Whilst Spain is one of the world’s leading destinations in the tourist industry there is more to this country than just beaches and islands. The country is situated on the Iberian peninsula. Spain also encompasses two groups of islands, The Balearic Islands (Islas Baleares), in the Mediterranean, coast and the Canary Islands (Islas Canarias) which lie off the Atlantic coast of Morocco.
The Balearic Islands have ferry services to the mainland running to Barcelona, Valencia and Denia. Please bear in mind that car hire companies do normally not allow to transport a rental vehicle on board.
Furthermore Spain has got two enclaves in Morocco on the African continent, Ceuta and Melilla. Ferries link the enclave of Ceuta with Algeciras, Tarifa and Malaga. Melilla, the other enclave is served by ferries out of Malaga and Almeria. Remember that a rent a car in Spain may not be taken from Malaga to these enclaves on the boat.
Spain has a extended network of airports serving the following cities and towns: A Coruna, Alicante, Almeria, Aviles, Badajoz, Barcelona, Bilbao, Girona, Granada, Jerez de la Frontera, Leon, Madrid, Malaga, Murcia, Pamplona, Reus, San Sebastian, Santander, Santiago, Seville, Valencia, Valladolid, Vigo and Zaragoza. All the Canary Islands have at least one airport which makes it fairly easy to travel to El Hierro, Fuerteventura, Gran Canary, La Gomera, Lanzarote and Tenerife. Except for Formentera the rest of the Balearics Islands, namely Ibiza, Menorca and Mallorca all have airports.
In addition to the many inter island flights which are available at reasonable prices the islands are also connected by ferry services. If you are not travelling with a car you may choose the much quicker jet foil services, however if you are travelling by car you will have to opt for the slower traditional ferries. Please bear in mind that rent a car companies do not permit to transfer a rental vehicle from ome island to another.
All mayor airlines provide scheduled flights to Spain but it is also a main destination for low cost airlines with flights available from almost any city in Europe. Furthermore there are many charter flights serving the major tourist destinations in Spain, like Malaga or Alicante, and it is possible to find some very good deals on seats on these flights if the tour operator has not sold out the inventory.
The train service is well developed and tickets are relatively cheap compared to other European countries. The AVE high speed train network is extensive, you can travel comfortably from Barcelona to Madrid, Sevilla and Malaga at a speed of almost 300 km per hour.
Travelling by car is an other cheap option for visitors from many European countries who do not depend as much on air transportation as tourists from the United Kingdom. Some roads in Spain are not of a good standard but the infrastructure has been improved considerably and so it is also possible to travel by car on some of the newest and finest roads on the continent. If you prefer to travel by bus Spain is served by many bus companies linking the major cities with express services.
One of the most interesting options for the independent traveller who wants to move around and see much more of Spain is the service of one of the many car hire companies in Spain. Especially in major tourist destinations car hire in Spain can be a very economical option if you compare with the total expenses for taxi fares for several sight seeing trips. Spain car rental is also available from the internet at bargain prices, all you have to do is use your favourite search engine to find the best prices for cheap car hire in Spain.
