We have a week in Spain at the end of June 07. We arrive in Madrid and stay for 2 days and then hire a car on day 3 and travel south to Toledo, Sevilla, Granada and returning to Madrid. We want to experience the areas between these cities so traveling by car is preferable to the train. However, I have read that driving in Madrid is not recommended so would it be better to take the train to Toledo and hire the car from there? We will be staying and departing from the center of downtown on a week day morning so the traffic situation will be at its worst. We will be returning in the evening hours to the same hotel. They tell us at the hotel that we can hire a car from there. Is there an advantage to hiring the car from the rental office rather then the hotel? Has anyone had an experience with hiring a car from the downtown hotels? Any other thoughts or recommendations for our trip will be greatly appreciated.

Ideas for car travel.

Having rented cars several times in Spain, I make the following observations. Driving in Madrid is brutal as compared to a typical city in the US. There is a tremendous amount of road construction and detours are long and tricky because cities are rarely grids. Parking can also be expensive, difficult, and lead to minor damage such as door dings, dents that you will later pay for.

That said, consider this: Enjoy Madrid on foot, metro, and taxi. Take the train to Toledo. Rent a car from there and continue on. I drove from Madrid to Granada via Cuenca, Almagro, and other towns, returning a slightly different route including Ballesteros de Calatrava. The small towns are worth the stops but I advise having advance reservations that include parking. In Almagro, the owner of the hotel allowed me to leave the car in front of the hotel even though this was a no parking zone. He said, "Leave it. It will be fine." It was fine, but not something I am comfortable with.

Seville is also under reconstruction and you might consider leaving the car at the airport, visiting the city and then picking it up again. I did this in Granada, where I parked in a lot that was reasonable and secure.

Renting at the airports or train stations and heading off in the car may lead to extra fees and extra metro or taxi rides but it is usually very reliable, easy, and connected to major highways that will conduct you toward your next destination with less traffic initially. And who wants to start a journey with an hour of stop and go nonsense?

Enjoy the ride, that's what it's all about.

El Almirante

drive and Madrid and you can drive anywhere,but its part of the adventure. I will always advise on driving a car....!
I had made your trip several times and its wonderful :enjoy it.

In Spain it is very often the bus that offers the best service. In October I used the bus from Madrid to make excursions to Segovia, Toledo, Avila, and Aranjuez. The services were frequent and cheap. The bus to Toledo drops you right in the centre of town. A car would have been an encumbrance. Toledo is very special and can only be explored on foot. I hope you enjoy your trip.

I appreciate all the comments and advice and they have led us to rethink our travel plans. We have decided against the car hire and have plans to travel to and from Toledo by bus or train and take the Ave to Sevilla then either train or bus to Granada and then a flight back to Madrid. I will cost more then renting a car but the fatigue and stress has to be minimal in comparison. Less time traveling gives us an extra unexpected day in Madrid before flying to Rome. The complications of parking and navigating have left us a bit leery about driving. Thanks again Vince Florida, USA