My choice of a resort in Spain tended between Blanes and Lloret de Mar. But since last year I already had the opportunity to see Blanes and his Jardi Botanic Marimutra, we decided to stay at Lloret, especially since I love big cities where there are many shops and all kinds of establishments. Our initial plan called for a fairly large circle: Lloret - Sete Montpellier-Nimes-Marseille-Lyon-Clermont-Ferrand-Bordeaux-Beariz-Bilbao-Zaragoza-Barcelona-Lloret. But when we hit the road, it turned out that the distance was too great, and it was decided to shorten our trip to Seta-Montpellier-Marseille and Toulouse, and then return to Lloret via Andorra and Barcelona. However, before Seth, they decided to stop by Carcassonne and, through Beziers, go to Seth and once again admire the magnificent sandy strip that stretches at the entrance to this city.
It's good that the planes Russian production banned from flying to Europe. Now we are flying on a Boeing, which will take us to Barcelona, \u200b\u200bfrom where we will go to Lloret, where, in turn, we will find an inexpensive, but quite decent Festa Brava hotel.
We liked the city immediately. And we decide to spend two days quietly here. Swim (which only I will do, because the water is pretty cool, but I like it - it burns the body well), walk, walk around the shops and choose a rental company. I forgot to say that our tour is designed for 10 days, of which we are going to spend five on a trip. And the remaining three are again in beloved Lloret.
We try to poke our heads into rental companies - in two they ask for credit cards, in one they agreed to cash, but they started pouring noodles on our ears, saying that if we cross the Spanish border, a special device in the car will work via satellite, and we will not be able to go. Well then, gentlemen: "We shall go and find another car rental company".
For a long time I knew about the "Olympia" company, and in the end our choice settled on it. And for good reason: Seat Clio c diesel engine we were offered by a woman manager for the price of cars of class B, although the car was class C. Here, however, a heated argument broke out between my companion and me. I wanted to rent a car with a franchise to save money, but Masha insisted that the insurance was on Full Risk, plus she insisted that we pay additional technical insurance to travel to the south of France. The manager said that if we do not go further than Carcassonne, the technical insurance will be 14 euros, and if further, then from 40 to 80 euros. I managed to persuade Masha not to pay more than 14 euros. As it turned out later, she was absolutely right. And if not for those 14 euros, God knows what kind of money I would have gotten. Yes! Not everyone, but some women should be listened to ...
So, we take our Clio, load our things, and go. On the N-11, past Girona and Figueiros, we approach the French border, my beloved Francia. Last year, we turned onto the N-260 and crossed the border, driving through the winding Pyrenees in the Portboux and Serbers area. Now they decided to cross the border in Le Pertus, an absolutely magical town, on the outskirts of which mountains rise and in general, it has some kind of indescribable attractiveness. But okay, enough sentiment. We drive through Perpignan and in the Narbonne area we leave for Carcassonne. I must say that I knew about Carcassonne for a long time. Back in the late 1990s, while working at Cosmos TV, one day I had to translate a program about Carcassonne. It was then that I learned about this medieval fortress town that has survived to this day. But due to the fact that it stands on the side of the main roads, it was never possible to leave the highway and get to it. Finally, this opportunity presented itself.
We arrive in Carcassonne by 18-00. We are trying to ask the price of hotels near the fortress itself. Too expensive. "Bon Marche", as the French say - 60-100 euros on average. Then we go to the central part of the city and already here we find the Hotel Central, where for 32 euros we get a decent room. Well, then we go to the river, and through the "Vieux Pont" we find ourselves in the fortress itself. I must say that the French are very good at ennobling the territory where they live. Superbly manicured river banks, along which I managed to jog the next morning. Despite the well-being of the city, the people who came across us on the way were dressed rather modestly, to say the least.
The next day our path lies in Beziers, which left in my memory a rather mournful impression. As Masha explained to me, the reason for this is the Fortress, built in the Gothic style, the view of which opens at the entrance to the city. I must say that in general, Languedoc has some kind of indescribable charm, which, among other things, can be explained by southern maples (I do not know exactly what these trees are called), whose thick trunks are found at the entrances and exits of almost all Languedoc towns and villages.
Now our path lies in Montpellier. But before that we call in Seth, take photos on the beach strip, which stretches in front of the entrance to the city. I was already in Sete before, but no further than the Triton Hotel. Having passed this time through the whole city, I was quite amazed by its beauty and its canals. As always, there is nowhere to park the car, so no photos of Seth were taken either.
Montpellier is one of many indescribably beautiful French cities. We especially liked its central square. Of course, we went shopping, went to the Virgin Megastore, as well as to clothing stores. I wish I had bought one silver ring with a black stone there.
Oh, what a miracle this France! From Montpellier we leave for Nîmes. If not for Masha, we would have passed this city along the bypass road. But you need to know Masha. We return and find ourselves, of course, in a traffic jam. We drive through the center. Old Colosseum, beautiful buildings, park in the city center. Okay, but time is wasted for other more valuable things. We go to Arles. Not a bad town. We are trying to park the car near the wall in the old part of the city. But here it is not a Frenchman who comes up to us, but for some reason an Englishman, and tells me that he also tried to park here, but he was warned that after 20-00 the police might pick up the car, and in order to return it, it would be necessary to pay 200 euros. Thanks uncle for the warning. I like such solidarity among foreigners.
In Arles we finally check into a hotel, also € 30, and the porter escorts me to the garage, where I leave the car overnight. We go to a restaurant where two respectable French businessmen, some kind of lady with a dog and another married couple were having dinner at that time. The atmosphere was pretty good. And the charm was added by the lady with the dog, who periodically demonstrated her abilities. She kept repeating to the little beast: "Cheri; c'est terminé; c'est fini?" To which the dog answered in a human voice: "oui oui oui" I must say that in general the stay in Arles was accompanied by some kind of nervousness. And the trouble was added by a torn condom, bought ahead of time in Lloret. Well, be that as it may, we must move on to Marseille. Oh Marseille, Marseille!
In the morning we leave Arles and pass the turn to Foss, with a toll road ahead. Masha is relentless. We must turn around. Sometimes, however, you need to listen to your inner voice, not women. Because when we turn onto Foss, we find ourselves in a terrible traffic jam that breaks all our plans. We risk not getting to Marseille at the right time. Then I try to do the following. I go to the right, and we find ourselves at the oil refinery. I stop the car and ask the first driver I see how we can get onto the road leading to Marseille. Everything turns out, oddly enough, quite simple. We leave the territory of the plant, and we are again on the way to Marseille. We drive along magnificent bridges and coastal roads. The wind is so strong that it seems that the car will be blown away. The first thing we do in Marseille is find the underground parking and go to the pharmacy. Masha needs a pill. En Russi s’appelle "le jour apré" - I say to a young pharmacist and a woman pharmacist. At the same time, the only customer in the pharmacy, a young and pretty Frenchwoman, does not hide her curiosity. Ici; la mème chose; Pilule de lendemain: they answer me. All this pleasure costs 7 and a half euros. Now Masha calms down a little. The Next Day tablet is at her disposal. And then she already had, began to believe in omens. There are too many pregnant women on our way to Marseille. Ah Marseille, Marseille.
We are trying to overcome the path up the mountain, from where "Notre Dame de la Garde" looks at us in all its splendor. Here we take a great picture, which will forever save the faces of two random fellow travelers, i.e. Masha me too. They say that taking pictures before the wedding is a bad omen. Yes…. But what am I talking about?
Here in Marseille I bought an Atlas Routiere and now, my navigator, then I realized that I was not bad enough, fully armed. Moreover, we have to overcome not a close path from Marseille to Toulouse. Our route to Toulouse goes through Avignon, Ales, Florac, Mende, Rhodes and Albi. Avionion is one of those towns that fall in love with the first time. Two girls, a student, help us to call Moscow using a phone card, where Car's daughter fell ill, and because of which Masha becomes rather nervous. Okay, I'll have to give her a discount. As we leave Avignon, we have a panoramic view of the Palais des Papes. Then it becomes clear that Masha cannot go further. We have to look for a hotel. And we have already arrived in Alez. And it's already nine o'clock in the evening. And all hotels are closed. We are trying to do something - to no avail. We stumble upon the Premiere Classe Hotel, an unusual modern hotel. But the receptionist had already gone home. I talked to the workers who were staying at the hotel. And one offered me to check in with his credit card. It turns out that the hotel has an automatic machine that, after debiting money from a credit card account, automatically issues a room number and a key card. I pay the worker. We check in, and I go to the workers to celebrate our happy settlement with a bottle of good French wine, bought in Montpellier. Not all workers are French. Lots of Portuguese. “Ten years ago,” one tells me, “the French authorities did not let foreigners in. Now, please.” By the way, he also complained that everywhere in Europe, too, like ours, everything is diluted and the quality of products is far from what it was before. I was pleasantly surprised by his wish to me: "Je vous souhaite a bien s'installer en France" - a dit t'il. Unfortunately, my profession is not the same, monsieur.
