Spain self drive travel guide
My favourite things about driving in Spain? Turning on the radio. In an instant, your holiday has another dimension – you’re no longer cocooned by your car; you’ve let some culture in. First – a spot of rock and roll as you glide down the autopista. Classical guitar ushers in the afternoon, which you spend climbing up a single-track road to a viewpoint. You open your door for a photograph, and the music spills out with you into the sunlight.
Spain makes it easy for drivers to enjoy themselves. It has well-surfaced, well-connected roads and one of the longest highway networks in the world.![]()
Driving in Spain is a pleasure, and thanks to personalised road trips designed by expert local guides, parking up and exploring is even better. With a car, it’s easy to be a tourist where tourism is needed. Unemployment, emigration to the cities and falling produce prices are emptying Spain’s countryside. Bringing your custom to the small towns and rural villages helps keep them alive, and these trips will provide you with some excellent walking routes so you can explore further.
Keep reading our guide to self drive holidays to Spain to find out what lies on the road ahead.
Keep reading our guide to self drive holidays to Spain to find out what lies on the road ahead.
Spain self drive holidays are…
for those who want to explore while supporting lesser-visited communities.
Spain self drive holidays are not…
for petrolheads. You’ll normally be furnished with mid-size car, and you’ll spend more time exploring than in the driver’s seat.
What is it like driving in Spain?
Spain is big, but it is also incredibly well connected, with one of the longest highway networks in the world. This doesn’t mean driving distances are large. Route 66 this is not, and nor are there long slogs in straight lines. Most self drive holidays don’t have you driving for more than a couple of hours each day.
The highways in Spain are well maintained and paying tolls – peajes – on major routes go towards maintenance and operation costs. Many drivers will find roads here smoother than the ones at home. Most of our trips encourage you to explore lesser-visited destinations; outside of the cities you’ll find the roads quiet. When you do reach towns, park outside them so you don’t contribute to congestion.
The highways in Spain are well maintained and paying tolls – peajes – on major routes go towards maintenance and operation costs. Many drivers will find roads here smoother than the ones at home. Most of our trips encourage you to explore lesser-visited destinations; outside of the cities you’ll find the roads quiet. When you do reach towns, park outside them so you don’t contribute to congestion.
What are Spain self drive holidays like?
Most of our Spain road trips are between one and two weeks’ long. In this time, don’t expect to see the whole of the country. Instead, it’s best to focus on one or two regions. Spain is divided into 17 regions, each with its own specialties.
A driving holiday might cross between Asturias into Galicia, Aragon to Catalonia, or from the Basque Country into La Rioja. The beauty is that by car you can explore these divisions, even as you cross their borders. Your trip notes will give you personalised recommendations for how to get the best out of every region.
Self drive holidays in Spain don’t involve as much driving as you’d think. Your car is a means to an end – the perfect way to get out into lesser-explored areas and underappreciated regions away from the crowds. There’s a lot to see, and you can’t just wind down your window and do it drive-thru style.
A driving holiday might cross between Asturias into Galicia, Aragon to Catalonia, or from the Basque Country into La Rioja. The beauty is that by car you can explore these divisions, even as you cross their borders. Your trip notes will give you personalised recommendations for how to get the best out of every region.
Self drive holidays in Spain don’t involve as much driving as you’d think. Your car is a means to an end – the perfect way to get out into lesser-explored areas and underappreciated regions away from the crowds. There’s a lot to see, and you can’t just wind down your window and do it drive-thru style.
Northern Spain self drive holiday
Northern Spain’s best places in a 8 days self-drive tour
From
€1150 to €1490
8 days
ex flights
Spain tailor made holiday, Green Coast
Tapas, mountains, authentic charm, lovely towns and hotels!
From
€1295 to €1450
12 days
ex flights
Northern Spain vacation by train and car
Coastal routes and mountain landscapes of Northern Spain
From
US $4000
16 days
ex flights
Motorcycle tour of Morocco & Southern Spain
Ride the famous hair pins curves of Southern Spain & Morocco
From
€4179
15 days
ex flights
Contact Us
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Types of Spain self drive holidays
Self drive with guided tours
There’s nothing like literally being in the driver’s seat for feeling in command of your own destiny. But where do you park? And what do you do when you step out of the car?
On self driving trips, money gets you more than just a hotel and a hire car. Lots of holidays also feature a guide, who’ll arrange to meet you at different sites so that you can get a personal tour. You get all the independence of being in the driver’s seat, but all the attention of a tailor made holiday.
On self driving trips, money gets you more than just a hotel and a hire car. Lots of holidays also feature a guide, who’ll arrange to meet you at different sites so that you can get a personal tour. You get all the independence of being in the driver’s seat, but all the attention of a tailor made holiday.
Family road trips
Self drive holidays can be great for families. You have the means to explore by yourselves at your own pace, and then you can meet up with a guide between drives who will take the stress out of organising activities. In the Picos de Europa, you can drive from the coast into the mountains, exploring pretty villages by car. When you park up, kids can try everything from canyoning to mountain biking.
Combining driving and walking
Self drive holidays work well for keen hikers. A car is often the best way to get to a trail head, and you can do circular walks in regions that are otherwise difficult to reach, such as the Picos de Europa Mountains, the Pyrenees, or inland Andalucia. Self drive holidays come with detailed trip notes for both the driving and the walking portions of your trip.
Best time to go
The best times to drive in Spain are outside the summer holidays. Lots of trips run from March to July, stop in the summer, and then run again from September to November. This is to avoid the busiest, hottest and most expensive time of year.
Easter (spring) is a busy and prolonged period of celebration in Spain, which means that you might encounter more visitors in the places you visit. However, it can be a wonderful time to explore different small towns to see how they mark the holiest event in the Christian calendar in different ways.
Easter (spring) is a busy and prolonged period of celebration in Spain, which means that you might encounter more visitors in the places you visit. However, it can be a wonderful time to explore different small towns to see how they mark the holiest event in the Christian calendar in different ways.
More Spain self drive articles
Sunshine, sandy beaches and great cuisine are threads that run through any road trip in Spain.
