Spain by car routes. By car in Spain

Spain - cheerful, romantic and amazing country. Every year, more and more residents from different parts of the world strive to get to the homeland of bullfighting and flamenco, plunge into the magical atmosphere of the most beautiful cities and soak up the gentle sea. And not without reason, because getting a visa for such a trip is not difficult, but high level development of the tourism industry makes it easy to organize a tour without outside help. And what could be better than exploring the Iberian Peninsula on a self-designed itinerary, independent of the standard tour planned by a tour operator? To realize your plans, you can go in your own car, which will give you the opportunity to learn a lot about other points along the route. However, if you are not in the mood for a long trip, but just want to enjoy it, you can always do it when you arrive at your destination.

Self-guided tour: advantages and subtleties

And so, when a lot of time has been spent on planning and competent organization of the scheme, the decision is made. Let's look at the advantages of such a trip to increase confidence.

1. Lack of time frames. This means that you won’t be rushing around in the hustle and bustle to see what you like. architectural structures trying to do it faster more photos so as not to be late for tourist bus moving according to a schedule. You will have as much time for sightseeing as you want.
2. Freedom to choose points of interest. You don't have to follow a guide along already hackneyed ordinary tourist routes. You just have to wander through the vastness of the World Wide Web and choose those areas that interest you.
3. You choose the regions through which your route will pass. Sometimes, after enjoying a holiday on the beach, you want to change the scenery and wander the city streets, admire the beauty of nature in famous parks, or go to cities with big amount entertainment and attractions. And then you can get into the car at any time and move on.
4. Saving money and time. When organizing your vacation, travel companies do not do it for free, inflating the cost of most services. In the case of a trip organized on your own, you choose the place of accommodation, food and recreation yourself, based on their price and personal wishes.

Try not to rely only on studying architecture or the monotony of lying on a sun lounger. Spain is fraught with many discoveries that await you at every turn. Try traditional Spanish dishes - paella, gazpacho, tortilla, migas will surely surprise you with their unusual taste. In addition to the beaches, of which, by the way, there are more than 2 thousand, there are also stunning mountains and even a desert. Don't miss the chance to see everything with your own eyes.

Nature has no bad weather: we rest according to the season

Contrary to the general opinion that vacations should be organized in the summer, we suggest considering the advantages of each of the seasons.

• Summer. When traveling by car at this time of year, do not forget that you are traveling to one of the warmest countries in Europe, so the summer heat should not scare you. There are about 260 here a year. sunny days. Don't forget to bring light and thin clothing, hats, sunglasses and sunscreens. But having an umbrella is not at all necessary, since rain is rare.
• Autumn. During this season it is not so hot here and sometimes it rains. At this time, fewer tourists relax here, and the water temperature is still comfortable for swimming. Therefore, for people who do not like fuss and crowds, the autumn months are the most suitable.
• Winter. Perhaps the most interesting time. You can travel comfortably southern regions, sunbathe on Canary Islands, or you can rent skis or a snowboard and play sports in the Pyrenees or Sierra Nevada.
• Spring. In March it is still rainy and cool; in April there will be much less precipitation. At the same time, nature will delight with its bright colors, evoking romantic mood. May will allow you to relax on the coast and swim in the sea. At the same time, Barcelona will be slightly colder than other regions.

Sights for every taste

Once you have chosen the period of travel and decided to do it yourself, you should familiarize yourself with some interesting places which are definitely worth a visit.

The country is able to satisfy the tastes of even the most sophisticated travelers, as it is truly a universal destination. Every tourist will be able to find hobbies to their liking here - from architectural monuments and historical places such as Burgos Cathedral, National Museum The Prado in Madrid or the Alcazar in Seville, to active entertainment such as the Port Aventura World theme park in Salou or the Jungle Park in Santa Ponsa.

We bring to your attention just some of the remarkable places in this unique country, a vacation where your dreams can come true.

You can continue moving in any direction of this huge and multifaceted country; the choice of a suitable direction depends only on you. G The main task is to combine sunbathing on the cleanest beaches, getting to know historical monuments, leisure and getting to know local cuisine and just enjoy the wonderful tour that you came up with yourself. Have a nice experience!

Spain is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Literally every town and village can boast of three or two attractions and interesting places. In this situation, a car seems like an ideal vehicle for traveling around the country, but not everything is so simple. The Izvestia correspondent checked everything for himself and compiled a detailed guide for those traveling by car in Spain - from parking to rentals and from child seats to accidents.

Route selection

The first issue that you will have to decide at the stage of preparing for the trip is the route. Keep in mind that Spain is a fairly large country. Nevertheless, it is easy to build a route so that you can travel no more than 200 km per day. Moreover, at each next point of the journey you will find not only good hotels and restaurants, but also a cultural program.