The 400 kilometer road to Toulouse the next day we covered in 3 hours and, of course, as always on the way, stopped to drink coffee. But most of all I liked the coffee in Montpellier, which we drank in one of the city's restaurants. The owners of the restaurant, when they heard that we wanted coffee, answered us that "Nous n'est somme pas un bistro", but nevertheless they poured coffee.
Toulouse turned out to be a completely unusual city. The surprise at the entrance was a black Toulouse on a motorcycle, whom we asked for directions to the City Center and the tourist center. He not only showed us the way, but took us to the bridge and showed us the right direction.
Toulouse is a city of students. There are a lot of young people. She is everywhere. And in the evening - on the banks of the magnificently beautiful Garonne River. Students and female students lie on the grass, play volleyball, drink beer. Superbly relaxed atmosphere. Ease in everything.
Masha's navigator's talent manifested itself in all its splendor on leaving Toulouse the next day.She found her way through the atlas, and all the way to Andorra we used only free roads that passed through fabulous French towns, and in front of us there were always mountains that were by Andorra itself. We would have already been in Andorra and would have climbed the steep cliffs higher and higher, but our Clio suddenly began to go deaf. Repeated attempts to start it did not bring results. And then, turning on reverse gear, I started the car into the parking lot at the customs post at the entrance to Pas de La Casa- the customs post, as it turned out, consisted of one French building and one Andorran building. I parked my car, went to the French and took with me the phone that I had on my insurance policy. I tried to explain that we have a breakdown and I need to call the rental company. I was told to wait, and when I approached again, they told me that they had already called those. help, which scared me a lot. Since I did not ask to call her, and such help, of course, will cost money. Then I went to the Andorran customs officers and asked them to call. With great reluctance and with great dignity, the officer allowed me to do this. Pompous, these Spaniards are sometimes useful. At Olympia, they asked us to describe exactly where we are and told us to wait for a tow truck. About an hour later, a tow truck arrived, which was called by French customs officers. When I explained to the French technician that it was not me who called the tow truck, but the French, he was terribly angry. "C'est n'est pas mon faute" (It's not my fault), I said. "Et pas a moi, non plus" (but not mine, all the more so), he said. As it turned out, the French automatically summoned him, because they have there, like us, all zones of influence are divided, and this site was serviced only by this company. Suddenly, we heard loud screams. It was an angry tow truck who threw out his anger at the customs officers, because of whom he passed the way. Or maybe they just sent him away after he started However, soon our tow truck came for us. A young boy with an interesting Portuguese name, Pines. He deftly loaded our Clio onto his tow truck. And we went to Andorra, where we were put on a bus and sent to Barcelona, \u200b\u200bfrom which at night we took a taxi to our Lloret.
The next day, I safely received my deposit at Olympia, money for one day of unused rent, and compensation for the taxi.
The remaining three days we enjoyed the gift of happiness, in particular, I got high from the scalding cold sea water, and Masha from our hotel metro hotel, whom we secretly nicknamed "An Unusual Concert", so he looked like an entertainer from the Unusual Concert of Obraztsov, and which every now and then transplanted Maria from one table to another.
Next year, if there is work, we will go to Malaga, and from there to the west. But that will be another story ...
Dmitriy
21/05/2005 22:07
The opinion of tourists may not coincide with the opinion of the editorial board.
This lengthy article is devoted to solving a fairly common question related to moving from Barcelona to other large (and not so) cities. It will help you estimate the approximate distance between the largest Spanish city, European capitals and other towns in Spain. It also tells you how to get from or to Barcelona.
Barcelona and the largest cities in Europe
It doesn't matter if you are now in Moscow, Minsk, Kiev or somewhere else outside the wonderful Spain. There are several ways to get here, which you will read about below!
How to get from Moscow to Barcelona
Residents of Moscow and the region who are going to spend their holidays in Spain, but do not know what is the best way to get there, should read the following information. The distance from Moscow to Barcelona is 3686 km.
The most profitable option is a flight. There are many flights per day at intervals of half an hour or an hour. You can fly away without problems, both from Domodedovo airport and from Sheremetyevo. The average flight time is 4 hours 30 minutes. You can also go by train, but there are no direct trains from Moscow to Barcelona, \u200b\u200band the ticket will not be cheaper than by plane. By train, the journey will take much longer, since you need to make at least several changes. One of the options: Moscow-Cologne (32 hours on the road) - Cologne-Paris (4 hours), and only then Paris-Barcelona. There is no reason to go by bus, unless you decide to take a tour of Europe. A direct road from Moscow will take about three days. You can also get there by private car. Travel time will be approximately 50 hours if you travel along the following route: Moscow (Russia) - Belarus - Lithuania - Poland - Germany - Switzerland - France - Spain (Barcelona).
You can get to Barcelona from Moscow using any of the options offered. The choice is large enough, so everyone can decide for himself which transport is best to use.
Distance from Minsk to Barcelona
Residents of Belarus who are planning to spend their holidays on the Mediterranean coast of Spain are interested in the best way to get there and how many kilometers they need to travel. The distance from Minsk to Barcelona is approximately 3067 km.
If you fly by plane, it is better to book a ticket in advance, since there is only 1 direct flight from Minsk to Barcelona, \u200b\u200band not every day. A direct flight can fly to Barcelona in 3 hours 45 minutes. Flight with transfers takes longer. For example, via Moscow 8 hours 45 minutes. It is possible to purchase a ticket for a bus that departs from the Moskovsky bus station and arrives in Barcelona in 2 days 12 hours. Buses make the route every day. You can get there by bus, but with a change in Kiev. Thus, it will be possible to get to Barcelona in 1 day 13 hours. There are no direct trains to Barcelona from Minsk. The only thing is that you can first get to Moscow by train, and then by plane to Barcelona. This trip will take about 18 hours. A private car can be reached in 42 hours, following the following route: Minsk (Belarus) - Poland - Germany - Switzerland - France - Spain (Barcelona). The required amount of fuel for a trip by car is 920 liters.
How to get from Kiev to Barcelona
For residents of Ukraine who go on vacation to Spain, there will also be interesting information about how best to get from Kiev to Barcelona, \u200b\u200band how many kilometers will need to be covered. Kiev and Barcelona are separated by approximately 3235 km.
You can quickly fly from Kiev to Barcelona by plane. There are several direct flights a day. Travel time is 3 hours 50 minutes. A cheaper way is by bus. But this way the trip will take longer. The fastest bus, which departs from Kiev Central Bus Station, reaches Barcelona in 1 day 23 hours. The ticket price is slightly less than 2000 hryvnia. There are also other buses from Kiev passing through Barcelona. For example, a bus Kiev - Malaga, at the Barcelona bus station in 21 hours. But the ticket will cost an order of magnitude more. Trains from Kiev to Barcelona do not run. Also, as an option, you can get from Kiev to Barcelona by private car. Travel time is approximately 45 hours if you follow the given route: Ukraine (Kiev) - Poland - Germany - Switzerland - France - Spain (Barcelona).
From Paris to Barcelona, \u200b\u200bsome 1000 km are separated
From the capital of France, you can easily get to the largest city in Spain - Barcelona. The distance between the cities is 1012 km.
The first and the most quick way get from Paris to Barcelona - by plane. Travel time will be spent about 1 hour 30 minutes. Direct flights depart every day, at intervals of half an hour to an hour. A ticket can be purchased for approximately 6,000 rubles or more. Less commonly, buses run from Paris to Barcelona. On Thursdays from the Galieni bus station (Paris), a bus leaves for Barcelona, \u200b\u200bwhich takes 14 hours and 45 minutes. From Paris to Barcelona can be reached by night train. Travel time - 12 hours. You can also get from Paris to Barcelona in 19-20 hours by private car.
