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I would appreciate any advice from people that have traveled multiple times to Spain, or that live in Spain.
I come from West coat USA so would like to know how some spots would compare to oregon/california.
My plan ideally is to rent a car and roam around the areas as opposed to paying for a taxi because i would be free to go wherever i please.
Being that i never rented a car in europe i am not sure how much more different the process than in north america. Canada and USA are somewhat alike in some ways to rent cars, and in Mexico i could it somewhat easy to rent cards with limited information.
I skimmed online and saw that a country like Spain may require me to get an IDP ( international driving permit) which isn't very costly at all ( $20) but it says it will take 6 weeks to get..
According to what i read online some car renters may require this but many don't. Also in case i am pulled over a police officer may ask for it ( and again many people post that they are not). So in the end i don't know how essential it is
Since i never been to Spain i really don't know where to roam around and frankly i never really heard of many cities besides the most common ones ( madrid, valencia, granada, barcelona, seville).
To be honest i am not a big fan of visiting the main cities from countries or states because of the fact the traffic is bad, air quality is bad, everything seems more expensive, and if i do want to dine somewhere i will usually wait more.
So i would prefer visiting places that some people can recommend by international airports that are not as hectic as madrid. I have flown internationally via LAX and that airport is a mess, considering madrid that over 3 million residents and lots of tourist i expect it to be just as bad as los angeles.
I have lived most of my life in warm weather , temperatures usually average 75-80 farenheit year round so these places with these temperatures would be ideal. I plan to travel; perhaps during spring
I can speak, read and write Spanish fluently so i don't really see much of a problem in terms of communication.
So any advice or recommendations are welcome
For those who just want to get to my key questions:
1. How to rent a car from Spain/ who are the recommended places to rent from?
2. What places to avoid?
3. Recommended places that are not generally where most tourist go ( i prefer smaller cities or maybe even some towns) . I am actually going to avoid madrid unless someone can recommend its worth it , since i plan to drive in spain this is another reason why i want to be around madrid
4. Places to shop for groceries/consumer electronics?
5. General cost of renting a vehicle for about 10 days ( automatic since i don't drive stick)
6. What not to say /discuss as to not offend people within the country
7. Recommended Hotels near international airports that are not expensive
An international driving permit is just a multi-language translation of your drivers license. Anybody with an EU driver's license can drive in Spain without needing a Spanish translation of their license. I've never bothered with an international driving permit in Spain and nobody has ever asked me for it. If you want to spend the $20.00, by all means do so.
If you want an inexpensive rental car, you had better learn how to drive a manual transmission. Most automatic transmission cars I've ever seen at rental agencies are expensive. Be aware that you'll usually have to pay insurance on top of the quoted rental rate on many internet web sites. It can easily double the cost of the car. Unlimited liability insurance is required. Your credit card might cover the collision damage waiver but you need to check with your credit card company.
If you have a U.S. drivers license you can rent a car in Spain. I did it last summer when I got off the plane at the Barcelona airport. I drove from Barcelona to Valencia and its super easy, and I don't speak Spanish. I rented with Hertz. Go online and you can find the best rate as there are a couple of U.S. car rental companies in Europe. Hertz was super easy and all I did was show them my U.S. driver's license and credit card. You do need a credit card.
Also, read the rental rules if you don't pick Hertz. My brother used Europcar and they made him purchase insurance, which turned out to be very expensive when we were in Ireland.
Also, outside of the large to medium size cities in Spain, its not like the U.S. where its all developed. Many places in Spain have nothing developed for many miles. There aren't these huge suburbs like you have in the U.S. between the cities.
As for places to visit, there are more people to give you better advice with more experience then myself. I've only been to Spain a couple of times. Its a beautiful country and have a great trip!
1. How to rent a car from Spain/ who are the recommended places to rent from?
I always just go on Kayak or orbitz. Take note of companies that have prices that are too good to be true, such as Firefly, Gold Car, Dickmanns, etc. They always charge you a laughably low rate only to tack on several "mandatory fees" when you check out. Stick with one of the big name familiar companies.
In regards to an international license, technically you need one to drive in Spain, but most rental cars leave that up to you, but there's a 400€ fee for not having one if you get pulled over. That being said, I've rented cars many times here on my American DL (before I got a Spanish one) and even was pulled over once, and never had an issue. You can get one for $20 at your local AAA, it's just a translation of all the information on your DL.
