Getting Around Spain
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Getting around Spain quickly and comfortably has been quite difficult until very recently. Transportation has had to overcome many obstacles: above all distances are great (from Barcelona to Cadiz, for example, it is 1,152 kilometers) and Spain is the second most mountainous country in Europe, after Switzerland.
Now, however, it is quite easy to travel in Spain, and there is a varied selection of modes of transport to choose from.
Take your Pick
For those in a hurry, there are now many more airports throughout the country, and the national carrier Iberia, plus other domestic airlines, such as Air Europa, Spanair, and even international low-cost carriers such as Easyjet, connect most of the major cities.
Train travel in Spain has also improved beyond recognition in the past few years. The high-speed AVE trains are among the fastest and most comfortable in Europe. They can compete with airlines because journey times are surprisingly not much longer. The stations are usually in the middle of the cities, unlike the airports, and passengers don’t have to check in so long before their journey – or wait for their luggage afterwards.
Obviously, for flexibility, nothing can beat traveling by road. There is now a very extensive network of modern highways and motorways connecting all important cities. Car rentals in Spain are popular because you can take detours, go at your own pace, and because most of the beautiful countryside is quite difficult to get to in public transport.
RVs or motorhomes are also a great option, because of the enormous distances involved many times in a trip around Spain and because your accommodation costs are decreased considerably.
While bus travel is probably the cheapest way to get around Spain, many people are put off by the lack of services to all but the biggest cities. It is quite easy to travel by bus between the main provincial capitals, but it is another, more difficult matter, to get to the smaller towns and to the beautiful rural areas that offer so many attractions.
In fact, even cheaper than bus travel is biking or hiking around Spain. However, hiking is really only viable for small areas, usually in the mountains – and you have to get there and back in some kind of public transport. And biking can often be dangerous – Spanish motorists are not used to cyclists. Last but not least, the weather tends to be very hot during the periods when people are thinking of hiking or biking in Spain, which tends to limit the useful part of the day to the morning and the late evening.
Look Around
On this website you’ll find information about the different forms of transportation in Spain. Just click on any of the relevant links in the two side columns (one on the left and one on the right), and especially on the links to related articles that you’ll find directly below.
However you decide to travel, we’re sure you’ll find great views, wonderful people and marvelous food – enjoy your travel!