Between Milan and Barcelona
Many tourists want to visit as many cities and countries as possible during a month's vacation. While vacationing in Milan (Italy), you can very quickly get to Barcelona and enjoy the beauty of this Spanish resort. Distance from Milan to Barcelona is 1079 km.
You can fly from Milan to Barcelona in just 1 hour and 30 minutes. You can also use the services rail transport... The night train leaves Milan at 7:40 pm and arrives in Barcelona at 9:45 am. The train runs three times a week. Direct bus routes from Milan to Barcelona are not fixed, therefore, as an option, you can also get by private car. The travel time will take about 19 hours. To do this, you need to go from Italy (Milan), pass the territory of Switzerland, France, and then get already to Spain (Barcelona).
Below we have presented a summary table with data on the length of the distance between two points on the map (as if they were making a direct flight), one of which is a large Spanish city, the name of which begins with the letter “B”.
| From Barcelona to ... | km. | From Barcelona to ... | km. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam | 1238,2 | London | 1137,6 |
| Andorra la Vella | 4587,2 | Ljubljana | 1120,2 |
| Ankara | 2580,5 | Luxembourg | 964,5 |
| Athens | 1882,9 | Minsk | 2341 |
| Belgrade | 1534,5 | Monaco | 503,3 |
| Berlin | 1501,4 | Moscow | 3018,1 |
| Berne | 747,7 | Nicosia | 2798,9 |
| Bratislava | 1397,7 | Oslo | 2144,1 |
| Brussels | 1064 | Paris | 830,2 |
| Budapest | 1501,1 | Podgorica | 1420,5 |
| Bucharest | 1975,6 | Prague | 1355 |
| Vaduz | 866,9 | Reykjavik | 2969,2 |
| Valetta | 1233,6 | Riga | 2339,7 |
| Warsaw | 1869,5 | Rome | 860,5 |
| Vatican | 858,8 | San Marino | 889,6 |
| Vein | 1352,7 | Sarajevo | 1358,3 |
| Vilnius | 2252,5 | Skopje | 1602,1 |
| Dublin | 1470 | Sofia | 1753 |
| Zagreb | 1215,6 | Stockholm | 2281,4 |
| Kiev | 2401,3 | Tallinn | 2544 |
| Kishinev | 2210,9 | Tbilisi | 3517,9 |
| Coppenhagen | 1761 | Tirana | 1474,3 |
| Lisbon | 1009,2 | Helsinki | 2608,3 |
Barcelona and other Spanish cities
While in Barcelona, \u200b\u200btourists very often want to have time to see other cities in Spain, for example, Madrid. But before visiting the same capital, it will not be superfluous to find out which way is best to get there and how long it will take.
From Barcelona to Madrid
The distance between Barcelona and Madrid is approximately 620 km, so it is best to take a flight to save time. Flights from Barcelona operate daily to Madrid starting at 7:00 am and ending at 9:35 pm local time. Flight time - 1 hour 30 minutes. You can also get to Madrid by bus, which leaves at 6:40 am from Barcelona and arrives at the place at 16:30. Travel time is about 10 hours. It is possible to go on an excursion to Madrid and a personal vehicle, but for this you need to have an international license. Traveling this way, you can admire other Spanish cities. The shortest route by car is: Barcelona - Lleida - Zaragoza - Calatayud - Madrid. But all the same, even without stops, the travel time will need to be spent about 4-5 hours. There is another good and inexpensive option - the train. The train journey from Barcelona to Madrid takes 2 hours and 40 minutes.
From Barcelona to Costa Brava
The famous Spanish resort Costa Brava is located in the north-east of Catalonia. From Barcelona to the Costa Brava, only 60 km, so getting from one city to another is not difficult.
Airplane is usually the best option, but not in this case. There are no direct flights from Barcelona to the Costa Brava, but only with transfers in Prague, Pisa, Brussels and Ibiza. The flight through Pisa will take 5 hours, through Ibiza in 11 hours. The most profitable and inexpensive option is the electric train. Almost every coastal town on the Costa Brava has electric trains every 1.5 hours. Average journey time is 45 minutes. The fare is about 6 USD. You can also get to the Costa Brava from Barcelona by bus, which departs regularly from the Estacio Nord bus station. It is possible to get from Barcelona to any town on the Costa Brava by private transport. Travel time will be about 40 minutes.
Let's leave the choice of the route and method of travel for you - each tourist chooses from the proposed options that is optimal for himself, starting from the purpose of the upcoming trip.
From Barcelona to Valencia
The Spanish city of Valencia meets tourists every day not only from other countries, but also from neighboring cities. To get from Barcelona to Valencia, you need to travel an average of 350 km.
You can get to Valencia by bus, train, private or rented car, as well as by plane. If you plan to spend the whole day in Valencia, the best way to go is by bus. From Barcelona, \u200b\u200bbus routes leave at 5:00, 5:20 and 6:40 am and arrive in Valencia in an average of 4-5 hours. In addition, the bus is cheaper than the train. But by train you can get there much faster - in 3.5 hours. If you go by private car, the trip will take 4-5 hours, as well as a bus ride. You can get there much faster by personal or rented transport on the Autobahn, where the road is better and the traffic density is less. This method is the most expensive, but also the fastest. If we talk about the fare, then the most profitable is to buy a train or bus ticket. It is also possible to get from Barcelona to Valencia by plane, but unfortunately there are no direct flights. If you fly by plane, it is better with a transfer in Palma de Mallorca. The flight time is 3 hours 15 minutes. It takes much longer to fly through other cities.
From Barcelona to Costa Dorada
People who vacation in Barcelona often want to see other Spanish cities, one of which is the Costa Dorada. The "Gold Coast" of the Mediterranean is located 115 kilometers from Barcelona.
From Barcelona to the Costa Dorada you can easily travel by train. Almost every hour there is a departure from Barcelona to Salou (the largest resort on the Costa Dorada). A train ride will cost no more than 6 euros and will take no more than 1.5 hours. You can buy a bus ticket for about 10 euros. The central bus station, where the routes from Barcelona arrive, is located in Tarragona. For those tourists who want to get to the Costa Dorada very quickly, you can take a taxi, which will cost about 120 euros. Traveling from Barcelona on a pleasure boat is suitable for those holidaymakers who dream of enjoying the local surroundings to their fullest. A boat ticket will cost from 3 to 20 euros, depending on which resort town of Costa Dorada the sea transport arrives at.
At the end of the article, we present to your attention a table with the distances between Barcelona and the cities of Spain. Attention! All the given data does not take into account the geometry of railways or roads - it's just the length of the path between points A and B on the map!
