Spain from A to Z

Practical advice

Here you will find useful information and important points about Spain.

the city of Madrid by bus, and many cities can be reached from the major bus stations at Avenida de América and Estación del Sur . Barcelona is also well connected with the rest of the country. Numerous bus stations offer airport shuttles. At www.movelia.es/en you can find information about routes, prices and travel times for all of the bus companies. Tickets must be booked in advance; they are not sold on the bus. By car In Spain, there are more than 16,000 kilometres of motorways. Motorway (A) = free of charge. Toll motorway booking arrangements, baggage restrictions and requirements and safety regulations can be found at www.aena.es By boat The ferry connections of Spain transport you to the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Ceuta and Melilla. www.aferry.co.uk (AP) = charges apply. www.autopistas.com/en By plane Information about airlines and

GETTING THERE By train

EMBASSIES AND CONSULATES IN SPAIN You can find all the information you need on foreign embassies and consulates at www.spain.info/en/ AUTONOMOUS REGIONS Spain is organised into provinces, and on a higher level, into autonomous regions. Currently there are 17 Autonomous Regions, with varying governmental powers: Andalusia, Aragón, Asturias, Balearic Islands, Basque Country, Extremadura, Galicia, Canary Islands, Cantabria, Castile-León, Castile-La Mancha, Catalonia, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia, Navarre and Valencia. Ceuta and Melilla are considered cities with autonomous status. See the map on page 35. WHEELCHAIR-ACCESSIBLE TOURISM Many sights, museums, natural areas, accommodations and restaurants in Spain offer partial or full wheelchair-accessible services and activities. In order to promote wheelchair-accessible tourism, many

The national Spanish rail network (RENFE) connects all provincial capital cities with Madrid and has many high-speed trains (AVE). There are also long-distance and mid- distance routes between nearby cities. Long-distance tickets are also valid for the local trains that go to the city centre and to the airports of Madrid, Barcelona and Málaga. A tour by train is an interesting alternative. The Transcantabrian train winds through the north of Spain from Santiago de Compostela (Galicia) to León (Castile-León) or San Sebastián (Basque Country); the Al-Ándalus luxury train crosses Andalusia; the Strawberry Train makes its way through the Madrid region to Aranjuez; the 20th century Sóller train crosses inland Mallorca; or you can take a literary tour on the Cervantes train through Alcalá de Henares, the birthplace of the author of Don Quixote. More information at www.renfe.com By bus Almost all provinces are connected to