Up to 60 million visitors travel to Spain every
year to delight in the country’s 315 sunny days and its rich and diverse history
and culture. As a result the Spanish government spend millions of Euros per year
on the travel and transport infrastructure to service the country’s growing
population and its ever growing numbers of visitors.
Therefore Spain has to be one of the easiest
and most affordable of the world’s popular destinations in terms of its
accessibility - particularly from the UK and Northern America. For example there
are cheap flights available from all British airports to main and regional
airports across Spain daily and direct flights from the main Spanish hubs to the
US daily. As an alternative for British and European travellers there are
fantastic countrywide train, coach and ferry links and great access for those
who prefer to travel by car.
This article breaks down the main Spanish
travel options by region.
Northern Spain – The easiest way to access this
region is by plane from one of the main UK airports flying directly to Bilbao or
from the US to Malaga with transfer to Bilbao. It’s possible to connect with
Iberia flights for connections across the North and throughout Spain. Alsa and
Eurolines have sophisticated coach networks and it’s possible to travel all the
way across Europe to Bilbao or San Sebastian and then pick up local coaches or
rail connections. You can also sail from the UK port of Plymouth to Santander
with Brittany Ferries, or you could take the P & O route from Portsmouth to
Bilbao.
Castile and La Rioja – The cheapest way to
access these regions is possibly to fly to one of the main Spanish hubs –
Barcelona, Bilbao or Madrid for example, and then either drive or get connecting
flights. You can connect with Iberia for flights to Logrona in La Rioja or
Valladolid in Castile. Castile, Rioja and Navarre are serviced by an excellent
road network which makes getting around simple and again, Alsa coaches will
connect you with major and minor destinations across the regions and the entire
country.
Aragon, Navarre and the Pyrenees – As these
regions are easily accessible by car or coach from Madrid it may be best to get
a cheap flight to Madrid and then drive the E90 to the heart of the region. You
could consider getting a connecting flight to Zaragoza in the middle of the
region which is a good jumping off point for explorations in this stunning part
of Spain. Alternatively access to this region can be made by rail or coach.
Eurolines coaches will connect you with Pamplona or Zaragoza; Eurostar rail will
take you from the UK to Paris and from Paris you can catch an overnight high
speed rail link to Madrid…from Madrid the options are varied, from local rail
and coach connections, car hire, and local flight connections with Iberia.
Costa Brava and Costa Dorada – As we move east
to the beautiful Northern Catalonian coastal regions of the Costa Brava and
Costa Dorada, so accessibility increases. Barcelona airport is the main airport
for these regions and it welcomes cheap UK and US flights. You can then connect
to Girona in the Costa Brava region or Reus in the Costa Dorada region.
Barcelona itself has an underground train network for access throughout the
city, and if you want to travel further afield the Spanish rail service RENFE
has many mainline and local services servicing both regions. The main coastal
road in Costa Brava is the A7, with the A2 taking you west away from Barcelona
and the C32 taking you south from Barcelona into the Costa Dorada. Barcelona has
a port with ferry services to Genoa, Rome, Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza.
Central Spain and Madrid – Central Spain’s main
airport is Madrid and it welcomes direct flights from all the major UK and US
airports and some of the smaller ones as well. As Madrid is such a major city
you can imagine it acts as an important travel hub for the whole of Spain. Coach
and rail networks and main auto routes all radiate from the city. Madrid has two
main stations with trains departing for regional and international destinations,
and the city has an underground metro system as well.
Costa del Azahar – The main travel hub of this
region is Valencia with the city’s airport enjoying direct UK flights. To access
the rest of the region you can take advantage of the RENFE services from
Valencia or enjoy the city via the FGV trams and underground trains. If you want
to travel from the coast to Madrid take the N430 and A3; to explore the coast
take the A7. Again, Eurolines coaches operate connections to towns and cities in
this region including Valencia, Sagunt and Vinaros. And last but not least,
Valencia is a port city and has ferries running across the Mediterranean with
destinations including Malta, Ibiza, Italy etc.
Costa Blanca – Most visitors for this region
enter via Alicante airport. With the Costa Brava well serviced by roads and
Alicante airport offering great car hire opportunities many people prefer to
access the rest of the region by road, though RENFE, Eurolines and Alsa offer
excellent rail and coach alternatives.
Costa Calida – Murcia is the main airport for
this region, though Alicante airport is also accessible affording visitors and
residents an extra opportunity and advantage. From Murcia there are a number of
major train services including direct links to Madrid. In terms of roads, again
the Costa Calida is a region with an excellent network of major roads and
routes: the N340 runs from Alicante through Murcia to the Costa del Sol, the A7
hugs the coast and local, national and international coach lines service the
area. In the port town of Cartagena a passenger terminal was built in 2003 which
now serves as a destination for some of the major cruise liners on their way to
and from destinations around France, Greece and the Black Sea Coast.
Costa de Almeria – You’re spoilt for choice
when it comes to airports serving this region, you can fly to Alicante or Murcia
and travel by road or rail into the region or you can fly direct to Almeria
airport. The cheapest flights are often to Alicante. RENFE have mainline train
services from Almeria to the city of Granada, Eurolines, Alsa and Enatcar all
offer coach services across Costa de Almeria. The major routes in the region are
the N340 which runs from Costa Calida through the town of Almeria and on south
to the Costa del Sol, the A92 which connects with Granada and the A348 which
connects Almeria with the Alpujarras. In terms of sea access, Transmediterranea
have ferries from the port of Almeria to Northern Africa.
Costa del Sol and Andalucia – If you can’t get
a flight to this region of Spain you must be doing something wrong – or maybe
just hoping to travel during peak season! The main airport is Malaga and nearly
every single airline you can think of flies from almost every single UK and US
airport you can think of! If you can’t get a flight and you’re in the UK you
might consider driving to the Costa del Sol! In which case your best bet would
be to sail from Plymouth to Santander or from Portsmouth to Bilbao and then
travel the 900 or so kilometres south. If you start off in Bilbao you’ll need
the A68 and A1 to Burgos, or from Santander take the N623 to Burgos – then from
Burgos travel via the N1 to Madrid. From Madrid head to Granada, from Granada
head for Malaga…phew! Alternatively get a Euroline coach all the way from the UK
to Estepona or Malaga or travel from Paris on the fast night train to Madrid and
connect with the AVE fast train to Cordoba which in turn connects up with
regional Costa del Sol services.
Costa de la Luz and Gibraltar – You can either
fly to Gibraltar or Jerez in the region or make use of the many cheap flights to
Spain that land in Malaga. There are ferry services between Tarifa and Algeciras
in Spain and Tangiers in Morocco, bus and rail services across Europe and
through Spain to the Costa de la Luz and strong road links with the E15 serving
Gibraltar from the mainland.
Whatever your final destination you should be
able to find cheap flights to some of Spain’s main airports and then use local
and regional travel services to access your destination of choice; as I hope
I’ve shown, the whole of Spain is incredibly easily accessible.
Anysubject has Spanish tutors throughout the UK and beyond. We also offer contact
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About The Author
Visit
http://www.tea-now.com to learn more. Ron King is a writer and web
developer, visit his website
http://www.ronxking.com Copyright 2006 Ron King. This article may be
reprinted if the resource box is left intact and the links live.
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