GETTING THERE
Arriving by plane
As a country located in Europe according to ethnicityology, Spain’s national airline is called Iberia (IB) (Internet: www.iberia.de). Iberia connects the EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg as well as Stuttgart and Hanover with Madrid. Lufthansa (LH) and Eurowings (EW) also
connect various German cities with the most important Spanish cities. Austrian Airlines (OS) flies from the major airports in Austria, while Swiss (LX) connects the international Swiss airports with Spain. There are good connections in international scheduled and package travel. Ryanair (FR) easyJet (U2)
and TUIfly (X3) connect German, Austrian and Swiss metropolises with Spain.
Norwegian Air Shuttle (DY) flies from Düsseldorf and Hanover to Spain.
The Swiss airline Sky Work Airlines flies several times a week from Bern to Barcelona.
Flight times
Berlin – Barcelona: 2 hours 30 minutes; Berlin – Madrid: 3 hours; Frankfurt – Barcelona: 2 hours; Frankfurt – Madrid: 2 hours 30 minutes; Vienna – Barcelona: 2 hours 30 minutes; Vienna – Madrid: 3 hours; Zurich – Barcelona: 1 hour 40 minutes; Zurich – Madrid: 2 hours 10 minutes.
Arrival by car
Car: The main highways to Spain lead from France via Bordeaux or Toulouse to Bilbao (northern Spain) and via Marseille or Toulouse to Barcelona (eastern Spain). The route through the Pyrenees Tunnel to France leads from Lleida (Lerida) via the Spanish N230 to the Tunnel de Vielha. There it goes in France through the Vall d’Aran and the Central Pyrenees to Montrejeau. Long-
distance bus: Flixbus (Internet: www.flixbus.de) and Eurolines (Internet: www.eurolines.com) travel from Germany to Spain.
Arriving by train
No direct train connections from Germany and Austria. Usually you change trains in Paris, there are also connections via Italy / Monaco and Switzerland.
TGV and AVE high-speed trains run from Paris, Lyon, Toulouse and Marseille to Barcelona and Madrid, respectively.
Trains run from Basel to Barcelona. Further information from the Swiss Federal Railways (Internet: www.sbb.ch).
InterRail passes are also valid in Spain. Details see Germany.
Note on arriving by train
A railway tunnel is to be built between Spain and Morocco.
Arrival by ship
A ferry connects Barcelona with the Italian Genoa and the Italian Civitavecchia. With Trasmediterranea (Internet: www.trasmediterranea.es) you can travel from Almeria in Spain to Nador in Morocco. There are also ferry connections to Morocco between Almeria and Melilla with Trasmediterranea (Internet: www.trasmediterranea.es) as well as between Malaga (Spain) and Melilla, between Algericias (Spain) and Tangier and between Algericias and Ceuta. Grimaldi Ferries (Internet: www.grimaldi-ferries.com) offers connections from Civitavecchia and Livorno to Barcelona.
Aida Cruises (Internet: www.aida.de) offers Cruises between Spain, Portugal, the Balearic Islands, Canaries and Italy. Royal Carribbean (Internet: www.royalcarribbean.com) cruises from Barcelona to France, Italy and Malta. Costa (Internet: http://www.costacruises.com) travels to Italy, Malta, Spain and Tunisia. Barcelona is currently the leading cruise port in Europe.
Rail passes
Discounts: Discounted day return tickets are offered. Children under 4 years of age travel for free, children between 4 and 14 years of age get 40% off the fare, young people receive a 25% discount, senior citizens 25-40%. There are also discounts of 10-25% pp for groups of 10-25 people. Conexión aérea offers a 25% discount for air passengers who show their flight ticket when purchasing a ticket.
InterRail passes are also valid in Spain, for details see p. Germany.
The Renfe Spain Pass (Internet: www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/viajes_internacionales/spainpass/index.html) can be purchased by travelers who are not resident in Spain and entitle them to travel on AVE high-speed trains. The Renfe Spain Pass is valid for one month from the first trip. Renfe Spain Pass holders can choose between 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12 train journeys within one month.
Note on rail travel
Special trains:
The Tren de la Fresa (strawberry train) runs from April to October (but not in August) between Madrid and Aranjuez.
The Transcantábrico (FEVE) runs from June to October on a delightful route through northern Spain from León to Santiago de Compostela. Information and reservations through RENFE.
The Limonen Express takes you from Benidorm along the Costa Blanca.
From the Ferrocarril Cremallera rack railway in Montserrat (Internet: www.cremallerademontserrat.com), the traveler has overwhelming impressions of the mountainous landscape of the Pyrenees.
Out and about by ship
Hydrofoils and car ferries run regularly between Algeciras and Ceuta (exclave in North Africa), Málaga (or Almería) and Melilla (exclave in North Africa), Barcelona, Valencia as well as Alicante and the Balearic Islands and between Cádiz and the Canary Islands. A catamaran ferry runs twice a day between Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca (travel time 3 hours). More information from Trasmediterránea (Internet: www.trasmediterranea.es). River cruises on the Douro include Nicko Cruises.
ACCOMMODATION
Hotels
Wide range of hotel accommodation of all classes, including apartments, motels and residences. Residencias do not have a dining room, but offer breakfast and a cafeteria. More information from the Spanish Tourist Office (see addresses).
Camping
In Spain there are campsites of all levels and in all price ranges. A camping ID is recommended. Outside the campsites, permission must be obtained from the police and the property owner; no more than three tents / caravans may be set up and no more than 10 campers per pitch. Private camping is only allowed in remote, lonely places. For more information, contact the ANCE Camping Association, San Bernardo 9799, E-28015 Madrid. Tel: (91) 448 12 34.
Other accommodation options
Information from the Spanish Tourist Office or the Spanish Youth Hostel Association (REAJ), which currently has around 190 youth hostels across Spain. A booking fee is charged for reservations. Barcelona address: C Rocafort 116-122, E-08015 Barcelona. Tel: (934) 83 83 66.; Madrid address: C Fernando el Católico 88, E-28606 Madrid. Tel: (91) 543 74 12. (Internet: http://www.reaj.com/)