This statement is especially relevant for the coastal part of the country. Here is the distance between major cities rarely exceeds 200–300 km (maximum 4 hours on the road). For example, between Barcelona and Tarragona there are about 100 km, between Valencia and Alicante - about 170 km, between Murcia and Cartagena - 54 km.

However, despite such small distances by Russian standards, do not plan to move every day. Be sure that at some point something will definitely go wrong (you will oversleep, spend the whole night in a bar, want to “go to the mountains for a couple of hours”), and your trip will turn into a race - ours turned into a race. Even if you want to see the maximum number of cities, at least once every two or three days, stop somewhere for a couple of days. Your head will rest from constant travel, and your hands will rest from the steering wheel.

Choosing a rental office

The second issue, which is also worth deciding before the start of the trip, is the choice of rental company. In Spain everything is fine with large international and not very large local offices. The most convenient way to search and compare prices is through one of the aggregators, for example, Arguscarhire.com, Rentalcars.com, Avtoprokat.ru, or any other. But you should approach the choice of rental company much more carefully.

The main thing to remember when choosing a rental agency in Spain, and indeed everywhere, is that local rental companies are not able to offer the level of service that large ones can boast of. international companies. And these are not even smiling employees or brand new cars. The level of service is the time for issuing and returning cars (can take 3–4 hours), the insurance deductible (usually about €1 thousand) and attentiveness to even minor scratches.

It's easier to explain with an example. A class A car in a small local rental for two weeks in November would cost 5 thousand rubles. Plus, about €1 thousand of deposit would be blocked on your card (in the event of an accident, this money will be used for repairs), plus you would have to wait for the car for about an hour, maybe two. At the time of surrender, approximately the same thing would await you.

Another variant. You book the same car from a large rental company. The car already costs 14 thousand rubles. But it’s not €1 thousand that is blocked on the card, but about €200. Receiving and returning the car takes just a few minutes.

Add here indifference to the appearance of small scratches (small offices react very nervously to them) and a bunch of offices throughout the country. And also loyalty systems with free upgrades to the car class.

In general, for me the choice was obvious: rental in Spain is not the most expensive part of a road trip, but you can overpay for comfort and tranquility.

One more thing: some small distributors provide a one-time commission for gasoline - about €30. Please pay attention to this detail when booking. The usual fuel policy is Full to Full (we take and return the car with a full tank).

Another important detail is crossing borders. For some rental companies this service is paid, but for all large ones (Avis, Hertz, Europcar, Sixt) it is included in the rental price. The same applies to the daily and total mileage limits. Be sure to calculate the route and choose a car based on it - the surcharge for extra kilometers can be significant.

Toll roads

Be careful here. All of Spain is surrounded by a dense network toll roads. The permitted speed on them is 120 km/h. At least two, and more often three or four lanes, wide shoulders, rest areas every few kilometers - a motorist's paradise. Only the local apostle Peter opens the gates not for good behavior, but for euros. Usually for tens.

But you can do without toll roads. If you plan to drive no more than 300–400 kilometers per day, then choose free roads. The time difference will be up to half an hour. At the same time, instead of soulless concrete barriers, you will get beautiful views of villages, fields, forests and mountains. And you’ll also have time to look at them - the usual speed limit on free roads is 80–100 km/h.

Petrol

Gasoline in Spain is much more expensive than in Russia. On average, a liter of 95 (Regular) or diesel will cost €1.2–1.3 per liter. If you search, you can find Low Cost gas stations: the quality of gasoline is no worse, but the prices are lower - you can save about 10 euro cents per liter.

It is not customary to tip gas station attendants in Spain. As in Russia, there are simply no gas stations at some stations. Keep in mind that Spanish gas stations practice fairness - gasoline starts pouring into your tank before you pay. The algorithm is this: drive up, fill up, then go to the cashier and pay.

Emergency situation

The first thing to do if you are involved in an accident is to make sure that you and your passengers are okay. Not because the rental company requires it, but because it is logical. Second, call your car rental and tell them in detail about the circumstances of the accident. There they will guide you on further actions and tell you how to contact the police. By default we call 112.

If you only damaged your car, the police will simply write down all the circumstances and, perhaps, give you the contact details of their department, which you can give to the rental company. If someone's property is damaged, you will receive inspection materials, and then your rental company will resolve all issues. However, in this case, you will be charged the cost of repairs (within the current franchise, more on that below).

If you violated something, you will be fined. If the car needs to be replaced, the rental company will tell you the nearest rental point where you can do this. Here, by the way, lies another advantage big companies- they simply have more rental points in the rather large Spain.

Insurance

You can rent a car with two types of insurance. By default, insurance comes with a deductible, that is, you pay part of the cost of damage. The franchise can vary from €500 to €1500.

For example, you smashed the entire front part of the car, the cost of repairing it was €1,800. With a deductible of €1,500, you will pay exactly €1,500, your rental company will add the remaining 300. If before you broke it slightly, say, by €1,200, you yourself will pay this amount in full.

