Page 326 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Europe

324  THE IBERIAN PENINSULA

Travel Information bus tours are run by Madrid
City Tour.
Spain has an increasingly efficient transportation system. All the Barcelona’s metro system
major cities and islands have airports, and flights from around generally runs from 5am to
the globe arrive at those of Madrid and Barcelona. Both the road midnight; on Fridays it stays
and rail networks were greatly improved during the 1980s and open until 2am, and all night on
Saturdays. There are various
in the run-up to the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. Intercity rail types of travelcard available,
services are reliable, but buses are a faster and more frequent valid for bus, metro, and the
option between smaller towns. In much of rural Spain, however, FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat
public transportation is limited and a car is the most practical de Catalunya) suburban train
solution for getting around. Ferries connect mainland Spain network. The city buses in
Barcelona are usually colored
with the Balearic Islands, Morocco, and ports in the UK.
white and red. The Nitbus (night
bus) runs from around 10pm to
5am; and the Aerobús provides
Flying to Spain Domestic Flights an excellent service between
Of the several US airlines serving Most of Spain’s domestic flights the Plaça de Catalunya and the
Spain, American Airlines and have traditionally been two terminals of the airport.
Delta Air Lines operate direct operated by Iberia, however, Sightseeing tours in
flights to both Madrid and this monopoly has been Barcelona are operated by
Barcelona, while United Airlines broken to encourage Bus Turístic on three routes
flies to Barcelona. Air Europa and competition. The two main from Plaça de Catalunya.
Iberia, the Spanish national air­ alternative Spanish carriers are
line, both fly to New York. Air Europa and Vueling.
Iberia also offers scheduled The most frequent shuttle Rail Travel
flights daily to Madrid and service is the Puente Aéreo, run Spain offers many options
Barcelona from all Western between Barcelona and Madrid for users of the state railroad
European capitals, including by Iberia. Flights run at least 12 RENFE. The high­speed
Dublin, which is served by the times a day. A ticket machine services are the intercity TALGO
affiliated Air Nostrum. Its partner allows passengers to buy trains and the AVE service
British Airways has scheduled tickets up to 15 minutes before between Madrid, Seville, and
flights to Madrid and Barcelona departure. The journey usually Málaga via Córdoba; from
and several other cities daily from takes 50 minutes. Madrid to Barcelona via
London Heathrow or Gatwick. Air Europa services between Zaragoza and Lleida; and from
Monarch and Air Europa both Madrid and the regional Barcelona to Seville or Málaga.
run services between several capitals are not as frequent as Tickets for these are the most
airports in the UK and Spain. the Puente Aéreo. Air services expensive and may be bought
From Australasia, the best within the Canary Islands are at train stations from the
connections to Spain are via run by Binter, which is affiliated taquilla (ticket office), obtained
Dubai, Doha, Bangkok, Frankfurt, to Iberia. The low­cost from travel agents, or ordered
and London. company Ryanair also serves via the RENFE website or
many destinations in Spain. telephone booking line.
The largo recorrido (long­
Charters and Low-cost distance trains) and regionales
Airlines Getting Around Madrid y cercanías (regional and
and Barcelona
Charter flights from the UK serve local) services are frequent,
airports such as Málaga, Alicante, The metro is the quickest and inexpensive, but slower.
and Girona. These can be least expensive way to travel Tickets for local travel may
inexpensive, but are less reliable around Madrid. It is open from be purchased from machines
and have limited schedules. Make 6am to 1:30am and consists of at the station.
sure your agent is ABTA bonded 11 color­coded lines, plus the In Madrid the major stations
before booking. Special deals are Ópera­Príncipe Pío link and a for long­distance trains are
often offered in the winter and service to the airport. Day Atocha and Chamartín.
may include accom modations. buses run from 6am until Barcelona’s principal train
Low­cost airline easyJet serves midnight; night buses continue station is Sants; Sagrera Station,
Madrid, Barcelona, Mallorca, operating until 6am and leave which opens in 2016, is the
Málaga, Alicante, and Ibiza from from the Plaza de Cibeles. main hub for high­speed trains.
London Luton, Stansted, and A Metrobús ticket, valid for ten Regional rail companies
Gatwick airports, Liverpool, and trips on the buses and metro, operate in three areas of Spain.
Bristol, while Ryanair flies from can be bought at any metro Catalonia and Valencia each
London Stansted and other UK station, as well as from has its own Ferrocarrils de la
regional airports to mainland newsstands and estancos Generalitat, known respectively
and island Spain. (tobacconists). Sightseeing as the FGC and the FGV. The

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