Getting
Around
Whether you are visiting for a short city break or rural country retreat, discover how best to reach your destination and travel like a pro.
Arriving by Air
The three main airports in Andalucía are Jerez, Málaga–Costa del Sol and Seville, which all offer frequent European and internal flights. Some long-haul flights land at Málaga airport, but to travel elsewhere in Andalucía, a connection in Madrid or Barcelona is likely.
Almería, Gibraltar and Granada have small airports operating primarily domestic flights, as well as a handful of international services.
For information on getting to and from Andalucía’s main airports, see the table opposite.
Train Travel
International Train Travel
Spain’s international and domestic rail services are operated by state-run Renfe (Red Nacional de Ferrocarriles Españoles). For international train trips, it is advisable to purchase your ticket well in advance. Eurail and Interrail sell passes (to European non-residents and residents respectively), which are valid on Renfe trains.
International train services terminate in either Madrid or Barcelona, from where you can catch a domestic service to Andalucía. Trains from Paris, London, Brussels, Amsterdam, Geneva, Zürich and Milan reach Barcelona via Cerbère. At Cerbère, you can connect to the TALGO (Tren Articulado Ligero Goicoechea Oriol), a high-speed luxury train service (operated by Renfe). There are also direct TALGO trains to Madrid and Barcelona from Paris, and to Barcelona from Milan, Geneva and Zürich.
There are two main rail routes from Portugal to Spain. The Sud Express departs daily from Lisbon and terminates in the French town of Hendaye, from where you can catch one of the regular services to Madrid. Alternatively, Lusitania is a sleeper train from Lisbon, which will take you to Madrid in around nine hours.
Eurail
∑ eurail.com
Interrail
∑ interrail.eu
Renfe
∑ renfe.com
Domestic Train Travel
Renfe, along with some regional companies, operate a good train service throughout Andalucía. You can buy tickets online on the individual operators’ websites or at stations. The fastest intercity services are the TALGO and AVE (operated by Renfe), which link Madrid with Seville in two and a half hours. AVE routes also link Barcelona with Seville and Málaga – both trips take five and a half hours.
The largo recorrido (long-distance) trains are much cheaper than the high-speed trains, but they are so slow that you usually need to travel overnight. Book at least a month in advance. Regionales y cercanías (the regional and local services) are frequent and cheap.
Long-Distance Bus Travel
Often the cheapest and easiest way to reach and travel around Andalucía is by coach. Coaches run frequently between major cities and towns in Andalucía, and connect the region to the rest of Spain. The major coach stations in Andalucía are in Seville, Córdoba, Granada, Málaga and Almería. Buses may provide the only public transport to and from small villages. Eurolines links Andalucía to Portugal and there are also international links to France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and Austria.
Spain has no national coach company, but private regional companies operate routes around the country. The largest of these is Alsa, which runs in all regions and has routes and services that cover most of Spain. Other companies operate in particular regions – Alsina Graells, for instance, covers most of the south and east of Spain.
For short journeys, tickets can be bought from the driver when boarding the bus. For medium- to long-distance travel, you can make reservations at bus stations, or online via Movelia, as well as from individual bus companies. Tickets and information for long-distance travel are available at all main coach stations as well as on company websites, but note that it is not always possible to book tickets in advance.
Alsa
∑ alsa.es
Eurolines
∑ eurolines.com
Movelia
∑ movelia.es
Public Transport
Sightseeing and getting around Andalucía is best done on foot and by public transport. In most towns and cities, bus services suffice as the sole means of public transport. However, Seville and Granada also have tram and metro systems. Jaén has the infrastructure for a tram system, but it is currently out of use. Municipal or tourism websites in Córdoba, Seville, Granada, Málaga, Almería and Cádiz offer up-to-date information about their public transport options.
Almería
∑ almeriaciudad.es
Cádiz
∑ cadizturismo.com
Córdoba
∑ cordoba.es
Granada
∑ granada.org
Málaga
∑ malaga.eu
Seville
∑ visitasevilla.es
Tickets
The best place to purchase public transport tickets is at stations themselves, either from windows or automatic machines. They are also available at newsagents. They come either in the form of a physical ticket or as a smart card which can either hold a season ticket or be topped up with cash and used pay-as-you-go.
Metro
The Metro de Sevilla was designed to aid transport between the outer areas of Seville and the city centre. Line 1 is useful for getting from the historical centre (Puerta Jerez) to shopping centres (Nervión or Ciudad Expo’s MetroMar). The system will eventually consist of four metro lines, which will provide easy access to bus and train stations and include a line to the airport (Line 4).
The Metropolitano de Granada connects central Granada with the towns Armilla, Albolote and Maracena.
Metropolitano de Granada
∑ metropolitanogranada.es
Metro de Sevilla
∑ metro-sevilla.es
Trams
Seville’s city centre operates a tram system called the MetroCentro. It provides air-conditioned, rapid transport between San Bernardo station and Plaza Nueva in an otherwise pedestrian-only zone. Other lines are due to be completed in 2020, which will extend the network to Puerta Osario and Santa Justa train station.
Pay at the machine at tram stops (or pass your smart card over the reader on board) and press the green button to open the door. Stops are announced on overhead monitors. MetroCentro trams run every 3 to 5 minutes and stop briefly at all stops.
Bus
Buses remain the most common mode of public transport throughout Andalucía and the rest of Spain, but they can sometimes follow an erratic timetable. Be aware that many services do not run after 10pm, although there are some night buses in the cities.