The second type of insurance is Full Cover. In this case, the rental company relieves you of all responsibility for any damage, even caused by your fault. But such insurance usually costs an additional €15–25 per day.

Third, Alternative option- purchasing full coverage from a third-party insurance company (for example, RentalCover). The scheme is as follows: you pay your rental company for all damage (within the deductible), and then the insurance company compensates you for the costs while retaining a fixed administrative fee. Usually it is around €100–200. This type of insurance itself is sold for a year at once; it can be used when renting cars in different countries, and it costs up to 10 thousand rubles.

Rights

I've been to third world countries where you can get by without a license, but in Spain you need them. Moreover, it is better to acquire international ones as well. The latter are processed literally within a day, the state duty is 1,600 rubles (if paid through government services - 1,120 rubles). You can rent a car with a domestic license, but the police may ask you to show an international one. However, this is very unlikely; more on that below.

Police

If you get into an accident, the police will arrive very quickly and will be extremely polite and courteous. The employees will file an accident report, write down your details, wish you a good day, maybe even exchange a few jokes with you and that’s it. But if you avoid emergency situations, then most likely you will not be able to communicate with people in uniform. The concentration of police on Spanish roads is extremely low.

Cameras

But there are plenty of cameras on the roads of Spain. This applies to cities, rural areas, and wide highways. There is no “backlash” of 20 km/h for speeding, as in Russia, in Spain. It says 60 on the sign, which means you can go 60. A couple of kilometers may be attributed to a poorly calibrated camera, but this is not a fact either.

Outside the city, the speed is most often limited to 80–100 km/h, on toll roads - 120. In cities - 50, 40 and even 30. And local restrictions are observed. Well, at least they're trying.

Parking

Parking in the center major cities paid. Parking spaces are marked with blue, green, orange or white paint.

Blue indicates a paid parking zone. The price per hour is usually €2–3. Moreover, you cannot leave the car for longer than two hours. Parking is paid for immediately, and the receipt from the parking meter is placed under the glass - you forgot to put it in, expect a fine.

Green and orange parking spaces are the same as blue ones, but with preferences for local residents. Parking in these places will cost them much less. Moreover, there is another variety of these parking lots with clarifying signs zona residentes or área residents - only residents can park here.

White parking is my favorite - free. But you can’t find places with fire during the day.

Another option is underground parking. Prices per hour are slightly lower here, and the time is not limited to two hours. These are used for long stops (for example, overnight). A day here will cost €15–20.

Life hack: use the Parkopedia service - city parking maps. Here you can easily find all the free parking lots and compare prices for paid ones. For example, in Zaragoza I found free parking a 15-minute walk from the hotel. I warmed up and saved €30 in two days.

Children

According to Spanish laws, children can only be transported in a car in special equipment - in car seats. Moreover, booster seats that were once popular in Russia are prohibited in the country; you need a normal car seat. It can be rented along with a car - it will cost €7–8 per day. If you plan to rent a car for a period of a week or more, it is more profitable to buy the simplest car seat in some mall, and at the end of the trip just throw it away. Car seats in Spanish supermarkets cost from €40.

We present to your attention an excellent route independent travel in Spain. From Barcelona to Madrid through colorful towns.

Spain is a country located in the south of Europe. Washed Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The kingdom includes the Canary, Balearic, Pitius Islands, as well as 80% of the Iberian Peninsula. Spain has a subtropical climate. Each region has its own weather, which depend on the proximity to Africa, altitude and, of course, the proximity of mountain ranges.

Spain has long attracted tourists. And it’s not even about natural beauties, although it should be noted clean beaches, Azure sea, high mountains. The colorful country made me fall in love medieval castles, Gothic cathedrals, passionate flamenco and exciting bullfights. It is impossible to reveal all the secrets of Spain during one trip, but it is quite possible to get acquainted with its diversity. So the journey begins.

• Travelata, Level.Travel, OnlineTours - look for the hottest tours here.
• Aviasales - save up to 30% on purchasing air tickets.
• Hotellook - book hotels with discounts up to 60%.
• Numbeo - look at the price order in the host country.
• Cherehapa - take reliable insurance so as not to worry on the road.
• AirBnb - rent an apartment from locals.

Traveling Spain: Barcelona

The easiest way to get from Russia to the capital of Catalonia is by air, direct or charter flights. In Barcelona international flights hosted by El Prat Airport. Departure is possible from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk.

Barcelona is attractive for its historical and architectural monuments. The center, built in the Gothic style, remained virtually untouched. Main attractions worth visiting:

• Cathedral St. Eulalia is the largest Gothic building in Catalonia;
• The Sagrada Familia is the creation of the great Gaudi;
• Aquarium - an 80-meter tunnel will introduce you to the inhabitants Mediterranean Sea;
• Palace of Catalan Music – cultural heritage UNESCO, which amazes with its internal and external design and diverse repertoire;
• Picasso Museum – stores 3,800 works by the brilliant artist, arranged in chronological order;
• Plaza Catalunya is the heart of Barcelona, ​​connecting the old and new town;
• The Boqueria market is a culinary paradise, with about 20,000 flavors coexisting on 300 stalls.

