Compare Barcelona Airport car hire 

Much of Barcelona is made up of wide boulevards arranged in the grid format of Eixample. If you do opt for car rental in Barcelona, you’ll find it easy to navigate them, though traffic is heavy during rush hours.

There’s a one-way system in place virtually throughout the whole of Barcelona, though roads are well sign-posted.

You can put your driving skills to the test in districts such as El Born and Barceloneta, which have smaller streets and are more of a challenge to drive around. If you know you’ll be driving in the city, it might be wiser to rent a smaller car.

The speed limit in Barcelona city centre is 50 km/h. Outside of urban areas, country roads are 90 km/h and motorways 120 km/h.

In terms of parking, Barcelona is like most big cities: a bit of a nightmare. Due to strict laws, street parking can be particularly hazardous. If you park on a street where there is no meter parking zone, it is highly likely your car will be towed.

To avoid this headache, opt for one of the city’s multi-storey car parks. There are over 50 in the city centre with prices starting at just under €3 per hour.

If you’re picking up in the city, there are rental offices all over the centre. Enterprise and Sixt have offices in Sants train station, while Hertz, Goldcar and Avis have offices within walking distance.

Meanwhile, Sixt and Avis have offices in Eixample, and Enterprise has an office in Sant Mari and one close to the Olympic Village.

Montserrat

The strange jagged peaks of the Montserrat mountain range is just an hour’s drive from central Barcelona. A haven for hikers and climbers, its peaks offers stunning panoramas of surrounding Catalonia.

Alella (DO)

The area around Barcelona is famed for its refreshing sparkling cava. With a car at your disposal, you’re only a 30-minute drive away from Alella, one of the region’s major wine producing towns.

Atla Alella and Alella Vinicola are great options for a typical winery tour. Just make sure you decide who the designated driver is first!

Cadaqués

Tucked into a dazzling bay on the Cap de Creus peninsula, Cadaqués is a stunning seaside town of white-washed houses and brilliant blue waters.

Around a two-and-a-half hour drive away from Barcelona, the town has long inspired with its beauty: Picasso, Dali and Miro often frequented Cadaqués.

1. Given how much of Barcelona is taken up by the one-way system, it’s best to use some form of GPS to avoid getting lost. Download a map on Google Maps or iPhone Maps before you go: you can use the GPS in offline mode.


2. When you rent a car in Barcelona, many hire companies give you a full tank of petrol and expect you to return it that way. So be sure to fill up the tank before the end of your trip to avoid a penalty.


3. Catalonia’s motorways may be top-notch, but the main highways come with expensive tolls. The so-called national roads tend to be slower but are free to use and often offer the more scenic routes.

Find out how to avoid some common car hire rip-offs here.

Fair fuel policy

A fair fuel policy (also known as full-to-full or same-to-same) means you’ll only pay for the fuel you use. All car rental deals compared on TravelSupermarket come with a fair fuel policy, so you can book your hire car safe in the knowledge there will be no nasty surprises at drop-off. More information on TravelSupermarket’s commitment to fair fuel policies can be found here.

No hidden fees

All rental deals compared on TravelSupermarket include mandatory fees (for example, one-way and young driver surcharges) in your rental quote at the time of booking, meaning you’ll know the full price of your car hire upfront.