The Rough Guide to Barcelona 8 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

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you plan to see anything else of the region.
However, in summer the coastal roads in
particular are a nightmare, so if all you aim to
do is zip to the beach or wine region for the
day, it’s far better to stick to the local trains.
Driving in the city itself is not for the faint-
hearted either, parking is notoriously difficult,
and vehicle crime is rampant – never leave
anything visible in the car.
Most foreign driving licences are honoured
in Spain – including all EU, US and Canadian
ones. Remember that you drive on the right
in Spain, and away from main roads you yield
to vehicles approaching from the right. Speed
limits are posted – maximum on urban roads
is 60kph, other roads 90kph, motorways
120kph. Wearing seatbelts is compulsory.
Parking
Indoor car parks in the city centre are linked
to display boards that indicate where there
are free spaces. Central locations include
Plaça de Catalunya, Plaça Urquinaona, Arc
de Triomf, Passeig de Gràcia, Plaça dels
Angels/MACBA and Avinguda Paral.lel, and
though parking in one of these is convenient
it’s also fairly expensive (60min from €2.60,
24hr up to €25).
There’s a cheaper park-and-ride facility
called Metropark for day visitors at Plaça de
les Gloriés in the eastern Eixample (junction
of Avgda. Diagonal and Gran Via de les Corts
Catalanes; oGloriés). The €7 fee includes up
to 18 hours parking and a ticket for unlimited
travel on the city’s public transport.
Street parking is permitted in most areas,
but it can be tough to find spaces, especially
in the old town and Gràcia, where it’s nearly all
either restricted access or residents’ parking
only. The ubiquitous residents’ Área Verda
meter-zones ( W )
throughout the city allow pay-and-display
parking for visitors, for €2.80 per hour, with
either a one- or two-hour maximum stay.
Elsewhere, don’t be tempted to double-park,
leave your car in loading zones or otherwise
park illegally – the cost of being towed can
exceed €150, and no mercy is shown to
foreign-plated vehicles.
Vehicle rental
Car rental is cheapest arranged in advance
through one of the large multinational chains
(Avis, Budget, EasyCar, Europcar, Hertz,
Holiday Autos, National or Thrifty, for
example). In Barcelona, the major chains
have outlets at the airport and at, or near,
Barcelona Sants station. Inclusive rates start
from around €40 per day for an economy car
(less by the week, and often with good rates
for a three-day weekend rental, around
€150). Drivers need to be at least 21 (23 with
some companies) and to have been driving
for at least a year. It’s essential to take out
fully comprehensive insurance and pay for
Collision Damage Waiver, otherwise you’ll be
liable for every scratch.
Some of the local Barcelona rental outlets –
like Motissimo (T 934 908 401, Wwww
and Vanguard ( T934 393
880, W – have
mopeds and motorcycles available, though
given the traffic conditions (and the good
public transport system) it’s not really recom-
mended as a means of getting around the
city. Note that mopeds and motorcycles are
often rented out with insurance that doesn’t
include theft – always check with the
company. You will generally be asked to
produce a driving licence as a deposit.
Cycling
The city council has embraced cycling as a
means of transport, and is investing heavily
Follow that trixi
A fun way to get around the old town, port area and beaches is by trixi (W www
), a kind of love-bug-style bicycle-rickshaw. They tout for business
between 11am and 8pm near the Columbus statue at the bottom of the Ramblas,
and outside La Seu (cathedral) in the Barri Gòtic, though you can also flag them
down if one cruises by. Fares are fixed (€6 for 15min, €10 for 30min, €18 for 60min)
and the trixistas are an amiable, multilingual bunch for the most part.
BASICS
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City transport