Going to be in Madrid this March/April for 9 days (7, subtracting travel) with one companion. We plan on moving south to indefinite locations at this point but most likely to include Cordoba & Granada. It will cost roughly the same amount to rent a compact car -without gas - as it will for both of us to purchase bus tickets. I am weighing the luxury/freedom of having the vehicle against the hassles of parking it & managing it in general. Does anyone have any feedback on the parking situation these areas or any other feedback on the subject? Thanks.
Posted by
Atlanta, Georgia
565 posts
I rented a car for most of the two weeks we spent in Spain. We rented it in Madrid, stayed in Toledo, Arcos, day tripped to the hill towns and Cordoba, and then turned it in in Granada and flew to Barcelona. Not a single issue finding parking. There are plenty of lots and a lot of free ones outside all the tourist areas. I would use a GPS as they will take you direct to the parking lots. Spain also doesn't have nearly as many toll roads as a lot of the other countries do, but make sure you have change as your credit card won't work at the self service booths (the chip thing). Granada can be a nightmare to navigate if you aren't use to city driving, but if you are, it's just a mild hassle. Driving and parking are much better than anything I have experienced in Italy, but not nearly as efficient and practical as in France. I didn't use any public transport in Spain so I can't attest to it but I've never come across a country where I preffered it, even in Italy. To me, it takes too much of my precious time waiting and makes you give up on those spontanious stops that sometimes make the whole trip. Good luck!
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
Parking's not a problem anywhere in Spain. Neither is driving - - except for Seville, which ranks right up there with Tokyo and Cairo as one of the meanest cities in the world to have a car. We ducked in there a few weeks ago since there was a couple of things my wife hadn't seen. It took me an hour and a half to get from the southern beltway to a hotel in the center of the historical area - - and I know the general layout of the city and we'd stayed in the hotel before. In the interest of matrimonial harmony, I should have turned tail and run.
Posted by
Winston Salem
30 posts
Parking is a problem... But. If you pick up the car as you are leaving Madrid (metro is fabulous and cheap there, €1 gets you to a destination anyplace in the system) then you will only have to worry about parking in Cordoba and Granada. Staying outside these cities will mean no or lower parking costs but increased cost of getting to the sights. If you have the time or money the train or bus option will help you avoid all of that. Having said that my family just returned from Spain and we did a mix of trains and car rentals. Our hotel in Granada shared the parking lot with the Alhambra (Hotel Guadalupe) so it was a discounted rate. Our other car city (Tarifa) had easy parking on the street. There are cheaper trains too, and those would give you a better price point to compare with rental car prices. The AVE trains are a lot more costly than the ALVIA's (time of day), though you can buy early and get great discounts on the Spanish language Renfe website. I had good luck emailing hotels to ask about parking situations. Check your travel dates against the Easter holidays in Spain. During that time parking is a serious concern and hotels are also pretty full. Happy planning!
Posted by
LaGrange, Ga, USA
1178 posts
Have been to Spain several times in the past 4 years...never drove...Use the public transportation in Madrid, and trains for the rest of the country. Might be possible to drive and park inthe two cities of Cordoba and Granada, but would be almost impossible to do so in Madrid, based on my observation of the congestion there, and having ridden in a car driven by local Spaniards. Get the car as you leave Madrid would be my advice.