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Car rental pickup in Granada on Columbus day

Car rental pickup in Granada on Columbus day

Old Feb 18th, 2014, 11:00 AM
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Car rental pickup in Granada on Columbus day

We plan on using a car for 1 overnight during our trip to Andalucia. We planned on picking it up on our way out of Granada, then driving to Ronda for the night, and returning it in Sevilla the following day. In between we wanted to use it to explore some scenic places. All our other connections will be by bus or train.

As it turns out, the day we want to pick it up (Granada Center Hotel area) is a holiday, Columbus Day, and the car rental agencies I checked (Hertz and Avis so far) all are closed, and they suggest others nearby (like Malaga).

Any suggestions of and agency in Granada that will be open, or where a convenient alternative location is to pick up the car given we'll be leaving from Granada and heading towards Ronda (Hotel El Poeta de Ronda). Or, should we pick up the car the night before and park it near out hotel (Casa Morisca).

In Sevilla we are staying at Casa Numero 7, so are hoping to return the car near the train station.
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Old Feb 18th, 2014, 11:02 AM
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Please excuse my typos.
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Old Feb 18th, 2014, 11:13 AM
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I would pick up the car the night before. This past Sept we did pretty much the same thing - except we spent 2 nights in Ronda before dropping the car off in Cadiz. Assuming you pick up the car late in the afternoon & drop it off mid-afternoon in Seville - the rental will be for the same number of days - so no added cost.

Stu Dudley
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Old Feb 18th, 2014, 11:24 AM
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I just checked the 'night before' option. Turns out it's a Sunday and rental places are closed (Avis/Hertz) in Granada on Sundays!

Any other rental agencies that may be open on Sunday in Granada.

Another option is to pick up the car 2 nights before when we are leaving Cordoba, and driving to Granada instead of taking the train. Then just park in Granada for the 2 nights we'll be there.
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Old Feb 18th, 2014, 11:33 AM
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We picked up our car at the Hertz Downtown Office Center Hotel on Avda Fuente Nueva - which has very easy access to the freeway towards Ronda. We took a taxi to the office - we didn't want to drive through Granada (we stayed at the Alhambra Palace Hotel). The Hertz office is adjacent to a hotel. Unless you are staying someplace where it is easy to drive to & from the Hertz office, I would call the office and inquire about a parking lot near the office (perhaps the hotel?), take a taxi to rent the car, park it, and taxi back to your hotel. Next morning taxi to the parking spot.

Also, consider staying at the hotel next to Hertz your last night, and pick up the car as late as possible. The hotel was nice.
http://www.booking.com/searchresults...d_hotels=91283

Stu Dudley
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Old Feb 18th, 2014, 11:34 AM
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BTW, the statue of Columbus in Barcelona at the end of La Rambla is pointing toward Libya not America.
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Old Feb 18th, 2014, 11:41 AM
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That's the Hertz location I looked at and it is closed on Columbus day and the day before (a Sunday).

Turns out my Granada hotel has free parking so I think I'll pick up the car in Cordoba, drive to Granada, and park it there until we leave for Ronda.
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Old Feb 18th, 2014, 11:46 AM
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The Granada Hertz office is close to the train station. Walk to Hertz and pick up the car & leave it there for 2 nights (perhaps back at the train station). I don't think you will find many rental offices open on Sunday - except at major airports. You really do want to spend your "too few" days going to another city just to pick up a car.

Why not take the train to Ronda & then to Sevilla anyway??? We didn't find the scenery from Granada to Ronda and from Ronda to Cadiz very interesting - assuming you take the fastest route possible. I wouldn't want to drive into Sevilla anyway (we visited Sevilla after Cadiz). We enjoyed visiting the white villages & countryside on the small roads around Ronda - but you really won't have time for that.

Stu Dudley
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Old Feb 18th, 2014, 11:51 AM
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>>You really do want to spend your "too few" days going to another city just to pick up a car.
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Old Feb 18th, 2014, 12:44 PM
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I didn't plan on going to another city to pick up a car, I'm trying to avoid that! In any case, we will be staying in Cordoba before Granada.

We've driven through both Portugal and Italy, in and out of smaller towns and bigger cities. Rome was horrible, but other than that we always managed.

I also considered scrapping the car altogether, but like the idea of having a little flexibility to explore.

Thanks for the advice. I can book a car. It can always be canceled if I change my mind.
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Old Feb 18th, 2014, 01:50 PM
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My wife & I spend 2 months exploring Europe every year - about 75% France, 15% Italy, and the remainder elsewhere. We always use a car to get around - except for long hauls or driving into traffic congested cities like Lyon, Toulouse, Rome, Paris, London, Madrid.

We were in Spain each of the last two years for 3 weeks each. Both times, we rented a car for a portion of the trip - but changed our reservation once we got there.

First time, we were to return the car in Madrid - where we started our vacation. In Segovia, we changed things and returned the car in Segovia and took a "limo" to the Madrid airport. Really glad we did.

Last year, we were going to pick the car up in Granada the day before our departure and do a driving day-trip to some interesting villages north of Granada. Once we got to Granada, took the taxi from the train station to our hotel, walked around - we modified our reservation to pick it up as we departed Granada.

We found Spain a lot more difficult to drive around in than France, Italy, Belgium, or Italy. Wrong side of the street was the only problem in the UK.

Stu Dudley
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Old Feb 18th, 2014, 02:03 PM
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I will keep that in mind. In the meantime I'll check the specific directions from point a to point b, etc. to see what it involves as far as highways vs tiny little one way paths, etc.
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Old Mar 4th, 2014, 11:49 AM
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If we were to scrap the car idea, and do train/bus transfers, is it necessary to buy tickets in advance?
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