To give due credit, this post was inspired by MadridMan's "Airplane stories to/from Madrid." Thought we could take the theme on the road, if you'll pardon the pun...

So, please share all fun, educational, scarry, or otherwise amusing tales of driving in España...


I was the dedicated driver while in Andalucia last August. With tourists from all over the world (!) in this area of Spain we had quite a bit of competition for our place on the Autopistas.

Everyone (American AND Spanish) had given me "war" stories of driving here - fast aggresive driving!

I was a little overwhelmed with my repsonsibilities of piloting our little Opel Corsa. With a manual transmission, packed with three friends and gear, I had quite a mission. Thankfully, our little under-powered Opel was a loyal participant!

As anyone who has rented a car in Europe knows, you tend to get a small (by American standards) manual transmissioned item. To me, though, even our mundane Opel even felt slightly sporty...zipping around narrow Spanish streets (if you're not walking like one should ) is much more fun in a small car!

The moral of the story? Yes the Spanish tend to drive fast, yes they can be aggressive, but more importantly (as someone posted in a previous area) the Spanish driver is usually predictable.

*** *** ***

Hopefully, your stories will be more amusing than mine!

Or if anyone has any warnings/advice about habits or driving laws... For example, I think it's illegal to drive and use a mobile/car phone at the same time.

Cows, stray dogs, hikers, snow...oh my!!!

Ok, here are my two cents...
I am an American who has always had the comfort of driving an automatic, compact car(mid sized by Spanish standards)..now that I am living here in Spain, it is high time that I learn to drive stick shift. (We live in the "country", not in Madrid, so a car is a little more necessary.) I have been practicing...yesterday we went out and picked a back country road where there would not be much traffic...and there wasn´t much auto traffic. However, was I suprised as I desperately stepped on the clutch to downshift to second and swerve to miss a cow who decided to take its afternoon stroll outside the pasture! I swear, it was the same size, if not bigger, than my little Fiat Uno! A little further up the road we encountered a stray dog who darted across the road to chase an imaginary rabbit. Then the hikers, they converged on the road like those making a pilgrimmage. Uff!! A true test of my nerves... and today it was the snow... what will tomorrow bring??

[ 12-24-2001: Message edited by: Chica ]

[ 12-24-2001: Message edited by: Chica ]

I have to confess I spent several hours driving round in circles in Barcelona. How hard can it be to find 1 diagonal avenue in an otherwise gridiron city?!
I was seriously considering payhing a taxi driver to lead me out of the city.
It was a harrowing experience but I feel like I got to know the place well.

Hi, Chica--
That road from El Espinar to Avila was one of the most fun drives I have ever done!! Was that the one you were on? We were the only people on the road, in a little bitty stick-shift car, and it was great!!

I got stuck driving in and out of Segovia once, and in and out of Toledo. And Avila, now that I think of it. One of the tricky things is that most of the little old towns have a network of one-way streets, designed to let you in through one gate and out somewhere on the other side of town. It's hard to backtrack, as there often is just one winding route through!

And parking...but that's another thread entirely!

Tara

[ 01-22-2002: Message edited by: taravb ]

I never found the actual drivers or roads to be a problem...it was the signage (or lack thereof) that caused some drama in our trip. Myself and two friends had an automatic Ford Focus (great car for a week long road trip) and were doing the Ruta de los Pueblos Blancos. We had three separate maps of the region and each had different road names/numbers for the same road!!!! The best advice I can give, by far, is to follow the signs for the cities you're trying to go to...practically ignore the road numbers...particularly for the small, rural roads.

Also, in Granada we had a lousy map (my fault) which cut-off a part of the city. We drove around in Granada for over an hour before finding our hotel.

Regardless of the minor problems, renting a car is definitely the way to go if wanting to get out of the city (which is great!). We actually asked for a manual transmission, but were upgraded to automatic because they were out of manual. Thank God!! The windy, downhill road from Ronda to Malaga would have been a nightmare with a stick!!!

