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Transport
in Spain
Air
travel
Spain's
Iberia Airlines, which is state-operated,
covers all air transport within Spain
and from Spain to points abroad: its subsidiary,
Aviaco (Maudes 51, Madrid) covers solely
Spanish domestic routes Tel: (91) 554-3600
and 305 8685/4063
Iberia
provides 200 reservation outlets. There
are also 4,000 sales outlets in authorised
travel agencies.
Iberia
has offices in the principal countries
around the world. Its main office is at
Calle Velazquez, 130, 28006 Madrid. Information,
Tel: (91) 411 2545. Reservations, tel:
(91) 411 1011/5639966.
The
Spanish airports open to international
traffic are: Alicante, Almeria, Aviles,
Barcelona, Bilbao, Fuerteventura, Girona,
Granada, Ibiza, Jerez de la Frontera,
Corunna, Lanzarote, Las Palmas, Madrid-Barajas,
Malaga, Melilla, Menorca, Murcia, Palma
de Mallorca, Reus (Tarragona), San Sebastian,
Santander, Santiago de Compostela (Corunna)
Seville, Tenerife-Norte, Tenerife-Sur,
Valencia, Vigo, Vitoria and Zaragoza.
Flight
times from Madrid to other Spanish cities
are:
To
Barcelona 55 minutes
To
Bilbao 50 minutes
To
Seville 50 minutes
To
Valencia 30 minutes
To
the Canary Islands 2 hours and 30 minutes
To
Palma Mallorca 1 hour.
Railways
The
Spanish state-operated railway network
consists of a total of 13,000 kilometres
of tracks, covering the entire country.
The
state-run company RENFE covers an ample
number of domestic lines that connect
all the regions on the Iberian Peninsula.
Spanish
trains, the most inexpensive in Europe,
have two classes. RENFE has established
a series of special prices and discounts
that make travelling by rail in Spain
that much more convenient. The most interesting
offers are the following: The so-called
"Dias Azules" (Blue Days) are dates that
do not generally coincide with holidays,
the eves of holidays or the most common
holiday periods. There are many such dates
throughout the year on which it is possible
to travel by rail with a 50% discount.
The
"Tarjeta Joven" (Youth Card) allows the
bearer, whose age must be between 12 and
25, to travel with a 50% discount on all
tickets providing that travelling dates
coincide with the "Blue Days". The "Tarjeta
Turistica" (Tourist Card), reserved for
non-residents of Spain, independent of
their nationality, allows unrestricted
circulation, without kilometre limitation,
on any RENFE line, without having to pay
supplements. This card may be for either
first or second class travel and its price
varies depending on the duration of travel
time requested, which may be 3, 5 or 10
days.
The
"Euro- Railpass" (Eurail Pass) is also
a discount ticket reserved for visiting
guests. It can be purchased in the country
of origin and provides unlimited travel
rights on any date, on any line, without
supplements. Its price also varies according
to duration, which can be 15, 25, 30,
60, or 90 days.
Besides
the regular trains and sleeper cars, RENFE
has recently inaugurated the AVE, a high
speed train linking Madrid and Seville
in a time of three hours, as well as series
of special trains, of particular interest
to the tourist. The most outstanding is
the so-called "Expreso Al.Andalus" (Al
Andalus Express) which departs from Seville
each week and for 5 days tours the beautiful
cities of Seville, Cordoba, Granada, Malaga,
and Jerez de la Frontera. The price of
the ticket includes the visits to these
cities, meals at the finest restaurants
in each one, "fiestas" and typical shows
plus dinner and lodging on a truly special
train that includes a discotheque, video
room, bars and the luxury and comfort
of the finest hotel. Another tourist train
with similar characteristics is the "Transcantabrico"
which tours the north of Spain. For information
call RENFE, tel: (91) 530 0202, (93) 4900202
and for reservations call (91) 527 3333
in Madrid.
Road
Travel
People
in Spain drive on the right hand side
of the road.
Spain
has a road network measuring 317,000 kilometres
of which 2,000 are relatively recent motorways.
The
most important motor ways are: the Mediterranean
coastal road from the French border to
Alicante, and the one linking the Cantabrian
region with Cataluña.
The
use of the Spanish motorways usually requires
paying a toll, which can be calculated
on the basis of the type of vehicle in
question and the distance to be travelled.
There are numerous petrol stations along
the way and bars, restaurants and commercial
establishments.
Sea
Travel
The
shipping company Transmediterranea, also
state-operated, links the peninsula with
the Balearic Isles, the Canary Islands
and northern Africa. There are also private
companies based at specific points along
the coast that specialise in short routes.
Transmediterranea
operates year-round, with daily service
to the Balearic Isles and northern Africa.
Service to the Canary Islands is weekly.
The most important ports are those of
Barcelona, Valencia, Palma de Mallorca,
Malaga, Cadiz, Las Palmas in Gran Canaria,
Tenerife. The main office of Transmediterranea
is at Pedro Muñoz Seca, 2, 28001 Madrid,
Tel: (91) 4310700.
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