{"id":56878,"date":"2015-07-15T08:13:23","date_gmt":"2015-07-15T06:13:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/?p=56878"},"modified":"2021-10-22T10:42:37","modified_gmt":"2021-10-22T08:42:37","slug":"driving-in-barcelona-and-spain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/driving-in-barcelona-and-spain\/","title":{"rendered":"Driving in Barcelona and Spain"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Driving in a foreign country can be a source of considerable apprehension and stress if you aren\u2019t used to it, and even more so if you are driving on the opposite side of the road to what you are used to.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">There comes the realisation that driving a car is not like riding a bike. Everything that comes automatically needs to be consciously suppressed and swiftly re-learned in reverse.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This may make the prospect of <strong>driving in and around Barcelona<\/strong> seem rather hairy, but by following some useful rules and guidance from this article by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\"><strong>ShBarcelona<\/strong><\/a>, navigating the Barcelona traffic and Spanish roads should seem much less of an ordeal and help you <strong>get around safely<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/parclick.com\/parking-barcelona?affiliate=5a1edf3b&amp;_ga=2.22709051.1227021019.1634887344-950530253.1634887344\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-106973\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/721x133_en.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"721\" height=\"133\"><\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_17 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-grey\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1\"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/driving-in-barcelona-and-spain\/#Keep_right\" title=\"Keep right!\">Keep right!<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/driving-in-barcelona-and-spain\/#Driving_in_Barcelona_city\" title=\"Driving in Barcelona city\">Driving in Barcelona city<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/driving-in-barcelona-and-spain\/#What_you_will_need_when_driving\" title=\"What you will need when driving\">What you will need when driving<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/driving-in-barcelona-and-spain\/#Fuel_in_Spain\" title=\"Fuel in Spain\">Fuel in Spain<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/driving-in-barcelona-and-spain\/#Driving_restrictions_in_Barcelona_-_speed_limits_and_tolls\" title=\"Driving restrictions in Barcelona &#8211; speed limits and tolls\">Driving restrictions in Barcelona &#8211; speed limits and tolls<\/a><ul class=\"ez-toc-list-level-3\"><li class=\"ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/driving-in-barcelona-and-spain\/#Toll_Peaje_roads\" title=\"Toll\/ Peaje roads\">Toll\/ Peaje roads<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/driving-in-barcelona-and-spain\/#Toll_Payment_Methods\" title=\"Toll Payment Methods\">Toll Payment Methods<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/driving-in-barcelona-and-spain\/#Rules_of_the_road\" title=\"Rules of the road\">Rules of the road<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/driving-in-barcelona-and-spain\/#Parking_in_Barcelona\" title=\"Parking in Barcelona\">Parking in Barcelona<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Keep_right\"><\/span>Keep right!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The first important, and hopefully stating-the-obvious, rule you must adhere to is <strong>driving on the right side of the road<\/strong>. There should be no doubts anymore on <strong>what side of the road to drive on in Spain<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This means that when you overtake you should do so on the left. When approaching a roundabout (which flows in an anti-clockwise direction), you will have to indicate right and give way to traffic coming round from the left.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_107001\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-107001\" class=\"size-full wp-image-107001\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/traffic-g62277eb66_640.jpg\" alt=\"driving on the right side of the road in spain\" width=\"640\" height=\"456\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-107001\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Photo via Pixabay<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Roundabouts can be a little extra tricky due to the fact the Spanish tend to keep to the outside lane regardless of the exit they are taking.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Take care when joining <strong>motorways<\/strong> and <strong>dual carriageways<\/strong> as Spanish drivers are not known for being overly helpful in making way for incoming traffic, and you may need to come to a full stop.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a class=\"fasc-button fasc-size-large fasc-type-flat fasc-rounded-medium ico-fa fasc-ico-before fa-chevron-circle-right broken_link\" style=\"background-color: #850909; color: #ffffff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/short-term-rentals\" rel=\"nofollow\">Book your holiday accommodation in Barcelona<\/a><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Driving_in_Barcelona_city\"><\/span>Driving in Barcelona city<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Driving in a city like Barcelona has its own particular challenges. As well as scores of <strong>tourists<\/strong> and <strong>pedestrians<\/strong> spilling onto the roads, there are all the <strong>bikes<\/strong> and <strong>motos<\/strong> to be wary of.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In particular, it is important to keep your eyes peeled in for the motos weaving in and out of the traffic and which can appear out of nowhere. Keep checking and keep a safe distance.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_you_will_need_when_driving\"><\/span>What you will need when driving<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">First thing is first, a <strong>valid driving license<\/strong>! The minimum age for driving in Spain is <strong>18 years old<\/strong>, and this holds for foreign drivers regardless of whether they are qualified to drive at a lower age in their country of residence.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_107005\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-107005\" class=\"size-full wp-image-107005\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/barcelona-gc2e80fef0_640.jpg\" alt=\"bus lane\" width=\"640\" height=\"425\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-107005\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Photo via Pixabay<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In addition, Spanish law requires you to carry the following items when driving. Failure to do so can result in a hefty on-the-spot fine:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u2022 <strong>Reflective jackets<\/strong> &#8211; these are not actually mandatory to carry, however, they are compulsory for anyone walking on the road or hard shoulder<br \/>\n\u2022 <strong>Warning triangles<\/strong> &#8211; Residents must carry 2<br \/>\n\u2022 <strong>Headlamp beam deflectors<\/strong><br \/>\n\u2022 <strong>A set of spare lights<\/strong> (lamps\/bulbs) \u2013 however, it is no longer compulsory for vehicles to carry a set of spare bulbs and the tools to fit them<br \/>\n\u2022 <strong>Valid third party insurance policy<\/strong><br \/>\n\u2022 <strong>Proof of ownership<\/strong> (VC5 document) &#8211; if the vehicle is not registered in your name, you should obtain a letter from the registered owner giving you permission to drive<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Related article:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/car-registration-barcelona\/\">How to Register a Car in Your Name<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_107004\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-107004\" class=\"size-full wp-image-107004\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/street-g10f1361e5_640.jpg\" alt=\"warning children in street\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-107004\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Photo via