Oh, yes, and another thing to be aware of is that the signs for the major highways list the "end point" of the highway, rather than the next nearest big town. For example, in America, if I am driving from Orlando to Jacksonvile, Florida, I would take I-4 east toward the Atlantic Ocean. After a while, I would have to decide which way to go on I-95, which is the main north-south highway in Florida (and up and down the East coast of the US). The signs in America will say "Jacksonville" is one way (north)and "Fort Lauderdale/Miami" is the other way (south)--because those are the nearest large cities. But in Spain, the signs might say "Key West" and "Portland" (Maine), or something like that! You've got to have a map of the country to know which places are where!! The ones they choose for the signs are not always large and recognizable to the average American tourist!

Sorry to be so rambly--I hope someone can make heads or tails of this!

[ 01-22-2002: Message edited by: taravb ]

I am pleased to announce that I have successfully passed the written part of my Spanish drivers´ license...

after 2 months in autoescuela... who knows how many practice tests and frustrating hours of learning technical vocab in Spanish (I can probably name more parts of an engine in Spanish than I can in English1!), I beat the odds yesterday and scored 39/40 questions correct on the first try! Yippee! Now, wish me luck when I take the on the road test next week!!

I just located a copy of the written portion of the Spanish "carnet de conducir" test. Here's a sampling of the questions:

#23. You come to a roundabout with two sets of dotted lines leading up to it and the traffic signal on red. How many lanes of traffic are there:

a) 2
b) 3
c) 1
d) This is Spain. Squeeze in and shut up about it.

#24. You have a moped with a 15cc engine in it. You come upon an intersection with 23 cars waiting across three lanes. You should:

a) wait your turn
b) pull to the curb
c) signal a stop
d) wedge yourself up to the front by bending rear-view mirrors, scratching paint and kicking fenders

#25. The light has just gone from red to flashing yellow, but there is an elderly man still ambling across the crosswalk. You:

a) wait for him to complete his journey
b) honk the horn loudly and yell "anciano lento"
c) honk the horn and offer the man an outstretched finger for assistance
d) both b and c

#26. You're late for the concert and parking is scarce. You:

a) circle the block and find an adequate parking spot
b) double-park
c) triple-park
d) b or c, this is Madrid, [censored]!

If you want the rest of the questions, you'll have to take the test like Chica did!

We had a stick and I'd have to say that road was exhilarating. Anyone afraid of heights should sit opposite of the drop-off. Many of the sections between Ronda and Malaga had no barriers or guardrails. What an intense drive…

You should have tried it before it was made "safe" and widened, JJP!! You can still see parts of the old road and can realise that there weren't that many overtaking places for the donkies!!

Incidentally, a word of advice for anyone thinking of driving into Jerez..... don't!! I spent two weeks there one weekend, trying to find a way out of town by car.

if you already have a canadian drivers license are you required to take a Spanish drivers´ license test?

This is a great thread. When I first got here (Spain) in May, the ride from the airport in Bilbao to my host family's apartment was quite an "interesting" experience... I must say though that even with all the crazy stuff I have seen tried on these roads, not once have a seen a bad accident..ok, between 2 cars..HOWEVER, since I have been here I HAVE had had the joy of experiencing a spanish bus accident ...one weekend I was taking a bus from Bilbao- Barcelona, and a semi cut us off so close that the bus driveer had to slam on his breaks, we spun and ended up facing the opposite direction we started, and the back end of the bus collided with the semi...guess where I was sitting Como se dice "WHIPLASH"!!! Good way to ruin what should have been a fun weekend in Barcelona- oh well I'll just add it to my list of "cultural" experiences- hehe. :p

Once drove from Bilbao to Lekeitio... Another great drive and incredibly scenic. At one point the highway patrol sped by and announced we all pull over. Instead of being written a speeding ticket we ended up having front row seats for a long distance cycling race. After the whoooosh of 200+ cyclists passed us we resumed our trip to the coast.

