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

Flag of Spain Spain
Information
Language: Spanish
Capital: Madrid
Population: 47.000.000
Currency: Euro
Hitchability: Average.png (average)
More info: Hitchbase
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Language

The Comunidades are not only administrative destricts; 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. In Spain, hitching isn’t a very common concept and mostly done by foreigners. Though, the thumb will be understood.

Hitchhiking, Autostop

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

You will find a lot of foreigners in cars from countries where the hitchhiking culture is more developed. You usually have to wait for some time – but those who pick you up at least tend to be really nice. Unfortunately they also seem to be somewhat clueless about distances (to walk) and what is a good spot and what is not (since no one knows much about hitchhiking). Another complication is the paid highways and the unpaid highways.

Sometimes you will have to be patient possibly waiting for over an hour! Once, Latindane had to wait 4 hours to get a 300 kilometers ride with lunch included towards Madrid.

When entering the country from France you should try to get a lift as close to your destination as possible. On the mediteranean 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 Franch 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 travelling 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 reccommended, as often there is one peaje for both directions, automatically ruling out many vehicles as possible rides.

In the Southern regions, the motorways are smaller and the petrol stations are usually further away from the road. It is best to be patient at these places.

Carpooling

Carpooling (compartir coche) is an alternative. The website ¿viajamosjuntos.com? gives the opportunity to the driver to post their journey in search of passenger to share the cost of the ride.

Squatting

Despite 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