Please
enjoy your hire car in Spain. You can collect your hire car
from dozens of Spanish locations including Bilbao Airport, Barcelona
Airport, Seville Airport, in fact all major airports and train
stations in Spain.
ROAD:
There are more than 150,000km (95,000 miles) of roads. Motorways
are well maintained and connect Spain north-south. Tolls are
in operation on some sections and have to be paid in Euros.
Trunk roads between major cities are generally fast and well
maintained. Rural roads are of differing quality.
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Bus:
There are bus lines which are efficient and cheap, operating
between cities and towns. Departures are generally from a
central terminal at which the operators will have individual
booths selling tickets. Most places have a bus link of some
kind, even the more remote villages.
Motorcycles:
No person under 18 may hire or ride a vehicle over 75cc. Crash
helmets must be worn.
Traffic
drives on the right.
Regulations:
Side lights must be used at night in built-up areas. Spare
bulbs and red hazard triangles must be kept in all vehicles.
Traffic lights: two red lights mean 'No Entry'. Parking laws
are rigorously enforced. The speed limit for motorways is
120kph (80mph) in general, but for buses and lorries the limit
is 100kph (60mph); in built-up areas the limit is 50kph (30mph);
for other roads it is 90kph (56mph).
Driving
Licenses: Most foreign licences including Canadian, EU
and US are accepted. Third Party insurance is required, or
a Green Card if bringing your own car (available from insurance
company).
URBAN:
Traffic in Spanish cities is normally heavy, and urban driving
takes some time to adjust to. City public transport facilities
are generally good. Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid and Valencia
have metros as well as buses. Pre-purchase multi-journey tickets
are sold. Other towns and resorts are well served by local
buses. Metered taxis are available in most major cities and
a 2 to 3 per cent tip is customary.
TRAVEL TIMES: The following chart gives approximate
travel times (in hours and minutes) from Madrid to other major
cities and towns in Spain by Car.
| Barcelona |
8.00 |
| Bilbao |
5.00 |
| Canary
Is. - Málaga |
5.00 |
| Mallorca
- Palma |
6.00* |
| Santander |
5.00 |
| Seville |
6.00 |
| Valencia |
5.00 |
Note: *Plus 9 hours by boat (3 hours by catamaran).
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here to hire a car in Spain