Anchovy: The road between Ronda and Malaga must have been quite an experience before it was improved. I pulled out my map of Spain and realized our drive from Ronda back to Malaga went directly south to the coast - then drove through Marbella on the coastal autovía. A crazy mountain road, but in great condition – smooth and (((was this the road in the last Bond movie???))).

Forget the question regarding the Bond chase scene - remembered it was Mission Impossible 2. I suppose that Porsche/Audi chase could have been filmed anywhere...even though they had just left Sevilla.

Drivng is really fun once you learn that the Spainish have a system, aggresive is certainly the norm but they are very preditable,They get mad at you when you hesitate when you have the right of way or when you take their right of way But mostly they very courteous compared to American drivers If finding the hotel turns out to be easy It may take an hour or more before arriving at the hotel One way streets going the wrong way are always fun, parking in front the hotel is not always possible so loading and unloading is always difficult Driving in Spain is part of the charm

Jazzbo54 technically, yes you would need to take the driver's test within 6 months of receiving your residence permit (tourists can just use their local license) but I know alot of Americans who have lived here for years and just keep "forgetting" to get a Spanish license. If you have a problem just speak English and pretend you are a tourist.

I just moved here and drove my new car for the first time last night. I'm from NYC and haven't driven in years and it's been even longer since I drove a stick. But I managed to survive and not hit anyone or thing!! I'm so happy.

For fans of old Spanish roads, the old Malaga-Granada road (via Colmenar)through the Montes de Malaga is a classic hairpin drive (including 360 degree bends - not kidding!) with narrow lanes and sheer unprotected drops. It's been made somewhat obsolete by the new motorways, but up there in the Montes are some great "ventas" (roadside inns) with amazing views all the way down to the coast.

Anyway, at Easter this year a group of us drove up there for lunch. After a long boozy meal (is there any other kind?) we set off back down towards Malaga. The driver was as sozzled as anyone, but then, to relax himself (!) he skinned up an enormous joint which he proceeded to smoke all the way back down, taking those bends with one hand on the wheel while the other handled the spliff. By the time we got down I'd sobered up!

I hope you won't be there in August...

Yipeee!! I passed the "on the road" part of my drivers´ license exam as well "a la primera" as my husband says. I felt sorry for the girl who tested with me...she didn´t last 2 minutes in the driver´s seat before the examiner told her to pull over (after she clipped the sideview mirror of a parked car and made an illegal left hand turn ) and told me to get behind the wheel...

Now I just have to wait a couple of weeks until they send me the official pink license the size of 3 3x5 cards with my pic stapled to it... along with the infamous green placard with the letter "L" (for newly licensed). With my green badge of courage, I will be allowed to drive a maximum of 80 kph (50mph) for the next year on the highways as everyone else zips by at 120 - 160kpm (75-100mph). Yippeee can´t wait.

Jazzbo, I don´t know about Canadian licenses, but U.S. licenses are not valid here in Spain if you have your residency. You must obtain your Spanish drivers´ license within 6 months after receiving residency here, which means the lovely experience of going to autoescuela with the bright eyed, eager beaver 18 year olds who have decided cars are better than mopeds. Prior to having your residency (and the 6 months following) you are permitted to drive here with the International drivers´ license.

While MAD for Madrid (sorry I missed you the other night MAD!) mentioned that there are folks here driving without the Spanish equivalent and pull the convenient "tourist" ploy if stopped, just be aware that if caught, there is a hefty fine (I think 300 euros). How can one get caught playing the tourist ploy? If they ask to see your passport, it will have been stamped with the visa required for residency. Just an FYI. I went the safe route since my stay here is leaning more towards the permanent side.

