Greetings! I am planning a trip through France and Spain this Summer. The plan is to travel from Paris to Lyon and then the Nime coast and Aix-Provence. I am looking through travel through France via train and buses.
I will then travel into Spain with stops in Cadaquez, Barcelona, Madrid, Murcia, Granda, Sevilla & Cordoba. Any recommendations about best way to travel through Spain- via buses or renting a car?
Any recommendations on companies for either mode of travel greatly appreciated!
Thanks
My wife and I spent 2 weeks in Spain during April with a rental car. We rented through Autoeurope.com and picked up a Seat Ibiza from Europcar in Cartagena. The Ibiza is roughly the size of a Ford Focus and easily hid our 4 RS bags and a backpack when we toured along the way. Our total rental cost, which included zero (yes, $0) deductible worked out to $40 USD/day. We drove from Cartagena to Salamanca (rental apartment), to Santiago de Compostela (rental apartment), finally to San Sebastian (rental apartment) where we returned the car. The entire Europcar process was flawless and the roads where mostly interstate-type highways. It was an excellent experience.
I enjoy both styles of travel, by train or by car. So far, all of your named destinations in both countries are served by train, except for a bus connection to Cadaques and some possible stops in Murcia. Where they run, Spanish trains usually work well, as do the buses (run by several private companies).
How to Look Up Train Schedules and Routes Online gives you the DB train schedule link, which works great for both countries, but doesn't sell tickets.
ALSA is the main Spanish bus company. They have a website and tickets can be bought day-of except in the heaviest days of summer travel season.
You don't say how long you will be traveling in Spain. If you have plenty of time, rent a car mostly and see the countryside and smaller towns. But the car is not easy or cheap in the cities so you might want a mix of car, bus and train.
If your time is limited (many people come here with a list like yours and say they only have 7-10 nights), take the trains with bus as alternates for a few destinations (like Cadaquez and Granada). Time becomes far more valuable on short trips.
Thank you all of your recommendations! I will be in the area 4-5 weeks (flexible). I am also planning to visit Morocco and Portugal.
Tentative Itinerary:
1.5-2 weeks: Paris, train to Marseilles. Rent car or take buses through Nimes coast and Aux Provence.
4 weeks:Take train to Cadaques, start route south with stops in: Pals, Girona, Barcelona, Tarragona, Valencia, Murcia, Almeria, Granada, Sevilla and Cordoba.
With car rental, do you recommend a credit card company that covers insurance/ other tips to reduce car rental costs?
I have a budget for trip, so looking out for economic options.
Thank you!
You should carefully research the expense of drop off fees for picking up a car in one country and leaving it in another. The same applies for a pick up in one city and dropping it off in another within the same country.
In terms of "time" as being part of an expense, please consider how often you will use the rental car vs time it will be left parked (especially in major cities). And also add the cost of parking the vehicle.
I've rented cars twice in Spain and returned at different locations with no drop-off fees. There are fees for picking up and/or returning cars at airports and train stations, about €25 each location. Trains are fast and easy in Spain, and cheap if you buy a couple months in advance. Unless Murcia is a must-see (and a car might be good), you can see all those cities by train (possibly fly on a budget airline from Barcelona to Granada) and you won't want or need a car while you are in them. I only took a car to drive through the pueblos blancos in Andalucia.
The best way from Spain to Morocco or Portugal is to fly. There are cheap flights and it's much faster. Portugal and Spain are not well-connected by land routes. If you want to take a car, figure out a loop from Spain into Portugal and back to Spain. The drop-off charges are likely to be prohibitive.
How long is your entire trip? You wrote 4-5 weeks, then said 4 weeks in Spain and another 1.5-2 in France, so up to 6 weeks. Then 2-4 weeks for Morocco and Portugal? Or is 4-5 weeks for all 4 countries? How much time are you planning to spend at each stop? On a long trip like this, a string of short stays (1-3 nights) can be exhausting after a couple of weeks. Do build in some "down time" - even once every 10 days.
