How to Get Around Spain - Sóldís Alda

Travelling by bus

Traveling by bus is usually the most affordable way to get around Spain. The buses are modern, easy to use and in my experience, almost always run on time. Alsa has the most extensive network of bus routes in Spain and is always my go to. Other big bus companies include Avanza and Socibus. Lukcy for you, there is no need to research all the different companies and routes they offer, you can simply use Omio to compare routes by all the bus companies.

In my experience, buses are often easier to use than trains when traveling to or from airports, and when not traveling between major cities. Buses often have direct services between an airport and other cities, while taking a train might require you to change trains at least one time. Usually I’m just not up for that and will take an extra 30 minute of travel time over dragging my luggage up stairs and through crowded hallways in train stations. For example, when going from Valencia to Barcelona airport, I always take the bus there is a direct one, while taking a train would require me to first go into Barcelona and from there find another train to the airport.

how to get around spain — Bigger cities in Spain like Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Málaga and Bilbao have a metro system

Are you planning to travel Spain on a budget? Check out this ultimate guide to the best hostels in Spain, city by city

Travelling by train

Traveling by train is often the fastest way to get around Spain. Renfe is the national railway company, running around 5000 trains per day across the country. The trains are modern, efficent and run on time. When traveling between major cities, you’ll have the option to travel on a high speed train, for a slightly higher price. I would highly recommend this, as it can often cut the travel time significantly. The high speed trains are called AVE, which stands for alta velocidad (high speed). The most recent addition, AVLO, is a low cost option for high speed trains. Just to give you an idea, a high speed train between Barcelona and Madrid takes around 3 hours, while driving takes around 6 hours.

Tickets can be purchased online through renfe.com, as well as on the stations. If you already know what time you want to travel, I’d recommend purchasing the tickets in advance. Both to save you the hassle at the station, and also cause prices are usually lower when you book in advance compared to last minute. You can also use Omio to compare and book train tickets.

Be careful when comparing travel times by train and by plane. Even if the flight takes less time than the train, you need to consider the fact that you have to get to the airport an hour or two before your flight, travel times to and from the airport and possibly waiting for your luggage. Often flights might seem like the faster option, but sometimes trains are the better choice even though the journey time itself might be a little longer.

Travelling by car

For those that want complete freedom over when and where they go, driving will be the best option. Spain has an extensive network of highways, some free and some toll roads. Autopistas are the best kept roads and have the highest speed limits, 120km/h (75 miles/h). The second best roads are the autovías, which often run parallel to the autopistas, but have lower speed limits – usually 90km/h (56 miles/h). Most autopistas and some of the autovías are toll roads, which are indicated by “AP”, “R” or the word peaje. Tolls can usually be paid by card, but I’d recommend having some cash at hand just in case.

Keep in mind that parking can be a headache. Especially in bigger cities, where parking is often hard to find and metered parking spots are usually limited to only a few hours. On top of that, parking can also be quite expensive. You can expect to pay up to 15 euros per night in public parking lots. Hotels in bigger towns and cities will charge up to 25 euros for parking.

Travelling by plane

With over 40 airports around Spain and many low cost airlines operating daily domestic flights, you shouldn’t have any problems finding flights within Spain. With low cost airlines such as Vueling and Ryanair, you can usually find very affordable flights, especially if you book a few weeks in advance. The biggest airports in Spain are the ones in Madrid (Barajas) and the one in Barcelona (El Prat). From there you can find flights to just about anywhere inside or outside of Spain.

To find and book flights, I’d recommend using Kiwi, Skyscanner or OneTravel.

I hope this post helped you figure out how to get around Spain. If you want to get notified when I publish new blog posts, simply click the red bell in the lower right corner or follow me on Instagram where I usually announce new posts!