Good luck with the process!

he he, you only need the coin of San Cristobal or the San Pancracio figure on the front of your car desk and a stick saying 'papá no corras' to be a genuine Spanish driver.
What about the two cubes hanging at the mirror?
... and the dog puppet which moves the head?

Wahoo Chica!!!
Loved the multitude of restrictions placed on the big green L for the first year!

Miguelito, you forgot the dancing Elvis!!

Chica

Miguelito IS the dancing Elvis!

Jo

ja ja, I can dance even holding the wheel although I prefer clapping, specially if I'm listening flamenco, although sometimes it's difficult to manage at the same time.
I notice I forgot the Elvis while I was going back home, I saw a car with all the aditives, even a rabit tail!!.
What other things have you seen in a car?
Of course the sticks with your name at the back in one side and your wife or girlfriend at the other side and the one with the 'no me toques el pito que me irrito' ha ha...
Something else?

ooohhhh!!! this is THE MIGUELITO!!! My goodness how could I forget?? Yes, Miguelito, I have seen that rather compromising picture of you... hmmm maybe I´ll get a copy of it from Jo, have it made into a sticker and put it on the back of my car (tapando la jo**do "L" porsupuesto jejejee).

Don´t forget the black bull stickers, the stickers from Penelope Discoteca and of course the EU and Spanish flag stickers!

I think a nice sticker like in the States that says either "Don't mess with Texas" or "They can have my gun when they pry it from my cold dead fingers" would be right smashing!

I mess with Texas very little... as little as possible.

Went to the autoescuela - what a ripoff! However I got them to agree that driving in NYC and Philadelphia puts Spain to shame. Too bad the DGT won't feel the same way.

Asterault --

I believe the laws in Spain are changing and that you can take the driving exams without the backing of an autoescuela. I think if you look on DGT´s website they will have a full explanation. The site is also available in English (DGT = Dirección General del Tráfico).

I took the cheapest package (since I already knew how to drive) which was 3 months of theory class and 4 driving classes. I think the cost was about 350 Euros. Will double check that for you.

In the meantime check out Todo Test . You can take all the practice tests you want!

Good luck!

My significant other and I drove to Toledo last Sunday afternoon, leaving Madrid at about 6pm and arriving at the Puerta de Bisagra at about 7pm. The drive to Toledo is easy (as soon as you get out of Madrid and all its construction projects) and we encountered little traffic going out of Madrid.

I had my 2004 Toledo Tourism Office Map of the city with me and ready to guide us to our hotel. We arrived in and entered the Puerta de Bisagra, the main gate into the city from Madrid. We drove slowly, cars lining up behind us as we looked left, right, ahead, admiring the buildings and looking for directional signs to the old center.

I HAD THE BRIGHT IDEA to "BISECT" the city of Toledo to our hotel. The map showed what appeared to be major city streets leading us there. WRONG! Well, in part it was wrong.

