If you are thinking about applying for one of the Spanish Summer Universities or maybe have another reason to go to a Latin country but do not know how to get around, then look here! This article gives you a few tips on how to reach cities that may not have a large airport.
Last year I visited almost every Spanish city during my Erasmus in Madrid. I am not rich but I did not get broke either because I managed to travel around at a reasonable price but with a lot of patience.
First up: travelling by train
I arrived in Madrid and started out by living with a Spanish family. They were so kind to let me come along when they took a holiday in the South, destination Almería. However, they were so fortunate that they were going to spend one month in the south whereas my Spanish adventure was going to continue in the North. So I had to return to Madrid and chose the cheapest way – train. Renfe is the Spanish railway company and it takes you pretty much everywhere in Spain. From Almeria to Madrid it was about 25 euros and from Madrid to Valencia it was about the same price. It should be noted however that the journeys took around 7-9 hours each.
Second up: Going on the road
An example of a promotion from ALSA
Another way to travel around the country of sangria is by bus. You can say that I got pretty familiar with the Spanish bus company ALSA and the duration of the trips was never too much. The price varies depending on the destination and here are some examples:
Return trips Madrid-Leon (40 €), Madrid-Zaragoza (27 €) and a little bit less for Madrid-Valladolid. Furthermore, you can get 20 % discount if you get the ALSA bus plus card (you will get a card number that you can use when buying the tickets online, and do not need the actual card to get the discount) and there are regular promotions on their Facebook page too.
Third up: Going up high
Last option that I used when adding Spanish cities to my “places I’ve been” list was the unofficial AEGEE airline Ryanair. This option was used when traveling from Barcelona to Valladolid (around 25 €) but I also know that routes like Madrid-Alicante & Madrid-Santander are very cheap too!
Valladolid is one of the less known cities in Spain, but they are in the process of creating an antenna and they already have a mascot : Chazo Le Chazo
There are most probably many other ways to travel around Spain but hopefully these tips can help make your upcoming Spanish adventure as fantastic as mine!
Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-København