Getting There & Away

Spain is dotted with international airports, and connections with the rest of Europe are good. If you're coming from the UK or from Morocco, you could consider a ferry. Otherwise, bus is the cheapest option, unless you're a whipper-snapper with an under-26 rail pass.

Spain has many international airports, including Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Santiago de Compostela, Seville, Granada, Málaga, Almería, Alicante, Valencia, Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza and Maó. A departure tax applies when flying out of Spain, but this is included in the price of the ticket at purchase.

Travelling to Spain by train can be more expensive than by bus unless you are under 26 or have a rail pass.

There are regular bus services to Spain from all major centres in Europe, including Lisbon, London and Paris.

Getting Around

Getting around within Spain is best done by bus; the bus network gives you better coverage and more mile for your dollar than the rail system. If you're swanning off to the Balearics, you can go the whole luxury hog and get a flight, or pleb it on a ferry.

The only time you might seriously consider flying within Spain is to get out to the islands. From Barcelona, Valencia and Alicante, there are often good deals on charter flights.

There are plenty of bus routes serviced by dozens of independent companies, and the bus network is more extensive than the train system and cheaper.

Ferries regularly connect the mainland with the Balearic Islands, but flying is a better choice considering the time saved.

Getting There & Away

For travel between Spain and other parts of Europe, including the UK, buses are the cheapest but most tiring type of transport, although discount rail tickets are competitive and budget flights can be good value. For the rest of the world flying would seem the easiest option although boat passages are available. Visitors travelling to Spain will find that flights are numerous and fares are competitive. Unless you're pushed for time, train travel is a great way to enter Spain from within Europe. Buses to Spain are numerous but can't really compete with the convenience of the train. Ferries service Sicily from Naples, while Sardinia can be reached from Genoa, Livorno and Naples. Ferries connect the country with Greece, Turkey, Tunisia, Malta, Albania, Croatia and Spain.

Getting Around

Given the excellent network of relatively cheap bus and train services in Spain, both are a great, stress-free way of seeing the country – and of being part of the great Italian travelling public. Bus travel is the less expensive of the two, but as there are many different operators it is less straightforward than train travel. Your own wheels give you the most potential freedom and flexibility, although both fuel and autostrada (motorway) tolls are rather expensive. Domestic air travel can be costly and is probably worth it only if you are really short of time. Buses are fast and reliable, whether they are traversing local routes linking small villages or zooming along autostrade between cities. They come into their own to reach destinations not serviced by the trains. If you want to see more of the Spain, renting a car is a great way of getting off the beaten track. Roads are generally good throughout the country, and there is an excellent network of freeways, although you do have to pay tolls.

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