Which is the most convenient way to travel in Spain ?

Question

Greetings,

I am planning to go on a 10 day trip in Spain starting with the 17th of September 2007. I will be arriving in Barcelona, but still I want to visit some of the others Spain cities as well. For now I think at: Sevillia, Madrid, Granada, Valencia. Can anyone indicate me a cheap and fast way to travel through Spain. Is it by train ? Is it by bus ? Is it by low cost air operators ? It would be great if you could also tell me which company I should choose.

Answer 1

I will tell you right off the bat that you would really be rushing it to try to do justice to all those places in ten days.   With Barcelona as your starting point -- you are 1130 Kilometers or 700 miles from Seville. It's a five hour train ride from Barcelona to Madrid.

The best way to really see Spain is by car in my opinion and car rental is about the same price as train fare between major cities -- although you really don't need a car in any of the major cities you mentioned -- but you can miss a lot of stuff that is in between major destinations.

I think you need at least three days in both Barcelona and Madrid. You can also take the AVE a very fast train that can get you to Cordoba from Madrid in 2 hours and Seville in 2 1/2 hours. The AVE doens't run to Barcelona but does leave from Llieda which is about an hour away from Barcelona.

Maybe you should Consider just doing Barcelona and Madrid and making side trips to Toledo near Madrid and Girona near Barcelona using train or renting car in Barcelona after your visit and driving to Madrid taking a couple of days staying at a place llike Cuenca, Zaragosa or Segobriga for the night and explore the countryside a bit also, the landscape is beautiful and extremely varied and there are castles, Roman Ruins, and smaller villages to explore.  Then drop of the car in Madrid..

Just some stuff to think about.

Answer 2

By Train. Renfe is reliable or if you want to pay a little more then take a few flights. They aren´t as expensive as you think..

Take care..

Bcn_mimosa from Barcelona, Spain

Answer 3

I recommend Train for comfort and speed . Please check

www.renfe.es. The pages can be translated from Spanish.

Hope this is helpful

Answer 4

Train is possibly the best way, as all those cities are very well connected. If you are from outside Europe, you could get a rails pass, which is quite affordable. Website www.renfe.es. Also less hassle as by car, as suggested, specially for parking, paying toll and more. I do not suggest bus. They drive through almost every town on their way from A to B. And flights within Spain are usually not that cheap.

Answer 5

Train for sure

Answer 6

Within Spain, I would travel by train.  If you are American, you can purchase a train pass that will let you hop on and off the train for a certain number of days, for a good price.  

If not, if you have internet access, you can pretty much play it by ear.  Otherwise, try to plan your trip ahead of time.  Almost all cities have a tourism office that can help you arrange transportation.  Bring a list of their addresses with you.  They are very helpful.