs from 47,000 rubles round trip, and it will take more than seven hours to fly to the Spanish island located off the coast of Africa.

The cost of air tickets for flights Moscow-Barcelona-Moscow starts from 19,000 rubles; a direct flight from Moscow to Malaga or the island of Palma and back costs from 16,000 rubles, and an air trip to Valencia (round-trip ticket) will cost from 20,000 rubles.

From the mainland of Spain to the Canary Archipelago, as well as between the Spanish islands, it is more convenient and cheaper to get on board the national low-cost carrier Binter Canarias. Special offers that can always be found on portal companies, allow you to significantly save your budget. So, a flight from Tenerife to the island of Palma on a special offer will cost only €20.

Traveling by train

The choice of those who prefer a stable and reliable land to travel by air is certainly rail transport. However, travelers of this kind should prepare for the fact that the road will be quite long and transfers cannot be avoided in it. In addition, the cost of a one-way train ticket is comparable, and often exceeds the price of a round-trip ticket.

Unfortunately, there is no direct railway connection between Russia and Spain, so you will have to make one or more transfers. For example, from Moscow, from the Belorussky railway station, you can go to Paris, Nice or Milan, where you can then transfer to a high-speed train of one of the European railway companies. So, the TGV train from Paris to Barcelona is on the way for more than six hours, and the ticket price will directly depend on the class of the car, the day of the week and the time of day: a ticket for the morning train costs €169, for the daytime €185, and for the night – €99. You can find out the schedule and purchase a ticket directly on the website TGV. This convenient resource is also available for Russian-speaking users.

The train journey from Nice to Barcelona is not close and involves at least one transfer (in French Valence). But a bonus for travelers who decide to take such a difficult route will be an incredibly picturesque trip passing along the French Riviera, the Languedoc-Roussillon region, and then along the Spanish coast of the Costa Brava. The cost of such a trip will be from €130.

Long-distance travel around the country is also convenient to make by rail, as there are about 15,000 km of railways laid on the territory of Spain. Most of them are operated by the state-owned company RENFE. You can view the schedule, choose a convenient time, get acquainted with the route and buy a ticket on the official the official website of the company. So, a trip by morning train from Madrid (Chamartin railway station) to Barcelona (Sants station) will cost about €40, while the travel time by regional train will exceed nine hours. National high-speed AVE trains run along the same route, as well as many others, which run from Madrid's Atocha station to the main city of Catalonia in just two and a half hours, but the cost of tickets here is more expensive than €68 per person.

Tourist trains and routes

An alternative way to see Spain from the train window is the so-called tourist trains.

  • Transcantábrico runs in the northern part of Spain: from Santiago de Compostela (Galicia) to Leon (Castile and Leon) or San Sebastian (Basque Country);
  • Al-Ándalus – «palace » on wheels, allowing you to get acquainted with Andalusia, traveling in a luxury train;
  • La Robla Express – tour of northern Spain on a vintage train train;

Sightseeing trains also run around the country:

  • La Fresa – the historic train, whose route starts in the Madrid area and runs to the town of Aranjuez, – will provide a pleasant family vacation;
  • Sóller – a journey along the railway of the XX century, allowing you to see the inner beauties of Majorca;
  • Cervantes A literary tour of Alcala de Henares, the city where the author of the immortal Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes, was born.

Road by car

The trip from Moscow to Barcelona will take more than 36 hours (excluding rest stops and possible deviations from the route). Although such a journey is a rather tedious process, but it allows brave motorists to get acquainted with the beauties and sights of Belarus, Poland, Germany and France. Stopping at the most liked points of the route, you can see such diverse states from the inside, get a closer touch with their culture and way of life. The automobile route will take place on toll roads, which will begin at the exit towards the M3 / SMOLENSK highway.

A car ride from the coastal and hot Barcelona to the equally hot capital will take about seven hours and will also run through toll areas. If a guest of Spain does not have a personal car, but has an international license and a desire to explore the country independently, then there are many services that allow him to rent a car. The largest are considered Hertz, Europcar and Atesa (Enterprise). On their websites, you can choose a car, additional services (navigation system, child seat), the place of receipt and return of transport and immediately pay for the service. The cost of a one-day car rental at Barcelona Airport starts from €80.  

In general, the quality of roads in Spain is very good (first-class motorways are called autopistas and autovías), which allows you to travel by car to almost any mainland point of the state. However, it is worth remembering that you need to pay for quality - high-quality roads with minimal traffic are paid. On the site Guiarepsol.com you can set a route between cities, and the service will not only show interesting places, eateries, gas stations, road sections with repairs, radars, cameras and heavy traffic, but also help you make a route through free sections roads. So, a trip from Madrid to Barcelona by the shortest route will take a little less than six hours, and the cost of travel on toll highways will amount to €29.55. The same trip, but exclusively on free roads, will take about seven hours.

The Spanish enclaves (Ceuta and Melilla) and islands (Canary and Balearic), which are separated from mainland Spain by the Strait of Gibraltar, the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, can also be explored by private or rented car. The main thing is to deliver vehicles from one Spanish land to another, which ferries are designed to cope with.

Ferry

Regular ferry routes connect Spain with its autonomous territories in the Balearic and Canary Islandsislands, as well as on the coast of North Africa. For example, a ferry trip from the port of Valencia to the island of Ibiza in one direction and for one person will cost from €32.

