Driving in Spain
 

I intend to hire a car and drive from Sevilla to the coast for about a week. Could I have some advice on (a) whether it's safe to drive in Spain, (b) the routing.
It's my first trip in Spain and any other advices would be much appreciated.

We've rented a car and driven around Spain without any problems. In fact, very little traffic outside of Madrid. Buy a good map before you go.

I agree. Spanish drivers don't scare me, unlike Italians, Germans and the Irish. In our driving in Spain in November we found the roads to be very good and well marked north of Madrid, we didn't drive when we vacationed in the south.

We found the streets through southern Spanish towns to be the narrowest we have ever seen in our European travels. Be sure to get the smallest car you can get by with.

We've found that driving in Spain is relatively easy, though the roads aren't as good as in other parts of Western Europe. Spanish roads are not as well kept up as those in other parts of Europe, and that was a problem for us, though not a big one (in general, Spain is a poorer country, and the infrastructure shows it). It's very safe to drive in Spain, though, and I can'imagine you will encounter any difficulties.

We drove all over Spain from town to town. The trick is to park your car once you arrive in a town and use public trans, taxis or your feet. As stated above the streets are really naqrrow and the parking isn't easy.

Be sure you follow the speed limits posted in the Rutas Nacionales.

In May, I rented a car in Sevilla and drove to Marbella where we spent a week at a villa on the beach. We made day trips to Malaga, Granada, Nerja, Puerto Banus, and other towns. I then drove to Cadiz (on the south Atlantic coast) where we spent three nights and made more day trips. (Interestingly, in the James Bond movie "Die Another Day," they used Cadiz as the location for the Havana scenes.) The motorways in Andalucia were in surprisingly good condition.

My suggestions for a first-time driver in Spain:

1. Get an International Driver's Permit (available from AAA). If you are stopped, it satisfies the requirement for a translation of your driver's license.

2. Get a reliable map. I recommend Michelin map 446 for Andalucia/Costa del Sol.

3. Don't get a car that's underpowered. I had a VW Polo, which had a 1.2 liter engine. It got great gas mileage, but it barely made it over some of the mountains. And there were just the two of us with only carry on luggage.

4. Take some of your favorite CDs or cassettes. The radio reception in the mountains is understandably poor.

5. Depending on when you are in Andalucia, you might opt for a car with air conditioning.

6. Observe the speed limit. You're not on the Autobahn.

Driving in that area of Spain is very easy as it's almost all rental cars with tourists on the small roads. Roads are good, road signs are perfect. If you go in the summer, get an A/C car!

Many thanks for the advices given. Glad to know that it's safe to drive in Spain.

We have driven all over Spain with no problems. My husband was stopped once in a small town for no reason, but all he had to do was show his passport, and then we were on our way. Make sure when you see a small white village up on a high hill top, you turn off the main road and go up to that village. This is where you find some great places to eat. A great place for shoe shopping is Torremolinos (at least it was 2 years ago, not sure how it is now with the euro).