Up to 60 million visitors travel to Spain each year to revel in the country’s 315 sunny days and its rich and diverse history and culture. As a result, the Spanish government spends millions of euros a year on travel and transportation infrastructure to service the country’s growing population and growing number of visitors.
Therefore, Spain has to be one of the easiest and most affordable popular destinations in the world in terms of accessibility, especially from the UK and North America. For example, there are cheap flights available from all UK airports to major and regional airports in Spain every day and direct flights from major Spanish hubs to the US every day. As an alternative for British and European travellers, there are fantastic train, coach and ferry links across the country and excellent access for those who prefer to travel by car.
This article breaks down the main Spanish travel options by region.
north of 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 a transfer to Bilbao. It is possible to connect with Iberia flights for connections throughout the North and throughout Spain. Alsa and Eurolines have sophisticated coach networks and it is possible to travel across Europe to Bilbao or San Sebastian and then take local coach or rail connections. You can also sail from the UK port of Plymouth to Santander with Brittany Ferries, or you can 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, for example Barcelona, Bilbao or Madrid, and then drive or take connecting flights. You can connect with Iberia for flights to Logrona in La Rioja or Valladolid in Castilla. Castilla, Rioja and Navarra have an excellent road network that makes getting around easy and, once again, Alsa’s coaches will connect you with the main and secondary destinations in the regions and throughout the country.
Aragon, Navarra and the Pyrenees – As these regions are easily accessible by car or bus from Madrid, it may be best to get a cheap flight to Madrid and then drive along the E90 into the heart of the region. You might consider taking a connecting flight to Zaragoza in the center of the region, which is a good starting point for exploring this stunning part of Spain. Alternatively, access to this region can be done by train or coach. Eurolines coaches will connect you with Pamplona or Zaragoza; The Eurostar train will take you from the UK to Paris and from Paris you can take an overnight high speed rail link to Madrid… from Madrid the options are varied, from local train and coach connections, car hire and connections of local flights with Iberia. .
Costa Brava and Costa Dorada – As we move east towards the beautiful northern Catalan coastal regions of the Costa Brava and Costa Dorada, accessibility increases. Barcelona Airport is the main airport for these regions and receives cheap flights from the United Kingdom and the United States. You can then connect to Girona in the Costa Brava region or Reus in the Costa Dorada region. Barcelona itself has a network of underground trains to access the entire city, and if you want to travel further afield, the Spanish RENFE rail service has many mainline and local services serving both regions. The main coastal road on the Costa Brava is the A7, the A2 takes you west of Barcelona and the C32 takes you south of Barcelona towards the Costa Dorada. Barcelona has a port with ferry services to Genoa, Rome, Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza.
Central Spain and Madrid – The main airport in the center of Spain is Madrid and receives direct flights from the main airports in the UK and USA and also from some of the smaller ones. Since Madrid is such an important city, you can imagine that it acts as a major travel hub for all of Spain. Bus and train networks and major automobile routes run from the city. Madrid has two main stations with trains leaving for regional and international destinations, and the city also has an underground metro system.
orange blossom coast – The main travel hub for this region is Valencia, with the city’s airport enjoying direct flights from the UK. To access the rest of the region you can take advantage of the RENFE services from Valencia or enjoy the city through the FGV trams and subways. If you want to travel from the coast to Madrid take the N430 and the A3; to explore the coast, take the A7. Once 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 crossing the Mediterranean with destinations including Malta, Ibiza, Italy, etc.
White shore – Most visitors to this region enter through Alicante airport. With the Costa Brava well connected by road and Alicante airport offering excellent car rental opportunities, many people prefer to access the rest of the region by road, although RENFE, Eurolines and Alsa offer excellent train and coach alternatives.
Warm Coast – Murcia is the main airport in this region, although Alicante airport is also accessible, giving visitors and residents an additional opportunity and advantage. From Murcia there are a number of important train services including direct links to Madrid. In terms of roads, again the Costa Cálida is a region with an excellent road network and main routes: the N340 runs from Alicante through Murcia to the Costa del Sol, the A7 runs along the coast and there are local, national coach lines and international services serve the area. In the port city of Cartagena a passenger terminal was built in 2003 which now serves as a destination for some of the major cruise ships on their way to and from destinations in France, Greece and the Black Sea coast.
Almeria Coast – You are spoiled for choice when it comes to airports serving this region, you can either fly into Alicante or Murcia and travel by road or train to the region or you can fly directly into Almeria airport. The cheapest flights are often to Alicante. RENFE has main line train services from Almería to the city of Granada, Eurolines, Alsa and Enatcar offer coach services throughout the Costa de Almería. The main routes in the region are the N340 which runs from Costa Cálida through the city of Almería and south to the Costa del Sol, the A92 which connects with Granada and the A348 which connects Almería with the Alpujarras. Regarding maritime access, Transmediterranea has ferries from the port of Almería to North Africa.
Costa del Sol and Andalusia – If you can’t get a flight to this region of Spain, you must be doing something wrong, or maybe you just want to travel during the high season! The main airport is Malaga and just about every airline you can think of flies from just about every 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, it would be best to sail from Plymouth to Santander or from Portsmouth to Bilbao and then travel about 900 kilometers to the south. If you start in Bilbao you will need the A68 and A1 to Burgos, or from Santander take the N623 to Burgos; then, from Burgos, travel along the N1 to Madrid. From Madrid head to Granada, from Granada head to Malaga… ugh! Alternatively, take a Euroline bus from the UK to Estepona or Malaga or travel from Paris on the overnight fast train to Madrid and connect with the AVE fast train to Cordoba, which in turn connects with regional Costa del Sol services. .
Coast of Light and Gibraltar – You can 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 Tangier in Morocco, bus and train 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 the destination of your choice; As I hope I have shown, all of Spain is incredibly accessible.