Avila Travel, Transport and Car Rental
(Avila, Castilla y León, Spain)
Avila is an easy city to travel around with most of the sights being clustered together. There are many ways to travel in and around this small city, including using the public transport system, although for sightseers, simply putting one foot in front of the other is often the most rewarding way.
Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD) / Arriving by Air
Avila is served by Spain's premier airport, the busy and efficient
Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD). It is located 9 miles / 15 km from the centre of
Madrid and handles a large number of international and domestic flights.
Madrid Airports Guide
Buses
Buses in Avila provide a good method of travel for nearby areas and other locations that might be difficult to reach. A bus leaves daily Monday to Friday at 15:15 for Arenas de San Pedro in the Sierra de Gredos. There is also another daily bus that travels to Valladolid at 07:30 and there are further buses that provide good connections to the nearby cities of Madrid and
Salamanca.
Trains
There are around 20 trains that travel each day from RENFA station to the nearby city of Madrid, mainly to Chamartin. This journey takes around two hours and is relatively inexpensive. There are also some spectacular views along the way. Many other trains head west to Salamanca at the same cost and there are also connections to the cities of
Bilbao,
Santander and
Malaga.
Car Rental
To travel to Avila from Madrid by car is a fairly simple journey. You need to take the N-V1 main road and then follow this to Villacastin. At this point, bear south-west and take the M-505 via El Escorial. The road becomes the C-505 and then branches off the N-VI just before you reach Las Rozas.
Rules of the Road
- Citizens of EU member countries require a national driving licence to drive cars in Spain
- Citizens from non-EU member countries need an International Driving Permit, as well as their national driving licence
- You must be at least 18 years old to drive a car in Spain and have a valid driving licence and car insurance
- It is compulsory for the driver and all passengers to wear seat belts and children under 14 years old are not allowed to travel in front seats
- In Spain, cars drive on the right-hand side of the road
- Give way to traffic coming from the right at junctions and roundabouts
- Many Spanish motorists drive fast and brake late, so use extreme caution when approaching traffic lights and junctions if you are being followed
- Avoid driving in the city's rush hours, which are generally between 07:00 to 09:30 and 16:30 to 19:30
- There is an extensive network of major routes that connect Madrid to the nation's cities
- Six roads lead directly to and from Madrid. They are numbered in Roman numerals N-I to N-VI and are connected by the M-30 or M-40 ring road
- Beware of what appear to be shortcuts on maps - these often turn out to be unpaved roads or mountain passes
- Spanish fuel stations supply most internationally known brands of unleaded petrol (gasolina sin plomo) and diesel (gas oil)
- In rural areas, there are normally only a few service stations, so when travelling long distances, be sure to leave with a full tank of fuel
- Autopistas (toll motorways) have various toll charges calculated by the kilometre and some roads that lead into cities also have fixed toll charges
- 75 miles per hour / 120 km per hour is the national speed limit on motorways (autopistas) and 62 miles per hour / 100 km per hour is the maximum limit on autovias with four or more lanes or three-lane highways
- Unless indicated, other major routes are 56 miles per hour / 90 km per hour and slower speed limits of 30 miles per hour / 50 km per hour are enforced in urban areas
- It is an offence not to carry some form of identification, such as passport or driving licence