Traveling Spain: Zaragoza

The city is interesting for its architecture and historical monuments, as it managed to combine Roman, Christian, Arab and Jewish cultures. From Barcelona to Zaragoza you can travel by bus, train or rent a car. From the Barcelona Sants station, a high-speed train will reach you in an hour and a half. The bus ride takes almost 4 hours. By car you can get there on the AR-2 and AR-68 highways in 3 hours.

The following attractions will help you understand the spirit of the city:

Planning a trip? That way!

We have prepared some useful gifts for you. They will help you save money while preparing for your trip.

• Nuestra Señora del Pilar - Baroque basilica, painted by Francisco Goya, symbol of Zaragoza;
• Roman walls - architectural monument, which stood for more than 18 centuries, recalls the period of the Roman Empire;
• Aljaferia Palace - the former residence of the Moorish rulers, after undergoing reconstruction, acquired a throne room for Catholic kings;
• San Salvador - gothic cathedral, business card Renaissance;
• La Lonja - an expo center, formerly a stock exchange;
• The Zaragoza Museum is a huge city museum dedicated to archeology and art.

Traveling Spain: Valencia

The capital of the province of Valencia is attractive with a history dating back about 22 centuries, a mild climate, great opportunities for shopping and, of course, beaches. The easiest way to get from Zaragoza to Valencia is by car. The trip takes about 3 hours. By bus, passing through Teruel can be reached in 6 hours.

To get to know Valencia it is worth visiting:

• City of Arts and Sciences - a complex of buildings of unusual designs, there is a science museum, an Oceanarium, a 3D cinema, a palace of arts;
• A biopark is a huge territory where animals live in their natural conditions;
• Beaches of Malvarossa – the best place For beach holiday in Valencia. There are many restaurants and cafes on the Embankment;
• The bed of the Turia River will give you relaxation surrounded by bottle trees, palm trees, fountains and statues;
• The Carmen district is a cluster of entertainment establishments of any format. Beautiful place for nightlife lovers.

Traveling around Spain: Alicante

The city on the Costa Blanca is attractive luxurious beaches, huge parks, historical and architectural attractions. You can get from Valencia to Alicante by train, bus or car. Travel to railway transport will take up to 2 hours. 9 trains depart from Valencia per day. You can leave by bus almost every hour. Travel time is about 2 hours 30 minutes. By car you need to take the E-15 highway, the journey will take 2 hours.

The main attractions of the city:

• Castillo de Santa Barbara – medieval castle, located on Mount Benacantil. The city museum is also located here;
• Town Hall - two twin towers built in the Baroque style. The height of the city hall is 35 m;
• St. Mary's Church is a medieval Gothic building famous for its richly decorated façade;
• The Tossal theme park is located on the slopes of the mountain of the same name. From here you can enjoy a breathtaking view of the city; in the park you can play on a huge chessboard and go rock climbing;
• Principal de Alicante is a huge theater that hosts opera, ballet and theater events;
• Playa de San Juan is the best beach not only on the Costa Blanca, but also in all of Spain, which has earned the Blue Flag.

Traveling Spain: Toledo

The former capital of the state will interest lovers of antiquity, history, and architecture. Echoes of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish cultures from different eras have been preserved here to this day. The easiest way to get from Alicante to Toledo is by car. The journey will take about 4 hours. By high-speed train it takes about 3 hours 30 minutes, and by bus – up to 8 hours.

In Toledo, noteworthy:

• St. Mary's Cathedral - a medieval Gothic building, the residence of the archbishop;
• El Greco Museum – the painter’s house, where his belongings and works are preserved;
• The Town Hall is a spectacular building surrounded by a park. The structure was designed by Juan Herrera, the father of Escorial;
• City museums: Santa Cruz, Victorio Macho, Alcazar.

It is believed that Spain, along with Turkey and Egypt, is more convenient to visit on a tour package. This is not true, and here we will tell you why it is much better to travel to Spain on your own.

When planning a vacation in Spain, you need to clearly understand that no matter how you shuffle the world cards, in any case it will be a combination of beach and excursion holidays. The beaches here are municipal, and in most regions of Spain hotels are located across the road. There are practically no luxury hotel-resorts with complete infrastructure designed for purely seal recreation. Most hotels, especially north of Barcelona, ​​in the Costa Brava, are modest 3-4*, cozy and clean, but you are not expected to spend most of your time there.

In Spain you will:

• Walk around the cities (at least Barcelona, ​​Madrid)
• Sit in cozy cafes, taste paellas and sangria, admire the sea
• Sometimes lie on the beach and even swim (although, on south coast, in the Costa Del Sol, you won’t even swim - there are cold currents. And it’s not accepted there, it’s undignified).

