Public Transport in Spain

Taxis in cities are not obliged to ask you to use a car seat for your baby and you can carry him or her on your lap. There are many cab companies that allow you to pre-book a taxi with a car seat but ensure that you give advance notice. Your hotel will be able to order a taxi for you with a car seat if you do not bring your own. Many taxis carry booster seats in cars for older toddlers and kids.

Metropolitan buses generally have spaces reserved to park strollers. There’s no set rule about discounts for children on public transport, but children younger than four years old usually go free in Spain.

The Barcelona Metro – Barcelona’s metro system is fairly simple to navigate. Escalators are usually available but for those with strollers, lifts are few and far between. The busier stations will usually have lifts although you may have to walk a way to find them. Look for the sign that has a box with people in it when you get off the train. The Purple Line L2 has lifts at every station. People do tend to offer help to those struggling up steps with strollers. At narrow gates let the ticket office person know that you have a stroller and they will open the special wider gate for easier access. If you will be using the stroller a lot you might consider bringing a backpack stroller or a baby carrier/sling.

Trains around Spain – Spain has an excellent train network with high speed trains connecting the major cities and towns. Trains are generally stroller accessible and will have changing facilities on board. Click here to see a map of the train routes and to book tickets

Buses in Spain – Bus services in Spain run to more than 170 destinations in a maximum journey time of 12 hours. Barcelona has excellent connections with the rest of the country.

Internal Flights –  Iberia offers internal flights in Spain and rates are not too high. This is a good option if you will be travelling long distance with kids.

Driving in Spain with a Babies and Kids

If you wish to drive to Spain, Brittany Ferries operate a ferry service between Portsmouth and Bilbao and Santander and from Plymouth to Santander. You can also rent a car in airports and cities but ensure that you pre-book a baby car seat as you may find they do not have one for you especially during busier periods. Many airlines allow you to carry a number of items of baby equipment free of charge so you might also consider bringing your car seat from home.

Taking your own car to Spain – If you want to take your own car on holiday, you could also opt to take the Eurotunnel to mainland Europe and drive from there. It’s quite a long trip so it may be easier to hire a car when you arrive at your destination instead. If you are driving your own car you will need  to carry your vehicle registration cert and use headlamp converters, a replacement light bulb set an emergency warning triangle and high visibility vest or jacket.If you have an accident call the police at 112 and wait for them to arrive.

As a foreigner driving in Spain you must hold a full driving licence and you must carry the licence with you at all times along with your passport. Seat belts must be worn front and rear and speeding and other offenses are subject to on the spot fines.

Child restraints are mandatory for all children aged 12 or younger. Children are permitted to travel in the front of the car but only with the proper restraint and with the airbag switched off. Cars that do not have seat belts in the back are prohibited from carrying children under the age of 3 years.

Petrol/ Fuel – Try to keep your petrol/ fuel tank topped-up while in Spain. Outside of the main cities and towns petrol stations are few and far between, and they rarely open 24 hours a day.

Speed Limits – Motorways have a speed limit of 120 km per hour for cars and standard roads (such as one way roads, dual carriageways and roads with more than 1.5 m of hard shoulder) have a speed limit of 100km per hour. Other roads have a speed limit of 90 km per hour and in built up areas the speed limit is 50 km per hour.

See also…

Baby and Toddler Essentials in Spain