| km. | Distance between Barcelona and ... | km. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avila | 583,4 | Lugo | 822,8 |
| Aviles | 707,7 | Madrid | 506,3 |
| Aguilas | 547,7 | Mazagon | 907,8 |
| Aiguablava | 105,9 | Majorca | 204,3 |
| Alarcon | 414,6 | Malaga | 770,1 |
| Alhaurin El Grande | 793,8 | Malgrat de Mar | 55,7 |
| Alicante | 407,6 | Manzanares | 541,3 |
| Alcala de Henares | 476,7 | Marbella | 816,3 |
| Alcaniz | 196,6 | Medina del Pomar | 497,5 |
| Alfas Del Pai | 367,2 | Melilla | 810,3 |
| Albarracin | 323,5 | Merida | 775,2 |
| Albacete | 433,8 | Mijas | 793,7 |
| Alhambra | 523,8 | Mogro | 554,1 |
| Almagro | 572,3 | Montserrat | 325,9 |
| Almeria | 644,7 | Monforte de Lemos | 812 |
| Altea | 362,9 | Murguya | 431,9 |
| Algeciras | 882,2 | Murcia | 472,1 |
| Amposta | 153 | Navacerrada | 524,9 |
| Andorra | 135,5 | Nerzha | 734 |
| Antequera | 756,9 | Oviedo | 695,3 |
| Argomanis | 422,7 | Olite | 339,4 |
| Arecife | 1982,4 | Ondarribia | 393,1 |
| Arcos de la Frontera | 861 | Oropesa | 224,2 |
| Artis | 181,2 | Gran Canaria island | 2016,1 |
| Ayamonte | 946,7 | Padron | 908,3 |
| Badajoz | 826,9 | Palencia | 562 |
| Bayona | 919,4 | Palma del Rio | 759,7 |
| Baqueira Beret | 177,5 | Pamplona | 353,2 |
| Balearic Islands | 215,5 | Peniscola | 187,6 |
| Benavente | 656,3 | Pentevedra | 904,4 |
| Benalmadena | 789,6 | Pineda de Mar | 50,9 |
| Benicarlo | 182,3 | Playa de Aro | 88,7 |
| Benicasim | 231,2 | Placencia | 713,6 |
| Burgos | 498,6 | Puerto De La Cruz | 2225,3 |
| Bielsa | 212,8 | Puebla de Sanabria | 736 |
| Valencia | 303,3 | Puerto de Mazarron | 517 |
| Valdepenas | 556,1 | Puerto de Santa Maria | 900,3 |
| Valladolid | 576,4 | Puerto Lambreras | 545,3 |
| Vandellos | 119,3 | Raskafria | 510,6 |
| Verin | 802,2 | Reus | 92,6 |
| Vigo | 908,5 | Ribadeo | 794,1 |
| Viella | 691,2 | Rincon de la Victoria | 761,3 |
| Villafranca del Berzo | 755,7 | Roses | 128,1 |
| Vic | 60,6 | Rhonda | 817,4 |
| Viladrau | 54,4 | Company | 908,1 |
| Vilalba | 838,8 | S'Agaro | 86,3 |
| Vilafranca del Penedes | 39,7 | Salamanca | 658,7 |
| Vitoria | 431,9 | Salou | 92,7 |
| Gandia | 335,2 | San Lorenzo del Escorial | 538,9 |
| Garabandal | 579,7 | Santa Cristina D'Arco | 659,4 |
| Guadalajara | 456,6 | Santa Cruz de La Palma | 2290,4 |
| Guardamar del Segura | 439,1 | Santander | 543,1 |
| Homer | 2296,8 | Santander Suanse | 559,1 |
| Grazalema | 829,6 | Santa susana | 53,6 |
| Gran Canaria | 2197,9 | Santillana del Mar | 562,7 |
| Granada | 682,4 | Santona | 515,9 |
| Gredos | 626,1 | Santiago de Compostela | 900,8 |
| Grove | 922,7 | Santiago La Estrada | 894,5 |
| Guelva | 909,4 | Sant Feliu de Guijoglio | 84 |
| Denia | 333 | Zaragoza | 256,3 |
| Girona | 86,6 | Seville | 831,2 |
| Zamora | 661,2 | Segovia | 529,9 |
| Zafra | 803,9 | Saint Pedro Pinat | 472,1 |
| Ibiza | 282,3 | Saint Raphael | 377,5 |
| Igualada | 50,8 | Seo de Urgel | 122,7 |
| Irun | 391,5 | Server del Pisuerga | 565,7 |
| Istan | 814,9 | Sigüenza | 405 |
| Cadiz | 909,5 | Sitges | 34,5 |
| Cala Biniancola | 229 | Soria | 388,7 |
| Cala Blanca | 210,5 | Sos del Rey Catolico | 306,5 |
| Calafell | 54,5 | Sierra nevada | 676,4 |
| Calahorra | 358,1 | Ciudad Real | 583,5 |
| Calella | 47,8 | Ciudad Rodrigo | 736,3 |
| Calella de Palafrugel | 101,2 | Syuta | 892,2 |
| Calpe | 354,3 | Tarbes | 267,8 |
| Cambados | 918,6 | Tariff | 900,9 |
| Cambrils | 100 | Tarragona | 83,1 |
| Canary Islands | 2246,7 | Tenerife | 2233,7 |
| Cangas de Onis | 639,1 | Teruel | 299,5 |
| Candace | 696,6 | Toledo | 550,8 |
| Canet de Berenguer | 277,5 | Tordesillas | 599,1 |
| Canet de Mar | 41 | Torrebieja | 450,8 |
| Cardona | 71,2 | Torrelavega | 556,5 |
| Carmona | 800,3 | Torremolinos | 783 |
| Casaglia de la Sierra | 780,8 | Tortosa | 152,6 |
| Caceres | 754,7 | Tossa de Mar | 73,5 |
| Cazorla | 588 | Tres Cantos | 502,5 |
| Castellon de la Plana | 242,9 | Trujillo | 715,7 |
| Castro Urdiales | 496 | Tui | 902,3 |
| Comillas | 576,3 | Ubeda | 605,1 |
| Conil De La Frontera | 913,5 | Huesca | 230,1 |
| Cordova | 711,4 | Ferro | 2382,4 |
| Cortes del la Frontera | 838,3 | Ferrol | 885,8 |
| Costa Brava | 105,4 | Figueiros | 117,7 |
| Costa de la Luz | 906 | Formentera Es Pujos | 302,2 |
| Costa del Maresme | 30,2 | Formigal | 259,7 |
| Costa del Sol | 787,3 | Fuente De | 505,4 |
| Costa Dorada | 114,5 | Fuerteventura | 2059,3 |
| Cuenca | 391,8 | Fuengirola | 797,2 |
| L. Manga D. Mar Menor | 484,1 | Javea | 335,3 |
| La Palma | 872,1 | Javier | 310,2 |
| Laguardia | 414,8 | Jarandiya de la Vera | 675,6 |
| La Coruña | 897 | Haro | 436,1 |
| La Linea | 873 | Jaén | 650,7 |
| Lanzarote | 2190 | Jerez de la Frontera | 887,8 |
| La Pineda | 89,4 | Gijon | 687 |
| Laredo | 511,5 | Huelva Cartaya | 923,2 |
| Leon | 655,2 | Chinchon | 491,4 |
| Lleida | 131,4 | El Vendrell | 56,3 |
| Lerma | 498,3 | Elciego | 192,6 |
| Lipias | 509,9 | Elche | 424,4 |
| Lleida | 131,4 | El Espinar | 544,5 |
| Lloret de Mar | 66,3 | Empuriabrava | 124 |
| Logrono | 390,8 | Escoriaza | 431,1 |
Calculating how long to fly from Spain to France, let us agree that the departure point is the capital's international airport "Barajas (Adolfo Suarez)" - Madrid ("Barajas Adolfo Suarez" International airport - Madrid), and the passenger arrives at the international airport "Roissy-Charles" de Gaulle "- Paris (" Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle "International airport - Paris) Calculate the distance between the points of flight.
The calculation takes into account that takeoff and landing takes about 30 minutes, and the passenger flies without a change (direct flight).
Information about departure from Spain
The place of departure from Spain will be considered the capital's international airport "Barajas (Adolfo Suarez)" - Madrid ("Barajas Adolfo Suarez" International airport - Madrid). Local time in summer: +1.0 GMT (2 hours less than in Moscow). Information about the air hub, FAQ for departing passengers and terminal schemes.
Additional hubs for departure from Spain: there is no information about other cities with international airports.
Arrival information in France
The place of arrival in France will be considered the capital's international airport "Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle" - Paris ("Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle" International airport - Paris). Local time in summer: +1.0 GMT (2 hours less than in Moscow). The local time at the point of departure - Madrid and arrival - Paris - is the same. Information about the air hub, FAQ for arriving passengers and terminal schemes.
Additional hubs for arriving in France: there is no information on other cities with international airports.
How to get from Barcelona to Nice or vice versaYou are going to rest on the Cote d'Azur and have decided to see also part of Spain. Of course, it is interesting to compare the beaches of Barcelona and Nice, the spirit, the atmosphere, the sun, the sea (although the last two are just the same), cuisine. Like Nice is full of interesting places. so the sights of Barcelona will delight you. That is why we give you all the ways you can get from the Cote d'Azur to the Spanish coast.
Believe it or not, this is the easiest, fastest and cheapest way. Flights between Nice-Cote d'Azur and Barcelona El Prat airports are frequent and you can choose any arrival time. Check out the cheapest flights between these cities here.
By car
It is quite convenient to get there by car. Here are a rough estimate of the distance between Barcelona and Nice and the cost of your trip (excluding car rental).
Travel time: 6 hours 5 minutes (this is the estimated time in an ideal situation. During the hot season, you can spend 2 times more time in traffic jams)
Distance: 662 km
Gasoline price: 85 €
Toll roads: 43 € (in France)
Total: 128 €
If you are ready for such costs and for the fact that you have to spend more than 6 hours behind the wheel, then a car is an excellent choice, you will see both the French Riviera and Catalonia, and you can look into the suburbs of Barcelona.
If you are traveling without a car and you are interested in a budget option, then look at "covatura". Read more in our article.