So it’s better suited for thalassotherapy, and we’ll focus on how to plan your trip to Spain.

Disadvantages of an “organized” trip to Spain

All cons have been tested on personal experience. The first time I went to Spain was on a standard tour package. There were no services like Smart Trip back then, and any individual tour in a travel agency cost a lot of money, since hotels not included in the " package tour“I had to book without discounts. Now, when you log in, you will immediately see several results and choose the most optimal “hotel - room - price” option. Almost always, the cost of a room in the same hotel when booking online is at least 30% cheaper.

The standard trip that I bought then included a week's stay in a small modest hotel located in the town Blanes, region Costa Brava, with breakfast and dinner. The days passed according to the same scenario. I always overslept breakfast, and therefore combined it with lunch at one of the many cafes on the coast. Afterwards - two to three hours on the beach. Then I got on a bus or train (whichever leaves the station faster) and went for a walk to Barcelona. The journey took about an hour. I had dinner in Barcelona, ​​because I didn’t have time to go to the hotel for dinner, and how can I exchange “ Buffet» reeking of communism, for tapas in one of Barcelona's many bars and cafes? Everything would be fine, but the main goal throughout the entire vacation was not to be late for the last train from Barcelona to Blanes. This happened once, and it turned out to be cheaper to spend the night in a hotel than to take a taxi. All these nerves with the train neutralized the thrill of evening Barcelona. I spent the late evening, of course, in the bars of Blanes.

So, the cons:

• I didn’t eat at the hotel at all, which means I overpaid.
• Wasted time and money on the road to Barcelona.
• I spent unplanned money when I had to stay there overnight.
• And, of course, the main disadvantage is the discomfort with the last train (which, by the way, is always packed).

If all of the above is not an argument for you, and you really think that you need a nanny on your trip, then read below and you will understand that you were wrong. If two paragraphs are enough for you, then proceed to hotels, but still, first, check out two options for very simple independent routes around Spain and resort areas ideal for a beach holiday.

Simple independent routes around Spain

Route one

We arrive in Barcelona. We book a hotel there for the first 2-4 days of vacation and for 1-2 last days. We choose a resort either in the north or south of Barcelona and, having desired the sea, we go there. Barcelona has beaches, and some even manage to swim there, but still the beautiful capital of Catalonia is a port city with all that it implies. So enjoy the architecture, and the sea a little later.

Route two

We arrive in Madrid. For example, if you book a non-stop flight with an airline Iberia, it will cost you from 15,000 rubles with fees (without promotions, round trip). If you don’t mind walking around Geneva and Munich (many people specifically book just such flights, and a 10-hour layover in one of the European cities, when you can stroll through museums, sit in a cafe and all this is included in the price of the flight, because that’s what you need no need to additionally book a hotel, they consider it a pleasant bonus to the trip), then Lufthansa offers such flights costing from 9,000 rubles with all taxes (without promotions, round trip).

Two or three days in Madrid - and Mediterranean coast. If you have two weeks for the trip, you can also take Barcelona, ​​either there or back. You can get from Madrid to Barcelona either by the same Iberia, or by ground transport.

Review of Mediterranean resorts in Spain

Recommendations for choosing and booking hotels. Use them to better decide on a place for a beach holiday in Spain. Just click on the links, look at hotels, read reviews. You can book everything here.

Costa Daurada

This is the most “children's resort”. His sandy beaches and shallow coastal waters, proximity to water parks and the famous park Port Aventura make the Golden Coast one of the most popular resorts in Spain. The range of hotels is quite wide - this is luxury hotels for a relaxing, luxurious holiday, and excellent family foursomes. For example, , , where there is a full range of services for children and adults. And inexpensive economical hotels for youth recreation: or. The center of the resort is the town Salou- a favorite vacation spot for both young people and families with children: there is nightlife and a train station, which allows you to get to Barcelona, and very close - Port Aventura. The towns neighboring Salou are no less popular. Cambrils And La Pineda- bus service to Salou and Tarragona ( administrative center) is well organized, but it is not so noisy and crowded here.

Costa Brava and Costa del Maresme

The coastline stretches north from Barcelona and all the way to the Pyrenees Costa Brava And Costa del Maresme. The mountains descend almost to the sea, which cuts into the shore, creating narrow bays with wonderful small beaches. Thanks to the numerous pine forests, the air here is very clean and the scenery is magnificent. The center of the Costa Brava is Lloret de Mar— the noisiest and liveliest town on the coast. The choice of hotels here is for every taste, from inexpensive “three rubles”: , , , to good beach “fours”: ,. There are also five-star ratings, rare for continental resorts - and. Tourists visiting the Costa Brava have a unique opportunity to go to France for a couple of days. Getting to Barcelona, ​​as already mentioned, is also not a problem - an hour by train. Perhaps the only negative of the resort is Railway, passing right next to the sea. She reaches out from Barcelona to Blanes, and only two towns of the Costa Brava - Tossa del Mar and already mentioned Lloret- boast exclusively beach hotels.

