- Features of parking in Spain
- Paid surface parking in Spain
- Parking in Spanish cities
- Car rental in Spain
If your plans include renting a car on vacation, you should familiarize yourself with the nuances of parking in Spain. In addition, the country has toll tunnels (travel on the 5-kilometer Cadi costs 12, 5 euros, and on the 2.5-kilometer Vallvidrera - 3, 7-4 euros) and roads, for which both cash and a card are suitable. So, for the movement on AP-6 Madrid - Adanero (70 km) you will have to pay 12, 40 euros, on VAP-7 Valencia - Alicante (178 km) - 17, 20 euros, on AP-41 Madrid - Toledo (60 km) - 9, 20 euros.
Features of parking in Spain
If a motorist sees an inscription or a yellow strip on the sidewalk, it means that it is not allowed to leave the car there. To park in Spain, you need to find a parking lot, and if it is marked in blue, it means that you need to pay for a parking space at a machine located nearby.
When exploring some Spanish cities, you can come across the Ora Zona system operating there: its advantage is that the driver can get a parking ticket when visiting a stall or small store (it gives the right to park for 30-90 minutes).
Those who stumble upon underground parking should know: for those entering there, information will be displayed whether there are free or no parking spaces in the parking lot. You need to pay for the parking space at the ticket office located at the exit from the underground parking.
Spanish underground parking lots:
- Paid underground parking in the shopping center: you can use their services free of charge as part of “free parking hours” (coincides with the siesta time), which can be extended if you buy goods for a certain amount in the shopping center.
- Paid public underground parking: Typically, Purking public (P) is located in office or residential buildings, and the price of a parking space is set independently by each owner. The working hours of some of them are limited (for example, until 20:00) or lasts around the clock. The free space will be indicated by the libre board. And if there are no places in the parking lot, the ocupado board will light up. If a parking space is reserved (long-term rental) and marked reservado, it means that parking there is prohibited.
Paid surface parking in Spain
Such parking lots, or rather their zones, are painted in different colors. In the blue zone (zona azul), the seat fee is paid at the entrance to a special parking meter. Those who received the coupon must secure it under the windshield. You can leave a car for free in zona azul at night and on weekends. It should be noted that the blue zone of the coastal regions of the country has its own peculiarities: parking services do not need to be paid for in winter, and in summer, the time of paid parking usually increases.
As for the orange (zona naranja) and green (zona verde) zones, they do not give any privileges to autotourists (they can be used by drivers with a resident card and registration in this place).
In Spain, there are special parking zones: in zona residents (for residents) those who live next to it can leave their car. If you see diagonal yellow lines on the asphalt, it means that there is a loading and unloading area in front of you, which is allowed to be used on weekdays from 8 am to 8 pm for no more than half an hour (you do not need to pay). Important: the “No parking” sign is drawn on the asphalt as a continuous yellow line.
The car of the violator of the parking rules can be evacuated, and to find out its fate, you need to call the Municipal Police Department.
Parking in Spanish cities
Parking at Plaza del Carmen in Madrid costs 0, 040 euros / 1 minute (1, 22 euros / 30 minutes, 2, 15 euros / 1.5 hours, 31, 25 euros / day), on Garaje Guva - 2, 55 euros / 1 hour (30 euros / 24 hours), and on Vazques de Mella - 1, 23 euros / 30 minutes (3, 39 euros / 90 minutes, 31, 25 euros / 24 hours).
For 1 minute at Villur Parking in Barcelona, motorists will pay 0, 65 euros (subsequent minutes are charged at 0, 059 euros; the fee for a whole day of parking is 40 euros), for each minute of parking on El Born - 0, 044 euros (26, 50 EUR / day), and for 1 minute for Parking Condal - 0, 056 EUR (a whole day of parking will cost 30 EUR, and overnight parking from 9 pm to 9 am - 20 EUR.
Visitors to Valencia can leave their car at Parking Centro (1 minute of parking will cost 0, 045 euros, and the whole day - 20 euros), Heroe Romeu (30-minute parking is paid at 1, 50 euros, hourly - at 2.40 euros, 2-hour - 4, 25 euros, 3-hour - 6, 10 euros, 4-hour - 7, 95 euros, and 5-hour - 9, 80 euros; parking during the day costs 22, 65 euros) or Parking Estacion Valencia Nord (the first 15 minutes of parking are free, and from 16 minutes there is a tariff of 0, 73 euros; 30 minutes of parking will cost 1, 37 euros, and the whole day - 25, 80 euros).
To leave a car in Marbella on Avenida del Mar, you need to pay 8 euros / 12 hours, for Aparcamiento Mercado - 0, 05 euros / 1 minute (4, 91 euros / 1.5 hours, 0, 032 euros / each additional minute, 17 EUR / all day), and on Las Terrazas - 0, 06 EUR / 1 minute (1.5 EUR / 30 minutes, 0, 03 EUR / each additional minute, 18, 20 EUR / whole day).
Car rental in Spain
For car rental, you will need an international driver's license and a card with 500 euros on it (security deposit). The age of the autotourist must be at least 21/23 years old. The average rental amount is 30-80 euros / day. If you wish, you can purchase extended or insurance with a reduced deductible amount (TPL, PAI, CDW and others).