By train
Unfortunately, the Nice-Barcelona train route is far from the most convenient. It will take more than 8 hours, you will make 2 changes, and a one-way ticket will cost 110-130 euros on average. High speed trains from France to Barcelona start going in the fall of the year. But Nice will not be affected. Only the following directions will apply
Geneva - Barcelona - Madrid
Thus, you must first get from Nice to Marseille, and only then to Barcelona.
By bus
Traveling between Nice and Barcelona by bus, such a service is offered, for example, by the Eurolines company. The price of a round-trip ticket is from 100 to 130 euros. Travel time: about 11 hours (usually one night with arrival at 10-11 am) and you are already drinking sangria and choosing from the menu what to try in Barcelona.
On a ferryboat
There are no direct ferries between Barcelona and Nice. Ferries do not go to Marseille, Cannes and other cities of the Côte d'Azur. So the Sagrada Familia and the Promenade des Anglais can be connected by sea only by special cruise liners.
To ensure your travel is successful, don't forget to take refreshments on the road. Better to book your hotel in advance. Like Nice. so in Barcelona, \u200b\u200bthere are unfavorable places. You can read about staying in Nice in our articles "Where is it better for a tourist to live in Nice." And Dangerous Areas of Nice. "And see the dangerous areas and where to live in Barcelona.
Man proposes - work disposes. But sometimes it is possible to escape, rest and travel. Finally, such a moment has come, and our choice fell on old Europe.
At first, we planned to fly to Germany via Frankfurt, take a car and visit France, Belgium, Holland. However, life has made its own adjustments. As luck would have it, the German embassy began to modify visa procedures and decided to abandon the idea of \u200b\u200ba trip to Europe, starting from Germany.
We analyzed the situation, having estimated possible routes, opted for the following. Start in Spain, then travel to France. Whether to go further - we will decide on the spot.
Preparing for the trip
To begin with, we decided on the duration of the trip. Traveling by car along the route we have planned and having a good rest by the sea in one week will hardly work.
Therefore, we chose a tour for two weeks.
They did not get involved in booking hotels in Spain, because travel agencies offer a large number of hotels for every taste. We decided to take a tour to Spain with accommodation and meals for two weeks, and from Spain, as from a springboard, we travel further.
An interesting and crucial moment is booking a car.
Despite the fact that some travel agencies operating in the Spanish direction already offer to arrange a lease along with vouchers, they decided to take the prices they offered for the base ones and study the car rental market on their own.
The minimum prices for compact cars (the smallest cars in size, usually the average between Tavria and VAZ 2108, only "in size" of course!), With CDW insurance, but without air conditioning in travel agencies, started from 10,000 pst ( pst - Spanish peseta, exchange rate against the dollar, 180-185 per US dollar) in three days.
We turned to the giants of the world car rental market. After analyzing information from fourteen companies, we chose AVIS.
The company's website offered a 20% discount coupon for online bookings. After reviewing the fleet of offered cars, we chose a class "C" car. This class was introduced opel cars Astra, in three and five-door configurations, with air conditioning, but without ABS (a similar car with ABS belongs to class "D", ie more prestigious, but also expensive, respectively). The used gasoline is 95th.
One more detail, cars with automatic transmission are extremely rare. On the vast majority of cars, you will find a five-speed "manual" box.
When booking a car, the AVIS booking system asked to enter the renter's country code. Having experimented with the options (RU, US, etc.), we came to a pleasant conclusion. Prices for Russians are lower than for residents of most other countries. Although, this is rather an exception, and usually the situation is the opposite. I was very pleased that the system included CDW and TP insurance in addition to the rental cost.
Summarizing the search results, we can conclude that it makes sense to rent a car on your own if you take a car for a week or more. In our case (rent for 12 days), if we took a car on the coast, we would have to pay 40% more.
A small recommendation, when booking a car, try to indicate the most accurate return time. An earlier return is possible, but it is cheaper to indicate the exact time. The best option - 2-2.5 hours before departure. It took us no more than 15 minutes to return the car.
I would like to add that by renting a car at the airport (for example, in Barcelona, \u200b\u200bas we are), you will have to get to the rental point yourself. In our case, we traveled this path on an electric train, which in our understanding cannot be called an "electric train". Comfortable seating, air conditioning maintains a temperature of 20 degrees above each exit electronic scoreboard, creeping line, showing route, next stop, exact time, temperature.
If you are traveling to Barcelona from the north (from the Costa Brava), then most paths will pass along the sea. We drove more than 70 kilometers and we still have positive emotions about this type of transport.
By the way, the electric trains described above are integrated into the Barcelona metro system, which makes them even more convenient.
A little about insurance and taxes ...
Usually, tourists traveling abroad have to deal only with medical insurance. In our case, as usual, it was included in the price of the tour. With a car, the situation is somewhat different.
There are usually two types of insurance for car rental: mandatory and optional. Without compulsory insurance, you simply will not be rented out a car, and you cannot refuse them (it). In the Schengen countries, such compulsory insurance is CDW. All others are usually optional.
Conditional purposes of insurance:
CDW - protection against damage to the rented car;
TP - protection against theft;
• PAI - your civil liability insurance, sometimes it includes insurance against theft of your belongings from a rented car.
In our case, CDW and TP were already included in the rental price.
It should also be remembered that in the EU countries there is an analogue of the sales tax (VAT), in mainland Spain it is ~ 16%. You can get back the tax withheld from you when you leave Schengen, but the specified tax is refunded ONLY for the purchased goods. Unfortunately, services (including car rental) are not covered by this refund.
The roads that we choose….
The next stage, the choice of the route. When trying to print a detailed road map to Paris, we encountered an interesting situation. Three renowned map servers have drawn completely different paths from Barcelona to Paris!
More precisely, to Perpenian (France), all the roads coincided, and then - some to the forest, some for firewood. We were offered three ways to the capital of France. East - through Leon, west - through Toulouse, central - through no one knows what. Just like in a fairy tale.
After clarifying the details, we found out that our tale will sound like this. If you go to the right (through Leon), you will lose money (the whole road goes along the "pay-stations"), if you go to the left (through Toulouse, there are fewer toll roads, but more distance), you will lose time, you will go straight - ... Well, that's how lucky! Guess what we have chosen?
The central road was suggested by the server eurocar.com. Let's see what will come of it ... By the way, the roads in Schengen are designated as follows. The letter N stands for pan-European free tracks. The letter C stands for national tracks, and although in the legends of the map they are sometimes indicated as free, in fact, do not be surprised if you are asked to pay on such a track. The letter A stands for commercial toll roads, but at the same time the most high-speed routes. The letter D indicates that this road is of local importance.
We book hotels….
There were no problems with booking a hotel in Paris. The only problem is the problem of choice. The main search criterion for us was the availability of parking. We were unable to find a hotel with free parking in Paris itself. Almost all hotels either offered their own paid parking or reported that there was paid parking nearby. The prices for the parking service ranged from 50 to 120 francs per day.
After looking through the photos of rooms from two dozen hotels, we chose one of them, with a good, as it seemed to us, location and parking for 70 francs per day.
We booked a room for three days. For booking, a regular Visa debit card was required, since when booking, it was charged 10% of the room rate per day. A copy of the confirmation was received by e-mail the next day.
Note that when booking online, the minimum prices found per night (for a double room) in Paris start at 390 francs.
On the way back to Spain, we planned to stop in Toulouse (about 400 km from Barcelona). We found a suitable hotel with free parking quickly and for a price that is almost twice lower than in Paris.
Rooms and car are booked. Let's hit the road….
We arrived ...
We successfully flew to Barcelona, \u200b\u200bloudly patting the pilots after a successful landing. Less than two hours later, we were already at the hotel, delivered by a bus from the host travel agency. The rest has begun!
A small recommendation. In our opinion, it is more convenient to take a car not immediately after arrival, but after accommodation at the hotel, a short rest and acclimatization. We took the car every other day, which we do not regret. in the first two days we managed to figure out the location of the hotel, parking lots and other useful nuances. In addition, if you do not know the exact location of the hotel, entrances to it, the place of possible parking and, finally, the road to the resort, then this option, I think, will be optimal for you.
Speaking of parking lots. Even before the trip, I was not too lazy, called the host hotel and asked a question about parking. Madame from the front desk said that the price of a parking day is 2000 pesetas (about $ 12).
The parking itself looks like this, you are given a key to the parking gate on bail (usually a square fenced off with a chain-link netting). Entering (leaving) you open (close) the gate yourself.