2. What places to avoid?
There's not really anywhere to avoid in Spain, the geography is nearly identical to that of California. The northern coast along the atlantic is very similar to the northwest of California - large forests, mountains, jagged coastlines.. obviously the people, food, and architecture are quite different but the North of Spain is gorgeous, all the way from the French to the Portuguese border. The south is dry and Mediterranean, just like southern California. Some people find interior Spain a bit boring - the geography and climate is similar to that of the central valley of CA, but these areas also have very strong and vibrant Spanish culture. I would say the 5 must-see cities in Spain are: Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Sevilla, and Bilbao, but I absolutely adore Malaga, Cadiz, Oviedo/ Asturias, Galicia (Santiago de Compostela, Vigo, and La Coruña are the big cities up there). The thing is, there's so much diversity in both culture in geography and culture in Spain, so it's quite difficult to narrow down what to see, but I wouldn't say there's anything you should avoid.. except maybe Vallecas.
3. Recommended places that are not generally where most tourist go ( i prefer smaller cities or maybe even some towns) . I am actually going to avoid madrid unless someone can recommend its worth it , since i plan to drive in spain this is another reason why i want to be around madrid
Within 2 hours of Madrid, people love to go to Toledo and Segovia, but there's a nice little city called Cuenca that seems to be less touristy. Down in Andalusia, there are what are called "pueblos blancos" (white towns) that are extremely quaint, they are all quite small but incredibly charming, give it a google and see if any of those stand out to you. Also up in Asturias and Galicia there are heaps of small little coastal towns in a setting that will remind you of Humboldt, CA. A good buddy of mine is from a town called Cangas, a 10 minute ferry away from Vigo (which has an airport). Its a small little coastal town out on the end of a peninsula. Great seafood up there too
4. Places to shop for groceries/consumer electronics?
Electronics I always go to FNAC or El Corte Ingles. There should be one or the other in any decent sized city. Groceries, the main supermarkets here are Dia, Carrefour, Eroski, and Mercadona. They all have websites if you want to look at prices. Previously listed El Corte Ingles also has a high end supermarket akin to whole foods or something.
5. General cost of renting a vehicle for about 10 days ( automatic since i don't drive stick) This can vary a lot depending on time and location. Take a look on orbitz or kayak (see #1). Keep in mind most major credit cards cover you for liability insurance, and your insurance at home may cover you as well. Look into that before you pay for insurance through the rental company
6. What not to say /discuss as to not offend people within the country
The only real hot button issue I think is Catalonia independence. Just shy away from politics in general and you'll be fine.
7. Recommended Hotels near international airports that are not expensive Not really in my wheelhouse.. I usually stay in Airbnbs.. but once again, look on orbitz, expedia, sites like that and you should get a good idea of what's available.
Last edited by wikiwikirunner; 02-08-2019 at 05:34 AM..
España is larger than California.
Limit your geography so you don't waste time traveling.
Spend at least 2 (3 are better) days in any one location.
Spend hours reading posts at https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForu...i42-Spain.html
WikiWikiruner in spite of being american ,gives you a great summary of information about things from Spain.-
Spain is very different of USA .Here there is practically no Crime important,the people are very friendly and communications (high speed trains highways in the cities buses are magnificent perhaps the best
in the World .-
Only 2 suggestions ,Spain is also very different one Regions to another,it is at least like 4 different
countries and there is that take into account the Seasons .-
Andalucia in Summer to Sevilla ,Cordoba etc is to endure a terrible heat easily 45 degrees.-
in Summer you have to go to the Green Spain in the Month of August with and ideal temperature
of about 23 to 28 degrees.For example I recomment go to San Sebastian City where many sayd
it is the city where you eat best in the World simply taking tapas and snacks in the bars.-
Spring is ideal visit Madrid and Castilla .I also recommend from Madrid to visit Toledo that is 20 minutes by train high-speed ,Avila Or Salamanca etc at 1h .-
And Granada and its Alhambra and the Carmenes that are unique unforgettable things or Marbella
on the Coast of the Sun.-
.-
I would appreciate any advice from people that have traveled multiple times to Spain, or that live in Spain.
I come from West coat USA so would like to know how some spots would compare to oregon/california.
