We are visiting our daughter in Spain in 2009 and are driving from Madrid to Salamanca. We must get from Salamanca to Barcelona in one day - If we return the car in Madrid (2.5 hours drive) then it only takes about another 3 hours to get to Barcelona by train. If we drive, Google maps says the trip will take about 9 hours in the car (but will allow us to see the northern areas of Spain, such as Zaragoza and even Bilbao). Has anyone ever done the drive? Prefer the train? Any opinions are welcome...
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
You'll NEVER do the trip from Salamanca to Barcelona in 9 hours, at least, not if you want to stop and actually visit some of those places. It's more than a thousand kilometers or 625 miles....so that's at least 10 hours, not counting stops. I took five days to drive from Santiago to San Sebastian last month, and even than was rushing it. Leave northern Spain until you have a chance to enjoy what it has to offer.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
6814 posts
If you're pressed for time, either fly or take the train. It doesn't sound like driving is a realistic option for you even if you skip the side trip and stops.
Posted by
OP
Miami, FL, USA
2 posts
You are absolutely right, both of you. The high speed train is the way to get to Barcelona. I think we'll meander back to Madrid by car (a few hours) and then hop the train to Barcelona.
Thanks for all the good advice. CKO
Posted by
dallas, tx, usa
1358 posts
I would recommend driving only if you can arrange enough travel time to allow for it. Remember that parking is now almost impossible and petrol is more expensive every month. Traffic in Spain in unpredictable; so you cant know how much time to allow for travel between towns.
I would change my itinerary to provide travel time for a car or the train, knowing the restrictions of each.
Posted by
Breckenridge, CO
239 posts
We drove from Madrid to Barcelona in Oct via the wine region. It was very pretty, but we broke it up with a stay at the Parador in Calahorra, which was reasonable and very nice. It would be a very long day trip!! However, the highways are easy to navigate and we never hit traffic.