On the very first day of the visit, we found places where you can park your car without any problems. The question of parking at the resort was no longer in front of us.
More about parking, parking places are marked with colored lines. The yellow (orange) line on the curb prohibits parking in this place. A blue line or markings usually indicates paid parking. When leaving your car, you must pay the cost of parking at the machine, which is usually located somewhere nearby.
True, once I parked my car in an area with blue lines (markings), I was looking for a machine to pay for parking for a long time. Well, there is none and that's it! And the markup, with a drawing of a hand squeezing a coin (typical designation paid parking) - there is! Desperate to find the failed machine gun, he asked the native where to find this unfortunate machine gun. Fortunately for me, the guy understood a little English and we will explain to me that the markings remained from last year, and the machines were either removed or taken away for repairs. But all the same, it is better to clarify such things, tk. our guide authoritatively stated that the fines in Spain are not small. Even by aboriginal standards!
And so, having rested and acclimatized, every other day, in the morning, we got to the nearest electric train station. We bought tickets without any problems (electric trains run every half hour), and we safely reached the airport terminal. It is called “Airport”.
Approaching the airport, we no longer expected a meeting with the Spanish controllers, but the man in uniform grew up as if out of the ground and asked to show tickets with signs. After checking them, he disappeared just as quickly. By the way, many tourists (apparently "savages") travel with their belongings to the airport (and from it, respectively) with this electric train.
Leaving the train along a special passage equipped with a horizontally moving escalator, we walk about 200 meters above all roads and parking lots, and we get straight to Terminal B of Barcelona Airport.
It took some effort (and time) to find an AVIS office (as well as other rent-a-car companies). The airport building is large and has three main terminals: A, B, C. Car rental offices are located in Terminal B.
We take the car ...
I walk up to the AVIS counter and hold out a printed confirmation. I was lucky. I was served by a senior manager, which affected the speed of filling out papers and settling other formalities. Next to me stood a respectable elderly couple from Switzerland and a democratically dressed middle-aged Pole.
What I paid special attention to was that they all used coupons and discount cards. At the same time, the Pole presented coupons cut from some edition and discount card, and the married couple presented the number discount program from the travel company that sent them.
An interesting episode followed. Apparently the number of the discount program presented by the Swiss has already expired. The girl manager told them about it, offering to take the car by regular price... The Swiss were quite violent (by their standards, of course) indignant. As I understand it, the difference between the prices was as much ... 4000 pesetas, which is as much as $ 20!
The Swiss is indignant and demands the chief manager who draws up my documents half a meter away from him. The manager tosses me "sorry" and turns his head at the Swiss. For five minutes we all stand and listen to the triad of this "Alpine shooter". After listening to this fiery speech by Swiss standards, the chief manager looks with an unperturbed face at the Swiss and repeats to him the proposal already told to him (the Swiss) by the girl-manager earlier. He throws “sorry” to the Swiss and turns back to me and continues to work with my papers. Real calmness of a bullfighter!
v At this time the Swiss became covered with red spots and was not much different from the angry bull. It even seemed to me that the victims are already inevitable. However, a descendant of "hereditary manufacturers of watches, cheese and chocolate", retreated towards the nearest telephone, running away to call the travel agency that sent him to Spain.
Whether he met twenty dollars with an international call to Switzerland remained a mystery to me. My papers for the car had already been issued and the general manager handed me an envelope with the keys to the car.
We go to the parking lot and start looking for a car. Walked the entire row twice. Well, there is no Opel Astra and that's it!
There are other types-sizes-brands of cars, but this is not! Here's the deal!
I go to the parking attendant and explain the problem. He is even more surprised, and together we go to look for a car. We approach the indicated parking space, and the employee confidently points his hand to the standing car. Here's your car!
There was no limit to my surprise! Instead of a compact three-door "Opel Astra" ( Opel astra) Renault Magane appeared to our eyes, and even in the performance of a "station wagon"! For reference, I will say that the length of the latter is more than half a meter longer, plus all the delights of the "station wagon" (by analogy, it would be if instead of the VAZ 2108 you were given a "Volga Universal"). Finally, we find that Renault also has a diesel in the bargain!
I go to the employee again to seek consensus. He listened to me attentively, threw up his hands, and was surprised to notice that the new car was "cooler" than the one I ordered by the whole class. Like, you need to rejoice, free, one might say, a gift from the company! Well, what will you explain to them ?!
Having resigned ourselves to fate, we sit down the “iron horse” sent from above and set off!
But! Later, as it turned out, this replacement still had much more pluses than minuses. First, the price of gasoline starts from $ 0.9 per liter, while the price of diesel fuel (Gasoil) is only $ 0.6 for the same liter! Secondly: the diesel engine turned out to be quite economical, because the average consumption on the computer was 5.7 liters per 100 km of run (this, both in the city and on the highway). Thirdly, there are no problems with the operation of the diesel engine, compared to gasoline engine, I didn't feel. Fourth, Class D cars are more comfortable and spacious, and are also equipped with ABS. Summarizing all this, we can conclude that replacing the car class with a higher one (at the initiative of the lessor) will most likely be a pleasant gift!
Barcelona-Paris.
Our journey to Paris began at eight thirty in the morning. The day before, we agreed at the hotel that food, during the days of our absence from the hotel, was given to us by "dry rations". The only hitch was that usually "dry rations", "picnic", as it is called in hotels, is issued for a day, well, a maximum of two. In our case, we planned to be absent for at least four days. However, the problem was solved, and after loading a large box with various products, we set off.
At the gas station we purchased a road map for Spain-France (there is also such a version of maps). We highly recommend using "fresh" maps of the current year or the maximum of the past, since road construction in Schengen is proceeding at a fairly fast pace.
The map server also gave us information about the travel time and the average speed along the selected route, which is more than 122 km / h. And it was nice to feel that without limiting ourselves in the desire to "press on the gas", we usually moved without exceeding the speed limit.
There are the following speed limits on toll roads: in dry weather - up to 130 km / h, during precipitation - up to 110 km / h.
These restrictions were usually enough for us, which cannot be said about local drivers. The fact that in Schengen Europe "they do not drive fast, but fly low", had to be convinced constantly. At the same time, the "pilots" were generally not expensive cars, and the most natural middle peasants and even small cars. The average portrait of a "pilot" car is similar to the portrait of our VAZ 2108 (or even "Tavria"), and this is only SIZE of course! The "flight" speed is usually 160 - 200 km / h! Somewhere, in two hours the way passed the Spanish-French border. This structure is a structure similar to the toll collection point for using a toll road, with the exception that even the barriers are completely absent here. "Control" is valid only when entering France. From the outside it looked like this. Having reduced the speed in front of the checkpoint to 50 km / h, we approach the border. We drive past a booth (such as our small kiosks) with border guards, while, about to stop, we notice a rather hairy hand sticking out of the “kiosk”, which with gestures began to give signals like “come on, go!”.
We crossed the border at a speed of about 40 km / h. The information that the control between the Schengen countries is completely absent is not correct. Usually, control procedures at such borders are carried out by representatives of a country with a higher standard of living (in our case, these were the French). At the same time, it seemed to us that "face control" is mainly used. In our presence, the French border guards stopped the car with Arab drivers and began checking the documents.
Having entered the territory of France, they immediately began to feel a higher standard of living. The quality of the roads has improved, and the roads themselves, as it seemed to me, have expanded by about one lane in each direction (traffic on the "paysites" is practically always divided).
The service in the rest and stop areas (analogue of the rest area) is not at all comparable with the Spanish service.For while in Spain there was practically no service in such areas, in France there was usually a set of the following services: a telephone, vending machines with food and drinks, toilets, well-maintained large picnic areas, playgrounds for children, gas stations and many other services. Although there are a lot of these zones and they are all different.
These zones are located along the highway, usually every 20-80 km.
I would also like to note the driving style of Europeans. The overwhelming majority of which strictly follow the traffic rules (with the exception of speed mode). When driving, drivers usually occupy the rightmost lane, EVEN if there are two or three empty rows nearby and there are practically no cars in the visibility zone! I often saw the picture when dozens of cars are walking along the rightmost lane (with a distance of 100-300 meters), and the more left-hand lane is GENERALLY empty. But you get tired when driving on Schengen roads an order of magnitude less than ours.
Another specificity in overtaking. More precisely, in the designation of the latter. Unlike us, the Europeans turn on the LEFT turn signal before starting a maneuver and turn off the same left turn signal ONLY after they have completely finished the maneuver. The right turn signal is not used at all when overtaking.
