Looking for good / bad experiences (recommendations) when it comes to renting a car at the Atocha Train Station (vs Airport RAC). After spending a few days in Madrid, we'd like to rent a car at this location (for visits to Cordoba, Sevilla, Granada, White Hill towns, etc.), and upon returning to Madrid, hop on a train for Barcelona.
Thanks.
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
8062 posts
My first question would be how much time do you have for driving, and are you planning something between Madrid and Cordoba? Point being, might make more sense taking a train from Madrid to a point South, rent from there, return, then train back to Madrid and on to Barcelona.
I would not look forward to driving in Madrid, you could save a couple days rental, and the train is faster than driving.
Also, make sure you get an International Driving Permit (IDP) for Spain.
Posted by
OP
Placentia, CA, USA
39 posts
No driving in Madrid............after spending some days in Madrid, we're then renting the car to go to a number of places (for two weeks). We'll end up back in Madrid.........drop off the rental car..........and train to Barcelona (fly back to the states after a few days in Barcelona).
We enjoy the drives.......having done it through Tuscany & Umbria, and the Provence area. Just a little uncertain about smaller rental car offices vs. the larger operations at airports.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7161 posts
The only person I know who rented at Atocha had no issue. From the train station it’s a very short drive to pick up the M-30. Use the M-30 to get to the road you want for getting out of town. The main roads, and original Spanish interstates, are the A1 through A6. Each goes in a different direction. As a side note, mile marker zero for those roads is at the Puerta del Sol. There’s a plaque on the street in front of the building with the clock. The A4/E5 heads south to Granada, Cordoba, and Sevilla. A-autovia, E-European, M-Madrid.
Heading south on the A4/E5, at exit 121A (CM42) in the direction of Toledo is Consuegra with a castle and windmills. It’s only a couple miles off the interstate. Also off the CM42, then CM420 but in the other direction is Campo de Criptana with its windmills made famous by Cervantes’ Don Quixote. It’s a little further off the interstate but easy to reach. CM-Castllle y La Mancha
Posted by
Portland
3643 posts
The drive from Madrid to Seville takes 6 hours or more, in other words, the better part of a day, with stops for food, etc. The space in between is arid, with widely separated towns of no great interest. It’s not like Tuscany or Provence.
The high speed train, on the other hand, gets you there in well under 3 hours, leaving most of that day for seeing things in Seville. We looked into it a few years ago, and took very little time to make up our minds that the train was preferable.