How to get to Spain

By | May 3, 2022

Overview

Spain is a country in Europe according to computerannals. Spain offers visitors an impressive combination of delicious cuisine, boisterous fiestas, pioneering modern art, highly protected natural landscapes and an amazing variety of rural accommodation options. The historic cities of Spain are architectural gems with their Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque churches, Moorish fortresses and Renaissance palaces. Squares and bars enliven old streets and modern masterpieces bring a breath of fresh air here and there. Sun, sea and sangria along Spain’s southern coast remain standard tourist offerings, but this country’s natural beauty comes elsewhere, expressed in very diverse areas. Mountainous national parks invite you to beautiful alpine hikes, and the north coast presents itself with gently rolling, green hills, small fishing villages and hidden sandy bays. Coastal and island holidays remain extremely popular, but many visitors also gravitate inland, where e.g. B. From a restored, rustic farmhouse you can explore wonderfully quiet rural areas.

Getting there

Overview

Travel information for the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands see separate chapters.

Arriving by plane

Attention: Air travelers fill out a health check form on the Spain Travel Health portal, which generates a QR code that must be presented upon arrival. This can also be done via the free SpTH app. Spain’s national airline Iberia (IB) connects EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg as well as Stuttgart and Hanover with Madrid, among others. Likewise, Lufthansa (LH) and Eurowings (EW) connect various German cities with the main Spanish cities. Austrian Airlines (OS) flies from the major airports in Austria. Swiss (LX) connects the international Swiss airports with Spain. There are good connections in international scheduled and package travel. Ryanair (FR),

Flight times

Berlin – Barcelona: 2 hours 30 minutes; Berlin – Madrid: 3 hours; Frankfurt – Barcelona: 2 hours; Frankfurt – Madrid: 2 hours 45 minutes; Vienna – Barcelona: 2 hours 20 minutes; Vienna – Madrid: 3 hours; Zurich – Barcelona: 1 hour 40 minutes; Zurich – Madrid: 2 hours 20 minutes.

Arrival by car

Car: The most important motorways to Spain lead from France via Bordeaux or Toulouse to Bilbao (northern Spain) and via Marseille or Toulouse to Barcelona (eastern Spain). The route through the Pyrenees Tunnel to France runs from Lleida (Lerida) via the Spanish N230 to the Tunnel de Vielha. There it goes in France through the Vall d’Aran and the Central Pyrenees to Montrejeau. Long-distance bus: Flixbus and Eurolines drive from Germany to Spain. The Domo Costa Blanca Express connects St. Gallen, Zurich Airport, Bern and Geneva with Barcelona, ​​among others. Tolls: Spanish motorways are subject to tolls. Current toll rates are available from autopistas. Toll-free urban motorways and bypasses exist in all major cities, such as Barcelona, ​​Bilbao, Valencia and Alicante. The motorway ring around Madrid is partly subject to tolls. Payment can be made in cash or by credit card. Electronic payment via the Via-T tele-toll system is worthwhile for long-term stays; Transmitters are available at gas stations and banks. Further information on the use of the motorway is available from ASETA. Documents: The national driving license is sufficient.

Arrival by train

No direct train connections from Germany and Austria. As a rule, you change trains in Paris, but there are also connections via Italy/Monaco and Switzerland. French TGV and Spanish AVE high-speed trains run from Paris, Lyon, Marseille and Toulouse to Barcelona and Madrid. The journey from Toulouse to Barcelona takes 3h 12m. Trains run from Basel to Barcelona. More information from the Swiss Federal Railways.

rail passes

The Interrail One Country Pass and the Interrail Global Pass are also valid in Spain.

Arrival by ship

There are various ferries connecting Spain with Italy, Morocco and the Spanish exclaves on the North African coast. The Western Mediterranean and the Canary Islands can be traveled with cruise ships.

Cruise ships

The busiest cruise ports in Spain are Barcelona, ​​Balearic Islands, Las Palmas, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Bahia de Cádiz, Málaga, Valencia, Cartagena, Vigo and A Coruña. The cruise ships of large cruise lines such as Cunard, TUI Cruises and MSC Cruises arrive here. The itineraries of numerous cruise ships continue from here through the Mediterranean Sea, to North and South America or to the Caribbean. Aida Cruises offers cruises in the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, South America and North America, among others. Royal Caribbean cruises from Barcelona to France, Italy and Malta. Costa travels to Italy, Sardinia and the Caribbean, among other places.

Ferry provider

Grandi Navi Veloci offers ferry services between Barcelona and the Italian cities of Genoa and Civitavecchia. Trasmediterranea flies from Almeria (Spain) to Nador (Morocco), from Almeria and from Malaga (Spain) to Melilla (Spain) and from Algecias (Spain) to Tangier (Morocco) and Ceuta (Spain). Grimaldi Lines runs to Barcelona from Civitavecchia, Porto Torres and Savona.

How to get to Spain