Despite a couple of half-hour rests, at the beginning of the eighth o'clock in the evening we entered Paris. And immediately felt the inimitable atmosphere of this city.
Firstly, in front of Paris, all the drivers moving into the city seemed to go berserk and rushed to the city on maximum speed (the average flow rate is about 150 km / h), as if trying to make a margin of time before the Parisian "traffic jams".
Secondly, Paris greeted us with a rather intense movement, but smoothly, flowing from traffic jam to traffic jam, we nevertheless reached our hotel in half an hour. Therefore, we recommend that you take into account that in large automobile cities, especially strong "traffic jams" can be found in morning hours on the way to the city (everyone goes to work) and in the evening in the opposite direction. Evening traffic "normalizes" usually after 20:00 local time.
Another important detail. You will need a map of Paris showing the directions of movement in the city, since many streets have one-way traffic and you can get to some of them only after driving around the whole block.
A little about parking and the hotel ...
Accommodation in a Parisian hotel made so many unforgettable impressions on us that I would like to tell you about it.
To begin with, it is necessary to say about the Parisian hotels themselves. For ourselves, we have divided them into "professional" and "reconstructed". The first group includes hotels, which were originally planned and built as hotels. To the second group, we included the so-called "reconstructed houses". The fact is that, having become one of the tourist capitals of Europe, Paris began to attract more and more visitors, which led to a shortage of standard hotels (according to our classification - "professional"). Homeowners began to use it. After all, the profitability of a hotel in the center of Paris is much higher than renting out apartments. And it began. There are a lot of such "reconstructed" houses in Paris.
One of these "reconstructed" houses, with an official category of 2-3, turned out to be our hotel. We must pay tribute to the guys who took pictures of this hotel for the catalog. To make a “quiet corner of paradise” in a photograph from a “tense” Parisian street (always “jammed” with pedestrians, moving vehicles and parked cars) - you have to be able to do that!
First they added a car. The parking was really close to the hotel, one might even say very close - these were the adjacent entrances. However, they differed from each other only in that there was a door at the entrance to the hotel! The dimensions of the entrance-entrance were, one might say, identical (unfortunately, not in favor of the parking lot).
The parking lot itself was the same "reconstructed" house, but where all the walls were removed on the floors and the markings were made for parking spaces for cars. The summit of the entrepreneurial spirit of the parking owner was the presence of SIX parking levels, i.e. all five floors and the ROOF were used as a car park. With all this, it was very likely that this house was built at the beginning of the century! The entire parking lot was serviced by only one Arab employee who knew two whole words money and later out of the entire English language, i.e. money and later. It took ten minutes to convince him that we SHOULD take payment from us at once for all days in advance, so that later we would not even return to this question. True, this payment method had another great advantage, since when we came to the parking lot we did not have to wait for an employee to hand over and receive the keys to our car.
We get a place on the fourth floor and along the steep climbs, which we called the "dream of the argali", we begin to climb up. The width of the lift, in my opinion, was designed for the maximum of the Oka, and it was not very pleasant to fit into these turns on the Renault Megan.
The fact that this task really required some skill and luck was evidenced by the fresh and not very traces of paint on the sides of cars already passing here. The color palette of the footprints was very diverse!
Having found their place and parked the car, they found that despite the presence of lamps, there was no lighting "in principle". I had to look for a way out "by touch." Later, we nevertheless discovered a cleverly hidden switch, by pressing which you can turn on the light on the floor for a couple of minutes, but for what reason it was placed on the opposite wall, 50 meters from the entrance, it remained a mystery to us. Maybe this is how they save energy?
Having dealt with the placement of the car, we moved towards the hotel. We especially appreciated the convenience of the shortcut between the parking lot and the hotel when carrying our belongings.
We give the girl at the reception confirmation of the room reservation. Despite the fact that she practically did not speak English, the registration took no more than five minutes and we, having received the room key, went up to our floor. Everything is clean and tidy. The only thing that confused was the small height of the ceilings. And this house, apparently, was also the same age as the century.
Opening the door of the room, we freeze in surprise. We did not expect to see such a room, even in the most "forgotten by Allah" inn in Egypt.
The size of the room barely made it possible to accommodate a double bed here, and all four walls had completely different colors and finishing materials. The smell of tobacco was so strong that the workshop of a tobacco factory would have seemed like a pine forest. The decay of furniture tends to a critical point, i.e. completely antique condition, and not amenable to any restoration. The fact that we are already living in the twenty-first century was indicated only by the TV latest model and dates on our wristwatches. The words I uttered during the next five minutes are not subject to publication due to censorship reasons. But in a short press release on the fact of this speech, we can say that the mothers and other close relatives of the builders and owners of the hotel, as well as the builders and owners of this hotel, plus organizations that gave this hotel a category of 2-3 stars (in different sources published different information about the "star" of the specified hotel). Without stopping further for a second, I swiftly went downstairs to the reception.
Apparently my look showed the manager-girl more eloquently than any words that something terrible was about to happen. But France, nevertheless, remains a civilized country and the following dialogue begins between us. The girl politely asks if she can help me with something, and lo and behold, it turns out that she can! It turns out that Russian tourists want a room, not a pantry with antiques and a TV. Apparently not really understanding humor, the girl began to convince me that they did not have rooms with a pantry! I propose to show you where it is!
At this time, two representatively dressed gentlemen appear in the lobby, and lo and behold number two, one of them is the owner of this hotel, and the other is the director of the same institution! Some miracles!
Having bowed, we begin to clarify the situation. Unlike the girl, the owner of the hotel has excellent English and things went faster. Having clarified the problem of the respected client, the hotel director began to clarify with the manager what room was provided to the respected client.
Along the way, we are talking with the owner about business. When he learned that we were from Russia, his surprise knew no bounds. It turns out that we, and this with our English, were mistaken for the British. Although this situation was possible, since we were not asked for passports, and only a plastic card and a booking confirmation were required to register at the hotel (the passport data was already on the computer from the moment of booking and withdrawal of the security deposit from the card).
Further, I explain that the photos of the number on the network are slightly different from what I have already seen here. A minute later, I find out that this room is generally under reconstruction and they could not accommodate me in it. Everyone apologizes and we bow out. And the number ?!
The number is offered to take the best available, and the director himself will help you choose a replacement.
With several keys we go to look at other numbers. Opening the first room, I am amazed, clean room, good modern renovation and furniture, normal area. Satisfied, we take! The director also suggested that it is better to take a room with a view of the courtyard, because the rooms with windows to the street are very noisy due to heavy traffic on the street. Once again, we bow and say goodbye. At the same time, the French discovered that Russia has the Internet, credit cards and some requirements for the quality of service. And we learned that the French do not really like the inhabitants of the British Isles and have become even stronger in the idea that if something does not suit you, calmly go and solve the problem that has arisen. And the result will be!
Walks in Paris ...
After checking into the hotel, they began to plan their program of stay. A list of attractions and excursion programs was presented in abundance at a special stand near the reception. Already having some idea of \u200b\u200bthe traffic intensity in Paris, we decided to make a night trip around the city. We hoped that there would be few cars, and we would drive to all places without any problems.
Leaving the hotel at 1 am, we found that the traffic had really decreased, but the intensity in the center was not much different from the daytime. The decrease in the number of cars was more than offset by the increased speeds.
If you do decide to go for a night walk, then the minimum number of cars on the street occurs between 3.30 and 5.30 am. But, given the difference between our and Paris time, indicated above, the trip went with us "with a bang."
Separately, it should be said about parking lots in Paris. To park in the center, on the street, and even near some tourist place, is a rather difficult task. Firstly, usually there are almost always no places, and where there is, then there is usually no parking. Violate, get to know the precise work of Parisian tow trucks.
The most acceptable option for parking in the center is parking in special underground parking lots (parking lots), which are available in almost all famous tourist places. The cost of such a pleasure is about 15 francs per hour. Such underground parking marked on the vast majority of issued maps of Paris.
I would also like to say separately about the discipline on the roads. In the French province, the rules of the road, however, like others, are observed, but as we get closer to Paris (as it seemed to us), morals and norms of behavior become freer. Continuous speeding has already been discussed above. In large cities, numerous motorcyclists (mopedists, mokikists and other mo ...) are still added to this disaster. The fact is that the latter prefer to drive, bypassing any markings, often dangerously maneuvering between cars, changing the lane, etc., etc. If the mopedist is also from Africa (or from an Arab country), then this may be added to the possibility of crossing the intersection to red shine. We had to be convinced of such ethnic features in behavior on the road quite often. One more nuance. A lot of young people ride mopeds (ages 15 to 18), which periodically forced them to strain their attention when driving.
