Chapter 8. Airport Transfer in Spain
Holiday Spain: Airport Transfer. How to get from your airport to your hotel or accomodation.
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Airport Transfer
Getting from the airport to your accommodation is much easier than you think; you don't need to rely on the tour operator's coach service. You will probably find that you will get to your accommodation quicker and more comfortably than other holidaymakers that have to travel with their tour operator.
Taxi
Although there is public transport from all airports to the city centre we recommend that you get a taxi. Its more comfortable, convenient, quicker, and brings you straight to your hotel. Agree a price with the driver before you get into the car, this saves a lot of haggling later. At holiday airports in Spain the taxi drivers will all speak sufficient English, don't worry.
Taxi fares vary in different areas. There is a basic initial charge and additional surcharges are added at night, weekends, and on public holidays. Taxi drivers should have an approved list of fares for airport runs. Ask the price prior to boarding the vehicle.
If, however, your accommodation is a particularly long way from the airport consider getting as far as possible on the airport bus or train and then getting a taxi. This will significantly cut down on cost.Tip:
Have the name and address of your hotel (or other accommodation) written down, clearly in block capitals, on a piece of card. Show this to the taxi driver. This will avoid any misunderstanding due to mispronounciation of Spanish place names.
Car Hire
Car hire is a viable alternative to a taxi. In particular if your accomodation is more than about an hour from the airport you will find that the cost of hiring a car for a week compares well with the cost of two taxi journeys. In addition you will also have the benefit of being able to use the car during your holiday. This can be invaluable for trips to the supermarket, sightseeing, visits to the beach, etc.
Car hire is relatively cheap in Spain and you will almost certainly get a better rate by going to a small local form rather than using one of the well known international hire-car agencies. Many local Spanish car-hire firms offer an airport pick-up and drop-off facillity. The internet is a good place to find local firms. Go to your favourite search engine (for example www.altavista.com) and type in the name of your arrival airport and the words "car hire". So if you are flying to Alicante type in "Alicante car hire" and hit the search button. Alternatively there is an excellent online yellow pages for Spain at www.paginasamarillas.es. Although in Spanish it is relatively self explanatory even if you dont speak the language. Alquiler de coches is the Spanish for car hire. Simply type this into the "Actividad, producto o marca" box and type your arrival airport (or nearest town) into the "Localidad" box, then hit the Buscar (search) button.
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