I think I have figured out that for our family of 4 (2 adults, 2 teens) it will be cheaper to rent a car than to take trains for our "in country" transportation in Spain. But I don't want to actually take the rental card INTO the big cities, just want to use it to get from place to place and use public transportation in the cities themselves. We fly in and out of Madrid, and will travel to Granada, Sevilla and Segovia. I need suggestions on what to do with the car while we're in the city. Thanks for your help!
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
One option is to book only hotels in the cities that provide secure parking. You leave the car parked the entire time you're in that city and have the hotel deliver it to the front door upon your checkout.
Posted by
OP
Stillwater, MN, USA
24 posts
Thanks for your reply. I'm guessing that the hotels with secure parking cost more than our budget allows. And, I don't really want to drive into the city at all. Are there secure car parks outside the cities? Thanks!
Posted by
Portland
3635 posts
For Granada, I suggest you look into Hotel Macia Real de la Alhambra. We stayed there last spring at a cost of 80 euros/night for a large, extremely well-appointed room. They have an underground garage - - extra charge, but not horrendous, maybe 10 euros? Breakfast is not included. We were in Segovia in 2001, and I don't recall any problem about driving to our hotel, which, as I recall, also had its own garage.
Posted by
dallas, tx, usa
1358 posts
When advice from others fails, look for a subway station as you drive through each town. I always ask someone so I can park on the street near the station.
I have never failed to handle transportation in that way. Sometimes I take the trolley or bus. I have driven a car in every European country.
Posted by
Macclenny, Florida
23 posts
My mom, sister and I did the same thing. What we ended up doing was staying a little outside the actual tourist area of the city, so that there was parking available at the hotel, but close enough that a taxi ride to the tourist sites was still relatively cheap. In other cities, we stayed in centrally located hotels with parking garages.
It sounds like you won't need the car while in Madrid at all which eliminates the problem of parking in that city. You can pick it up on the way out of town and then return it when you come back into town. That's what we did - if you rent & return at the airport there is a metro station you can hop on right there in the terminal so you can easily get into the city.