Costa del Sol

Costa Blanca

Every year it becomes more and more popular among our tourists Costa Blanca- Valencian coast of Spain. Now this is the most “western” resort in the country, but not in terms of location, but because of the huge number of Western tourists who have chosen the “white coast” for the cleanliness of the beaches, excellent service and stormy nightlife, the center of which is Benidorm. In the past - a fishing village, now Benidorm is a real tourist phenomenon in Europe (this is the title journalists awarded it). The chain of ultra-modern hotels on the coast is no less impressive than the emerald tints of the seascape. Particularly notable in this regard is the hotel, which is one of the tallest hotels in the world. The city is considered one of the most attractive Spanish resorts in terms of leisure and entertainment opportunities, while the hotel base is designed for both demanding tourists: and.

In fact, you can go to Spain whenever you want. The question is why are you going there?
Beach holiday season is June—September. In May it is sunny and warm, but the sea does not have time to warm up enough, so it is still too early to swim. September-October - “ the Velvet season": the sea is still warm, but the summer heat is subsiding. In October, however, there is a risk of rain. On the other hand, May and October are the time low prices and quite good weather. This is the perfect time for excursion trips: a good opportunity to see medieval Spain - Granada, Seville, Cordoba, and perhaps visit Portugal or France.

It's time to talk about our independent 11-day trip to Spain. This is one of the most memorable trips, since we were not only imbued with the spirit of independent Catalonia, but also managed to climb a fair amount of mountains, which is always remembered for a long time (I immediately remember how we, for example, climbed a mountain in the Alps near, when as part of a logical continuation of the wedding :)). After all, as you know, better than the mountains there can only be mountains! :) However, a little more about all this below.

Preparing for a 10-day trip

Buying air tickets to Spain

Preparation for any of our trips always begins with the purchase of air tickets. This is the most main point throughout the entire journey. For several reasons:

• firstly, by buying air tickets in advance you can save quite a good amount of money
• secondly, once you buy tickets, there will be no turning back, because there is always a great temptation to “leave in” at the last moment and go on vacation on the sofa, and not to Spain :)
• thirdly, with purchased tickets, obtaining a visa is 99% a formality, for which you still have to pay though :)

Let's start with air tickets. We bought a flight Kazan-Helsinki-Barcelona and back a couple of months before departure. The cost of air tickets was 16,905 rubles per person. We bought using Aviasales, and then comparing with specific airline offers. For example, Aviasales’ price was slightly cheaper than Finnair’s directly, so it was decided to use one of the services offered by this aggregator.

Airbnb accommodation bookings

This is where the fun begins. Firstly, standard booking systems such as Booking did not provide us with more or less acceptable accommodation options for three (and this time we flew together with Katya and my brother). And if they did, it would be somewhere on the periphery, but we still wanted to have walking distance to the main attractions. I'm talking about Barcelona now. Plus, in the first days we didn’t plan to rent a car anyway, so the location of the accommodation in the center was one of the key points.

But our beloved Airbnb came to the rescue (follow the link for a $10 gift for your first booking). For those who don't know, this is a service that allows you to book accommodation with local residents, very useful if you want to find budget apartments or even rooms in an apartment building.

Secondly, what’s also good about Airbnb is that you can find rental housing there in places where there are no hotels at all :) So, for example, we found an accommodation option near the Pyrenees Mountains and in the quiet village of Vila Sacra, from which it is a stone's throw to Girona, Empuriabrava and others like them. In general, we rented everything

• 5 nights in Barcelona
• 2 nights in Vila Sacra
• 2 nights in Seyres (Pyrenees)
• 1 night near Montserrat

All accommodation for 10 nights cost us 8512 rubles / per person, that is, about 851 rubles per night :) But of course there were some incidents, the hostess set us up very disappointingly at the last stage, but more on all this below :)

Rent a car at Autoclick

After the job was done, we went to look at the Plaza de España and the fountains of Montjuïc from above, snacked on delicious sweets and coffee, and went shopping :)

True, one funny story did happen. More precisely, not a story, but the embodiment of a childhood dream :) Have you ever wanted to ride a real Ferrari? :) Personally, yes. Therefore, in Barcelona, ​​seeing the opportunity to take the helm of a red competitive car, we couldn’t pass it up :)

After getting mixed feelings about this car, we went straight to the Gothic Quarter - a very beautiful collection of attractions from buildings, a cathedral, a flea market, a festival with dancing, singing street opera singers, the Jewish quarter, etc.