Buses are the easiest and cheapest way to get around Seville’s main sights. The routes can be found on the TUSSAM website but, generally speaking, the most useful lines for visitors are the circulares, numbered C1 to C6, which run around the city centre.
In Granada, Nos 31, 32 and 34 run from the centre to the Albaicín, Alhambra and Sacramonte.
TUSSAM
∑ tussam.es
Cycling
There are cycle lanes in most Andalucían cities. Seville has pedestrianized a main thoroughfare in the centre, creating a wide promenade, which allows for bikes.
SEVICI is a self-service bike rental programme in Seville, with 2,500 bikes available 24 hours a day. Bikes can be hired free for 30 minutes and are charged per hour after that. A €150 credit card deposit is paid and refunded upon return of the bike.
Motorists tend to treat cyclists as a nuisance and city traffic can be dangerous for cyclists. Helmets are recommended.
SEVICI
∑ en.sevici.es
Taxis
Throughout Andalucía, particularly in cities and towns, taxis are a reasonably priced way to get around if public transport isn’t an option. Generally speaking, the journey starts with a flat fee and then increases depending on the distance travelled. Fares tend to be higher at night and also during the weekend and public holidays. Surcharges usually apply for trips to airports and bus and train stations.
Driving
If you drive to Spain in your own car, you must carry the vehicle’s registration document, a valid insurance certificate, a passport or a national identity card, and your driving licence at all times. You must also display a sticker on the back of the car showing its country of registration and you risk on-the-spot fines if you do not carry a red warning triangle and a reflective jacket with you at all times.
Spain has two types of motorway: autopistas, which are toll roads, and autovías, which are toll-free. You can establish whether a motorway is toll-free by the letters that prefix the number of the road: A = free; AP = toll motorway.
Carreteras nacionales, Spain’s main roads, have black-and-white signs and are designated by the letter N (Nacional) plus a number. Those with Roman numerals start at the Puerta del Sol in Madrid, and those with ordinary numbers have kilometre markers giving the distance from the provincial capital.
Carreteras comarcales, secondary roads, have a number preceded by the letter C. Other minor roads have numbers preceded by letters representing the name of the province, such as the LE1313 in Lleida.
Car Hire
The most popular car-hire companies in Spain are Europcar, Avis and Hertz. All have offices at airports and major train stations, as well as in the larger cities. Fly-drive, an option for two or more travellers where car hire is included in the cost of your airfare, can be arranged by travel agents and tour operators. If you wish to hire a car locally for around a week or less, you will be able to arrange it with a local travel agent. A car for hire is called a coche de alquiler.
Avis
∑ avis.com
Europcar
∑ europcar.com
Hertz
∑ hertz-europe.com
Rules of the Road
When using a car in Spain, drive on the right and use the left lane only for passing other vehicles.
Most traffic regulations and warnings to motorists are represented on signs by easily recognized symbols. However, a few road rules and signs may be unfamiliar to some drivers from other countries.
If you have taken the wrong road, and it has a solid white line, turn round as indicated by a cambio de sentido sign. At crossings, give way to all on-coming traffic, unless a sign indicates otherwise.
The blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) limit is 0.5 mg/ml and is strictly enforced.
Boats and Ferries
Ferries connect the Spanish mainland to the Balearic and Canary Islands, and to North Africa, Italy and the UK. All the important routes are served by car ferries. Acciona Trasmediterránea operates a weekly service from Cádiz to the main ports of the Canary Islands. Always make an advance booking, especially in summer.
Acciona Trasmediterránea
∑ trasmediterranea.es
need to know Getting Around
At a Glance
PUBLIC TRANSPORT COSTS
SEVILLE
CÓRDOBA
MÁLAGA
TOP TIP
Buses are the best way to get around Seville, so don’t just get a metro pass.
Need to know Getting Around
SPEED LIMIT
MOTORWAY
DUAL CARRIAGEWAYS
SECONDARY ROADS
URBAN AREAS
Need to know Getting Around
GETTING TO AND FROM THE AIRPORT
| Airport |
Distance to City |
Taxi Fare |
Public Transport |
| Almería |
10 km (6 miles) |
€30 |
Bus: 35 mins |
| Gibraltar |
1.5 km (1 mile) |
€10 |
Bus: 10 mins |
| Granada |
15 km (10 miles) |
€25–30 |
Bus: 45 mins |
| Jerez |
9 km (5.5 miles) |
€25 |
Rail: 10 mins |
|
|
|
Bus: 30 mins |
| Málaga |
8 km (5 miles) |
€20 |
Rail 15 mins |
|
|
|
Bus: 20 mins |
| Seville |
10 km (6 miles) |
€25 |
Bus: 25–30 mins |
Need to know Getting Around
CAR JOURNEY PLANNER
Plotting the main driving routes according to journey time, this map is a handy reference for travelling between Andalucía’s main cities by car. The times given reflect the fastest and most direct routes available. Tolls apply on autopista motorways (AP roads), but not on autovías (A roads).
| Jerez de la Frontera |
0.5 hrs |
| Jerez to Cádiz |
0.5 hrs |
| Málaga to Granada |
1.5 hrs |
| Málaga to Murcia |
4.5 hrs |
| Málaga to Seville |
2.5 hrs |
| Madrid to Málaga |
5.5 hrs |
| Madrid to Seville |
5.5 hrs |
| Seville to Cádiz |
1.5 hrs |
| Seville to Granada |
2.75 hrs |
