1
edit
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
no edit summary
==== Option 1: C33 Motorway service station Montcada ====
Take a Renfe train from ''Barcelona-Passeig de Gracia'' (there are even more trains from ''Barcelona-Sants'') on the R2 or R2 Nord line, direction: Granollers Centre (R2) or Macanet-Massanes (R2 Nord). Get off at station ''Montcada i Reixac''. (This train will take you about 20 minutes and costs €2,20 (2018)). Exit the train station to the left, through the second exit in the direction of the train. Walk under the railways and pass through the station building. At the other side you will find yourself at a small shopping district with a one way street. Follow it to the right. Pass the church, traffic lights, and cross the pedestrian bridge. Once over the bridge, turn left and follow the fenced in school playground around to the right. You should now see the motorway above you and parking below the motorway. Continue following the motorway until you see the road dip down and to the right under the railroad. Go under the bridge. Up ahead and to your left you will see a very broken vertical turnstile and a sign saying "forbidden" (see a picture here: http://imgur.com/MLxJc29). Ignore the sign and follow the foot path to the right, to the service road along the motorway. This service road goes right into the back of a Gasolinera Galp Montcada Norte petrol station.<br/ >
You can also get to the service station by taking a Renfe train to Montcada-Ripollet. Get off the train and go forward, then turn left and cross the C-17 highway by the pedestrian overpass. Then go forward until you see the railway. You'll have to climb up a waist-high brick wall and cross the tracks. On the other side there is a nasty rabitz fence but luckily it has a hole in it (it was there in 2015 and it is still here in 2019). After that cross the C-33 highway by another pedestrian overpass and here you are! The walk will take you about 20-25 min.
Hitch there by asking around, or with a sign where the exits converge. Keep in mind that the toll is only two kilometers ahead, so try for shorter distances to get past the toll and onto a different rest stop. [[User:sovereign|Sovereign]], after waiting for 15 minutes (standing, with sign) at the Galp station was told by an employee to fly a sign with "Girona" instead of "FR". Girona works far better and there is another station before and after Girona.
:This option also worked well for me (Tarik) in Jan-14. I just waited for 15 minutes until a gracious Spanish couple gave me a ride to Girona.
:This option worked for me (Joel) too in June-15. Waited 20 minutes before I was picked up by some really friendly spaniards. The trouble for me was to get out of Spain (gave up after 4 hours) and I was stuck just close to the border to France in La Jonquera before I finally had to get a cab to Perpignan. Apparently -nobody- picks up hitch hikers just next to the border because this is a huge drug smuggling zone. Both rides I took before they clearly asked me if I had any drugs on me. I had no idea why but now I understand. My recommendation is that you find someone that goes all the way to France in Montcada / Girona, because believe me, there is absolutely nothing to see in La Jonquera. (In hindsight I should've just walked the remaining 5 kms to France where it's very easy to catch a ride.)
:La Jonquera is a nasty place. Try to avoid being dropped there. We failed and lost about an hour trying to catch a car at the toll station.
:It is a great spot! I used it 2 times (04/2014 and 08/2016). Once I was going to France with Girona sign. Leaving a highway in Spain - not a good idea! Coming back is a nightmare... My advise is to look for a French car if you're going further. Also watch out for R2 trains as half of them after ''Passeig de Gracia'' goes to the final station instead of your direction. --[[User:Polski Matematyk|Polski Matematyk]]
