We desire to rent a car in Madrid and do a day trip to Avila and Segovia. The trip will start around 8am and return at about 9PM. This will be in late June and our B&B is about 10 minutes walk from the Atocha train station. We are concerned about the traffic. We are from the US so will be driving on a familiar side of the road. We are considering renting a car at the Atocha train station OR at the Madrid airport. (We have International Driving Permit) How is the rush hour traffic going north from the airport or Atocha? How is the traffic and roads to these cities or between Avila and Segovia? Thank you for any tips or comments.
Posted by
Chicago
647 posts
I assume the reason for renting a car is that you want to do both places in the
same day? Otherwise the bus or train is very efficient.
Clearly the airport will have less traffic issue than trying to drive out/into central
Madrid, but you might have an airport surcharge cost, and you have to get there
from central Madrid.
Can you take the Metro or Cercanias and rent someplace on the north side of
Madrid? Chamartin station, for example, is much closer to the highway, but I dont
know where they rent cars nearby.
Posted by
8245 posts
Traffic is no fun in Madrid. We were just there last week. Also, parking is difficult in the Medieval towns of Avila and Segovia.
I took a great bus tour to Segovia and Avila that included lunch, cost was $75.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
geovagriffith; Can you provide the name of the tour company you used? Thank You
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7157 posts
If departing from Atocha it’s a straight drive to get onto M-30 beltway. You’d head west on it to the A-6 west and follow the signs. During rush hour traffic will be very heavy on the M-30.
If I was going to drive from the airport I’d take the back roads to get to Segovia first. You’ll probably spend more time there than Ávila. From the airport head towards Colmenar Viejo on the M-607, then the CL-601 towards Real Sitio de San Ildefonso. That’s about an hour’s drive and gets you away from the rush hour traffic quickest. From Real Sitio de San Ildefonso, head to Segovia. Visit Ávila after Segovia. From Ávila it will take and 1-1.5 hours to get back to the airport. One can get a good view of the walls from Cuatro Postes where there is a free lot (I’m not sure if there’s a time limit). From it to the historic center is a half mile.
Last year we managed to avoid tolls when we made those drives. As stated, parking in both Segovia and Ávila could be challenging, so look up parking lots before going over and bookmark them on your navigation system so you can go straight to them. There are some free lots, but they are not in the historic center. You’d need to walk about a mile.
Posted by
Paris
7303 posts
I would look into renting from one of the offices at Plaza de España instead of Atocha. Straight shot on Calle Princesa to the A6 motorway towards Ávila. If Atocha is more convenient for you, it is still fine, but all things being equal I would go from Pza. España.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7157 posts
With regard to the actual driving, once away from Madrid traffic will be fairly light. Between Ávila and Segovia you can take a toll road part of the way (AP-51). It will be a highway. The alternative is the N-110. It parallels the toll road, isn’t one, and only takes a couple minutes longer. The drive should be slightly less than an hour.
If taking the road north from the airport through Colmenar Viejo and Real Sitio de San Ildefonso, Segovia is about 1hr 10min. and you will go over a mountain. It is a two lanes road with some twists and turns, but the road is in good repair.
If going to Ávila first, you can take the A-6 to the toll roads AP-6 and AP-51, or you can take the back roads past San Lorenzo de El Escorial (M-600 to M-505 that changes into CL-505). Taking the back roads will add 15 minutes to the drive, but it’s still only 1hr 36min. and you won’t pay a toll.
Posted by
8245 posts
Our 13 day tour was with Gate 1 Travel and they are great for a reasonable price.
I did a day tour of Avila and Segovia after the 13 day tour. I wouldn't recommend that specific tour company.
There are several options. Make sure you have the opportunity to go inside the cathedral in Segovia.
Posted by
Sacramento
34 posts
Keep your wits about you and your eyes on your possessions. In 2014 we picked up a rental car (clearly identified as such by the window sticker) in Madrid. Don’t remember where we got it, but not the train or plane station. We had an unfortunate incident occur that was initiated at the first service rest stop we went into use the facilities. Unbeknownst to us, our rear tire was punctured there, just enough to go flat as we approached the next non-service rest area which was secluded by trees. We pulled over and while we were in back trying to figure out a spare and calling for ptow service, a person rummaged our back seat and took my purse. Fortunately they left the Leica camera untouched. A person who feigned to be emptying the garbage cans had come over to “help”(distract) us, adding to the confusion. He disappeared suddenly, “into thin air”.
Posted by
526 posts
I didn’t think the traffic was bad during evening rush hour. If you’ve driven in any large metropolitan area, it’s not particularly different. Outside of the cities, driving is a dream compared to interstate driving in the states. People keep right except to pass and traffic, which tends to be lighter, flows pretty smoothly.