A similar route, but with a car, say, a Volkswagen Golf on board the ferry, will cost €130. You can find out the available routes and purchase a ticket on the official the ferry carrier's website. On board modern ferries there are playgrounds, WiFi, a swimming pool, cafes, bars and restaurants with various menus (children's, gluten-free and Moroccan cuisine) and even duty-free shops.

Most of the ferry services run on the Mediterranean Sea between the ports of Barcelona, Formentera, Ibiza, Mahon (island of Menorca), Palma (island of Mallorca) and Valencia.

Public transport

The Spanish public transport system is considered one of the best in Europe, ranging from a modern metro to high-speed railways connecting the main cities of the country. And it is the public transport system that will help save a significant part of the budget when traveling around Spain.

Subway

To date, there is a metro in the largest cities of the country - Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and Valencia, and the ticket allows you to combine trips on all types of urban and suburban transport, including metro, buses and commuter trains. The metro is perhaps the fastest way to get around the city, although during rush hour it is very crowded here – only the Madrid metro carries 3 million passengers daily. As a rule, petty crimes and thefts are rare in the Spanish metro, however, as in Moscow, guests of Spain should still adhere to the elementary rules of vigilance, especially this is true for the Madrid subway, where pickpockets often operate.  

The fare on most Madrid metro lines is €2 (on some lines €1.5) or €18.3 for a 10-trip pass that allows you to travel on all metro lines, tram (Metro Ligero) and bus (metrobús). You can plan a trip, view a metro map and find out current information about line congestion at the official website of the Madrid metro.

The Barcelona metro has slightly fewer lines compared to the capital's 11 vs. 13, however, it is the Catalonia subway that is considered one of the most modern and convenient in the world. During rush hour, trains run at intervals of 3-4 minutes, music sounds on the platforms to help pass the waiting time, and most stations in hot Catalonia are air-conditioned. You can download the Barcelona metro map at Barcelona Metro portal. There you can also find a bus route and information about the cost of tickets. For example, a ticket for one trip by bus, metro (except Aeroport T1 and Aeroport T2 metro stations) or the Montjuic funicular costs €2.15. A ticket for 10 trips costs €9.95.

Bus service

Bus service is very well developed in Spain, both intra-city and intercity. Moreover, most coastal towns and rural settlements can only be reached by bus. The quality and age of this type of public transport are strikingly different in different parts of the country: from luxury modern buses running in most major cities to old and dilapidated ones moving through some rural areas.

Before boarding the bus at the bus station, you need to buy a ticket at the ticket office or at the terminal. Otherwise, you can buy a ticket from the driver or conductor, but it should be borne in mind that it may be more expensive.

One of the largest companies in Spain engaged in intercity bus transportation is considered to be ALSA– it is often more convenient and cheaper to travel by bus than by train. So, a bus trip from Madrid to Barcelona will cost about €32. This price already includes VAT, bottles of water, the ability to use WiFi, transport animals, a bicycle or a surfboard.The journey time will be about eight hours, but you can choose a non-tedious overnight transfer.

To travel to neighboring European countries, you can also resort to bus transportation, and Eurolines has the most extensive route network, but such transfers are very long in time, and they are not much cheaper than air tickets. Perhaps the cost of a bus ticket is comparable to the cheapest charter flight.

Taxi

Taxis can be ordered by phone, or found at the parking lots of railway stations, airports and bus stations. In large cities, taxi stands are scattered throughout the city, and taxi drivers usually stop if they vote on the street. At the same time, the green indicator should be lit on the car and/or there should be an inscription "Libre" on the passenger side of the windshield. There are quite a lot of taxi companies in big cities, although it is possible that on Friday and Saturday evening you will have to wait a little longer for the car.

During the daytime (usually before 22:00), the fee for boarding a taxi is about €3. At night, on weekends and holidays, the rates increase slightly. For each km of the journey, you must pay €1,05-1,2. For a trip to the airport and sometimes for luggage, an additional fee is charged. It also happens that a trip across the city costs about €10, which is very cheap by European standards, while a taxi from the city center to Madrid or Barcelona airport will cost €30.

Modern technologies to help travelers

  • Guiarepsol.com interactive road map of Spain with indication of paid and free sections. One of the most useful services when traveling;
  • TouristEye - Travel Guide– collection of travel ideas, 10 000 cities, 300 000 places, photos, maps– everything works offline;
  • Maps.me fast and detailed offline maps for mobile devices. Directions of hotels, gas stations, ATMs, restaurants and supermarkets greatly simplify life in an unfamiliar country;
  • Metro+Madrid public transport navigation system. The Total Route option collects all types of public transport, determines the best route and even provides instructions for hiking;
  • Metro Valencia Offline– this app with a telling name allows you to study the map of the Valencia metro, calculate the arrival time of the train and determine the transfer location. And if you set a route, the application will help you determine the optimal type of travel ticket;
  • EMT Valencia full information about all types of transport in Valencia: buses, metro, trams, bicycle rental locations, a map of bus stops and bike paths;
  • Mytaxi is an application for ordering taxis in Barcelona, Madrid, Seville and Valencia.

Portal HomesOverseas.ru thanks for the help in preparing the article by Pavel Maslov (ESTATE BARCELONA) and Elena Gross (EuropaHome).
Olga Shoshina

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