Renting a car in Spain

Though I always suggest my customers to use public transportation, some people prefer to rent a car.

Well, if this is your case, have a look at http://www.easyrentacar.com. EasyRentACar claims to be the world's first Internet-only rent a car company offering great prices.

Currently, they only rent cars in Barcelona and Málaga but plans to expand the business to Madrid (summer 2000) and Palma de Mallorca are on the work.

Regards,

Antonio

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The best tips from your favourite hostal in Madrid.
Hostal Chelo at http://www.chelo.com

[This message has been edited by Antonio (edited 07-13-2000).]

I agree with Antonio that public transportation, at least in the bigger cities like Madrid and Barcelona, is the absolute best way to go.

Besides, trying to find parking spaces can be an absolute nightmare!! Parking garages are a good place if you can't find anything on the street, but they're relatively expensive (at least by US standards).

I DO, however, recommend car rental if you're travelling to some of the smaller villages around Spain FROM your major where trains or busses rarely go. Besides, there's nothing like the pure mobility of a car in Spain.....*IF* you can handle the offensive driving that is practiced on Spain's highways. I've done it without problem, but you have to be SUPER conscious of the cars around you.

We rented a car from one of the car rental agencies on the Plaza de España in Madrid when we drove to Barcelona last spring and, while semi expensive (again, by US standards) the drive was fantastic, we never worried about the car, and we visited MANY MANY little towns along the way which would have been impossible to see if we'd travelled by bus or train.

Happy Travels!

Saludos,

MadridMan

My boyfriend and I are going to Spain in 1 week and we have reserve a car in Barcelona airport with Avis. For 2 weeks without CDW for unlimited milage, we got the quote for $262. Pretty good. But added the toll road and parking and gasoline, I think it would be pricy.
Question:
We are going to fly in Barcelona. So where to park inside Barcelona so we can comfortable walking around???

Happybird_98, why don't you rent the car just before you leave Barcelona -- should be cheaper and no parking problems.

Olla Madrid Man. I have to disagree with your post. We found the Spanish to be wonderful drivers. We didn't do a lot of city driving, but outside the cities, on all types of roads, we found them to be A-1. The road sysrem is great too, in good condition with the roadway sign a snap to understand.

Driving in the cuidad centro can be nightmarish, but not because of the drivers. The roads are the width of sidewalks and finding curbside parking requires a miricle that should qualify you for sainthood. When staying in the big cities, find a carpark and leave it there!!! We found the prices to be $10-$15 and could have cared less it it got damaged. Its a rental!!! ;-)

Heheehe... To dmcdougle, let me clarify my statement from above "Besides, there's nothing like the pure mobility of a car in Spain.....*IF* you can handle the offensive driving that is practiced on Spain's highways."

hehehe.. I wasn't actually putting down the drivers/driving in Spain with the "the offensive driving" statement, but rather saying that people in Spain generally drive (on the highways) 'offensively' as opposed to 'defensively'. Sorry. My poor choice of words. heheehe...

Actually, I think drivers in Spain are among the best because they have to be with the fast highway speeds and crowded cities.

To happybird_98, try to get yourself a Barcelona city map before going. You find that many maps have the big "P" for "parkings" and you can choose your parking location before landing.

Everyone enjoy Spain!!! I can't wait to return for 18 days in October!!!

Saludos, MadridMan

You mentioned "fast highway speeds". How
high are we talking?

Also, as for parking - do you think it will
be a problem in Cuenca, Avila, or Trujillo?

Momic, I believe the highway speed limit is (correct me, Spaniards, if I'm wrong) 120km which is, I believe, 80 miles per hour, but most people drive faster than this.

You might have some challenges for parking in Avila, but not doubt it in the other two places.

Saludos, MadridMan

Onnk, parking in Cuenca is tough. The modern part is a regular city with no easy parking, and the old part, forget it. My advice is to follow the signs to the parador, park there for free, and walk over the great scary suspension bridge to the casas colgadas! If you are going to a hotel, park the car there or near there, and take the bus to the old part of town. In general, my experience is that parking is tough in cities. In Trujillo, you could also park in the parador lot and walk around the compact town.

Its not the cars you have to watch for in towns, its the motorcycles and mopeds that drive up between the cars at every intersection and on every street. You just need to keep your eyes open as they dart in and out so quickly.

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"No other success can compensate for failure in the home."

dmcdougle had it 100% right. For other than exploring the cities - you need a car. The highways are terrific - easy to negiotate - signs easy to follow - drivers pretty darn decent and polite. Rule of thumb - stay in the left lane unless passing a slower car - pull into the right lane - pass then GET BACK INTO THE LEFT LANE. Otherwise you'll block the cars going even faster than you are! (and they will let you know it). You don't want to drive in the cities - figure out the route in BEFORE arriving - find a secure car park and walk the cities. Spanish drivers are by and large really good and polite - the mopeds & minisule streets in the old sections make city driving tough

umm, it ain't Britain! Stay in the RIGHT lane unless passing, and then d your passing and zip back into the RIGHT lane. That's what you meant, Puna, verdad?

I would love some more specific info on driving around in Spain. People seem to have strong opinions one way or the other, but no one has actually told me how long it takes to drive from Madrid to Barcelona, Barcelona to Valencia, and Valencia back to Madrid and/or Toledo. I need to decide whether to stick with a rental car or fly one of these legs.
thanks!

For planing routes, check out the following websites:
http://www.geoplaneta.com (really good) http://www.visualmap.com (not so good and sometimes the server is down!)

About flying within Spain, read my thread at http://www.madridman.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000042.html

you will save time and money if you take advantage of the great Iberia offers. Spanair and Air Europa also have good offers.

Regards,

Antonio

------------------
The best tips from your favourite hostal in Madrid.
Hostal Chelo at http://www.chelo.com