When you move to any new country, one of the most important things is to check the ways you could get around. Luckily when you move to Spain that is not a problem, as there are a many different public transport links available for your use. Actually, the public transport in Spain is one of the best public transportation in Europe.
When you travel to Spain, you need to know the available transport options, considering the budget and time you need. As Spain is a vast country, being familiar with the transport system will help you avoid getting on the wrong train or bus and save time and energy.
Metros in Spain
The fastest and easiest way to go around big cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Malaga, Seville, and Valencia is to use metros’ transportation systems which sets underground. The problem is that these trains are crowded during rush hours, but it helps travelers to reach their destinations quickly.
It is really safe to travel by metros as criminal actions rarely happen there. All stations offer free maps to help tourists understand the different train lines better. Apart from line colors to assist the travelers, there are a couple of signs in all stations, which help you to know the trains’ schedule.
Metros in Madrid
In the whole country, Madrid’s Metro system is the largest & oldest, which includes 13 lines plus one branch. This metro system covers 300 stations and each ticket is €2 for travelers in most lines, for select lines, it is €1.50, and if you’re considering having 10 journeys you can pay €18.30 for that specific ticket which covers all stations in Metro Network and Metro Ligero.
As a traveler you must know there are five types of card available for commuters of Metro. However, you only need to know the two main types which are available for tourists. The best option is a Multi-card that is reloadable, transferable, and could be used for TFM, Metro Ligero, Ligero Oeste, and Metro.
If you are considering using your card for personal use, you can get a Personal Card (TTP) to use. This card can be charged for several tickets, including a 30-Day Season ticket, annual season ticket, single, and 10-Journey ticket.
Also, there is a blue card that has been created for citizens with disabilities or limited resources. Also, Children have special cards to use transportation for free.
Metros in Barcelona
In the whole of Spain Barcelona’s metro systems has the best design. Generally, there are 12 lines, named L1 to L12, and trains run every three to four minutes. The cost in Barcelona are the same as Madrid’s, the single journey ticket is €2.20 and €10.20 for the T-10 pass, valid for city buses. You can also use this ticket for the Tibidabo blue tramway, Catalan railways Generalitat, and Montjuic railway system.
Tourists can use the one, two, three, four, and five-day passes to get savings. The passes can be purchased from ticket windows, or by an automatic ticket machine in most stations. From Mondays to Thursdays, Metro is open from 5 am till midnight. On weekends and public holidays, it’s open till 2 am.
Metros in Valencia
Valencia has nine Metro lines, with four single zones named A, B, C, and D. A. Single journey ticket costs €1.50 or €2.90. For multiple zone tickets, the price is €2.10 to €3.90 per Ticket. The cost of a 10-Journey ticket is €7.20 and you can only do it for a single zone.
Metro is open from 5 am till midnight and during weekdays and holidays extended to 2 am.
Metros in Bilbao
There are only two lines in Bilbao’s metro transportation. A one-journey ticket costs €1.50 up to €1.75, depending on the zones. The city also has a day ticket, which costs €4.60, which covers all three zones. Also, the working hours are the same as in other cities.
Long-Distance Trains
To travel to coastal cities, you can ride domestic long-distance trains or Combinado Cercanias. There are three major long-distance trains you can take in order to reach Seville, Malaga, Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante, Cadiz, Huelva, Granada, and others.
AVE Trains
The Alta Velocidad Española (AVE) trains are the high-speed trains that they used between Madrid and Seville, Malaga, and Barcelona and Malaga, Seville.
These trains are so popular among tourists because they offer special services such as premium seats, onboard Wi-Fi, cafe-serving drinks, snacks, and reclining leather seats with power sockets. The AVE trains come in different types, named S100, S102 and S112, and S103.
The first-class seat comes with extraordinary services such as, a reclining seat, and hot meals. Meanwhile, the second-class seat comes with semi-reclining seats with power sockets.
Altaria Trains
Altaria rail system is the train system to reach Granada, Ronda and Algeciras from Madrid. This transportation in Spain runs at 125mph on high-speed AVE lines. All the Altaria trains have a café bar to serve travelers when they are on a long journey to distant cities. There are first and second classes seats are also available.
Alvia Trains
Alvia train system links Barcelona with Valencia and Alicante, Barcelona to Bilbao, Pamplona, and San Sebastian, as well as Madrid to Cadiz and Huelva. Second-class and first-class seats are available for passengers.
Buses in Spain
If you are considering to use public transportation in Spain, you might consider to use buses, they can take you to all major cities and are cheaper compared to Metros and long-distance trains.
The capital city of Madrid has several of bus stations that you can check out. If you are traveling to the south of Spain Estación Sur de Autobuses is the main station for medium that you should visit. Bus stations working hours are from 6:30 am to 1:30 am.
You can buy bus tickets at all ticket offices in major stations. However, tourists can also get their tickets online by Also and Avanza websites. Movelia is a useful tool helping you to buy tickets from smaller bus companies.
In major cities, there are also tourist buses that usually follow a circular route. Some bus companies provide packages for travelers, which includes meals, sightseeing, and ferry travel. Long-distance buses are also equipped with free Wi-Fi, refreshments, journals, magazines, and music and movies.
The seating class can be Premium or Economy, with standard seats having free water bottles and animal transport.
Trams
Trams were very popular in Spain, but most of the cities have lost their tram services in these years. Although some cities, have bucked this trend. For example after an absence of 20 years Valencia, reintroduced air conditioned trams in 1994. Barcelona now has a ‘Combino’ tramline which is running through the center of the city, and in 2002 Bilbao also reintroduced trams. According to recent news, heard that Malaga and Zaragossa are also considering of reintroducing trams.
Ferry
If you want to go to different ports and Spanish islands, you can use ferries. In Spain, the biggest ferry operators are Naviera Armas, Balearia, Transmediterranea, FRS, Fred Olsen Express, Grimaldi, and GNV.
High-speed ferry links are available to reach the Spanish mainland, Ibiza, and the Balearic Islands. From Barcelona and Valencia these ferries are accessible to go to Ibiza. Depending on the seat class, transportation in Spain comes with standard to luxurious service.
Conclusion
If you are traveling to Spain, you might consider to use public transportation to reduce your cost and save your budget for other things. The first option to use public transportation is metros because, in every major city, you can use them and reach your destination in the minimum amount of time.
But if you want to save more money, you can use buses. Long-Distance Trains are also another way that you could travel from one city to another city. Trams are also used in a couple of cities and if you want to visit different ports and Spanish islands, you can use ferry.