Public transport in Spain is not as developed as in some other European countries, so some journeys without a car can be difficult to say the least! Rural villages away from the coast and not on railway line often only have one bus a day in and one out so journeys have to be planned with a great deal of attention to timing. Don’t spend to long in the restaurant or it’s an expensive cab journey for you!
However the really good news is that RENFE, the Spanish rail system, is about as far removed from the British one as you can get. Trains are clean; they run on time and are relatively cheap. Unfortunately the Costa del Sol part of the network is still limited-no rail line yet between Fuengirola in the east and Algeciras in the west. Plans are afoot for an expansion as far as San Pedro but this is a long term project.
Most cities such as Malaga and Cadiz have direct links to at least two or more major cities, without changing, and the increased investment levels to upgrade the tracks to make them suitable for the high speed AVE can only make things easier. Malaga now has a high-speed link (the Talgo 200) to Madrid. Madrid to Malaga in just over 4 hours and soon to be quicker when the faster AVE is introduced on this line! Other direct high speed connections from Madrid in our area include Seville, Cadiz and Algeciras (the Altaria train).Madrid is also linked with Huesca and Lerida in the North and will soon be to Alicante and Barcelona.(which are high-speed linked themselves).
However all journeys don’t need to be fast and soulless. Two great journeys on slow trains can be taken from Algeciras. Taking the early morning train to Ronda and watching the sun rise over some of the most beautiful scenery in Southern Spain, as you chug uphill through spectacular gorges, is a must. The other must (and soon, before they abandon this slightly old fashioned service) is to take the overnight sleeper to Madrid from Algeciras-or vice versa. You can take your car too! Settle in your sleeping compartment, have a great meal, a full nights sleep and hey presto Madrid!
The RENFE website is very easy to use too (www.renfe.es) with on-line booking.
Buses in Spain are also fairly reliable, cheap and clean compared with the UK’s. Most towns have a central bus terminal, often near the train station, where local and long distance buses can be caught. Local or urban buses are quite frequent in towns and cities and you pay the driver. Tickets for long distance buses must be bought in advance and, as most Spanish university students use the buses at weekends to return home, popular routes can be full during term time! Most towns have a good selection of direct destinations even to France and the UK.
In this round-up we can’t forget the metro nor the ferry. Larger cities have metro lines and several more are in the process of being built. e.g. Seville. Same again-clean and cheap! Ferry services depend on where you are but the frequent fast ferries to Morocco from Algeciras are the star.
