Spain

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Flag of Spain Spain
Information
Language: Spanish, Catalan, Basque
Capital: Madrid
Population: 47.000.000
Currency: Euro
Hitchability: <rating country='es' />
More info: Hitchbase
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<map lat='40' lng='-1.8' zoom='6' view='0'/>

Spain is a member state of the European Union as well as the Schengen Agreement. Spain consists of 17 administrative units called Comunidades Autónomas.

In Spain, hitching isn’t a very common concept and mostly done by foreigners. However, the thumb will be understood.

The best method is to ask people directly whenever, even if your Spanish is very poor. The Spanish phrase vas a... ? ‘are you going to...?’ is a good starting point. Because Spain is a touristic country, at some large service stations you can find drivers from all over Europe, who are more likely to take you than the local people. But be careful, as many petrol stations, especially in the South, are deserted, if you are unlucky, only one or two non-local cars stop at the station every hour, and you might spend the night there.

Even if you hitchhike alone or in groups of two: be prepared to make much fewer kilometers per day than in e.g. Germany or France. Waiting times of over an hour are commin, and 500 or 700 km a day may be a real challenge. The first time you hitchhike in Spain, it might be a good idea to only plan for 300 km a day. During the hot hours of "the Siesta" (2pm -5pm) traffic density is decreased.

File:Espana.jpg
Amylin hitching to Spain from Portugal.
Hilde hitchhiking to Valencia.

Border crossing

When entering the country from France you should try to get a lift as close to your destination as possible. On the Mediterranean side, a good place for this is La Jonquera, one of the biggest truck stops in Europe. You’ll find plenty of international truck drivers all over the country, because Spain is a centre of the fruit industry, exporting their oranges and tomatoes. On the Atlantic side, there is another huge truck stop near Irun.

If you arrive by the ferry from Africa you should try to get a ride on the ferry or at the port. There are lots of people from Morocco, who went to visit their families and now return. You’ll see number plates from many other European states.

Road network

The north of Spain has a well developed system of Autopistas. Autopistas are very similar to French autoroutes, and so similar rules can be applied when hitchhiking. Autopistas have two or more lanes in each direction, accessed after passing through a peaje (tollgate) and have large rest stops along the way.

When hitching at peajes, usually people have great success, and can obtain long distance rides, even at night time. Usually the police and motorway staff do not interfere, but some stricter police may request that you leave. It is important to note that large peaje sections are usually split by a concrete wall; 2 or 3 lanes for cars, on the inside, and another 2 or 3 lanes for buses and trucks on the outside. The concrete walls usually carry on some distance after the peaje, and end once the vehicles are traveling too fast to stop. It is up to the hitchhiker to decide which lanes to take, however sticking to the outside and waiting for a truck may attract less attention from the authorities than standing further inside waiting for a car.

When hitching long distances it is a good idea to stick to large peaje sections or rest stops. Bring water and food, since these áreas de servicio are expensive. It should be noted that hitching at small peaje sections, on motorway exits, is not recommended, as often there is one peaje for both directions, automatically ruling out many vehicles as possible rides.

In the south of Spain, the motorways are smaller and the petrol stations are usually further away from the road. It is best to be patient at these places. Be careful when people promise you to drop you off at a "very busy" petrol station, as it might turn out to be deserted. It is better in these cases to find direct lifts from one town to another (use a sign when thumbing).

Language

The Comunidades are not only administrative districts; many of the regions have their own culture, language and some even don’t consider themselves as a part of Spain. For example the dominating language in Catalonia is Catalan, so be aware of that. Nevertheless, everyone speaks castellano (Spanish). Aside from Spanish, obviously languages like Basque, Catalan, etc are spoken, and learning a handful of words even in local languages, may make the driver loosen up. The Spanish phrase Vas a... ? (are you going to... ?) is an excellent starting point.

Sleeping

Squatting

Despite the fact that many houses have been shut down lately, Spain has a very active squatting scene. It’s quite easy to find a place to crash by asking around for a casa okupada.

Maps

From any tourist-info around country, you can find good roadmap of the region and/or the autonomous area for free of charge.

Cities

More Pictures



wikipedia:Spain

trash:Spain