Spain Travel Guide - Getting There

The national airline is IBERIA (IB) (website: www.iberia.com).

From London to Barcelona is 2 hours; to Madrid is 2 hours 20 minutes and to Málaga is 2 hours 45 minutes. From New York to Madrid is 8 hours 35 minutes.

Madrid (MAD) (Barajas) is 13km (8 miles) northeast of the city. To/from the airport: Bus and underground services depart to the city regularly. Taxi service is available. Facilities: Restaurants and bars, bank, several car hire offices, hotel reservation and tourist information desks, and outgoing duty-free shop.

Barcelona (BCN) (el Prat) is 3km (2 miles) southwest of the city. To/from the airport: Bus and rail services to the city depart regularly. Taxi service to the city is available (journey time - 30 minutes). Facilities: A bank, restaurant, bar, several car hire companies, hotel reservation and tourist information desks and duty-free shops.

Alicante (ALC) (Altet) is 12km (7 miles) southwest of the city. To/from the airport: Bus service runs to the city regularly. A taxi service is available to the city. There is a taxi connection between Alicante and Valencia Airport. Facilities: Duty-free shop, bank, bureau de change, car hire, tourist information and restaurant.

Málaga (AGP) is 10km (6 miles) southwest of the city. To/from the airport: Buses run regularly throughout the day. A train service runs regularly also. A taxi service to the city is available. Facilities: Duty-free shop, bank/bureau de change, restaurant and car hire.

Valencia (VLC) (Manises) is 8km (5 miles) west of the city. To/from the airport: An aero bus takes passengers into the city. Other buses travel to the city frequently throughout the day. Taxis also run. Facilities: Several car hire firms, bank/bureau de change, restaurant, bar and duty-free shop.

Spain boasts over 30 international airports, run by AENA (Aeropuertos Espanoles y Navegación Aérea) (website: www.aena.es).

None.

Main ports: Barcelona (website: www.apb.es), Cadiz (website: www.puertocadiz.com), Santander (website: www.puertosantander.es), Valencia (website: www.valenciaport.com) and Vigo (website: www.apvigo.com).

Brittany Ferries (tel: 0870 366 5333, in the UK; website: www.brittany-ferries.com) operates a service to Santander (on the north coast) from Plymouth (journey time - 18 hours). P&O European Ferries (tel: 0870 520 2020, in the UK; website: www.poportsmouth.com) operates a service from Portsmouth to Bilbao (journey time - 35 hours).

The quickest route by train from the UK is through the Channel Tunnel with connections from Paris to Spain. Eurostar operates direct high-speed trains from London (St Pancras International) to Paris (Gare du Nord) and to Brussels (Midi/Zuid). It takes 2 hours 15 minutes from London to Paris (via Lille) and 1 hour 51 minutes to Brussels. For further information and reservations, contact Eurostar (tel: 0870 518 6186, in the UK or +44 1233 617 575, outside the UK; website: www.eurostar.com); or Rail Europe (tel: 0844 848 4064, in the UK; website: www.raileurope.co.uk).

There are direct trains between Madrid-Paris and Madrid-Lisbon, as well as Barcelona-Paris, Barcelona- Zürich or Milan, Barcelona-Montpelier and Barcelona-Geneva. These services are called Estrella, Talgo or Train-Hotel. On other international services to and from Spain, a change of train is necessary. However, work on the AVE (high-velocity train) route between Madrid and Barcelona is expected to be completed in December 2007, after which the French border connection is expected to be fully operational in 2010 and it will be possible to connect with the French TGV (high-velocity route) and the rest of the high-velocity routes in Europe. Motorail services run between Paris and Madrid. For more information, contact the Spanish Rail service (tel: (020) 7725 7063; website: www.spanish-rail.co.uk).

InterRail: offers unlimited first- or second-class travel in up to 30 European countries for European residents of over six months with two pass options. The Global Pass allows travel for 22 days, one month, five days in 10 days or 10 days in 22 days across all countries. The One-Country Pass offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month in any of the countries except Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro. Travel is not allowed in the passenger's country of residence. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Rail Europe (tel: 0844 848 4064, in the UK; website: www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail).

Eurailpass:  Options include a comprehensive Global Pass with practically unlimited travel in 18 European countries, the more limited Select Pass and Regional pass, or the single-country National Pass. For more details, contact The Eurail Group (website: www.eurail.com).

The main route from the UK is via France. The main motorways to Spain from France are via Bordeaux or Toulouse to Bilbao (northern Spain) and via Marseille or Toulouse to Barcelona (eastern Spain).

Eurolines (tel: 08705 143 219, in the UK; website: www.eurolines.com) runs regular coach services to Spain. Passes: Travellers can book a 15- or 30-day pass.

For information on travel to and within the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands, see the respective sections.