Well, we ended the day with a completely unusual gathering in a cafe where there is no menu :) Yes, yes, that’s it, there is no menu, the waiter just comes up to you and asks what you want :) They fed us drinks and some unusual snack, which was something like a gift :) The atmosphere in such establishments is, of course, extremely friendly and unusual. No pathos - just purely human contact :)

Day 6 – Barcelona – Lloret de Mar – Girona – Vila Sacra

So, getting up earlier in the morning, we did the check-out in the form of the usual leaving the keys on the table :) Oh, the delights of renting a room in an apartment :) Taking the bus to the airport, we go to the Autoclick rental office. Fill in everything Required documents, 1000 euros are blocked on the credit card and they give us a fresh, completely new one Ford Focus 3 station wagon for the price of an economy option :) By the way, in some offices they only accept non-cash method payment of the rent itself, and what’s more, to block the deposit can only be accepted credit cards Master Card, so we advise you to look for a wonderful one (it comes with free travel insurance around the world + increased cashbacks on hotels/tickets/car rentals).

First on our list is Lloret de Mar. We got to it along a toll road; there were about 3 payment terminals, where we left a total of about 5 euros. Approximately half of all money spent on toll roads in Spain. Apparently this is due to the fact that this road goes right along the coast. Therefore, upset that we could not save money on this short section of the road, we went in search of free parking. Fortunately, there are plenty of them in Lloret de Mar - look nearby residential buildings close to the first beach line.

Lloret de Mar itself is very beautiful, beautiful beaches, pure water, fish swim, rocks and stones also add color. The only negative is that there are a lot of Russians who just roll around with their bellies :):) But this no longer depends on us - where the tour operators send, that’s where they go :) After a little swim, we moved on. At first we wanted to go to Lake Sau, and then Rupit Pruit, but doubt crept into us - is it worth it? Still, the route was not the closest, so we decided to bet on Girona, and then, depending on the free time, decide where to go next - to nearby attractions or to the point of our next settlement - Vila Sacra?

It’s just a stone’s throw from Lloret de Mar to Girona – we got there very quickly. We remember Girona for its length along the main street, a large and very uncomfortable park and quite interesting architecture of the historical part of the city, and most importantly - absolutely amazing houses by the river, which reminded me of something, but better :)

Well, after Girona we had very little time left, so we decided to move towards our next checkpoint - the small village of Vila Sacra. This is a very cool place that we chose for several reasons:

• firstly, it was relatively close to Girona itself
• secondly, it’s a stone’s throw from Vila Sacra to Empuriabrava
• thirdly, from Vila Sacra you can travel to other cities of Catalonia
• fourthly, it was very cheap :) We simply couldn’t find it cheaper :)

Day 7 – Vila Sacra – Empuriabrava – Besalu – Castelfiolite de la Roca

Waking up in the morning, we went to the nearest McDonald's, had a snack and went to one very beautiful National Park Aiguamolls near Empuriabrava. In addition to protected nature, this park also has Observation deck, which offers beautiful views of the surrounding area of ​​Empuriabrava. Parking at the information center next to the park is paid - 5 euros / day, but there is a driveway on the other side where you can leave your car for free.

After the park we moved to Empuriabrava itself. To be honest, we expected more. Deserted beach, very strong wind, difficulty free parking(I had to go deep into residential buildings). Initially, we wanted to rent a boat here and take a ride around famous channels, which are called nothing less than Spanish Venice. But they didn’t get it :)

Therefore, we decided not to waste time and send to Besala - such a small town, as if from the Middle Ages, as well as to nearby Castellfollit de la Roca - a Spanish village on the rocks.

Pyrenees Mountains and Montserrat

Day 8 – Vila Sacra – Seira, Pyrenees

It's time to say goodbye to your cozy accommodation in Vila Sacra. By the way, a few words about the owner, whose name was Jose Maria. An amazingly good-natured old man who lives in a big house and rents out part of it to tourists like us :) Moreover, the part that was intended for us consisted of two floors, a luxurious shower room, a huge bed and a folding sofa, and a fully equipped kitchen. And all this for mere pennies by European standards. This housing reminded me of how we .

So, our next destination was the Pyrenees Mountains. We spent a long time studying where we could hike there, so as not to bother too much with equipment, we are still more city / beach travelers than professional hikers :) We liked two national parks - Posets-Maladeta and Aiguestortes. Again, it was important to find accommodation somewhere approximately in the middle between them, so that it would be convenient to go first to one route and then to another.

This is how we discovered the absolutely amazing Seira - a municipality in Spain, which is part of the province of Huesca, part of autonomous community Aragon. The village is probably a couple of hundred meters long, no more :) The road to this place is practically free, there was only one paid section through Girona. At first desert views They saddened us a little, but then, as soon as the mountains began, it immediately became more interesting and comfortable, all around there were all sorts of different dams and tunnels through the mountains.

What a wonderful atmosphere awaited us, the two-room apartment was entirely ours, everything was also equipped to the highest standard, attic windows overlooking the mountains. This is simply fantastic, if it were up to me, I would have stayed there for another week :)

After checking in, we went to the first point - the dam near the Estany De Cavallers lake, in national park Aiguestortes, which by the way is part of Catalonia. You can get to the dam by car right at the very beginning, parking there is free.

