Mainland Spain is situated on the Iberian
peninsula in the southwest of Europe. It also encompasses two groups of islands.
The Islas Baleares (Balearic Islands), in the Mediterranean, Mallorca the
largest island is just over one hundred miles off the eastern coast and the
Islas Canarias (Canary Islands) which are situated approximately five hundred
miles to the southwest and lie off the Atlantic coast of Morocco. Mellila and
Cueta are two Spanish enclaves in Morocco on the African continent.
Whilst Spain is one of the world's leading
destinations for the package holiday there is more to this country than the
beaches of the costas and islands. The independent traveler will want to move
around see what more Spain has to offer.
Getting there - There are thirty one airports
on the mainland serving the following cities and towns: A Coruna, Albacete,
Alicante, Almerķa, Asturias, Badajoz, Barcelona, Bilbao, Burgos, Cordoba, Girona,
Granada, Jerez de la Frontera, Leon, Madrid, Malaga, Murcia, Pamplona, Reus,
Sabadell, Salamanca, San Sebastian, Santander, Santiago, Sevilla, Valencia,
Valladolid, Vigo and Zaragoza. In the Canaries the islands of El Hierro,
Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, La Gomera, Lanzarote and Tenerife and in the
Balearics Ibiza, Menorca and Mallorca all have airports. Gibraltar, the British
colony at the southern most tip of Spain, also has it's own airport. British
Airways and the Monarch fly daily to Gibraltar from several departure points in
the United Kingdom and Monarch has some very good deals on seats.
Major carriers provide scheduled flights to
Spain but it is also a principal destination for budget airlines with return
flights available for less than 100 Euros from other European cities. It is also
possible to pick up bargain seats on the many charter flights serving the
tourist industry. Air travel within Spain, with the exception of a couple of
budget airlines, is expensive.
Major roads provide access from Portugal to the
west and France which borders Spain to the northeast. Road travel within the
country can vary. Many roads are not of a good standard but Spain has received
billions of Euros in aid from the European Union and much of this has been spent
on the infrastructure and so it is also possible to travel on some of the newest
and finest roads on the continent. The country is well served by many bus
companies linking the major towns and cities with express services. There are
also a wealth of local bus services.
The train service is well developed enabling
access to the country from both Portugal and France and fast travel between
towns and cities within Spain. Fares are cheap compared to some other major
European countries. Madrid and Barcelona are served by extensive Metro
(underground railway) networks.
In addition to the many inter island services
ferries run from the mainland to both the island groups and the two enclaves in
Morocco. The Canary Islands are served by a boat running from Cadiz. The journey
is long, some 48 hours and the sea conditions often make for a rough passage. It
may be preferable to fly although as we have already pointed out this can be
expensive. Ferries from Tariffa and Algeciras, in the Andalucian province of
Cadiz, run to Tanger in Morroco. Ferries also link the enclave of Cueta with
Tariffa, Algeciras and Malaga. Mellila, the other enclave is served by a boats
out of Malaga and Almeria. The Balearic Islands have services to the mainland
running to Barcelona, Valencia and Denia.
Anysubject has Spanish tutors throughout the UK and beyond. We also offer contact
with these tutors via our excellent online service.
If you would like to see our prices
for tuition in Spanish - please click here.