Since Spain joined the European Union, their highway funding has improved and the roads have gotten much better, so you won’t have to worry so much about losing your car rental in a pothole. Even so, there are many other hassles while driving car rentals around the city. Before you arrive, be sure you have a solid travel plan. Stock up on maps, a GPS system, read up on road work information and have a pleasant navigator in the car with you. The best type of Madrid travel downtown is to simply hop aboard their excellent metro system. If you’re traveling outside the city, you will find that the highways outside of the Madrid metro move fairly quickly.

To obtain a car rental, you must have a valid passport and driver’s license issued by your home state. You must also have insurance, which is usually negotiated by the travel professionals at the rent-a-car office. On the autopista toll roads, the maximum speed is 75 mph. On the autovia, they can range from 50 to 75, depending on where you are. Carretera local highways are as signed, but do not exceed 60 mph. The main roads are between 40 and 60 mph, generally speaking. The laws benefit motorists more than pedestrians, so exercise extreme caution when crossing an intersection by foot, even if you are at a designated crosswalk. On the highways, passing on the right is illegal unless you are exiting. If there is a solid line in the road, do not pull into the intersection to make a left; instead, look for special lanes that aid your turn. Everyone in your car should wear a seat belt and do not drink and drive. The blood alcohol limits are about half those in other parts of Europe. If you get busted for a traffic offense, you will not be allowed to leave the country until you pay your fine or appear in court. In fact, many fines need to be paid right on the spot!

The M-30 is one of the major stretches of highway around Madrid. Since the ring was built, the city has spread further to the suburbs, which makes driving around this ring a traffic nightmare. There are over 600,000 cars driving on this road every day, the signs are confusing and there is construction everywhere! You may want to take your car rental elsewhere, if you can. The other ring roads like M-40 and M-50 aren’t as terrible to drive on, except for during morning and afternoon rush hours, which will extend your commute by as much as an hour. Popular toll routes include R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5, A-2, A-3, A-4 and A-5, which lead other towns and cities in Spain into Madrid. This is generally the best way for car rentals to traverse to escape the city congestion.

Once you’ve secured your car rental, you may want to take a short, one-hour drive into Toledo, Spain. At the top of the city’s hill, you will see terra cotta rooftops, historic cathedrals, rolling green hills and a maze of narrow European streets. Toledo itself is one of six UNESCO World Heritage sites within a short driving distance of Madrid. Other nearby wonders include the Escurial Monastery, the town of Segovia (with its Roman aqueduct, 11th-century castle and 16th-century cathedral), the town of Avila (with 11th-century fortresses and Gothic cathedrals), historic Alcalá de Henares (a college town) and the Aranjuez landscape (complete with palaces and Baroque gardens). Travel professionals recommend venturing just outside the city for a glimpse of Spanish history.

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