My plan ideally is to rent a car and roam around the areas as opposed to paying for a taxi because i would be free to go wherever i please.
Being that i never rented a car in europe i am not sure how much more different the process than in north america. Canada and USA are somewhat alike in some ways to rent cars, and in Mexico i could it somewhat easy to rent cards with limited information.
I skimmed online and saw that a country like Spain may require me to get an IDP ( international driving permit) which isn't very costly at all ( $20) but it says it will take 6 weeks to get..
According to what i read online some car renters may require this but many don't. Also in case i am pulled over a police officer may ask for it ( and again many people post that they are not). So in the end i don't know how essential it is
Since i never been to Spain i really don't know where to roam around and frankly i never really heard of many cities besides the most common ones ( madrid, valencia, granada, barcelona, seville).
To be honest i am not a big fan of visiting the main cities from countries or states because of the fact the traffic is bad, air quality is bad, everything seems more expensive, and if i do want to dine somewhere i will usually wait more.
So i would prefer visiting places that some people can recommend by international airports that are not as hectic as madrid. I have flown internationally via LAX and that airport is a mess, considering madrid that over 3 million residents and lots of tourist i expect it to be just as bad as los angeles.
I have lived most of my life in warm weather , temperatures usually average 75-80 farenheit year round so these places with these temperatures would be ideal. I plan to travel; perhaps during spring
I can speak, read and write Spanish fluently so i don't really see much of a problem in terms of communication.
So any advice or recommendations are welcome
For those who just want to get to my key questions:
1. How to rent a car from Spain/ who are the recommended places to rent from?
2. What places to avoid?
3. Recommended places that are not generally where most tourist go ( i prefer smaller cities or maybe even some towns) . I am actually going to avoid madrid unless someone can recommend its worth it , since i plan to drive in spain this is another reason why i want to be around madrid
4. Places to shop for groceries/consumer electronics?
5. General cost of renting a vehicle for about 10 days ( automatic since i don't drive stick)
6. What not to say /discuss as to not offend people within the country
7. Recommended Hotels near international airports that are not expensive
thanks
Definitely get your international drivers license before you go, it's easy. The first time I went to Spain, I didn't have it and the first car rental place refused to lease me a car but I went to Avis and they leased me a car. I also rented from Europcar are something like that. I would also recommend getting full coverage insurance even though it's expensive....I had a minor incident causing about $400 damage and they covered it.
You can travel to malaga airport if you are are going to southern Spain and it has a nice airport. I also would say Madrid is not a problem and you can take trains where you want to go.
Groceries, restaurants, etc. are very cheap so just shop at the local places where you're located, not a problem.
I'll let others recommend places to go as all we saw saw southern Spain. We owned a rental in Marbella for a few years and that's a nice place but is a little more expensive and lots of expats and English spoken. I also loved Sevilla.
Based on answers here i think its best to just roam around a certain section in spain and possible consider driving around on the 2nd or other trips afterwards.
How much was peoples rentals for a week orso on just a small car? I saw a couple of references in terms of what places to rent from but not really how much a total was for just an average sized car ( toyota corolla size /nissan rogue etc).
How in weather in madrid and nearby areas during may? Or better question is when should i expect rain so i can avoid days
I never used airbnb but i glimpsed at some prices are i don't think $100 per day for an entire 1 -2 bedroom apartment is too bad. Though i can't really tell how to identify if the whole apartment or house will be entirely for me or it there are other guests staying in there as well ( something i would avoid completely).
If anyone has a recommendation for a house and apartment(s) that would be greatly appreciated.
I was thinking of cutting food costs by going to a supermarket and making my own food
Some of the outlet converters i see online are pretty trashy.
I am looking for a north american to euro adapter
I am well aware of the 230v/50 hz used in spain, and i also know that most of my devices have a built in transformer that can switch between 120-230 and the 50-60 cycle( almost all modern laptop chargers, and phone chargers can do this).
I see this one online but not sure if anyone here has tried it or used something better
I never used airbnb but i glimpsed at some prices are i don't think $100 per day for an entire 1 -2 bedroom apartment is too bad. Though i can't really tell how to identify if the whole apartment or house will be entirely for me or it there are other guests staying in there as well
Use the filters. Read the reviews.
We only stay in AirBnBs because we want a washer in the unit.
We love using AirBnB.
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