Pixabay<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fuel_in_Spain\"><\/span>Fuel in Spain<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Another essential item you will obviously need is <strong>fuel<\/strong>! Make sure you know the important vocabulary for when you are filling up at the petrol station:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Gasolina<\/strong> &#8211; Petrol<\/li>\n<li><strong>Gasoleo<\/strong> \u2013 Diesel<\/li>\n<li><strong>Super or sin plomo 98<\/strong> \u2013 Super, unleaded<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sin plomo 95<\/strong> \u2013 Normal, unleaded<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Driving_restrictions_in_Barcelona_-_speed_limits_and_tolls\"><\/span>Driving restrictions in Barcelona &#8211; speed limits and tolls<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Spain, the following national speed limits apply:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Autopistas (motorways \u2013 identified by an A or E in front of the road number) and autov\u00edas (dual carriageways): <strong>120kph<\/strong> (73mph)<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Roads with more than one lane in each direction: <strong>100kph<\/strong><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ordinary roads: <strong>90kph<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_107003\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-107003\" class=\"size-full wp-image-107003\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/barcelona-g637959f25_640.jpg\" alt=\"roundabout in barcelona\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-107003\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Photo via Pixabay<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Toll_Peaje_roads\"><\/span>Toll\/ Peaje roads<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tolls are levied on most Spanish motorways and are quite expensive, especially in summer when the rates are doubled.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The tolls are levied per vehicle, not the number of passengers. Open toll booth lanes will have a green arrow, closed ones will have a red cross.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Toll_Payment_Methods\"><\/span>Toll Payment Methods<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cTelepago\u201d. A lane marked \u201cT\u201d is for drivers paying by <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.autopistas.com\/tarifas-y-descuentos\/descuentos\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">telepago<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 that is, automatically with a special chip on the windscreen.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Credit card &#8211; lanes for drivers paying by credit card are signed \u201cautomatico\u201d<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Cash\/ credit card &#8211; the lanes signed \u201dManual\u201d are those manned by an attendant who takes payment in cash or credit card.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The <strong>motorways<\/strong> in Spain, though expensive, are of high quality and generally not crowded providing you avoid rush hour times.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">To avoid long queues when leaving Barcelona for a day or weekend trip, you should hit the road before the locals do \u2013 this means setting off before midday on Saturday and heading&nbsp;back before 6 or 7 on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/parclick.com\/parking-barcelona?affiliate=5a1edf3b&amp;_ga=2.22709051.1227021019.1634887344-950530253.1634887344\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-106973\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/721x133_en.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"721\" height=\"133\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Rules_of_the_road\"><\/span>Rules of the road<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Before you think about going off on a <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/road-trip-barcelona\/\">road trip<\/a><\/strong>, make sure you are well versed in the rules of the road.&nbsp;This is the best way to avoid unnecessary incidents or hefty penalties.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This means fastening your seatbelt, steering clear of alcohol (The limit is 0.5 milligrams of alcohol per millilitre of blood) and not using your phone while driving.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Related article:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/parking\/\">All You Need to Know on Parking in Barcelona<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_107006\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-107006\" class=\"size-full wp-image-107006\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/city-gf209f44c8_640.jpg\" alt=\"highway after dark\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-107006\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Photo via Pixabay<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Parking_in_Barcelona\"><\/span>Parking in Barcelona<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/free-parking\/\"><strong>Parking<\/strong><\/a> is not allowed in spaces with yellow stripes. In Barcelona, there are plenty of underground car parks. There are also <strong>parking zones<\/strong> with meters across the city.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">These spaces are marked in blue. There is usually a two hour maximum parking period and prices vary depending on the zone.&nbsp;Spain has one of the highest traffic accident rates in Europe. This is considered to be mainly due to speed.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">So if you <strong>pay attention to the traffic rules<\/strong>, keep your wits about you and drive responsibly, you should have no problems dealing with the Spanish roads.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a class=\"fasc-button fasc-size-large fasc-type-flat fasc-rounded-medium ico-fa fasc-ico-before fa-chevron-circle-right broken_link\" style=\"background-color: #850909; color: #ffffff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/short-term-rentals\" rel=\"nofollow\">Find short-term rentals in Barcelona<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Have you been driving in Barcelona city?<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Share your best tips on driving and parking the car!<\/strong><\/p>\n<div style=\"display: none;\"\n    class=\"kk-star-ratings kksr-valign-bottom kksr-align-left \"\n    data-id=\"56878\"\n    data-slug=\"\">\n    <div class=\"kksr-stars\">\n    <div class=\"kksr-stars-inactive\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"1\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"2\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"3\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"4\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"5\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"kksr-stars-active\" style=\"width: 142.5px;\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n    <div class=\"kksr-legend\">\n            <strong class=\"kksr-score\">4.9<\/strong>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">\/<\/span>\n        <strong>5<\/strong>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">(<\/span>\n        <strong class=\"kksr-count\">7<\/strong>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">\n            votes        <\/span>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">)<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Driving in a foreign country can be a source of considerable apprehension and stress if you aren\u2019t used to it, and even more so if you are driving on the opposite side of the road to what you are used to. There comes the realisation that driving a car is not like riding a bike. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":107002,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4597],"tags":[2644],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56878"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56878"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56878\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":107008,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56878\/revisions\/107008"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/107002"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}