My husband and I will soon be driving our UK registered car down to Spain for a three week tour. We are planning on spending about 5 nights in Madrid, and would greatly appreciate advice on what do with the car during that time. Several people have told us that our car will be a target for theives/vandals because of the UK plates. It is our own car (not a rental), and we will be using it daily for the next two weeks of our trip, so unfortunately we really must find some place to park it aroung Madrid.

Can any of you advise us?:
Should we use public parking in the center near our hostal? Or should we (can we?) park it at the airport and take the metro in?
Or, does anyone know if there are secure parkings at any of the train stations going into Madrid.
Lastly, how much would each of these options cost us per day, in euros? We are on a very limited budget.

Thanks in advance for your help.

I'm sure madrileños can better advise you than me but I would think that any "car park" would be relatively safe. Be certain there is NOTHING visible inside the car and check on it daily if possible.

And while I'd consider it extreme, you could park it outside of the city center, say in Chamartín or other zone where there is less/little tourism and maybe you'll reduce your chances. Still, I'd think the odds are in your favor that nothing will happen to your car even parked in Old Madrid.

Anyone else have some comments, advice, or experiences they could share?

And remember, this is an ALL SPAIN Message Board so if you have any other questions about your trip feel free to ask. Enjoy your time in Spain!

Saludos, MadridMan

Thanks for the reply, Madrid Man. I am certainly learning a lot about Spain in these forums; you have an excellent site here.

So, car parks in the center are no less *safe* than car parks outside the city, but are there advantages in terms of a) cost and b) amount of hassle involved in driving in and out?

I've looked everywhere, and I just can't seem to find any up-to-date info about how much the public parkings charge per day.

(b/c the less we have to spend on parking, the more we can spend on vino!)

Have you checked with your hostal to see if they have parking available (maybe for a 7-8E extra charge)? Many hostals and hotels that I have stayed in have had their own secure garage, or spaces reserved for that hotel in a larger garage. I find that the hotel staff checks in on the vehicles a lot. If not on purpose, at least they are going in there a lot to park cars, and retrieve their own.

And, yes, make sure there is NOTHING in the car that is visible - including maps, sunglasses, etc.

Any public parking should be safe, specially if there is a staff dedicated to take care of the cars.

Anyway, it is always better not to leave things inside the car where someone can see them. You should also now that public parkings are responsible both for the car and its content. If anything happens, they will have an insurance to cover it.

Do not loose the parking ticket!

Fernando

There are vandals everywhere, however, I never heard the attacked british cars because they are british.

I can't see any anglophobia around. Maybe in any area intensive in British tourism like Ibiza or some locations in the coast.

Really? I thought the Vandals were all dead! (Or off to Africa with their King Genserico in search of good Roman empire land to steal) Please don't tell me they are back!

Forgive me, Ignacio, it was too good to pass up!

I personally find it difficult driving and/or finding parking places in a big city like Madrid. You could follow Madridman's advice and park outside the city in a place such as Pozuelo or Mosteles. The train fare into Madrid would probably only be a couple of Euros at most and you would save a lot on parking fees. I've been here in Madrid since October and have not noticed any targeting of Brits as such (as a tourist group they might be smaller than the Americans or Germans). Most Brits here are ELT teachers.

I share your concern as I was in a similar situation last summer; I had my car with me in Madrid for 7 weeks. I was just outside Madrid, in a suburb, and thankfully, nothing happened to the car. It was curious, however, one night around 1 a.m., we noticed the police checking it out to see if it was a stolen car. My father-in-law had to go down and explain to the police that it was my car, etc. It worried me even more knowing the police expect such things to happen (as did I, and still do). I don’t think having a car from England is going to make you any more of a target. I think it depends on the model of the car and if you make yourself an easy target. They may just pass your car by because of the steering wheel.
A parking garage in Madrid is going to run you at least 20 euro/day. Good luck!