On the positive side, participation in road traffic, both in Paris and throughout France, is that, despite the large number of cars, the psychological stress on the roads is less than in Russia. Even if you perform an incorrect action in relation to other participants in the movement, then most likely you will not be scolded and will not "madly" signal you, but will simply try to stay away from you.
One of the other peculiarities of the movement in France had to be confronted personally. Good form, both in Spain and France, is the habit of stopping and letting pedestrians pass. During that short time of our stay in Europe, we also completely got used to the role of "polite" drivers. We arrive in Paris and notice, despite the fact that this is also Europe, but pedestrians are not held in such high esteem by drivers here. The capital has its own rules and laws!
But, having already become infected with the "disease" of politeness, by inertia, we continue to politely let pedestrians pass. And so, on one of the narrow one-way streets, the next scene takes place. The movement is tense. Cars go one after another at intervals of no more than two meters. The column stretched for hundreds of meters. She can't see the end. Two French women just need to cross this ill-fated street. Judging by their appearance, they have not been able to cope with this task for quite a long time. And suddenly, our car stops and lets them pass! The French women quickly cross the road. One of them looks at our car and notices. … SPANISH numbers! Her gratitude knew no bounds! A smile and a monologue to the glory of the "polite Spanish" drivers was provided to us. We part with mutual smiles. At the same time, French women probably think that there is more in the world " polite drivers, and even then the Spaniards ", and we think out" and those from Russia! ".
When planning the duration of your stay in Paris, we suggest that you start from the fact that for the minimum first visit to this city, you will need a full two to three days (if you are in your car). During this time, you will have time to visit most of the famous tourist places of the city and its suburbs. Then it's up to you to decide.
In addition, when planning a trip by car, we can recommend the following options to save your money:
hotel accommodation in the suburbs of Paris (the difference in prices between Paris and the suburbs can be very significant);
for refueling the car, it is better to choose “quiet places” away from “tense” highways (for example, a liter of diesel fuel in a residential area of \u200b\u200bParis, near the La De Fence area cost 5.17Fr versus 5.98Fr in the city center and tracks);
when visiting tourist attractions, use discount packages (cards, programs), information about which can be obtained free of charge at the reception in the vast majority of hotels:
when parking a car on the street, please note that local residents can park their car having, at their disposal, parking space with a length of their car plus 30-40 cm, while in France (and especially in Paris) it is not extraordinary to bump a car in front or behind, or both cars together, but remember that you still have to rent your car to the lessor !;
make the most of the possibilities of the Internet.
I would like to tell you about one more funny episode. One day we were returning on foot from an evening river walk along the Seine. The weather was good and the hotel was not far away, so we went on foot. Despite the fact that this is the very center of Paris, the streets are slightly different from the central ones, they have a minimum of public lighting and if it were not for the windows of shops, restaurants and offices, we can say that there is practically no lighting.
Already approaching the hotel, we decided to take a shortcut and walk along a small alley. It was a space between two blocks, no more than four meters wide. Stone bag, no doors or windows. There is, of course, no light at all, only a perpendicular, more busy street is visible in the distance. In a word, the place is "a robber's dream." The impressions were strengthened by the previously seen criminal-looking Arab. Turning into an alley and walking a few meters, we notice several shadows moving towards us. These were not the best seconds of the trip. We quickly became close to the owners of shadows and…. having already missed them, they heard their native RUSSIAN SPEECH! Shadows (it was a married couple with a child) were animatedly discussing the meeting! Yes of course! Who else walks the dark alleys of Paris - only ours! Hearing their native speech, our compatriots we met were also amused. Apparently their impressions were also very similar to ours!
Paris-Toulouse
After staying in Paris for three days, at nine o'clock in the morning of the fourth day we left for Toulouse. Outside of Paris, we got out without problems and headed south. Having in the asset the experience from the road to Paris, the road to Toulouse, less than 700 km, "flew" without stopping. The quality of the track is good, the speed is accordingly.
We drove into Toulouse at about three o'clock in the afternoon. It should be noted that Toulouse is a major European center for the aviation and space industries. The city is quite beautiful and has many attractions. So we recommend visiting.
The hotel was found quickly. In contrast to the Parisian one, it turned out to be recently built and equipped with the latest technology. In addition, free parking, great price and good service. Accommodated with pleasure. After talking with the natives, we found out that in Toulouse it is very difficult to “not find” a hotel, even rather impossible.
By chance and weather, I had to spend a couple of evenings in front of the TV. I can't help but share what I saw on French TV. What worries the French?
First, the impression was that D'Artanyan's descendants are most worried about illegal immigration. Entire news blocks, special programs and investigation programs are devoted to this. A lot of filming with a hidden camera and "painted over" faces.
Secondly, the growth of crime, and especially among illegal immigrants. Again, a lot of documentary footage and stories. I remember one of them, where it was shown how gangs of immigrants from Arab countries are operating. The camera filmed, as at one of the crossroads, where drivers are forced to stop at a traffic light, a group of Arabs (with faces wrapped in turban-type rags) runs up to the cars. They open doors standing cars and grab valuable things from the salons (handbags, purses, business card holders), and then run away. If the robbed drivers try to chase them, then, according to a police spokesman, they can catch the eye with a special mixture of red pepper and other rubbish, which after that the pursuer may be left, not only without any remaining valuables, but also without sight. Russia is also "not forgotten" on French television. During that short time spent watching TV, I managed to watch two whole documentaries about life in Russia. Yes! Such "chernukha" is no longer shown even here! Knowing a little our realities, one had to be surprised at what the French were shown. Horror! By the way, this sometimes explains the surprise of the French at the sight of our tourists as normal, civilized people.
Toulouse-Catalonia and casinos ...
After a good rest at the hotel and once again, having made a tour of Toulouse, we left for Spain. Leaving hospitable Toulouse, at about two o'clock in the afternoon, at six o'clock in the evening, we opened the door of our room at the resort. The trip to France is complete!
Summing up, let's say that more than 2800 kilometers have been added on the Renault speedometer, and we have a lot of new impressions.
Concluding the story about our journey, I would like to dwell on entertainment separately. A car in a resort provides many advantages for leisure and entertainment. Numerous discos, nightclubs, amusement parks, go-kart centers and much more become available to you. But we were especially interested in the casino.
As we were told, there are only three casinos in Spain. One of them is located in the Costa Brava resort, in the town of Lloret de Mar. We visited this casino.
Having the opportunity to compare with other casinos, we concluded that casinos are clearly keeping it in a "black body".
Firstly, it is one of the few paid kazano in the world. The cost of the visit, which is estimated by the administration at 550 pesetas. However, on the first visit you will be given a card for another free visit or drink.
Secondly, the casino is located on the first floor of the hotel of the same name and occupies, in comparison with more eminent brothers, a small area. In the entire casino, we found only three dozen "one-armed bandits", several tables for roulette and twenty-one games. Modest enough. With all this, no more than two roulette tables of each of the two types worked. There were no more than a hundred visitors, most of whom acted as observers.
For information, I will say that appropriate "evening" clothing is required (although in a free version). The minimum bet on roulette is 250 pesetas. Bets can be placed in: Spanish, English and French. You can pay for chips with a plastic card without commission if the amount is more than 50,000 pesetas.
And also, if you are lucky, after you receive your winnings at the cashier, a casino employee will come up to you and offer you free $ 5-10 roulette chips and personally escort you to the game table, if you agree to accept them.
The end of the trip went smoothly. We arrived at Barcelona airport by our own car. To return the car with a full tank, we refueled at the very entrance to the airport (for reference, the price of fuel at this gas station is quite low). The delivery of which took no more than 15 minutes. An employee of the rental company examined the car and compared it with the damage card filled in before handing the car over to us. By the way, do not forget to enter any damage you see and large scratches in a special form that you fill out before receiving the car. After that, he printed out the final score and wished you a pleasant flight.
In conclusion, we want to thank you for reading our story to the end. We really hope that our information can help you. Please consider our "creation" absolutely subjective. Thanks. Good luck!
Vsevolod Boltnev
[email protected]
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