We are doing a car tour starting and ending in Lisbon but including a stop in Madrid. Our preferred accommodations are near Plaza Mayor. There is no reason for us to have a car in Madrid, and I would like to park it for the four days we visit. Should I attempt to store it in a parking garage near the Plaza or would it make more sense to park it on the outskirts say near the airport and Uber in? Do I have to worry about restricted vehicle zones for a Portugese (non-local) rental vehicle if I attempt to park it near the Plaza? I appreciate any input. Thank you.
Posted by
new york
626 posts
The area near Plaza Mayor would not be ideal for parking; this is central Madrid and in a restricted driving zone.
But you can enter the zone if you select a hotel that offers parking, but that would incur an expensive daily parking rate, or if you park in a garage, also expensive.
This should be helpful, it includes info on free parking on the outskirts.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7838 posts
In addition to the restricted driving areas Madrid is also in an air quality zone that requires an environmental sticker a Portugal rented car won’t have. You’d need to check to see if you could even drive the vehicle into the city just to park it.
There is a parking garage across the street from Atocha station, beneath the plaza in front of the Reina Sofía museum (Parking APK2 Sánchez Bustillo). Its entrance is off of Calle de Atocha. It is a 15 walk (approximately) from the Plaza Mayor and can easily be reached from the M-30 and avoiding the restricted driving zones. No idea what the daily rate is or even if you can leave a vehicle there for four days.
While not optimal, a hotel with its own parking garage would be best. That unfortunately means your lodging would probably be distance from the Plaza Mayor.
Back in 2007, I stayed at the Melia Castilla out by Chamartín and soccer stadium and at that time parking was €20 a day. It was near the Cuzco metro stop and we took the metro to the historic center; about a 20 minutes ride.
Posted by
new york
626 posts
The hotel I stay in offers parking, but it is in Salamanca and I imagine the daily rate is very high.
Posted by
OP
Calgary, Alberta
5 posts
Follow up to our rental car experience in Spain:
Getting around Spain with a rental car was very straightforward with google maps. I did not run into any toll highways. Our accommodations were in pedestrian zones the middle of the old towns (Seville, Granada, Madrid). The key is to have a driver and navigator (who get along), and to get instructions from the chosen hotel a day or two in advance of your stay. Each hotel we stayed in was able to recommend a convenient parking garage near the hotel. For Seville and Madrid, the garages were within a five minute walk from the hotels. In Granada, the walking distance was considerably farther. The hotel instructed us to grab a cab from the parking garage and they reimbursed us for the cab ride when we arrived. Beware though that the cost of parking is astronomical. The daily cost in Seville and Madrid worked out to about 30 and 40 euro respectively. Also in Madrid, there are non-resident and environmental vehicle restrictions in the old town centre. Instructions from the hotel were that as long as you drove in, parked and didn’t move the car from the garage for the length of your stay, there was no penalty. If you leave and re-enter on the same day, you would get a penalty. Of course, I will update this if the car rental company sends me a bill after the fact for any ticket/penalty. Yes there were some frizzled nerves driving in the city centres, but my driving partner and myself are still friends so I take that as a win.
Posted by
TX, USA
5455 posts
Thanks for reporting back!
Posted by
Wisconsin
587 posts
Yes, thank you for reporting back. It's good to know that your hotels were so helpful.
It would be nice if everyone reported back. Sigh. :)
Posted by
new york
626 posts
Another thank you for reporting back!!
Yes, the driver and navigator must get along!!!
I was once left alone (as a passenger) upon entering Montepulciano (Italy) when the driver had had enough of what were called my "poor navigation skills." (This, in the days of paper maps) Driver stormed off, much to the amusement of passersby!!
Sounds like it worked out really well, and the fact that the hotel in Granada paid for the taxi..even better!!
Posted by
Orlando
10 posts
I just spent 2 weeks driving all over Spain, but not Madrid, we dumped our car at the airport rental agency.
The taxi could not even get into the Plaza Mayor area due to protests held every Saturday. No way to drive in Madrid.
Parking is tough everyplace. I would not drive in Spain again. I got a ticket in the mail one month later for Euro 100 for crossing a white like on the toll road. Try to pay a fine offshore. Not easy. Take the train.
We drove all of Portugal one year ago, not so hard to park.