Entering the Puerta de Bisagra, then went left following the outer edge inside the walled city. We easily found the Plaza de Zocodóver on our right. "Okay, take the next left. Hmmm.. WHERE? That's a one-way street in the wrong direction!" So we go up past the Alcázar (FYI: closed indefinitely for renovation) which was on our left. "Take a right at the end of the Alcázar." "What? That tiny, steep street? Let's find another way." Rounding the Alcázar in a counter-clockwise fashion we found the main road at the wall. "We want to go to the right along the river. Ummm.. That's a one-way in the wrong way. Great." So we go BACK around the Alcázar, Plaza de Zocodóver, and back up to past the Alcázar on our left to that TINY street on the right. "Do you feel brave? It'll be alright. I'm sure of it. We have a nice, little CITROEN A3. "Right Turn, Clyde." So we go down this somewhat narrow, one-way, downhill street. "Hmmm.. This street is getting NARROWER! QUICK! PULL IN THE SIDE MIRRORS!" Down, down, slowly, slower, SLOWER, SLOWER, just made it past that drainage pipe. "Okay. I'm getting out to see if this street goes somewhere." I walk downhill to the first "intersection" (term used VERY loosely), turn right, downhill another street, downhill another and another and another until FINALLY I reach a widening and some cars parked on the sides next to a government building. Whew! So UP UP UP UP (why did I wear these sandals today - cobblestones - oh my aching feet) UP UP I go again to the car, I'm panting, she's still waiting there patiently but nervously. "Okay honey. It'll be okay. Just go slow. Okay. Well. There. Now we've done it. There went the back left wheel well. Just a paint scrape. Nothing crumpled. What's done is done. Now a couple inches to the RIGHT. Now down, now left, now right. Okay, it went on like that for a good 30 minutes total until we got to "Bajada del Barco" - a "major street" which we had no trouble negotiating - I get in the car now. We reach the end of the "Bajada", arriving at a "T", the Carreras de San Sebastián - the main street skirting the walls of the city. WHEW! We turn right and follow it around the edge, it becomes Calle de los Descalzos, we pass the "famed" Hostal Descalzos", then we see our hotel ( Hotel Pintor El Greco ) but we can't turn there - prohibited - so we go UP the hill, left, down the other side and there we are! Parked on the street just beside the hotel (Parking meters but free after, what, 6pm?? - until 10am).

Leaving the hotel the next morning was SO easy. We just went down to the same main road which almost hugs the city walls, all the way to the, this time, one-lane Puerta del Cambrón, now we're outside the walls, took a right on the Paseo de Recaredo, then around the Glorieta de la Reconquista, then back to the Puera de Bisagra then out of the city and on our way back to Madrid.

Driving IN Toledo was a true adventure. My recommendation to you all would be - DON'T DO IT. That is to say, NEVER take a small, one-way street between old buildings. You may just get stuck if you have a larger than SMALL car and you might get lost. DEFINITELY don't try this at night. Luckily we were there on a Sunday evening so there was very very little traffic and even fewer pedestrians. It's best to find the nearest/first parking garage you see or park next to the Alcáar in that parking garage and then walk to your hotel if you can. OTHERWISE, ask your hotel (if you're spending the night) for specific directions.

We felt VERY fortunate to have survived our drive through OLD Toledo without any major damage or cardiac arrests.

Saludos, MadridMan

MadridMan

Funny story. You sound like one of the drivers that "try" to hit me when I visited Toledo.

Bill

Can anyone tell me the significance of one tail light brighter than the other on some cars? I have seen it many times on major highways in Spain, and it drives me crazy. Plus, if it is something important, I may need to figure out how to do the same with my rental car next time I am there!

Spark

Well this is a great topic;thanks for the idea JJP.

I must say that i had been traveling in Europe renting cars for about 16 years; I have prev live in the NJ/NY border so I believe i am well trained...huh!

I notice that inside the cities they tend to drive faster than in the US but in highways at least me I drive faster. Previous to my NJ/NY stint I lived in Madrid and visit often always driving; and it is very easy. In France I like to drive too;driven into Paris ;but thats the only city i rather not drive;all the others I will stick with my Ford!!!!
lol!!!

Sparkalina- could they be rear fog lamps?

Hi Sparkalina, When one of the tail lights burned out and replaced without replacing the other you will get an uneven sparkness of lights. Now you have one new light bulb and an old one.

It seemed more common than a random replacement of one taillight....but there are a lot of (seemingly) simple things that can take a while to figure out in a foreign country.

For instance, most of the road signs are clear...no parking, etc. For the longest time my father and I called one "red car blue car", only to figure out it was either no passing, or that there was no longer a median in the road I can't remember which, but it was like 2 YEARS LATER when we figured it out!!!!!!!!!

