Travelling Around Spain

Madrid (and therefore Inhispania) is one of the most ideal places to do a Spanish course for a multitude of reasons but perhaps one of the most enticing (bar that Inhispania is super cool) is how easy it is to travel around Spain. The capital city’s central location means that it is possible to get to anywhere in Spain without wasting time or money.

The cheapest way to travel is by far the bus but be aware that it will take a lot longer than a plane or train might. The best thing to do, in my experience, is book an overnight bus so you can sleep the whole journey: you don’t lose any tourism/fiesta time and save a night’s accomodation.
Here I’ll list for you a few prime locations and the information you need to get there:

Barcelona
Bus: Avenida de America – Estación Nord, 7-8 hours, 50-60€ open return, www.alsa.es
Plane: Madrid Barajas – Barcelona Girona, 1hr15, Prices obviously change with proximity to the flight time and season, varies from 20-170€ one way last minute, www.vueling.com, www.ryanair.com
Train: Madrid Atocha – Barcelona Sants, 3 hours, 117-140€ one way tourist class, last minute and in advance, www.renfe.com


San Sebastián
Bus: Madrid Avenida de America – San Sebastián Donostia, 5-6 hours, 67,20€ open return www.alsa.es, Barajas – San Plane: Sebastian (EAS), 1hr, 180-250€, www.iberia.com
Train: Madrid Chamartin – San Sebastián Donostia, 5-7 hours, 21-55€ open return tourist class, last minute and in advance, www.renfe.com

Sevilla
Bus: Madrid Estación Sur – Sevilla, 6 hours, 20,50€ open return, www.socibus.es (be warned, these buses aren’t as swish as Alsa).
Plane: Barajas – Sevilla (SVQ), 1hr10, 33-122€ one way, www.iberiaexpress.com
Train: Madrid Atocha – Sevilla Santa Justa, 2hr30, 83,30€ one way, last minute tourist class, www.renfe.com

Granada
Bus: Madrid Avenida de America AND Estación Sur - Granada, 4hr30-5hr30, 31-50€ open return, www.alsa.es
Plane: Barajas – Granada, 1hr10, 33-193€ one way, www.iberiaexpress.com
Train: Madrid – Granada, 4hr25, 67,10€ one way, last minute tourist class, www.renfe.com

Ibiza
Bus: N/A
Plane: Madrid – Ibiza, 1hr10, 40-60€ one way, last minute,
www.vueling.com, www.ryanair.com, www.iberia.com
Train: N/A

Málaga
Bus: Madrid Estación Sur – Málaga, 6-7 hours, 24€ one way, www.alsa.es
Plane: Barajas – Málaga (AGP), 1hr15, 140€ last minute, 40-60€ in advance, www.iberiaexpress.com
Train: Madrid – Málaga María Zambrano, 2hr25, 87€ one way, last minute tourist class, www.renfe.com

It is also worth bearing in mind that if you have a Carnet Joven for 14-26 year olds, you can save a lot of money on rail fares – just go into your nearest Renfe station and ask how to purchase one.

The official website for Barajas airport is www.AENA.com, you may find it useful to search potential travel destinations.

Just remember to always come back to class on Monday morning ;)