Car Hire in Spain

[Janeh]

After my camino, my husband and I would like to hire a car and drive around Spain, and also back along the camino route. We would then like to drive into France to Bordeaux and then leave the car there and train it up to Paris. Can anyone recommend a good/cheap car company? I am getting quite a lot of different quotes through the internet and all are quite expensive. Also, how far is the airport in Santiago to the city centre? many :?: thanks, Jane

 

[Deirdre]

Hi Janeh,
Hiring in car in Spain is quite expensive. Last year after my Camino I needed to return to Madrid but there were no places available on trains or buses (at least for many hours). I hired a car to drive back. I was lucky enough to find two Spanish girls who wanted to return to Madrid as well and we shared the cost - it was €160. By dividing it, it came out to roughly the same price as the train ticket so it was ok. But the expensive part is picking up in one ciy and returning in another.

I had tried to do the same in Madrid to go to Valencia two years before but the cost was prohibitive compared to the price of the train. For this reason I don't have much experience to share with you. I can tell you that the rental car companies are located just at the side of the train station in Santiago de Compostela and I believe there are 4 of them there. Budget, Hertz, Eurocar(?) and possibly Avis.

I would suggest that you make the reservation well in advance from home so your car is ready to collect when you arrive. In terms of a deal, I don't think I can help, sorry.

You walk past the airport on your way to Santiago...it is before Monte de Gozo - I would guess approximately 10k outside the city.
Buen camino,

 

[ivar]

I have found that http://www.easycar.com/ has good prices from Santiago. They use the Atesa/National car rental office and I have good experience with them.

One problem, I think (you would need to check), is that you would like to drive the car into France. I am not sure if they allow it, but check it out.

Buen camino,
Ivar

 

[Janeh]

My other option would be to hire a car in spain, drop it off somewhere in Spain after we've had a look around for 3 weeks, train to Bordeaux and then hire a car there for our stay in France.
My question - which would be the city of choice to drop the car off in? We will start from Santiago, hopefully drive around a fair area of Spain (I would especially like to drive through the main towns along the camino to share them with my husband) and then could drop the car in a Spanish city and then take the train to Bordeaux. Do trains from Madrid, Barcelona etc go to Bordeaux easily? :?
Thanks for your previous post Deidrie and Ivar, cheers Jane.