Next week im going to spain and im thinking of renting a car, now usually driving doesnt scare me. But as its on the other side of the road i might make a mistake and reading spainish signs...................... well lets just say this might be a recipe for disaster lol. Has anybody ever driven in spain before? tips/advice
Driving in spain....
- Thread starter doddsy105
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Soldato
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I wouldn't say it's particularly difficult (although it's not as good as driving in the US) - It really depends where in Spain, and the quality of the road network you are staying.
I've driven in mainland Spain twice which was great, Ibiza and Majorca dozens of times - they are just OK, Lanzarote wasn't too good at all.
Just don't get too cocky, expect to have horns beeped at you - and when entering large towns try and slow down a bit and look out for stupid tanked up pedestrian tourists who don't know which way to look. Also make sure you understand what type of fuel to put in the car, and how to pay for it at the petrol station (as some require you to pay before hand) - Always keep your licence, documents etc with you and make sure you know the number of the hire firm in case of problems.
Always pay most attention when first taking off after getting into the car. You may find you automatically go onto the wrong side of the road into the path of another car. Not good - but it won't take long for your brain to switch to the other side of the road and work out the new passing widths etc.
Another thing you definately don't want to do is leave anything remotely valuable in the car when you leave it - as car crime is terrible in most of spain.
I've driven in mainland Spain twice which was great, Ibiza and Majorca dozens of times - they are just OK, Lanzarote wasn't too good at all.
Just don't get too cocky, expect to have horns beeped at you - and when entering large towns try and slow down a bit and look out for stupid tanked up pedestrian tourists who don't know which way to look. Also make sure you understand what type of fuel to put in the car, and how to pay for it at the petrol station (as some require you to pay before hand) - Always keep your licence, documents etc with you and make sure you know the number of the hire firm in case of problems.
Always pay most attention when first taking off after getting into the car. You may find you automatically go onto the wrong side of the road into the path of another car. Not good - but it won't take long for your brain to switch to the other side of the road and work out the new passing widths etc.
Another thing you definately don't want to do is leave anything remotely valuable in the car when you leave it - as car crime is terrible in most of spain.
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It's not that hard, you'll get the hang of it after a few miles. Changing gear with the "wrong" hand will feel a bit funny for a while, but everything else stays the same. Just remember to be extra careful pulling out of junctions.
Spanish signs are basically the same as the UK, it's just the text underneath that's a bit different eg Give Way, SLOW written on the road.
BTW how old are you? There's usually an age restriction on rentals - 21 with at least three years experience.
Spanish signs are basically the same as the UK, it's just the text underneath that's a bit different eg Give Way, SLOW written on the road.
BTW how old are you? There's usually an age restriction on rentals - 21 with at least three years experience.
Know those roads really well, having driven on them for the past 12 years, there about 40 mins away from here.
All of that stretch Estepona-marbella-fuengirola-torremolinos-malaga is covered by the A7/N340 road. It's busy-ish, with speeds around 100-120km/h (dunno, say 60-70mph), and the only thing I can think of is to keep an eye on cars pulling into the road itself, happens very often and forces you to either brake hard or pull into the fast lane.
If you're travelling up or down a distance to somewhere near by (say South to Gibraltar, or north to Granada/Ronda (both well worth it btw), take the AP7/E15 toll roads. Hardly any traffic/cops, relaxed and "fast"....
Sign's are also very good, as are links from the main road to the toll motorway.
All of that stretch Estepona-marbella-fuengirola-torremolinos-malaga is covered by the A7/N340 road. It's busy-ish, with speeds around 100-120km/h (dunno, say 60-70mph), and the only thing I can think of is to keep an eye on cars pulling into the road itself, happens very often and forces you to either brake hard or pull into the fast lane.
If you're travelling up or down a distance to somewhere near by (say South to Gibraltar, or north to Granada/Ronda (both well worth it btw), take the AP7/E15 toll roads. Hardly any traffic/cops, relaxed and "fast"....
Sign's are also very good, as are links from the main road to the toll motorway.![[TR]SweetSpotOz](/styles/overclockers/avatars/6.png){kind=avatar}
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Associate
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Isn't it Spain where the right of way on roundabouts is the other way round? Traffic entering the roundabout has right of way?
Everything's pretty much the same, as long as you pay attention. The main difference is junctions and roundabouts, remembering which way to look takes a bit of getting used to and always be cautious that you don't try to do things 'automatically'. Spanish drivers have a habit of not using their indicators, undertaking on motorways and tailgating. If you can, avoid driving in city centres. It's difficult enough finding your way around a city in the UK but in Spanish cities, navigating so many junctions is a challenge and it's easy to get flustered.