Getting Around Spain

The short version

Between Spain's major cities, take the train. The high-speed network links Madrid to Barcelona, Seville, Malaga, Valencia, Cordoba and Zaragoza at speeds that beat flying once you count airport time, and the stations are in the middle of the cities rather than outside them.

Rent a car for the countryside, the mountains and the small towns between the cities. Do not rent one to move between city centers, where you will pay for parking twice and drive into a restricted zone once.

Trains

Book ahead. Long-distance Spanish trains are reservation-only and the cheapest fares go first, which is the single biggest difference from turning up at a station in Italy or Germany. Take the seat number seriously, arrive for the security check at the larger stations, and note that high-speed and regional services often leave from different parts of the same building.

Regional and commuter trains, the Cercanias around Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville and Bilbao, are the cheap way to reach a day trip, and they are where our Gaudi guide sends you for the Colonia Guell crypt.

City transport

Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville and Bilbao all have metros, and they are the fastest way across a city. Buy a multi-journey card rather than single tickets. Keep our safety guide in mind on a crowded platform or in a carriage doorway, because distraction theft works best where people are pressed together.

⚠ Taxis, and a fine worth avoiding

Use official registered or licensed taxis or a transport company you recognize. Licensing rules differ across Spain, and in some cities pre-booking is required rather than optional. The advisory states plainly that passengers caught using unlicensed taxi services are liable for fines of up to 600 euros. That is a fine on the passenger, not on the driver, and it is the reason to book an airport transfer through a licensed firm rather than accept an approach in the arrivals hall.

Driving: the license question

⚠ The license paragraph in our source is written for UK license holders, who may drive in Spain on a UK photocard license. A US license holder is in a different position and should confirm the current requirement with the Spanish consulate or their rental company before booking, because an International Driving Permit is commonly required alongside the home license and is issued only in the country that issued the license.

What applies to everyone: carry a valid license and photo identification while driving, and carry your insurance certificate in the car if you are relying on your own policy. Provisional licenses are not valid for driving in Spain.

Driving: the rules that carry fines

To drive a car or a motorcycle over 125cc you must be at least eighteen, and at least sixteen to ride a motorcycle up to 125cc.

Seatbelts are compulsory for every passenger, front and back. Children under 1.35 m in height must use an approved child safety seat, secured on the back seat. Children may only travel in the front when the rear seats are already occupied by other children. Rental agencies can supply child seats if you ask when you reserve, and incorrect installation or a missing seatbelt can be treated as a serious offense and fined.

It is illegal to use a mobile phone while driving, even if you have pulled over to the side of the road. You must be completely away from the road. An earpiece is also illegal: only fully hands-free systems are allowed.

Spain enforces drink-driving strictly, with regular roadside checks for alcohol and drugs, and penalties that include fines, loss of license and imprisonment. Police can issue on-the-spot fines for a range of offenses including speeding, and if you accept the fine and pay within 20 days it is reduced by 50 percent.

⚠ Low emission zones

Some inner-city areas operate permanent low emission zones, the Zonas de Bajas Emisiones, where Spanish vehicles must meet emission standards and display an air pollution sticker. Those stickers are not issued to foreign-registered vehicles, which makes a hire car the simplest answer for anyone driving into a Spanish city and makes it worth asking the rental company which zones their car may enter. The Spanish government's general information line, 060 within Spain, may be able to help.

On the road

Read the vehicle-crime section of our safety guide before a long drive: highway pirates target foreign-registered and rental cars and work by getting you to stop. Keep valuables out of sight, park where there is light, and remember that in traffic matters genuine officers are usually in uniform and will only ask for vehicle documents.

Ferries and flights

Ferries connect the mainland to the Balearic Islands and to North Africa, and the Canary Islands are reached by air from the mainland with inter-island ferries and flights once you are there. Domestic flights make sense for the islands and rarely for anything else. Check with your airline or operator about planned strike action before you travel, which the advisory raises as a specific transport risk in Spain.

If something goes wrong on the road or in the mountains, 112 reaches the emergency services and 062 reaches the Civil Guard.

Sources

• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: Spain safety and security: street theft and distraction teams, vehicle crime, the identification requirement, regional alcohol and swimwear rules, balconies, taxis, driving rules, wildfires and extreme heat. Accessed 16 September 2026.