Driving in Spain?

Spain has one of the newest and now most dense highway networks of Western Europe, on top of local roads and scenic rural/countryside/mountain old lanes. There are no particular tricks, just make yourself familiar with the basic signage (Europe uses far more symbols instead of text instructions). Be observant of speed limits and "beginning of city speed limit" regulations that apply in Spain (and elsewhere). As for theft and vandalism, general rules apply: avoid leaving your whole vacation gear in plain view, unattended, overnight in your car. You don't have reason to park, let alone park overnight, in some rougher areas of big cities, so you should be safe. There are a reasonable number of trucks on highways, but they usually behave better than in North America. Many highways, though, are relatively empty and some are outright desert (especially when you have the option of a tolled highway instead of an untolled highway on the same alignment such as Valencia-Barcelona, Madrid-Toledo etc)

Thank you! I see you are a resident of the Netherlands. Maybe European drivers are not as troubled by the narrow roads and other quirks we have encountered driving in Europe? After driving in Italy with trucks zooming past our tiny car on the autostrada my husband said no more. But I am wondering if the roads in Spain are maybe easier for North Americans? Also, I have seen more reported incidents of theft from cars (even closed trunks) from Spain than from any other country, but maybe that is just coincidence? One report had people getting robbed while stopped at a light in Barcelona. (But of course we wouldn't drive in the cities, I am just wondering if we should consider a car for traveling more rural areas like the hill towns of Andalucia.)

I have not rented a car in Spain, but drove with friends on several trips. Even they did not leave anything in sight in the car, but locked everything in the trunk. The highways and roads were quite good, not narrow, very well-signed. I had difficulty figuring out their parking markings (handicapped parking areas, for example, or motorcycle areas), but other than that it was much like here.

I got the impression that roads are narrow and have lots of trucks from reading a book about the Camino de Santiago. The author walked some portions along roads and had nothing good to say about the traffic. But maybe it feels different when one is driving not walking.

I've got a California driver's license and I've got a German one. I lived and worked in San Diego for many years - and travel back there frequently. And of course I drive in Germany. And I've been to Spain including Andalucia. I have to say drivers in Andalucia are not as poorly behaved as they are in Southern California. But then they may not be as relaxed and rules-obeying as they are in Germany or the Netherlands (well, actually let's keep the NL out of this as their drivers are the main cause for almost all German traffic jams, at least on the freeways. A Dutchman would never pass the magic mark of 55 mph. They just love staying way below this limit...). Anyway, the roads network in Andalucia is great, very new... and people know how to drive. In any country I'm not familiar driving in I never rent the smallest car. You need your comfort zone around you, your bumper zone. Just like you didn't enjoy Italian roads in an economy 2 door car you wouldn't enjoy the streets of Seattle in such a tiny tin box either... Since rental cars in Spain are rather affordable (www.doyouspain.com, which is where we always get our cars from) go for something Jetta-sized...

Driving in Spain is like driving anywhere else in Europe, and frankly not that different than in America, except that roads tend not to be as wide in some cases. North of Madrid is the region of Castile and Leon. SanSebastian is in the Basque Country. Violating rules are likely to result in tickets as it would be in America. Theft or vandalism are not any more likely than in the US. There are trucks on main roads in Spain as there are in America. Renting a car in Spain is a good idea to visit the countryside and the small towns. It's not a good idea for the big cities.

There is major difference between driving in smaller towns in Spain or Italy, though. Because Spain was much poorer than other mountainous/rugged European countries well into the late 1970s, they didn't make the swift adaptations you find in Italy (and sometimes France) that frightens drivers such as a road that suddenly narrows itself near a house that's been half-gutted to open a street. So it is more common, in Spain, to have parking lots in the outskirts of small touristic historic towns from where you walk through pedestrianized alleys/streets to their major attractions. Small cars are not good for highway driving. The blank speed limit for highways in Spain (unless otherwise posted) is 120km/h, and some distances can be quite far. So I do not recommend renting the smallest possible car.

San Sebastian is in the Basque region, just south is the Rioja area that makes some of the best wine in Spain. We drove and found the roads to be great, with very little traffic. You have several choices, Autopistas (AP) are toll roads - I'd avoid these because you don't gain enough time to justify paying the toll. Autovias (A) are also highways with no tolls - use these when you can. National roads (N) will also get you around fairly conveniently but they go through towns rather than past them, so expect to slow down regularly. We tend to start one place in the morning and make a stop or two before our night - stay there a couple nights - then do the same to the next stop. That's easy to do with a rental car but hard to manage with public transport in Spain (though I've often done it using regional trains in Germany). Cars are a pain in large cities, so if your style is point-to-point, large city to large city, you wouldn't want a car. I plan my cities at the start and end (that's where the airports are) and pick up the car as I leave the first city, then drop off as I arrive in the last. The train system in Spain is limited, it's fine when available but won't get you everywhere conveniently. The more complete public transport system are the busses - which will get you to anywhere cheaply, often as fast or faster than a train. The downside with busses (or trains) is connection times. If every trip is from an overnight stop to another overnight stop, it's not a bad way to get around but it doesn't lend itself well to multiple intermediate stops. We never had an issue with vandalism or car prowling. If it is a problem in Spain, I never saw any evidence of it.

The Camino is in northern Spain, and many parts of it are on smaller roads or even areas unreachable by car. It is not, for the most part, near major roads until it gets into cities, like Leon and Burgos. Most of Spain has excellent roads and highways.