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Travel Information
From roads to railways, Spain has invested a lot into its
transportation systems and visitors can benefit from this in the
easy commuting from one magnificent destination to another. Last
year approximately 78 million people visited Spain making it the
world's 3rd most popular tourist destination. Spain is only a couple
of hour's flight by plane from most European cities and all major
cities in Spain host an airport so passengers are rarely more than
50 kilometers from their holiday destination.
Public Transport in Spain: is very good and over
the last twenty years Spain has gone through a major campaign of
upgrading all aspects of its public transport system. All public
transport is reduced on Sundays and holidays.
Buses: The local bus services in cities run from
around 0600 until between 22:00. Nowadays luxury coaches are used
for longer journeys taken by bus around Spain Services vary
depending on the area you visit but in general the Spanish bus
services offer a very comfortable, reliable and inexpensive way to
travel
The Metro: is an underground railway system
found in cities such as Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia. They offer
the fastest way to get around these cities. Tickets are readily
available and can be purchased from any of the various stations. A
map (plano del metro) showing the lines in different colours can be
obtained from the ticket offices.
Trains: Spanish trains are the most inexpensive
in Europe The Spanish rail network is operated by the state company
Red Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Espanoles (RENFE) and connects all
the regions of the peninsula. Besides the regular trains and sleeper
cars, there is now a more modern way to travel, AVE are high speed
trains and offer services between Madrid and Seville and Madrid and
Malaga. There are also a huge variety of local, short-distance
trains called tranvia (also a tram). Suburban commuter trains (cercanias)
are second class only and stop at all stations.
Taxis: All official taxis display a special
license and are governed by strict legislation. It is advisable to
establish the fare prior to taking a long journey in a taxi to avoid
any misunderstanding.
Many visitors coming to Spain are choosing to drive here or rent
a car once they have arrived. Car hire is readily available and
relatively inexpensive compared to other European destinations. It
should be noted that in Spain people drive on the right hand side of
the road. The motorways are well maintained and occasionally require
paying a toll. There are numerous petrol stations along the way and
bars, restaurants and commercial establishments. It is obligatory to
have the driving license and insurance. The speed limit is 120 km/h
on the motorways, 100 km/h on the fast lanes and 60 km/h in town
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