SPAIN | Travel | General information
Spain is located in the Iberian Peninsula. It borders Portugal, Andorra and France and from these countries you can travel to Spain by train or by car. Other means of travel are by air or sea. It depends on your preference of travel.
Facts and Figures
Habitantes: 46.157.822
Moneda: Euro
Idiomas hablados: Castellano (idioma oficial), Catalán, Euskera, Gallego
Fronteras con: Portugal, Francia, Andorra, Gibraltar, Marruecos
Capital: Madrid
Productos y cosas típicas: Vino tinto, Paella, Tortilla de patatas, Gazpacho, Jamón Serrano, Cocina Mediterránea
Airports
Spain has an extensive network of international airports, the most important being Barajas Airport, in Madrid, from where you can get to Madrid’s city centre by taxi, bus or underground.
Other cities with international airports are: Barcelona, Alicante, Bilbao, Malaga, Seville, Valencia, Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, Tenerife, Gran Canary and Santiago de Compostela.
At present, low cost airlines offer cheap fights to secondary airports, such as Santader, Valladolid, Zaragoza…
Trains
The Spanish railway network is operated by the public company RENFE. It connects all the Spanish regions. Most trains have air-conditioning and restaurant service onboard. There are high-speed trains (AVE) linking Madrid to Seville, Malaga, Zaragoza and Barcelona.
The Spanish railway network is the cheapest in Europe and it offers discounts, such as the railroad tourist card for unlimited 3- or 10-day trips during a 2-month period. You can also use the European transport passport. It’s advised to book seats for the metropolitan service. Students usually get a discount fare.
RENFE: http://www.renfe.es
Urban transportation
• Underground: there’s an underground system in Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia and Bilbao.
• Bus: All Spanish cities have an excellent local bus service. In some cities there are common tickets for the different means of urban transportation.
• Taxi: All cities have taxi service; a 2-3% tip is customary.
Motor vehicles
Spain has a road network that exceeds 150.000 km. Motorways are well arranged and cross the country from North to South. You may have to pay toll.
The maximum speed limit is 130 km/h on motorways, 90 km/h on national highways and 50 km/h in urban areas.
You must have a valid driving license. Travellers are advised to get car insurance coverage.
All major rent-a-car companies are represented here and the conditions for hiring a car, depends on the terms and conditions of each one.