Well, I've never driven in Spain but I do have a story that I was a witness to. I was walking in Madrid, down a somewhat smaller, one-way winding street when all of a sudden, an obviously lost, distraught looking driver came driving down the street the wrong way right toward an intersection. They almost hit a pedestrian, but the best part was seeing a nearby Madrid policeman's eyes widen as he runs towards the car, blowing on his whistle and waving his arms, yelling something I didn't understand (but who needs translation for yelling like that?) ;-)

I had never driven a manual transmission before my second trip to Spain in 2004. I practiced on a friend's car before we left and didn't do too badly. But when we got to Spain, I couldn't seem to get the hang of it so my travel companion (and seasoned stick-shift driver) got stuck doing all the driving (from Madrid to Galicia and down the West Coast and back to Madrid).

Due to some unfortunate occurrences, I found myself left in Leon with the car by myself at the rail station having to get back to Madrid that afternoon. My first thought was to drop off the car at the rail station and hop a train but there was no Hertz operation there. So I thought I'd try to get to the Leon airport and drop it off there.

I somehow managed to drive out of the rail station and, miraculously, on the road to the airport without major incident. I was doing so well, in fact, I convinced myself I could just drive the 2 1/2 hours back to Madrid. So I managed to find the highway and make my way towards Madrid.

I did pretty well keeping up in traffic, always mindful of staying in the right lane except when passing (I grew up in NJ where "Keep Right Except to Pass" signs are plentiful, though frequently ignored.) and even managed to maneuver through the toll plazas without incident.

The only minor problem I had was when I took a pit stop and then had to get back on the highway and there was a bit of an incline at the stop sign - let's just say I chewed up a bit of the emergency brake. Luckily I had a pretty powerful 6 cylinder diesel Alfa.

I got to Madrid and even stopped for gas right before entering the central city. Unfortunately, my timing was impeccable, as I entered the city in the middle of the evening rush hour (the car had to be dropped off at the Plaza de España office) and had to deal with stop and go traffic (with hills!!) for the first time. Not only that but the garage entrance was off a narrow side street that I had no idea how to get to (I later realized I could probably have just pulled right up front and they would have had someone take it from there but I wasn't thinking clearly). So I was going around in circles (after first taking an unadvised underground detour through a traffic circle) trying to find this entrance periodically stalling, being cursed by cab drivers, and narrowly avoiding pedestrians.

Finally, by a stroke of sheer luck I came upon the garage entrance off a narrow street and managed to make my way three levels down a narrow ramp that sloped at a 45 degree angle. When I came to a stop at the bottom and got out of the car, it was all I could do not to get on my knees and kiss the dirty garage floor!

"Downtown" Cadiz in 2002,,, at 0300a.m. trying to get back to my Godparent's (Que en paz descansen) home in the middle of this beautiful medieval center of Cadiz.
A true maze as a maze should be, we were sooo bloody lost!!! the few folks that I found on the streets tried to direct us but to no avail.

How can you give directions in a maze? How many left right left rights in narrow streets?

All and all I ended cutting through little plazas and going the wrong way in true desperation,,, especially bad going over the Plaza De San Antonio in Cadiz, I was ashamed, embarrassed and desperate finally parked in the underground parking under the plaza and walked back to our destination relatively easy.

We still managed to get lost EVERY day there for 2 weeks!!! It was an adventure.

If anyone has ever visited Cadiz, the area around the Torre Tavira and Plaza San Antonio,,, then you might know what Im talking about.

SFY: Loved that story about getting the car back through Madrid rush hour traffic. Then you description of the return garage in Plaza Espana was right on the money. When I picked up at that office in 2003 I told the rep that he was going to get that car out of the garage or I would not take it, out it came. On the return I dropped in front of the office without problems. I don't know about anyone else but I thought the price of the insurance was outragous for that trip and refused it, driving all over south Spain without it.

I don't know what prices are now, but one way we saved money was by booking the car through http://www.baholidays.com . We had to prepay for the rental but the price, including insurance, was much lower than I could get elsewhere for Hertz, or any other agency.