And very close to this lake and dam, the first, relatively small hiking route in the national park, not far from Val de Boi, awaited us.

On our way back, it was already starting to get dark, but we specially timed everything so that we could return just in time for full sunset. Because from the place of settlement to Aiguestortes Park it is about 80 kilometers, and somehow I didn’t really want to wind along the serpentine road at night :) We took only a couple of shots from the road and headed back to Seira.

Day 9 – Seira – Benasque

Having breathed plenty of fresh air, we were looking forward to an even greater emotional upsurge from visiting the next route to Lake Escarpinosa. This route is among the TOP most best routes in the Pyrenees Mountains, at least according to reviews on Tripadvisor. We usually don’t trust other people’s reviews without photos, but after looking at real photos of tourists we realized that it’s really worth it.

True, we still had to go through a small quest. None of the sources we read indicated a clear entry point to the route. Only short description a la “two kilometers from the intersection, then right”, in general, after wandering a little, we wandered onto another interesting dam and lake :) Returning back and slowly driving past all the signs, we saw the treasured letters and numbers GR11 - this is an internal route designation system in the Pyrenees, which helps both beginners and professionals navigate :)

Satisfied and tired, we returned home, where we sadly realized that this was our last day in the Pyrenees and it was time to return closer to Barcelona through Montserrat. As I said at the very beginning, we rented an apartment near the mountain monastery to devote the whole day to it. But in the evening we were disappointed. Having written to the hostess on WhatsApp, we realized that she did not understand at all what we were talking about :) It turns out that she cannot accept us, since she herself is in Morocco :) The problem is that she apparently did not cancel the instant booking function - the ability to book accommodation without prior consent of the owner.

Cursing and sending negative comments to her karma, we considered options. The first instinct is to quickly book something new, but we were not yet at the very end of the season, so there simply weren’t any acceptable options for overnight accommodation, or everything was very expensive. Then we decided to do this - we go to Montserrat, then take a farewell swim in Castelldefels and return closer to 22:00 to El Prat airport, return the rental car and spend the night at the airport :) Fortunately, our flight is early, in the morning. A little discomfort in favor of saving money and unnecessary worries in the morning about returning the car and other fuss.

By the way, we must pay tribute to Airbnb - later I wrote a letter with a claim for a refund of the full amount, not only did they return it to me, but they also gave me a promotional code as an apology. In general, bravo! Good service.

Day 10 – Seira – Montserrat – Castelldefels

In general, we left Seira relatively early. A very funny check-out in the form of handing over the keys to the apartment to the mailbox :) Next, an absolutely free road to Montserrat awaited us. This is a monastery on the mountain of the same name that attracts thousands of tourists every day. Located in relative proximity to Barcelona. Since we were a little upset that we would have nowhere to spend the night, we didn’t really walk around it. But in vain! A huge number of interesting walking routes around this mountain, all kinds of funiculars, etc.

But for some reason we finally decided to touch the sea and the beach, so our path lay in Castelldefels. This is such a small town near Barcelona and the airport. Great time forwarding for those who do not need the fuss and who are tired of noisy Barcelona. We parked the car for free at the information center and went to lie on the soft Spanish sands, breathing in the last rays of the holiday sun :)

Well, in the evening, upon arriving at the airport, another amazing performance awaited us, which seemed to hint that all your problems with non-settlement were complete bullshit! :) This was a meeting of the Spanish Paralympic team with all honors. It is extremely encouraging to see how these people disabilities they are greeted like heroes and photographed next to them.

In general, a great ending to our acquaintance with beautiful Spain!

Cost of our trip to Spain

So, let’s summarize our journey from a financial point of view:

• The cost of air tickets is 16,905 rubles / person.
• The cost of renting a car is 2877 rubles or 959 rubles / person.
• The cost of food is 216 euros or 72 euros / person. or 5263 rubles / person.
• The cost of gasoline is 93 euros or 31 euros / person. or 2266 rubles / person.
• The cost of travel/baggage/toll roads is 90 euros or 30 euros/person. or 2168 rubles / person.
• The cost of housing is 5913 rubles + 5781 rubles + 13842 rubles or 8512 rubles / person.
• The cost of entertainment is 120 euros or 60 euros / person. or 4386 rubles / person.

Total: 40,459 rubles / person for 11 days and 10 nights or 3,678 rubles / per day.

I don’t know whether this is a lot or a little, it seemed quite acceptable to us, consider this a turnkey trip, without taking into account the visa issue, since we had Schengen at that time (who is interested in reading - our experience with an empty passport and (with the promised 3 years! ))

By the way, we have something to compare with - we have already failed. It came out to 4364 rubles/day. True, then we traveled for 14 days and mostly through Italy and very expensive Austria, where we only left 23 euros for parking :) + there were visa costs.